Japan Bonds Hit a Twenty-Nine Year High as Iran Ceasefire Hanging by a Thread

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 pressur…

Trump Rejects Iran's Peace Offer, Drones Strike Gulf States and Thaksin Freed

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 fre…

Iran and the US Close In on a Deal, Wall Street Hits Records and Oil Falls 

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 nucle…

Project Freedom Paused, Epic Fury Declared Over and Oil Falls as Hope Grows 

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 an…

Project Freedom Backfires, Iran Strikes the UAE, ADB Cuts Asia Growth Forecast

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 M…

Trump Launches Project Freedom and Singapore Signs an Essential Supplies Deal 

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 Ag…

Oil Back Up, Powell Exits and Trump Says the Iran Blockade Could Last Months 

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 s…

The Economy Is Changing. Will We Still Have Work?

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 ha…

UAE Quits OPEC After Sixty Years as Iran War Fractures the Gulf's Energy Order 

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 …

Trump Unhappy with Iran's Proposal as King Charles Arrives in Washington 

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…