The Straits Times Podcasts

A marathon Parliament session unfolded last week, as MPs debated the President’s Address over five days. A total of 81 MPs spoke in support of the motion, including the 32 newly elected members who delivered their maiden speeches. They raised issues ranging from job and wage anxieties to bridging the wealth inequality gap and the disruption caused by artificial intelligence (AI). In this epi...

Grief is a painful, individual emotional and physical response to a significant loss. But it can be managed.  Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. Grief is a painful, individual emotional and physical response to a significant loss. Death, divorce, the loss of a home or a job, fast declining health are amo...

How a 36-year-old will be racing on the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Oct 2025 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. Host and senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe chats with Mr Roy Tang, who puts in his best effort as a financial adviser to fund his racin...

Beijing’s message was clear: We are a great power and a force for good. 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 China bureaus. For September, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai connects again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. They revisit the 2025...

Public transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit have been catching some heat lately, following a spate of at least 15 instances of rail delays and interruptions since July. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. In the first three weeks of September, there were six incidents occurring due to train faults or sign...

Pickleball has been a smash hit in Singapore over the past couple of years, but not everyone’s a fan. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. The game has attracted players of all ages looking to learn a new skill, keep active or meet fellow ‘picklers’. On the flip side, pickleball has sparked c...

Public, private and philanthropic money is proving to be a successful mix to accelerate climate action.  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. When it comes to climate action, financiers are increasingly turning to the Three Ps to find the cash they need: Public,...

Find out how to discern the hallmarks of employers who do well. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. Host and ST correspondent Tay Hong Yi chats with Mr Richard Cooper, business leader for benefits for Mercer Marsh Benefits in Singapore. Mr Cooper advises organisations on how to design healthcare benefits,...

Why it's significant that China and India declare they are not rivals but partners. Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 40 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. In this episode, Ravi speaks with Dr Henry Huiyao Wang, co-founder and head of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a non-government...

Gen Zs are out here skipping the alcohol, but not the party. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. In daytime or earlier-evening parties, a growing number of young people in Singapore are heading to raves, cafes and clubs to vibe to sick beats – with matchas and coffees in hand. I’m not a clubber by...

Could less waiting time reduce stress on a marriage and how can couples strengthen their relationships in the face of life challenges?  Synopsis: Every second Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. With HDB planning to introduce more Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, buyers can expect to collect key...

Single Chinese want to find love, but remain straitjacketed by expectations of what their partners should look like. 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. Inequality is at play in China’s singles market in more ways than one.  In China, the number of men outstrip th...

As a nation of foodies, we watch the food and beverage (F&B) scene closely to see who comes and goes. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. In recent months, the headlines have been dominated by farewells as home-grown restaurants, bakeries, bars and even dining chains have called it a day. This week’...

You can appear lean but have insufficient muscle mass and too much body fat. Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. A local paper has found that 1 in 4 young women, despite having a normal weight, had low muscle mass, weak bones and high body fat. This increases their future risks for not only osteoporosis and muscle...

Starting with Punggol, The Straits Times looks at how a city in nature can co-exist with wildlife. 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 recent months, a globally endangered monkey has unsettled Singapore’s youngest housing estate Punggol, with dozens of repor...

Investing should not be about timing the market, but growing money over the long term. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. Day trading is exciting - all the watching of stock movements and trying to buy low, sell high.  But experts often say, hold for the long term, and use the benefit of compounding....

Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. Headlines about the job prospects of fresh graduates haven’t been reassuring lately. And reports over the last year indicate that more graduates are struggling to land full-time roles, with more taking on freelance, part-time or temporary work. Some young pe...

The coming months will see several changes in the political landscape as parties make moves on various fronts.  Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and China bureaus. In this episode, ST’s Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Tan Tam Mei are joined by Ibrahim Suf...

How Singapore can truly be a ‘we first’ society. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. “It’s not ‘I’ or ‘me’. It’s ‘we’. To keep Singapore going, we must be a ‘we first’ society.”  This was Prime Minister Lawrence Wong&rsqu...

As the mercury rises, so does the need for awareness about the growing risks from Singapore’s steamy temperatures. 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. Even if you’re not aware, we’re all affected by rising temperatures, especially when combined with...

Why this sector also has back-of-house roles that call for talents from all walks of life. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. Find out why job seekers should not just think of front-facing guest roles in this sector, as host and ST correspondent Tay Hong Yi chats with Ms Adeline Phua, managing lyf partner...

Why does President Donald Trump seem so intent on winning the Nobel Peace Prize? 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, President Donald Trump’s ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize is the topic of discussion for ST's assistant foreign editor Clement Tan who hosts co...

The clock is ticking on the leases for older Housing Board flats, and an answer on what the Government plans to do about lease decay dropped earlier this week. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat updated on the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) in an interview that was p...

We even invite ChatGPT to be a 'guest' in this episode with our host and two human guests. Synopsis: Every second Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Preliminary findings from a recent MIT study in June in the US, concluded that people using just generative AI (Gen AI) tools such as ChatGPT, became lazier with each subseq...

Declaring war “against everybody” including China and hoping for the right result is very worrying. Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 40 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. In this episode, Ravi speaks with Ambassador John Bolton, the American foreign policy hawk and former Nation...