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An anti-US billboard on a building in Teheran on Apr 16. The US-Israeli attack on Iran that started on Feb 28 has triggered the worst oil price shock in history.

US ‘very close’ to deal with Iran, says Trump; both sides may meet at weekend

Lebanon accused of Israel violating ceasefire with intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages

DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.

Three sovereign wealth funds anchor new China-Asean investment platform; US$520 million secured in first close

Senior executives of the participating institutions at the signing ceremony include Eddy Porwanto, acting CEO of INA (sixth from left), Zhang Qingsong, chairman and CEO of CIC (seventh from left), Israfil Mammadov, CEO of State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (eighth from left) and Wu Peng, chairman of CGS International Securities (extreme right).

There are plans to expand the programme to US$1 billion as it targets opportunities emerging from deeper ties between China, S-E Asia

Indonesia risks missing EV boom as most nickel goes to stainless steel, research shows

Nickel matte at a refining facility in South Sulawesi. About 83% of Indonesia’s nickel output went to the stainless steel sector in 2025.

The growing adoption of nickel-free battery technologies is an added risk

Philippine sovereign wealth fund targeting investments this year despite Middle East conflict, economic languor

Maharlika CEO and president Rafael Consing Jr says the strategy is to invest in projects that can “catalyse growth”, particularly because of the smaller amount of capital the fund has.

Maharlika looking at projects that build national resilience, says CEO Rafael Consing Jr

People take part in a pro-government rally at in Teheran on Apr 15. The current US-Iran ceasefire has largely held since it began on Apr 8.

Can the US and Iran conclude a lasting deal to end the Middle East war?

Iran is unlikely to give up its leverage over Hormuz without concessions from the US

Vietnam proposes steep cuts to clean-energy payouts in protracted US$13 billion dispute

A proposal to cut payments is the clearest sign yet of how Hanoi may resolve a long-running dispute over its feed-in tariff regime.

EVN’s proposal for 173 projects could force some investors to repay past incentives

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BT Plus

The best insights across SPH Media

Trump’s full blockade of Hormuz threatens the already fragile ceasefire. Will the war resume?

Although the Islamabad talks yielded no concrete results, they remain an important achievement.

China plans to care for 400 million seniors by 2035, and Singapore has a stake

Residents and staff at Sindora Living’s senior living facility in Jinan, Shandong province. The 530-bed facility offers a range of activities, including literary salons and excursions.

China’s property slump far from over despite embattled developer Country Garden’s return to profit

China’s property downturn, now in its fifth year, has been marked by a wave of developer defaults, falling home prices and a prolonged slump in sales.

Opinion

Spain’s economic endorsement of China is a major Trump rebuke

Andrew Hammond

After Islamabad: Washington’s policy options in the Iran war

Leon Hadar

A loyal shareholder reflects on riding through tough times in equities markets

Leslie Yee

Singapore

CapitaLand Development's portfolio now includes 19,000 homes. Pictured is Sycamore, its large-scale residential project in Binh Duong province.

Inside Asean

Singapore developers deepen long-term bet on Vietnam

Key drivers include its young and more well-educated workforce, as well as a growing middle class

Power price hikes held at bay with Singapore landlords, hotel operators buffered by locked-in rates

The impact so far has been limited, with utilities forming a small share of overall costs for commercial landlords.

Even as energy costs soar amid the Middle East war, real estate asset owners say the impact will be limited

Keppel DC Reit posts 13.2% higher Q1 DPU of S$0.02833 on strong portfolio performance

Keppel DC Singapore 7 and 8 (above). Portfolio occupancy of the Reit stands at 95.6%, with a reversion of about 51%.

Distributable income is up 20.7% at S$74.6 million

Singapore tells US it has no forced labour in supply chains, pushes back on overcapacity claims

Singaporeans can now buy record amount of yen per Singdollar

The Leadership Playbook

From intern to C-suite: JPMorgan’s Teresa Heitsenrether on building a fully AI-powered ‘megabank’

Heitsenrether, on how AI will impact the world, says: “The ability to connect with people (will not) go away with technology, especially in our business. It’s a business that’s about trust and relationships."

There are plans to more than double the company’s data and AI talent in the Asia-Pacific region, with ‘meaningful addition’ in Singapore

‘We’ve seen the worst-case scenario’: How Indonesia’s Cinema XXI navigated crisis and change

Suryo Suherman, president director of Indonesia Cinema XXI, maintains that Indonesia remains one of the world’s most attractive cinema markets.

Caution, not aggression, defines how president director Suherman runs South-east Asia’s largest cinema operator by screen count

Big believer in ‘profit and purpose’: CEO of Ayala’s healthcare arm builds ‘ecosystem’ in Philippines

AC Health's CEO Paolo Borromeo says the company is working on integrating all its healthcare assets.

Ayala Corporation’s healthcare business unit is back in the black again and looking to expand

The once-disused horse stables at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia have been repurposed into the Ipoh Stables Market, a nostalgic modern marketplace.

BRUNCH

Turning stables and schools into lifestyle hubs: Malaysia reimagines its old spaces

Rising construction costs and changing tastes are pushing developers to reinvent existing buildings

Asean

“We will continue to invest in the Middle East, especially in Mecca – because really, it’s amazing they’ve opened up Saudi for us to invest in,” chief investment officer of Danantara Pandu Sjahrir said.

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International

Rodrigo Valdes warned of emerging risks, including a reshaping of debt markets that gives a larger role to investors such as hedge funds, who he said were “less firm hands to hold debt for the long run.”