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.
The popular Parking.SG app was supposed to help parking wardens issue summons. What happened?
Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
The Parking.SG app handles a million sessions a month, with under half of them being ended early and the motorist getting a refund. Half of them are Apple users, and the rest use Android smartphones. To think that it all began as a project to help the parking warden.
In this episode, host and senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Ms Amelia Fong, the product manager for Parking.sg and a policy officer at Open Government Products (OGP), a division of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:21 The technology behind the original Parking.SG app
4:00 User statistics
8:00 Considerations to make the app senior-friendly
11:56 Annual hackathon for new technology solutions
19:00 Keeping the app working 24/7
20:57 Becoming a product manager at OGP
Learn more about Parking.SG: https://www.parking.sg/
Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: https://str.sg/wt8G
Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/iqkJ
Read more COE articles: https://str.sg/iGKC
Host: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg)
Produced & edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/iTtE
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/iqW2
Spotify: https://str.sg/iqgB
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Why climate conferences are the only forum that can unite the world in fighting climate change.
Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.
Annual UN climate conferences, or COPs, have become giant gatherings that bring together governments, business, scientists, civil society and much more, showing the world wants to fight climate change, showcase solutions and rewire the global economy.
But can COP30 and future climate summits really make a difference to heatwaves, floods, green jobs and climate finance – or are they just full of hot air?
Join Green Pulse hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty as they unpack why climate COPs matter to everyday lives, jobs and politics in South-east Asia and beyond.
Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):
1:59 Why are climate COPs so important?
3:40 More money needed for adaptation investments and tools to measure progress
7:46 How to scale climate cash up to US$1.3 trillion a year – that level of funding could transform communities in SE Asia
10:39 COPs: A showcase for solutions to cut emissions and boost adaptation
18:33 Boosting green jobs as nations focus on cutting emissions
22:49 The Paris Agreement targets: Driving regional partnerships to boost green investments and strengthen climate politics
26:31: A tale of the hare and the tortoise….
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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More holidays a year sounds great but ensure they stay within budget by using these hacks.
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times.
Instead of saving for a home, young people are now saving for travel and leisure. Over half of young workers said saving for trips is among their top financial goals, a survey showed.
So travel is clearly a top of mind issue for Singaporeans. But how do we budget for three trips a year?
In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at how to achieve your vacation dreams.
Her guests are Revolut’s Head of Strategy and Operations Ashley Thomas and ST travel journalist Sarah Stanley.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:23 How early do you plan for 2026’s trips?
4:00 Are more people doing three holidays a year?
8:00 How to set budgets for a trip
16:22 Using AI to plan holidays
18:00 Where are the upcoming popular spots?
21:00 Travel deals and ways to save money
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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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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Our guest expert looks at her political approach, as well as her personal side.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Ravi speaks with Professor Tomohiko Taniguchi, foreign policy adviser to the Cabinet of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and one of the most authoritative voices on Japan about the ascend and likely impact of Sanae Takaichi.
They discuss Ms Takaichi’s first diplomatic encounter with US President Donald Trump, her hardline approach to defence, and China, Japan’s shifting priorities in Asean as Philippines rises in salience and Indonesia declines, Tokyo’s dread of Trump’s ‘G-2’ talk, the future of the Quad security dialogue, and her approach to economic policy.
They also discuss Ms Takaichi’s softer, personal side – her early life, propensity to ride powerful motorbikes, marriage to the same man twice and finally, the question: Now that Japan has its first woman PM, is it time to consider an Empress for Japan?
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:00 Shinzo Abe’s protege? Yes, and no.
5:00 Asean summit and first encounter with Donald J Trump
10:00 Japan’s dread of Trump’s “G-2” talk
12:00: Defence thrust, and the nuclear question
18:30 China, Japan’s key neighbour
22:30 For Tokyo, Indonesia dips while Philippines rises
26:00 Is Quad dead in the water?
31:00 Japan and foreigners
36:10 Sanae Takaichi: woman, wife, rocker, biker
41:20 After woman PM, an Empress for Japan?
Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani & Chen Junyi
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Dig deeper into why Singapore's food sustainability targets have changed.
Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.
The original goal was for farms here to produce 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs, which include fish, eggs and vegetables. Now it's 20 per cent of Singapore's fibre and 30 per cent of protein needs by 2035.
Natasha speaks with Ken Cheong, chief executive of the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation and Ray Poh, founder of Artisan Green, an indoor farm that grows pesticide-free crops – about what measures are needed to help local farms grow and why egg farmers are doing well.
What will help every farm become a "good farm" and should we have CDC-type vouchers to get consumers to buy local produce?
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:31 Why was the initial goal so difficult to achieve?
4:37 Economies of scale lowers operational costs
7:55 Why transport is the biggest bugbear for local produce
21:56 Why local eggs are safe to be eaten half-boiled
28:52 Will CDC vouchers push more to buy local produce?
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Chen Junyi
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis
Editorial producer: Lynda Hong
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Apart from their vocation, teachers also handle administrative work and counselling.
Synopsis: Every second Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
Teachers in Singapore work longer than their peers in other advanced economies. They spend less time teaching but more on planning, counselling and communicating with students’ parents, according to the Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) released on Oct 7, 2025.
In total, the Talis survey polled 194,000 teachers in 55 education systems across Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
Teachers in Singapore work an average of 47.3 hours a week, higher than the overall average of 41 hours. Approximately 3,500 teachers and respective school principals across all 145 public secondary schools and 10 randomly selected private secondary schools participated in the survey from April to August 2024.
In this episode, ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong examines why this is happening, and whether there is any way their workload and stress can be reduced.
In the studio with her is Ms Sarah Tan, a former secondary school teacher with 17 years of experience and taught till 2020, but now gives tuition. She is also a mother of two children aged 13 and 15.
Mr Manogaran Suppiah was formerly the principal of Anderson Serangoon Junior College. He first started out teaching for 16 years, before moving to different departments within the Ministry of Education, including becoming the founding executive director of Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST). In 2022, he retired from his career spanning over 40 years.
Highlights (click/tap above):
7:23 Teacher workload: Why it has gone up
11:08 How technology adds to and can also lighten workload
14:10 Learning to use AI tools?
18:18 Administrative duties, parents' expectations
23:20 On teachers having to 'parent' students?
28:43 Mid-career switches from other professions to teaching: Different perspectives
30:00 Why education leaders must find out from teachers what is meaningless
33:08 School leaders, heads of departments and teachers: What's lacking?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Spoiler: Politics, and the private lives of politicians.
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.
For more than a century, it was quite accepted in France that Presidents and male politicians could have mistresses, and no one would pry into their private lives.
But public attitudes are changing, and this is manifested in persistent curiosity about President Emmanuel Macron and his wife - who have now taken the unprecedented step of filing a lawsuit to battle scurrilous allegations.
In this episode, ST's foreign editor Li Xueying hosts global affairs correspondent Jonathan Eyal, who takes his skewer to double standards, culture wars and conspiracy theories that are fuelling the change.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:48 Paris in summer: A hotbed of scandals
4:11 Climate and political heat
7:01 Changing political privacy norms in France
9:29 The role of social media and disinformation
13:31 Macron’s political challenges and scandals
Read Jonathan Eyal’s article here: https://str.sg/cDua
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)
Produced and 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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
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This follows a debate over a school's alumni reaction to an ST report on a major scam operation.
Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.
It was a crime report meant to highlight the suspects behind a major scam operation, but a nugget of information sparked an uproar over a school’s image.
Last week, The Straits Times reported that two brothers and their cousin were the alleged masterminds running the operation from Phnom Penh.
The group ran a government official impersonation scam that was allegedly responsible for 438 scam cases involving losses of at least $41 million.
The 27 Singaporeans suspected of being members of the organised criminal group are now wanted by the Singapore police.
But that was not what readers were talking about online.
What drew attention was a detail in the Oct 30 report that one of the wanted men, Finan Siow, was said to be a former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student who once played for the school’s rugby team.
