The head of the industry body for motorcycle sellers and workshops recounts how the association has been pushing for change, from COEs to rules on safety equipment Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends. With all the attention on certificate of entitlement (COEs) for cars, it is easy to forget about the motorcycles, which are the smallest of all vehicle types on the road. But as this conversation...

Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones' intimate live studio take of Call Me, a song first released in 2022, has 23 million streams on just Spotify alone.  Synopsis: This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio. Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the new Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/KRFD Listen to Rangga Jones talk about his...

Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones' intimate live studio take of not good enough, a song from his first full-length album, Emotions. Synopsis: This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio. Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the new Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/KRFD Listen to Rangga Jones talk about his musical journey in...

Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones is the tenth guest in this music channel. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio. In the 10th episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones. He might not be a household name in Singapore, but in recent years, the 27-year-old has been steadily building up a fanbase in the region with his R&B/pop songs. On...

With Singapore’s resident total fertility rate dropping below 1 for the first time - hitting a historic low at 0.97 last year in 2023 - we discuss how the birth rate can be boosted. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at social issues of the day with guests. For many years in Singapore, we have not had enough babies to replace ourselves, with the Total Fertility rate, or TFR, remaining below the replacement rate of 2.1.  Minister in the Prime...

Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. PopVultures host Jan Lee explains her transition from the previous year-long Can I Tell You Something Crazy series about pop culture zeitgeist moments to a new scripted series in 2024 along the lines of Where Are They Now. For once-famous Asian or global celebrities you might like to know more of but just don’t know where to start, DM Jan Lee your suggestions on...

Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippines is raising its game to cope with an increasingly aggressive China in the South China Sea. Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' global contributor Nirmal Ghosh shines a light on Asian perspectives of global and Asian issues with expert guests. Increasingly dangerous encounters between Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the South China Sea - claimed almost in its entirety by China but also in part by...

How much should you put into your CPF Life then? Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Mr Christopher Tan, CEO and founder of Providend - a fee-only wealth advisory - discusses the closure of the CPF special account for those 55 and over from early 2025, which was announced during Budget 2024. What are...

Humanity will never achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century unless the building sector figures out how to become truly green. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Who hasn’t escaped a scorchingly hot day by seeking refuge in a nicely chilled shopping centre? Or, for those in cold climates, in a toasty warm office or cafe?  But have you ever...

History-making sisters making waves with Olympic relay qualification Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. On Feb 18, Quah Ting Wen, Quah Jing Wen, Letitia Sim and Levenia Sim clocked 4 minutes and 2.88 seconds at the World Aquatics Championships to not just set a new women's 4x100m medley relay national record, they also booked their ticket to Paris 2024. In this episode of Sports Talk, David Lee is joined by the two sets of...

A talent expert who has helped over 200 people clinch jobs after a career break shares what works.Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset.At the best of times, making calculated career moves to meet one's financial and professional goals is hard, and even more so when one is returning from a career break.In this episode, host Tay Hong Yi speaks with his guest on how to make a successful return to the...

A conversation with the noted anthropologist and Andamans expert Vishvajit Pandya on the need to balance heritage, developmental and strategic interests as the Andaman and Nicobar islands become a geopolitical hotspot. Synopsis:  Join The Straits Times' associate editor and senior Asia columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, Ravi speaks with Prof Visvajit Pandya, an anthropologist who has researched tribes in the...

Get started on moderate intensity physical activity to stay healthy. Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. Singapore wants to be a healthier nation, and everyone needs to play their part by leading healthier lifestyles. This would only benefit the individual, but not everyone exercises regularly. And, if you have watched the popular Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,...

Will we cede jobs to quantum computing next?  Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. We may not time travel anytime soon, but quantum computing may go mainstream among businesses within a decade. What is this technology that inspires science-fiction tales? What do bosses and workers need to know about it?  Join me, Krist Boo, and my guests, Dr Paul Griffin, associate professor of...

The role of militaries, and conflicts, in driving global warming can no longer be ignored. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Even in peace times, militaries are huge emitters of the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. The US military with its global network of bases, has a particularly large carbon footprint - and outsources it to host countries who...

Feeling peckish? Find out why Taiwan is mad about the “Kuai Kuai” brand of corn snacks.  Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  Taiwan is the world’s top manufacturer of semiconductors and advanced chips. But here is the super-chip that rules them all: a corn chip snack that is a favourite among Taiwan kids.  Bags of it...

No other car company has invested as much as Porsche to sell cars to consumers in Singapore with a high-end “studio” in the heart of the city. How is it working? Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends. Cars in Singapore are the most expensive in the world. In this episode, ST's senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe visits the Porsche Studio Singapore in Guoco Midtown along Beach Road, to...

So why do the Lions have yet another Japanese coach? Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. In this episode of Hard Tackle, Deepanraj Ganesan is joined by Football Association of Singapore president, Bernard Tan and the newly appointed head coach of the Singapore national football team, Tsutomu Ogura. For the first time since Ogura’s appointment on Feb 1, Tan describes the...

Two young hawkers chat about the profession in this era of high inflation - how to maintain profitability while still serving that affordable meal.  Synopsis: Every second and fourth Monday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at social issues of the day with guests. The cost of living has gotten more expensive in the last two years. Inflation measured by a basket of consumer goods was 4.8 per cent higher in 2023 than 2022, more than in 2021 when the price increase was at 2.3...

One of our guests also shows us the brilliance of her lyrics by reading them out to us. What are your faves? Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. American superstar Taylor Swift has dominated pop culture with her mega-successful Eras Tour, her historic fourth Grammy win for Album of the Year in 2024 and her fairytale-like romance with American football star Travis Kelce.  And she will soon be...

Hear why most Manipuris - of different ethnic groups - just want an end to militarisation and violence. Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' global contributor Nirmal Ghosh shines a light on Asian perspectives of global and Asian issues with expert guests. Manipur, in north-east India, is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state of 3.1 million people. In May 2023, violence exploded between the ethnic Meitei and Kuki people, leaving many dead. Ongoing ethnic violence...

Do local banks really have succession issues? Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In February 2024, banker Wee Cho Yaw passed away at the age of 95. His father founded the predecessor of UOB but it was Mr Wee that grew the bank, and made UOB what it is today. Together with DBS and OCBC, UOB is now among the top three...

Tipping points are a grave threat but it’s not too late for humanity to reduce the risks.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The world is on the brink of major changes to the natural world that could have truly devastating consequences for billions of people.  These are parts of the natural world that are at risk of abrupt and irreversible changes. For...

This Budget 2024 special analysis examines how measures announced would benefit Singaporean youth, from education, to housing, childcare and inflation.  Synopsis: Titled “Building our Shared Future Together”, Budget 2024 was delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Feb 16, 2024.  The plan for revenue and expenditure of the Singapore government was laid out to address immediate challenges like cost-of-living pressures while investing in...

Former South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha also ponders the challenges posed by Kim Jong Un’s moves on missiles and Moscow, and Seoul’s ties with Japan.  Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times' associate editor and senior Asia columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, Ravi speaks with Dr Kang Kyung-Wha, the incoming President and CEO of Asia Society. In 2017, she was the first woman...