The world from Singapore Leslie Shaffer

Today's headlines include: Trade war fears spiked again after Trump tripled down on China tariff threats in retaliation for China's retaliation; Singapore's environmental regulators are offering payments to take old motorcycles off the roads; Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak will dissolve parliament on Saturday, paving the way for elections which could come as soon as early May; A South Korean court sentenced former President Park Geun Hye to 24 years in jail for corruption

Today's top headlines include: A Scoot flight had to be escorted back to Singapore after a passenger allegedly made a bomb threat; markets globally posted a quick rebound after the U.S. and China made reassuring comments on trade; Malaysian authorities may have hamstrung the opposition party of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the Philippines has closed the island of Borocay

Today's top headlines: The Trump administration told China to bring it on trade and China did, launching a retaliation; Asian markets tumbled and futures indicated Wall Street would too; Singapore's police warned about a surge in kidnapping scams; The Ministry of Health wants to update the standards for practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine; Malaysia's Prime Minister announced salary increases for civil servants just ahead of the upcoming elections; a female shooter injured three people at YouTube's headquarters before killing herself; and US President Trump is threatening to send the military to the U.S. border with Mexico.

Today's headlines include: Markets in Asia were mostly lower in the wake of a selloff on Wall Street on Monday after U.S. President Trump attacked Amazon; two Singaporeans who were caught listing condos on Airbnb pleaded guilty; a woman who allegedly was housing foreign workers in overcrowded conditions faces charges; Malaysia accepted a boat of Rohingya who were fleeing violence in Myanmar; a Malaysian food fight erupted on the Internet; and an Indonesian minister has threatened to shut down Facebook.

Today's top headlines: Global trade tensions rose as China took a turn at the bat with plans to impose tariffs on imports from the United States; Asian markets were mixed in post-holiday trade; futures suggested Wall Street would open lower; tech stocks may remain under pressure; Singapore's government issued a report on the potential fate of Lee Kuan Yew's house; Singapore's property prices are rising and the Singapore flyer is finally flying again; in Malaysia, a bill to criminalize spreading fake news has advanced in Parliament.

The top headlines today: Asian markets recovered some of their recent losses in pre-holiday trading; French car maker Renault is reportedly in talks to merge with Japanese car maker Nissan; Sembcorp Industries CEO and top executives have taken a paycut; Singapore's immigration authorities arrested a woman trying to smuggle drugs in her underwear; a 78-year-old woman fought off an armed robber; North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has set a date with South Korea's president; A Taiwanese exchange student was arrested in the U.S. for allegedly threatening to massacre his classmates; And the White House's revolving door has taken another, unusual spin.