Yah Lah But

In the past week, a new variant of COVID was identified in South Africa, and it was named the Omicron variant. The CEO of Moderna has said that the current vaccines are likely to be less effective against this variant, and several countries have shut their borders to prevent its spread. What about here in SG? Elsewhere, YouTuber MrBeast created a jaw-dropping real Squid Game competition and setup...

Actor, father, entrepreneur, and now metaverse evangelist Andie Chen tells us about relocating during a pandemic, the differences between Singapore and Taiwan, and how the metaverse is going to take over!   Find us here! Our YLB Subreddit for detailed show notes and mindblowing discussions! YLB's own TikTok  featuring 2 boom-llenials attempting to connect with Gen Z uwu Our YLB YouTube channel to...

In a speech about “identity” at the Institute of Policy Studies, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the struggles of marginalised groups and assured them that they were all part of the “Singapore family”. Does this truly signal an upcoming change in the status quo? We break down his speech and Q&A. Also, the SG Army announced that the traditional 5BX, the bane of every soldier’s exist...

Protests broke out across Europe over the past weekend, as Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark all saw demonstrations against the latest COVID restrictions meant to curb the “fourth wave” of the virus hitting Europe. We compare the situation in these countries with that of SG. Also, we discuss the results of a Pew Research Center study that surveyed what people in differe...

Based on MOH's latest National Population Health Survey, which collected data from over 6,000 Singaporeans and PRs aged between 18 to 74, SG’s obesity rate has risen to the highest level since 2010. Is this really a surprise, given the COVID situation? Elsewhere, Jack Neo apologized for naming the character played by a transgender actress in his upcoming movie ‘Amanda Man’, and also announced that...

Minister of Transport S Iswaran recently revealed that SG is in talks to continue hosting the F1 night race next year. Having only discussed this topic on YLB #165 in June, we revisit the debate of whether SG should move on from the F1 race. Elsewhere, Shanmugam wrote a Facebook post that called out the “hypocrisy” of media outlets and activists that had supported Amos Yee when he was convicted fo...

A court injunction was served at the VIP preview of a new Kaws showcase at Marina Bay that featured a 42-metre-long inflatable created by the artist. We run through all the key players involved in this debacle and try to make sense of the situation. Elsewhere, Kendall Jenner wore an ultra-revealing dress to her BFF’s wedding reception, and posted selfies on Instagram. Users on Twitter reacted angr...

SG has finally allowed F&B outlets to play background music, albeit only “soft recorded music”. This comes alongside the easing of several other measures that signifies SG’s move towards living with COVID, so we discuss what the next couple of weeks will look like. Elsewhere, YouTube announced that after extensive testing, it will be making private the numbers of “Dislikes” from all videos goi...

This past week, the impending execution of a convicted Malaysian drug trafficker who allegedly has “severe mental disabilities" drew criticism from activists, international NGOs and even billionaire Richard Branson. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s execution has since been delayed as he tested positive for COVID-19 in prison, but why the sudden international scrutiny on his death sentence? Also, Healing...

To recognise their “courage and invaluable work”, the Ministry of Health will be awarding 100,000 public healthcare workers $4,000 each. We discuss what this gesture means, and if it’s enough to stem the tide of healthcare workers leaving the industry in 2021. Elsewhere, an F45 fitness studio faced backlash for posting a “Happy Deepavali” greeting video featuring 2 of their members making racially...

Eeeeeyakkkkk! There was a lot of buzz recently when WWE unveiled their first ever Singaporean wrestler, Dante Chen. But what does it really take to make it to the pinnacle of the wrestling business? We speak to the pioneer of the local wrestling scene, Andruew Tang AKA “The Statement”, and find out how Singapore Pro Wrestling has coped with the hiatus on live events, and how he intends to bring mo...

There was a bombshell revelation in Parliament on Monday, as Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan admitted that her past account of accompanying a sexual assault victim to the police station had been fabricated. What’s next for the youngest ever MP? Also, Elon Musk promises to sell billions of dollars of Tesla stock to fund a UN campaign if it can really help end world hunger.    Find us here! Our YLB S...

