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.
A recent Straits Times survey of 1,000 unmarried people explained why the dating scene is so bleak: it’s hard to meet new people, dating can be expensive and there are unrealistic expectations of love and relationships.
In this episode, Natasha chats with:
• Liu Zhiqun, co-founder of Kopi Date, a dating platform that curates one-on-one coffee dates, and
• Dr Kenneth Tan, an assistant professor of psychology at Singapore Management University, who studies relationships from end-to-end - that is from singlehood to why relationships end.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:53 Has dating become harder?
5:29 21 years old, no dating experience
10:10 The ‘perfect partner’ problem
11:33 Has social media warped our idea of romance
14:21 Dating 101: teaching rejection in schools?
18:29 Why people don’t bring their best self on dates
21:46 “Why do I have to work for love as well?”
27:15 Is school the best place to look for love?
31:20 Fear of being alone leads to settling
32:34 Red flags, icks: are they just excuses?
36:25 Old-school gender rules in a modern dating world
41:52 Can the Government fix our love lives?
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 & Natasha Liew
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and 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
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
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
--
#tup #tuptrf
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In an age where information is readily available and where we're fed an unending stream of content, have we lost our sense of wonder?
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
We live in a time where technology has made information more readily available than ever. Curiosity has been the main driver of human discovery since the beginning of time but when faced with a barrage of information, have we stopped wanting to know more?
In this episode of In Your Opinion, senior columnist Rohit Brijnath speaks with celebrated physicist, educator and rock star Brian Cox. Currently on a world tour with his live show, Emergence, he takes us on a journey across the cosmos, civilisation and human curiosity all while attempting to answer the question: how do we find wonder?
Emergence will be in Singapore on June 10.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:46 Should people be more curious?
8:51 Keeping a sense of wonder through life
10:36 Are there aliens out there?
15:38 There are things I don't actually know
19:55 Kepler, Galileo and Einstein around a table
29:13 Two weeks in space is ideal
32:46 Why world leaders should go to space
36:11 Are there mysteries that should remain?
38:29 What to look for in the night sky
41:31 Can you see planets in Singapore?
42:06 Is an uncurious person a failure?
47:21 Brian Cox's top musical highlight
55:06 The AI revolution and social change
Books Brian Cox recommended:
Read Rohit’s columns: https://str.sg/wFu2
Host: Rohit Brijnath (rohitb@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Elizabeth Law and Danson Cheong
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
---
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
---
#inyouropinion
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tech still holds long-term promise but choose companies carefully based on their fundamentals.
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.
Talk of an AI bubble has been brewing for some time, with many asking when it will burst.
But young investors still want to get in on the tech wave and buy into a sector that has great growth potential.
In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at which tech stocks show promise in a mature AI era.
Her guests are DBS Bank head of equity and fixed income Subhra Chatterjee and StashAway head of investment advisory Mark Yeo.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:00 Tech is still an integral investment theme
6:00 What is the AI bubble
12:00 Should you still buy the MAG7
17:00 How to fit tech into your portfolio
21:00 SGX or Nasdaq or some other market entirely
31:00 What is dollar-cost averaging?
34:00 Different ways to diversify your portfolio
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: Elizabeth Law and 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
---
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
---
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.
---
#headstart
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do fathers in Singapore get a bad reputation for being hands-off?
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who chairs the new Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, drew some flak for speaking about career “detours” as something that should be normalised for mothers - with little mention of a fathers’ role in the parenting journey.
Why do we frame the parenting experience as mainly a woman’s role?
In this episode of the podcast, I put that question to two fathers: new stay-at-home dad Jeggan Rajendram and Kevin Goh, the Group Head of engagement and programmes at the Centre for Fathering.
We discuss who dads benchmark themselves to and whether mothers are preventing fathers from being more hands on.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:05 Are fathers missing from the parenting conversation?
3:30 “Regret minimisation”: Jeggan’s decision to be a stay-at-home dad
7:10 “People still look at me like I was crazy.”
11:27 Mums get a ‘head start’ on parenting
15:08 What’s holding fathers back from being more hands-on?