That information – featured in both the article and an infographic – didn’t sit well with the Anglo-Chinese School Old Boys’ Association, which said the school had been singled out.
ST explained its editorial decision.
But the furore around that piece of information, especially from the school’s alumni on social media platforms, was curious.
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak to two well-known social commentators – comedian Rishi Budhrani, and comedy writer and communication strategist Benjamin “Mr Miyagi” Lee – to find out why we are so fixated on brand-name schools?
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:01 Mr Miyagi and Rishi disclose which school they used to attend
3:39 On the ACS Old Boys’ Association’s forum letter
6:56 Rishi and Benjamin on their own reaction to the ST report
8:34 Brand name schools: Baggage and expectations
13:50 Mr Miyagi on his son’s choice of schools
11:49 Judge on merits and achievements, not school links
16:29 School alumni networks have worth too
22:58 Different experiences of school life
30:14 Education is so valued in Singapore, hence such debates
30:48 Old boys: Making the news for wrong reasons
Read more: ACS Old Boys’ Association’s forum letter and response from ST: https://str.sg/pG4E
Read Natasha Ann Zachariah’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Chen Junyi
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis
Editorial producer: Lynda Hong
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Boys who slept nine hours or more every night had a lower obesity risk and less dangerous fat.
Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.
A recent A*Star study found that boys who slept at least nine hours every night had a 51 per cent lower obesity risk and less abdominal fat.
Abdominal fat, particularly fat around internal organs, is more strongly linked to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than overall body weight.
Published in the journal Obesity (Oct 2025), the study used MRI imaging to examine how sleep habits relate to fat distribution in 10-year-olds in Singapore.
In this episode, host and ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo finds out more from the study’s authors Dr Cai Shirong and Dr Navin Michael, about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can increase the risk of obesity and overweight in children.
Dr Cai And Dr Navin are principal scientists from the A*Star Institute for Human Development and Potential.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:48 Does catching up on sleep during the weekend reduce the risk of obesity?
7:07 Why was there a weaker association between sleep deprivation and obesity in girls?
8:00 Prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents
15:45 Why do we prefer burgers over salad when we are sleep deprived?
17:38 Sleep can help regulate cognition in children
19:43 Examples of caffeinated beverages consumed by children
Check out ST's new series, No health without mental health: https://str.sg/mentalhealthmatters
Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN
Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.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
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
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Vital need for insurance to bridge the region’s ‘protection gap’ and drive the green transition.
Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.
Insurance is a safety net and is increasingly vital as climate change risks grow and as more people, homes and businesses are in the path of disaster. But in South-east Asia, the majority of people do not have access to insurance. And the region is facing worsening threats from floods, sea-level rise and heat stress.
Only 5 to 7 per cent of all climate-related losses are insured in South-east Asia, says Mr Daniel Fairweather, head of food security systems and biodiversity at Howden, an insurance broking firm.
But there is plenty of hope to bridge this “protection gap”, he tells Green Pulse podcast hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty. There are insurance products that can help communities when disaster strikes by rapidly releasing cash payments to meet emergency needs. Mutualised insurance risk pools that combine premiums can also pay out in times of need.
Two things are key: Insurers need to work closely with governments and businesses to better assess climate risks and vulnerabilities. Secondly, spread the financial risk by building connections across the region, such as linking up local and national insurance mechanisms, such as risk pools.
“Every risk is insurable,” Mr Fairweather says, adding that insurance coverage is also critical to accelerate green investments in the region.
Have a listen, and let us know what you think!
Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):
1:04 What are some of South-east Asia’s top climate change risks?
4:51 Will insurance losses increase mainly because of climate change or for other reasons, too?
9:10 What are some of the insurance products that can protect communities in the region?
16:06 In some places in the US, insurance coverage has been withdrawn. What’s the reason for this?
24:28 What about the role of insurance in boosting green initiatives in South-east Asia. Is it a catalyst?
28:28 Can the insurance industry thrive despite the rapid march of climate change?
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
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
---
Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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