It's a short one today, folks! Singapore-born footballing talent Harry Birtwhistle, 17 years old, has been offered a professional contract to play with the Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League, but has been disallowed from skipping his National Service obligations or even renouncing his SG citizenship to pursue the opportunity. Is this a fair move by MINDEF? How will this decision factor...

National Development Minister Desmond Lee unveiled the new PLH model under HDB, which aims to keep public housing in prime locations “affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans”. What difference will it make for the average SGean? Also, to the chagrin of a few other local authors, Wang Lei, the getai singer, was selected to speak on “dying trades” as part of the Singapore Writer’s Festi...

Over the weekend, it was revealed that local and foreign delegates at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum (NEF) to be held from 16th-19th November would be allowed to dine together in groups of up to 5 at pre-designated restaurants in the city, in spite of the current curbs that limit dining-in to a maximum of 2 people until 21st November. Double standards? Elitism? Why are so many people furious? In...

On the movie set of “Rust”, in which Alec Baldwin is acting and a producer, a prop gun in the actor’s hands misfired and killed their cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Does Hollywood have a problem with safety? Also, the courts rejected a man’s guilty plea after he had live-streamed his tense and allegedly xenophobic row with a bus driver. Why did they do so?   Find us here! Our YLB Subreddit for d...

The liberalisation of the SG energy market that began in 2018 was supposed to herald a bright new future for consumers. However, 3 electricity retailers have suddenly thrown in the towel in the past week, leaving their customers back at square one. Was there anything that could have been done differently? And NOC is back in the news again, with a fresh set of allegations by staff and ex-staff, thi...

Recently, streaming platform Netflix came under a firestorm of criticism from the LGBTQ+ community both outside the company and internally, with transgender Netflix staff planning a walkout on 20th October. All this was caused by the launch of Dave Chapelle’s final standup comedy special on their platform, which contained “transphobic” content, and the CEO’s defense of the material in spite of the...

Recently, with the announcement of VTLs with 11 different countries, SGeans have been flocking to travel agents and airline offices to plan their year-end trips. But as Haresh personally discovers, the VTL isn’t as attractive a prospect as it looks on paper. In the NBA, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving has been banned from playing or training with his team as long as he remains unvaccinated. I...

Content creator Jaze Phua recently exploded on TikTok, gaining 1.5 million followers in a month, largely based on his Squid Game videos. We discuss how TikTok differs from other platforms he’s been on, and where he sees the future of entertainment and social media. And of course, we talk about the current issue of the toxic culture among Singapore YouTubers - why and how did we come to this?   Fin...

A study by a social enterprise, Happiness Initiative, uncovered that several socio-demographic factors such as household income and sexual orientation had a disproportionately large impact on Singapore residents’ happiness. Also, YouTube channel Night Owl Cinematics, after facing a tsunami of online criticism for the way its co-founder, Sylvia Chan, verbally abused her employees, is now doubling d...

This week, we come face to face with the outspoken and controversial Singapore athlete and SEA Games gold medalist, Soh Rui Yong. Never one to mince words, he reveals what he thinks about comments that he’s arrogant, the origins of his competitive drive, and also explains why he’s offering 700 packets of chicken rice as a prize for his 2.4km Challenge.   Find us here! Our #YLB Subreddit for show n...

Recently, an ex-employee of Facebook, Frances Haugen, testified at a US Senate hearing about how there is no accountability within Facebook’s leadership with regards to the harm caused to users of the social media platform. Is Facebook really as evil as it sounds? Also, users found that “Ask Jamie”, the AI chatbot service that answers FAQs on most SG government services websites, will dole out saf...

Recently in Parliament, Minister Shanmugam pressed opposition MP Raeesah Khan to divulge more details about a claim she had made about the police’s poor management of a case of sexual assault. Khan refused, reasoning that she needed to maintain confidentiality. Who’s right or wrong? Also, a community of wild chickens has appeared in Dover Close, dividing residents’ opinions about wildlife in their...

The Active Mobility Advisory Panel, tasked by the SG government with reviewing rules for on-road cycling, has concluded that bicycle registration and licensing of cyclists are not recommended. Why was this done in spite of the increasing number of incidents between motorists and cyclists? Also, a social worker has singled out the Mediacorp talk show ‘Hear U Out’ as “immoral” for exposing their gue...