BT Lens On

Headline news for May 14, 2026: President Trump sits down with President Xi in Beijing today with trade, Taiwan, AI and Iran on the table and the CEOs of Apple, Tesla and Nvidia in tow. Kevin Warsh is confirmed as Fed chair in the most partisan confirmation vote in US history.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteir...

Professor Joseph Liow, chairman of the Middle East Institute, joins Lens on Singapore’s Claressa Monteiro to cut through the noise around the Iran conflict and bring it into the Singapore context. Two Singaporeans in conversation about energy exposure, diplomatic tightropes, social cohesion and what it really means to be a small open economy in an increasingly volatile world. This is not a l...

Headline news for May 13, 2026: President Trump declares Americans' financial pain is not even a little bit of a factor in his Iran negotiations — as U.S. inflation hits a three-year high and he flies to Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping. Asian stocks slip as hot inflation data and the Iran deadlock sour sentiment.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day b...

Headline news for May 12, 2026: President Trump calls the Iran ceasefire on life support and dismisses Tehran's peace proposal as a piece of garbage as the two sides remain deadlocked. Japan's bond yields hit their highest level since nineteen-ninety-seven as the Bank of Japan faces growing pressure to raise rates.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Ti...

Headline news for May 11, 2026: President Trump calls Iran's latest peace proposal totally unacceptable as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait all report Iranian drone strikes over the weekend. Two Singaporean hikers are confirmed dead in the Mount Dukono eruption. And Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra walks free this morning on parole after eight months in prison.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines...

Episode Title: Iran and the U.S. Close In on a War-Ending Deal, Wall Street Hits Records and Oil Falls    Headline news for May 7, 2026: Iran reviews a U.S. peace proposal as reports emerge that Washington and Tehran are closing in on a one-page deal to end the war including a moratorium on nuclear enrichment. Wall Street hits record highs, AMD surges seventeen per cent on AI chip demand...

Headline news for May 6, 2026: President Trump pauses Project Freedom citing great progress toward a final Iran deal but the naval blockade holds as another ship was struck in the Strait overnight. Secretary of State Rubio confirms Operation Epic Fury is formally over. Oil falls for a second day and gold extends its recovery on deal optimism.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start...

Headline news for May 5, 2026: Project Freedom triggers a sharp escalation as the U.S. sinks six Iranian boats and Iran fires missiles at a UAE port with the ceasefire hanging by a thread. In Singapore, Parliament opens today with a landmark motion on AI and job disruption as labour chief Ng Chee Meng calls for a guarantee of no jobless growth.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to sta...

Headline news for May 4, 2026: President Trump launches Project Freedom to escort stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, even as a tanker is struck by unknown projectiles this morning. In Singapore, Prime Minister Wong meets New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon today to sign a landmark Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your...

Headline news for April 30, 2026: Oil closes at its highest level since 2022 as President Trump says the Iran blockade could last months with no nuclear deal in sight. Jerome Powell ends eight years as Fed chair with four dissents and a defiant pledge to stay on, handing a divided central bank to successor Kevin Warsh.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busines...

Minister for Manpower, Tan See Leng and Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Jasmin Lau join Claressa Monteiro on Lens on Singapore to tackle the question many Singaporeans are quietly asking: as the economy transforms, will there still be a place for me? Growth is getting harder, jobs are no longer guaranteed and AI is reshaping work faster than most people feel re...

Headline news for April 29, 2026: The UAE quits OPEC after nearly sixty years, effective Friday, as the Iran war fractures the Gulf's energy order and oil surges back above a hundred dollars a barrel. Iran is preparing a revised peace proposal, but President Trump has already signalled the current terms are unacceptable.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busin...

Headline news for April 28, 2026: Electric vehicles cross the fifty per cent threshold in Singapore for the first time, as Trump rejects Iran's latest peace proposal and the Hormuz stalemate drags on. King Charles arrives in Washington for a landmark state visit, and at least five people are killed in a Jakarta train collision.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by Th...

Headline news for April 27, 2026: Iran submits a new peace proposal through Pakistani mediators as the Strait of Hormuz stays shut and oil climbs. In Washington, a gunman opens fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, King Charles arrives for his state visit today regardless. And South Korea's Jeongwoo Ham wins the Singapore Open.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your...

Headline news for April 24, 2026: Israel and Lebanon extend their ceasefire by three weeks after an Oval Office meeting, but Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and oil climbs above a hundred and six dollars. At home, Singapore's HDB resale prices fall for the first time in nearly seven years.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times. ...

Headline news for April 21, 2026: The Iran ceasefire deadline has been pushed to Wednesday evening Washington time, Thursday morning in Singapore, as both sides signal cautious willingness to talk. Japan scraps decades of arms export restrictions and Apple names John Ternus to succeed Tim Cook after fifteen years.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Tim...

Headline news for April 20, 2026: The Iran ceasefire teeters on collapse as the US seizes an Iranian cargo ship, Tehran fires on commercial vessels and closes the Strait of Hormuz. Britain's Keir Starmer faces calls for his resignation, and oil surges six per cent on renewed supply fears.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Clar...

Headline news for April 17, 2026: Israel and Lebanon agree to a ceasefire; the war's biggest diplomatic breakthrough yet as Singapore's exports surge fifteen per cent and Trump signals Iran talks may resume this weekend.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Cl...

Headline news for April 16, 2026: Washington grows optimistic about ending the Iran war as Tehran signals a partial opening of the Strait of Hormuz while PM Wong calls for collective regional energy resilience. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro...

Headline news for April 15, 2026: US-Iran peace talks look set to resume in Pakistan as oil falls for a second day, Asian markets rally, and Singapore sharpens its focus on long-term energy security. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Howie Li...

Headline news for April 14, 2026: Singapore's central bank tightens policy for the first time in four years as Q1 growth slows to four-point-six per cent and the Iran war clouds the economic outlook. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Howie Li...

Headline news for April 13, 2026: Singapore anticipates an MAS policy shift as the US blockades the Strait of Hormuz, oil tops $103, and US-Iran peace talks collapse without a deal. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Howie Lim Produced by: BT...

Headline news for April 10, 2026: Lebanon's death toll passes eighteen hundred after Israel's deadliest single day of the war. Netanyahu now wants direct talks with Beirut. Singapore's PM says the SAF must learn from Ukraine and Iran. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edite...

Headline news for April 9, 2026: The ceasefire is fraying. Israel's deadliest strikes on Lebanon kill 254. Iran calls talks unreasonable. Hormuz transit remains disputed. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Howie Lim Produced by: BT Podcasts, T...

Headline news for April 8, 2026: A two-week pause in the Iran war. Singapore unveils a billion-dollar relief package. Asian markets surge. Oil plunges fifteen per cent. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Howie Lim Produced by: BT Podcasts, The...