Stay ConnectedSynopsis: Almost every weekday, our ALL-IN-ONE channel showcases discussions on Singapore youth perspectives and social issues, geopolitics through an Asian lens, health, climate change, personal finance and career.
Follow our shows on your favourite audio apps Apple Podcasts, Spotify or even ST’s app, which has a dedicated podcast player section.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis & The Straits Times, SPH Media.
Improving people’s ability to withstand hotter weather is one part of Singapore’s adaptation plan.
Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times provides you with a South-east Asian perspective to global environmental challenges.
As Singapore’s hottest month of the year, May, approaches and global energy volatility drives up Singapore's electricity tariffs, how can Singapore beat the heat in 2026? In this episode of Green Pulse, hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty explore Singapore’s upcoming National Adaptation Plan and its focus on heat resilience.
Beyond national cooling strategies, they also share practical ways to lower your energy bills and stay cool without aircon. From individual cooling hacks to the latest on climate adaptation, discover how individuals can thrive in a hotter city-state.
Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):
1:50 What is climate adaptation?
3:58 To cope with rising heat, we need tailored solutions for different groups of people.
8:30 El Nino is looming. It’s time to prepare for sizzling temperatures.
10:30 Apart from heat, what are the other climate impacts facing Singapore?
16:02 Are adaptation investments bankable? Are they wise bets for business?
21:03 Better climate risk assessments and new financial tools are needed, too.
23:25 Top tips for keeping cool as the mercury, and energy costs, rise.
Green Pulse LinkedIn newsletter: https://str.sg/green-pulse-nl
Follow Audrey Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/848W
Read her articles: https://str.sg/JLM2
Follow David Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jcvy
Read his articles: https://str.sg/JLMu
Hosts: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg) & David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
Follow Green Pulse Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWaY
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWag
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Is silver a safe haven for investors like gold and will its price rise due to war?
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.
Silver has had some exciting days, especially when the price of silver skyrocketed in 2025. However, there has been a pullback in early 2026.
So how does silver compare to gold and is it worth investing in for the long run?
In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at silver as a long-term investment and if it works for you.
Her guests are CMC Markets expert Daphne Tan and ST business reporter Timothy Goh.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:36 Is silver a safe haven like gold?
4:00 Will the Iran war drive silver prices up?
7:39 Tim’s experience of buying silver
10:30 Tech trends that could boost silver
12:00 Physical silver vs paper silver
19:24 How does silver compare to stocks as an investment?
Read Sue-Ann Tan's articles: https://str.sg/mvSa
Follow Sue-Ann Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/A86X
Host: Sue-Ann Tan (suetan@sph.com.sg)
Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong & Joanna Seow
Follow Headstart On Record Podcast channel here:
Channel: https://str.sg/wB2m
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wuN3
Spotify: https://str.sg/wBr9
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Get business/career tips in ST's Headstart newsletter: https://str.sg/headstart-nl
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Do note: All analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast are for your general information only. You should not rely on them in making any decision. Please consult a fully qualified financial adviser or professional expert for independent advice and verification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPH Media shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of or reliance on any analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast. SPH Media accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever that may result or arise from the products, services or information of any third parties.
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Discover how bhajan clubbing is transforming devotional music in India.
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in.
In this episode, host Li Xueying discusses with Debarshi Dasgupta the recent surge in bhajan clubbing - the fusion of devotional Hindu music with contemporary styles like EDM and rock.
This cultural phenomenon, exemplified by recent concerts in Delhi and other cities, explores how young Indians are finding a modern form of spiritual engagement, stress relief, and social belonging.
It has received government endorsement from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP as part of a Hindu religious revival, which includes state funding for concerts and events.
This cultural shift also addresses social acceptance and generational changes in religious practices.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:18 How bhajan clubbing draws different age groups and its impact on faith practices
3:41 Influence of political figures like Modi endorsing this musical trend
6:35 The correlation between stress relief, youth identity, and spiritual needs
11:13 BJP’s promotion of Hinduism and religious revival through government policies
13:22 Political and economic motives behind government support for Hindu cultural activities
16:17 Future prospects of bhajan clubbing and its evolution into all-night raves
Read Debarshi Dasgupta’s article here: https://str.sg/qFYv
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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If you have private medical insurance, April 1 would have been on your radar.