17:20 Mums, please involve dads, and let go
21:20 Whose standard is the right one?
24:05 The loss of identity as a stay-at-home parent
30:30 Being the stay-at-home parent doesn’t have to be forever
33:27 Encouraging dads to be more active parents
37:11 When dad’s your personal hairstylist
40:08 Will we have more babies if dads and mums are equals?
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
Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law
Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam
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
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
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
--
#tup #tuptrf
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As AI supercharges cyber threats, how can the "missing 99%" of small and medium enterprises protect themselves?
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
Cybersecurity is undergoing a fundamental shift. For a long time, it was treated as a dark art – a deeply technical problem left to IT teams and discussed in jargon few others understood. But as the threat landscape has evolved, major breaches are forcing the conversation into the boardroom, turning cyber risk into a critical matter of corporate governance and liability.
While multinational corporations can afford elite digital defences, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – the 99 per cent of our economy – are often left exposed. Increasingly, SMEs are targeted not just for their own data, but as backdoors into the larger corporate and national networks they serve. If our current security playbook only works for the biggest players, how do we protect the rest?
In this episode, ST’s Deputy Opinion Editor Bhavan Jaipragas speaks with Gaurav Keerthi, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm StrongKeep, and former Deputy Commissioner of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:55 Why does cybersecurity switch people off?
5:06 Are boards stepping up to AI threats?
7:25 Why are SMEs still exposed to threats?
10:05 The "Ikea model" for affordable cybersecurity
15:45 Can state-linked cyber threats be solved?
25:12 Cyber risks and opportunities of agentic AI
28:27 Critical actions for boards, SMEs, and users.
31:41 Balancing online security and everyday usability
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Host: Bhavan Jaipragas (bhavan@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim
Executive producers: Danson Cheong and 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
---
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
---
#inyouropinion
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Twists and turns can be expected for the rest of this year.
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 May, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the Xi-Trump summit held in Beijing from May 13-14, 2026.
Heading into the event, expectations were modest as US President Donald Trump appeared to be distracted by war in the Middle East. At first glance, the deliverables might have seemed slightly underwhelming.
But the bottom line is both men got a bit of what they needed. Mr Trump got purchases for Boeing jets, agricultural products and possibly energy, while Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated a “new positioning” of bilateral relations.
There are also implications for cross-strait ties, with Beijing framing the Taiwan issue as something to be treated with utmost caution while Washington signalled that it might be rethinking the latest tranche of arms sales to the island.
With many geopolitical issues on the agenda, the tariff war appeared to have taken a back seat. Nonetheless, the announcement on the boards on trade and investment has opened up additional and much-needed room for dialogue.
There are at least three more bouts of engagement between Mr Trump and Mr Xi for the rest of this year, and plenty of opportunities for both sides to bargain and make deals.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:34 The world can breathe a sigh of relief
5:14 What is “constructive strategic stability”?
9:09 Temple of Heaven, Imperial Garden: Visit steeped in symbolism
10:43 A captivated Chinese public
13:11 Taiwan should be worried
19:20 Trade tensions take a back seat
21:16 China hugs the US and Russia
Read more: https://str.sg/pyWN
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
---
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/4Vwsa
---
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
---
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Will a new bystander campaign by the police get more people to speak up for victims for molest and voyeurism?
In this episode of The Usual Place, I chat with Ms Lim Shoon Yin, the executive director of Singapore women’s rights group Aware, about what holds bystanders back and what they can do.
Also on the podcast is Dr Julia Lam, a forensic psychologist, who assesses people who have committed offences like sexual crimes. She studies impulse control disorder and behavioural addiction, among other areas.
She explains why perpetrators cross the line and act on urges, despite knowing it’s a crime.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:51 Are more people reporting sexual assault?
4:20 Why do bystanders freeze?
6:01 Could you become a molester or voyeur?
9:15 Why perpetrators choose to cross the line
10:36 Why take the risk of getting caught in public?
