The Straits Times Podcasts

From a phone plan for cat parents to a keyless life: Two Singaporean founders share tips from their US start-up journeys 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 Jasmin Young and Anthony Chow about how they established successful...

As local farms keep closing, will stockpiling, import diversification and global partnerships be enough to safeguard Singapore’s food security?  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. The past few years have not been fertile ground for the growth of Singapore...

The conversation over the key announcement from Budget 2026 continues. On Feb 12, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled a record $154.7 billion Budget, how the Government is doubling down on its AI push. For Singaporeans worried about the cost of living, there was household relief in the form of payouts and CDC vouchers. In this episode of the podcast, Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah di...

India's new trade pacts with the EU and US, and the big question: Will Delhi revisit its decision to abandon RCEP? Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. A flurry of trade agreements announced by India – first, a “mother of all trade deals” FTA with the European Union, and d...

The strong push towards artificial intelligence and support for vulnerable groups such as lower-income families were two big themes that emerged at Budget 2026. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, just delivered his first Budget since the new government was elected last year. How will businesses be affected by these measures, and how will the Singapore workforce adapt?...

Government support measures such as CDC vouchers were meant to cushion soaring inflation. But are they fiscally sustainable?  Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Temporary government handouts like the CDC vouchers were meant to cushion the impact of Covid-19 and soaring inflation due to supply shocks that were cause...

Resting too much can weaken muscles, worsening joint pain in the long run, says an expert. Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. Problems affecting bones, joints, muscles, and tendons are the leading contributor of disability among all ages worldwide.  These problems arising from musculoskeletal disorders comprise diverse conditions a...

Hong Kong prides itself on being a first world city. So how did such a thing like the Tai Po fire happen? 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. On Nov 26, 2025, a fire swept through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, killing 168 people.  What also perished in...

When it comes to charting their career paths, it’s likely most young Singaporeans would opt for white-collared jobs. Hands-on skilled trades? Not so much. Yet, The Straits Times reported in January that a growing number of younger people are choosing to go into traditional skilled trades such as plumbing and landscaping. In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with two millennials who ha...

Are we using phones constructively to help kids to learn or assist adults in coping? Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. One of the most fraught challenges of modern parenting is our love-hate relationship with screen time. From school bans on phones in school, to the everyday reality of dual-income working parents who j...

Yes, it’s a scary time. But more than ever we need to talk about climate and nature.  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. Right now, it seems we’re in an ‘ice age’ for climate action. Geopolitics is all we can talk about and it’s pr...

Is it better to buy stocks or invest in tangible things? Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times. Logan Paul’s Pokemon card has gone for over US$1 million. But do physical items and collections really help your money to grow? How do Pokemon cards, Labubus and Marvel figurines measure alongside trad...

Tech stocks still shine, but beware the bubble. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. 2025 has been a turbulent year, and 2026 will also be marked by uncertainty. So amid such global turmoil, what should we invest in? In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at how to grow your money in 2...

After the World Economic Forum in Davos, it’s clear that global diplomacy has grown more confrontational and transactional. So what’s the game plan for Singapore now? In this episode of The Usual Place, Natasha speaks with ST opinion editor Lin Suling, who was in Davos last week, and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy dean Joseph Liow about how we can work with American president Don...

A counsellor of a support group reveals why some men choose to tolerate physical, emotional and psychological abuse in their marriages.  Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Spousal abuse cases in Singapore rose significantly in 2024 to 2,136, up from 2,008 such cases in 2023, according to the Ministry of Social and...

There is also a human cost to China's clean energy transition. 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 January, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Dramatic developments in Venezu...

There has been a buffet of discussion as pre-packed food for students have been in the spotlight recently. Some schools have had to turn to prepared meals from centralised kitchens because of shrinking student numbers and a lack of canteen stallholders. But this has not been to everyone’s taste. Bento boxes from airline caterer SATS made the news after pictures of unappetising servings at Hw...

Lab-grown meat. The way of the future or a hard act to swallow? 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. In this episode, hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty get their teeth into cultivated meat, a topic that was very much in the headlines a few years back. Singapore was t...

Learn how to better reconcile the mixed feelings that come with work transitions. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. It seems like one of life’s cruel ironies. Do well, and go far together in a bonded team, and yet further progression may require you to move on elsewhere. If this is a familiar...

We dissect the abduction of a sitting president and predict what might come next. Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points. Was it all about oil? Transnational crime cartels? Or China? In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Hoover Fellow Joseph Ledford and veteran oil...

Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh has been removed as Leader of the Opposition by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, a day after Parliament debated his suitability for the role. PM Wong has invited the WP to nominate another elected MP. But the person put forth has to be an MP who has not been implicated in the earlier findings of the Committee of Privileges that looked into former MP Raeesah Kha...

As AI reshapes work and life, schools are changing too. But before we redesign education, should we ask what it’s really for? Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Education is one of the few institutions almost every Singaporean passes through - and one of the most contested. From debates about declining attention s...

The science of getting unstuck from OCD in four days. Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is often misunderstood. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is frequently misunderstood. Although the term is often used casually, it is a potentially severe disorder that can drastically d...

As Asia’s militaries show an increasing appetite to deploy drones – most recently during the Thai-Cambodian skirmishes and the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May, 2025, we speak to the chief executive of the company that makes lethal Unmanned Aerial Systems such as the Predator, Reaper and Sea Guardian. Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years...

Finding a new job may be on your resolution list this year, but will it be the right move in 2026? Much of the job market in 2025 was dominated by uncertainty and mixed signals. Fresh university graduates shared – and documented on social media – their struggles landing interviews and jobs, despite sending out multiple resumes. Retrenchments climbed in the third quarter of 2025 after d...