Private health insurers have put out new Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders, which comply with requirements by the Ministry of Health (MOH) that were announced in November 2025.
This move was aimed at curbing rising insurance premiums and private healthcare costs. The major effect on policyholders? They will now be required to fork out more in deductibles and co-payments.
The upside is that new IP riders are more affordable than the previous ones. What does this move spell for private insurers, doctors and policyholders?
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with Mr Eddy Cheong, CEO at insurance advisory Havend; and Mr Yip Hon Weng, Yio Chu Kang SMC MP and the deputy chairperson for the government parliamentary committee on health.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:18 Changes to IP riders and plans
8:01 What led to the ‘buffet syndrome’?
12:56 Doctors charging indiscriminately?
14:03 Paying more for your rider than the base plan
18:04 Delaying medical checks?
24:06 How medical inflation got to 16.9%?
26:00 Do you need to ‘insurance-max’?
30:36 Fewer insurers, fewer problems?
Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)
Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Eden Soh & Hadyu Rahim
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Editorial producer: Elizabeth Law
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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The first woman to lead a university in Singapore discusses how SMU is adapting to AI and different forms of employment.
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with newsmakers.
Facing a softer job market, fresh challenges wrought by artificial intelligence (AI) and growing scrutiny over the industry relevance of degrees, universities are coming under pressure to show degrees lead to good jobs, not just academic credentials.
That requires stronger career services, more industry-linked learning and closer alignment between education and the job market.
How are universities adapting to improve graduate employability? How do they ensure students gain practical, industry-relevant skills alongside academic knowledge? What yardsticks should universities use to judge if a degree is still delivering good value?
In this episode, ST's opinion editor Lin Suling speaks with SMU President Prof Lily Kong.
Highlights (click/tap above):
7:07 Can a student realistically juggle multiple competing demands of a holistic education?
9:33 Overseas exchange programmes: Leveller or a flex?
15:34 What responsibilities do universities bear for graduate employment outcomes?
20:58 The impact of internships and cross-disciplinary programmes on employment outcomes
28:54 How AI is changing teaching at SMU
32:50 More gig, temp and part-time roles: Do universities have a role in preparing students for this career reality?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lin Suling on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/hiLQ
Host: Lin Suling (linsuling@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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With Washington distracted and opportunities in clean energy, Beijing might have the last laugh.
Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times will now analyse the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and Greater China bureaus.
For March, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the war in the Middle East.
The conflict in Iran has further complicated Beijing’s ties with Washington. However, there are some dividends that might be reaped by China as America’s allies potentially look East because they find it more and more challenging to be on the same page as Trump.
On the economic front, fuel shortage is being felt across the board. But given China’s strengths in green technology, there might be opportunities for its companies as countries look to rejig their energy mix in the long run.
Additionally, military analysts have suggested that the conflict serves as a living laboratory for Chinese technology given that some of Iran’s defences are reliant on systems developed by China.
For now, Beijing’s global standing may have taken a hit as it has been exposed for having limited influence over happenings in the region. But with America fully engaged in Iran and the financial cost of the war, foreign policy space might well open up for China.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:17 Tensions between US and its allies could benefit China
7:26 A reminder on fossil fuel reliance
10:20 Beijing has spent years preparing for a fuel shock
12:56 Will China join a convoy in the Straits of Hormuz?
17:23 Iran as a living lab for military tech
20:02 Beijing’s limited influence in the Middle East
Read more: https://str.sg/rk3J
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
Host: Albert Wai (albertw@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Will lucky draws, monetary rewards or ‘sticks’ work when it comes to getting Singapore residents to recycle?
A new recycling initiative called the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) launches on April 1, but with household recycling rate in 2024 fell to a record low of 11 per cent, will this move the needle?