13:42 How bystanders can safely intervene, if unsure
17:33 Perpetrators not deterred by warning announcements, posters
20:22 Do conservative societal attitudes contribute to such behaviour?
26:02 What victims need when they report harassment
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 & Amirul Karim
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law
Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam
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
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
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
--
#tup #tuptrf
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) crash, should AI save the young instead of the elderly? Germany banned this, but a pragmatist asks: why not let algorithms choose based on age?
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
Traffic accidents in Singapore have hit a 10-year high. Every day, motorists are caught speeding, running red lights, and looking at their phones. The proposed solution is radical: take the steering wheel away from humans and hand it entirely to Artificial Intelligence.
But as Singapore drafts the legal framework to roll out autonomous vehicles (AVs), where are the dangerous lines we are crossing? From programming algorithms to decide who lives and dies in a split-second crash, to the terrifying threat of a hacked network, are we actually ready to surrender our safety to a machine we don't fully understand?
In this episode, ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong sits down with the man building the robot's brain: Professor Marcelo Ang from the Advanced Robotics Centre at the NUS Mechanical Engineering Department, a researcher who first tested an AV in 2013.
They debate the ethics of the trolley problem about picking who to collide with in an unavoidable crash, the liabilities in the event of a driverless car crash, and the brutal reality awaiting thousands of middle-aged drivers whose jobs are about to be automated.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:47 Tesla vs. true driverless - the different levels of self-driving
9:04 The "Guardian Angel" - an underlying physics algorithm that overrides bad AI decisions
11:48 Why level 3 autonomous driving can be dangerous
14:20 Should the algorithm hit the 80-year-old or the 10-year-old in an unavoidable crash
23:55 The hardest engineering challenge: Predicting irrational human behaviour
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v
Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Danson Cheong and 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
---
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
---
#inyouropinion
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feel like you are not enough? Learn how to become your ideal self by acting as if you already are.
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.
In this episode, Singapore theatre actor and musician Andrew Marko shares with host See Kai Wen about how the “Act As If” theory relates to his self-growth.
“Act As If” is a three-part technique that requires people to act as if they are already the ideal version of themselves, even when they are not there yet. The process includes visualisation and taking small, actionable steps towards a goal.
Besides opening up about his weight loss journey, Andrew also gets real about his experience as an actor and how he learned to “be in the moment” by playing a character on the autism spectrum.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:00 Introduction to the “Act As If” theory
2:00 Psychology behind being an actor
6:10 Feelings of inadequacy and facing your inner critic
12:35 How to apply the “Act As If” theory to your life
16:11 Defining the most successful version of yourself
19:15 Andrew’s weight loss journey
25:35 Why being present is important
30:30 Embracing uncomfortable growth
Follow See Kai Wen on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/qfwqQ
Host: See Kai Wen (seekw@sph.com.sg)
Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim
Executive producers: Elizabeth Law and 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
---
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
---
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.
---
#headstart
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
By 2027, every school will have to follow standard disciplinary measures such as detention and conduct grade adjustment for different types of misbehaviour.
But the measure that divided parents, teachers and parliamentarians was that bullies can get up to three strokes of the cane.
Caning in schools is not new, so why were so many people upset that school bullies will be caned?
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with ST education correspondent and former secondary school teacher Elisha Tushara, and chief executive officer of the Singapore Children’s Society Ang Boon Min, about what caused the scrutiny over caning for bullies.
At a time when bullying cases are increasing - albeit by a small number - will caning change behaviour among recalcitrant students? Also, if parents step in to take on their child’s bullies, will it make things worse?
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:35 Does caning students work?
4:55 Do children learn from being caned?
8:22 Creative ways students try to escape caning
11:20 How do children become bullies?
13:34 Reframe the language around bullying
16:35 Most children don’t want their bully punished
19:11 Natural for parents to “feel an ache”
20:42 What is restorative justice?
22:35 Will teachers be stretched further?
26:45 How to help bullied children feel safe?
29:35 Parents involvement can be “unproductive”
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 & Natasha Liew
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law
Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam
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
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
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
--
#tup #tuptrf
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
