The Straits Times Podcasts

Synopsis: Every 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, Nirmal Ghosh hosts Dr Aparna Pande, Research Fellow & director of Hudson Institute's Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, and ST's Japan correspondent Walter Sim.  When news of former Jap...

Synopsis: The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar hosts ST’s Indochina bureau chief Tan Hui Yee. They talk about China’s presence especially in this region in light of Hui Yee's recent reporting trip to Cambodia. She visited Sihanoukville, a quiet coastal town which has been transformed by Chinese investment. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a flood of Chinese casino and hotel investmen...

Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. The K-pop supergroup BTS announced on June 14 that they were taking an indefinite break from one of the world’s most popular acts to focus on solo pursuits. The seven members, who are credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the...

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, he hosts Ms Eirliani Abdul Rahman, former Singapore diplomat and co-founder of the Berlin-backed Global Diplomacy Lab, to discuss if a feminine foreign policy (FFP) could prove a balm for global conflicts and t...

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests. Happiness and wellbeing are big and nebulous concepts, but it goes without saying that everyone wants to be happy. Helping to unpack these concepts and offer tips on staying upbeat, are Sherman Ho and Simon Leow, the co-founders of the Happiness Initiative.  High...

Synopsis: A monthly literary podcast by The Straits Times featuring titles in the headlines and sizzling reads. In the latest episode of this literary podcast, The Straits Times' journalists Olivia Ho and Toh Wen Li look at three romance novels whose characters fly in the face of stereotypes: Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic by Lauren Ho, You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, and L...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Bharati Jagdish. The number of marriages and divorces shot up after the first Covid-19 pandemic year of 2020 disrupted both nuptials and break-ups. A total of 28,329 couples wed l...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in Singapore sport. In this episode, ST sports correspondent David Lee chats with local sports administrator Mark Chay about why he wants to be Singapore Swimming Association's new president despite his burgeoning portfolio. Not only has he been a former national swimmer, swim club director, and...

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. The Institute of Mental Health or IMH is adopting trauma-informed care throughout the organisation. It's an approach that assumes that a person is more likely than not to have experienced a traumatic event. And it seeks to not re-traumatise patients or blame them for th...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Bharati Jagdish. Singapore is near, if not already at, the peak of the current wave of Covid-19 infections, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Tuesday (July 5). He told Parliamen...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Bharati Jagdish. The Government will continue to monitor inflation closely and is prepared to do more if the economic situation worsens significantly, Deputy Prime Minister Lawren...

Synopsis: The Business Times Podcast channel showcases niche series Money Hacks, Mark To Market and WealthBT, and sponsored series. Bond investors are avoiding Asia's emerging markets as the region's resilience to the global inflation threat shows signs of cracking. But there are still opportunities in the Asia IG bond space as correspondent Howie Lim finds out from PineBridge Investments’ Omar Sl...

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Globally, there has been a surge in climate lawsuits against governments and companies for failing to act on climate change and for polluting the environment. And as climate impacts are felt more strongly, the number of cases is lik...

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get our tips on working smarter, getting ahead in your career and investing like a pro with ST's business correspondents and editors. The pandemic made long-held career aspirations suddenly feel urgent, and more workers are flitting between jobs. The rise of flexible work has also energised workers to seek jobs that fit their lifestyles. No long...

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 Elizabeth Law.  China, which has maintained some of the world's strictest entry requireme...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in Singapore sport. In this episode, ST sports correspondent David Lee chats with former Valencia president Anil Murthy about his highs and lows running the Spanish football club. The Singaporean was Valencia president for five out of the eight tumultuous seasons under Singaporean tycoon Peter Li...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast. The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Bharati Jagdish. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday (June 27) that there is no need to tighten safe management measures for now, but this cannot be ruled out as mor...

Synopsis: Learn to protect and grow your wealth in this monthly Business Times podcast series for affluent individuals, hosted by BT wealth editor Genevieve Cua.  What are the promising investment themes within healthcare? Private equity offers an avenue to invest in promising smaller companies before their value becomes widely recognised. For more insights, Genevieve Cua speaks to Hui Yang Goh, P...

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/ In this fifth...

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests. In this episode, she looks at why stable housing matters especially for single parents, and the impact it has on their careers, income and family well-being. In the studio to explain what steps have been taken, and what the remaining gaps are, is Shailey Hingoran...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in Singapore sport. In this episode, ST sports correspondent Sazali Abdul Aziz chats with national swimmer Teong Tzen Wei about his recent milestones in the pool. Teong, 24, talks about becoming only the third Singaporean man to race in the final of a World Championships, becoming the only South-...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Bharati Jagdish. First mentioned in Parliament in March, the Ministry of Communications and Information proposed two codes of practices, in a bid to protect users from harmful onl...

Synopsis: In this special series, The Straits Times dives into some of the greatest unsolved mysteries in South-east Asia, and examines the underlying issues that they exposed. In this episode, we investigate the source of the red and orange fireballs that emerge from the Mekong River once every year. ST Indochina bureau chief Tan Hui Yee speaks to Dr San Sunthornthanakul, mayor of Phon Phisai mun...

Synopsis: The Straits Times' executive editor Sumiko Tan gets up close with newsmakers over lunch - and a selfie. Former fishmonger Choo Chong Ngen opened the first Hotel 81 in 1995. Today, his Worldwide Hotels Group has 38 hotels under six brands. For this interview, he is joined by his daughter Carolyn, the group's CEO.  Read Sumiko Tan's full stories here: https://str.sg/Jbhe Lunch With Sumiko...

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The world is now in the midst of the great green transition. Countries are looking for ways to reduce their emissions, and grow their economies in a way that will not harm the environment. But according to the Asian Development Bank...