Mr Heng Li Seng, founder and director of social enterprise Green Nudge, and Associate Professor Victor Seah, director of the Behavioural Insights Centre of Excellence at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, drop by The Usual Place to help sort out our recycling woes.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:29 Will the BCRS work?
5:41 Is a 10-cents refund a good enough sweetener?
7:11 ‘Sticks’ to change behaviour
10:49 Transparency of recycling process
16:14 Tiong Bahru residents have had enough of blue bins
18:29 Shaming others into recycling?
21:39 Recycling is not as simple as before
24:29 Can recycling be sexy?
28:39 No silver bullet to get people to recycle
Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)
Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Eden Soh
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Editorial producer: Elizabeth Law
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Are these cards really that bad? Could playing with them lead to gambling?
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
Pokemon. One Piece. Magic: The Gathering. These trading card games bring back nostalgic childhood memories. But the government's plans to regulate them raise questions.
In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to psychiatrist Lim Boon Leng from Gleneagles Medical Centre, and Chew Zhan Lun, co-founder of card marketplace CTRL Collectibles, who recently made headlines for rejecting a $1.3 million offer for one of his Pokemon cards.
They delve into the nature of the trading card scene and how such cards - initially meant for children to play with - have turned into a hyped-up investment asset. But with social media and livestreaming fuelling this boom, there are practices that could cross the line into gambling. Could regulations, therefore, be a good thing for the scene? And what could they look like?
Highlights (click/tap above):
7:28 When a hobby becomes lucrative, what do we lose?
13:08 What makes people spend thousands of dollars on a single card?
17:29 Is there something inherently wrong with trading cards that could cause one to be addicted to gambling?
20:31 Are we exposing our children to gambling?
26:41 Is regulation going to take the fun out of the hobby?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lianne Chia on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gTta
Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Depleting its own military resources and antagonising Arab neighbours may be a cost too high for the regime to bear.
Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.
In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Prof Benjamin Radd, an authority on the politics of the Middle East, especially Iran.
Professor Radd, PhD (UCLA 2015) JD (Stanford 2003), is a Political Scientist and Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and an expert on government and politics of the Middle East, US foreign policy, and comparative law.
Dr Radd is also a professor at the UCLA School of Law and adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law, where he lectures on American legal development and constitutional law and politics.
In addition, Dr Radd is the Founder and CEO of Fascination Lab, an educational and experiential learning consulting firm. In 2023, he was hired to design a political crisis simulation that was filmed and released as an award-winning documentary, ‘War Game’, which was selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:32 Iranian regime's capability for waging a long war
6:23 Will the Iranian regime try to make a nuclear bomb?
15:14 Potential emergence of a moderate leader in Iran
19:21 Is Arab faith in the US shaken?
20:23 The possibility of Arab nations attacking Iran
22:17 Has Trump landed himself in a political mess?
25:01 When will the war end?
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
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More than 1,000 private residential developments in Singapore are hitting their 30s, and some are starting to show signs of wear and tear.
But if residents have not been prudent in saving for these big-ticket items such as upgrading lifts and fixing spalling concrete, should the Government step in to help?
Mr Andrew Lioe, president of the Association of Strata Managers, and Mr Daniel Chen, a lawyer and partner at Lee & Lee, with a practice focused on Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) disputes, weigh in on the challenges with managing sinking funds and the tension among different types of owners.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:44 How are sinking funds for condos managed?
4:44 Sinking fund kitty management woes
6:48 Why do owners want to delay adding to the sinking fund?
10:30 Why can’t MCSTs force owners to pay?
14:27 “The en bloc situation is not that common.”
15:24 The owner-occupied vs investor-owned mindset
18:33 What changes to the law could fix this problem?
22:36 Are problems caused by a selfish few?
26:00 The tension in mixed developments
29:45 Should the Govt step in to bail out condos?
33:50 Red flags when buying resale condos
Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)
Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Eden Soh
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Editorial producer: Elizabeth Law
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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