Asian Insider

An incident at a school assembly has ignited a curious debate over what some regard as an outdated and top-down education system  Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  In this episode...

Is there liberal opposition to what is going on, even in a more diverse India with a raucous democratic tradition? Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests.  In this episode, we discuss how and why, across the complex region of South Asia, majorities are convinced...

Why Australia's Prime Minister is rooting for song and dance to be accepted as essential to the Australian way of life. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  In this episode, she chat...

Why perceptions of being “soft” on China will increasingly be a political liability in the US.  Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests. Relations between China and the US are in for more rough weather with bipartisan consensus on China in the United States, a ne...

Why the US wanted to send a strong signal to China and how this was also about domestic politics. Synopsis: The Straits Times examines various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia. Join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they take a look at America’s response to the alleged Chinese spy ball...

Why the Taiwan issue today is different from the Vietnam War's political dynamics. Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times' associate editor Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode of 2023, he chats with Nayan Chanda, the celebrated editor, journalist and Indo-China specialist on his eyewitness account of th...

Find out what a '1-minute' sari is, and the best ways to drape a sari for running. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  In this episode, she chats with ST's India correspondent Debar...

A deep dive into the sensitive geopolitics at the Afghan-Pakistan border. Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests. After 20 years of war, in August 2021, the United States became the most recent superpower to be seen off by Afghanistan. After the US withdrew, the...

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times examines various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia. Join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they take a look at China’s messy reopening and its global implications.  Highlights (click/tap above): 1:38 The world reacts to China’...

Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times' associate editor Ravi Velloor, as he distills his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this first episode of 2023, he chats with Serge Besanger, a director of Paris-based Centre for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies, on how the war in Europe is shaping and the potential for it to spread to Asia, thanks to the...

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. Many Taiwanese of all ages have a fascination with Western astrology, and the signs (pun intended) are everywhere. Every morning, on television ne...

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times examines various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia. Join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they look back on the year and chat about how the US-China relationship will continue to develop in 2023.  Highlights (click/tap above)...

Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests. On Dec 9 Indian and Chinese troops got into a skirmish on the border of India’s northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state with China - the eastern sector of the long and in many places disputed Himalayan border. As previously i...

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. Weeks after 159 people died in a crowd crush in Seoul’s clubbing district on Halloween, South Korea is preparing for year-end festivities. In this...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. This ST video livestream was hosted by Cheow Sue-Ann on Nov 24. Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim has ended a 24-year wait to lead Malaysia at 5pm (Nov 24), after he was sworn in as Prime Minister. Read more: https://str.sg/wjwb Produced by: ST Video Edited by: ST Vid...

Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents Asian views of the United States. It has been a busy month in Asia for diplomacy, with the highlight a much-anticipated, over three-hour meeting in Bali, Indonesia on the occasion of the G20 between President Xi Jinping of China and President Joe Biden of the United States. I n this episode on regi...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. What will Malaysia's political landscape look like, after the dust settles from its 15th General Election? What do the election results say about Malaysia's voters and how they pick their leaders? Is race-based voting entrenched? And what is the future for Pakatan Harapan's Anw...

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times examines various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia. Join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they chat about how the recent 20th Party Congress in China and midterm elections in the US might affect relations between the two supe...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. A record 108 independent candidates are contesting in Malaysia’s 15th General Election, stealing some thunder from mainstream politicians.  The Straits Times’ Hairianto Diman meets three colourful independent candidates to find out why they choose to fight the odds in the Malay...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. Barisan Nasional candidate Khairy Jamaluddin made headlines when he declared he is gunning to be Malaysia’s future prime minister. But to become the country’s future leader, he first needs to win the parliamentary seat in Sungai Buloh come election day on Nov 19. Read more: htt...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. This ST video livestream was hosted by Cheow Sue-Ann on Nov 14. First-time voters, multiple political coalitions, and flash floods are just a few factors that make Malaysia's general election unpredictable. Hairianto Diman reports on what's at stake in the national polls. Read...

Synopsis: This is a special episode of Asian Insider, featuring China correspondent Danson Cheong and US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh. China correspondent Danson Cheong in Beijing and US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh in Washington DC discuss with ST's Cheow Sue-Ann, the key takeaways from the meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. The two men met in person for the first tim...

Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times' associate editor Ravi Velloor, as he distills his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, he chats with Dr. Edward Luttwak, the famed American expert on war strategy Highlights (click/tap above): 2:23 Putin provided Nato with an enemy 12:37 Wars fought by single boy families 18:11 Is war in Asia in...

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times Kuala Lumpur bureau analyses the latest issues making the headlines in Malaysia. With the candidates for all 222 parliamentary seats confirmed, Malaysia’s 15th general election is underway. ST's Hairianto Diman hosts Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh, who weighs in on the key battles to watch after nomination closed on Saturday, Nov 5. This hotly-contested...

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. In this episode, she chats with ST's China correspondent Aw Cheng Wei.  The idea of senior citizens looking for romance is no longer a stigma as o...