The Straits Times Podcasts The Straits Times
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Synopsis: Our ALL-IN-ONE channel showcases our discussions on Singapore youth perspectives and social issues, geopolitics through an Asian lens, health, climate change, money, career, sports, pop culture and music.
Follow our shows on your favourite audio apps Apple Podcasts, Spotify or even ST's app, which has a dedicated podcast player section.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis & The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.
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Chinese' salve for loneliness: Pay to drink at strangers' homes
The rise of home bars in cities across China is an indication of how young Chinese are craving for companionship but without having to invest in relationships.
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.
#family-style bars is now a search term for listings of home bars, not just for first-tier cities Beijing and Shanghai, but also Zhengzhou in central China, Chengdu in the south-west and Hangzhou on the eastern coast.
Instead of going to commercial nightspots, young Chinese are looking to spend their free time in the living rooms of strangers’ homes, where they pay for drinks, conversations and games.
In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with China correspondent Aw Cheng Wei on why the trend is taking off, and what it says about the Chinese wanting to make connections in a safe and casual environment.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:48 How are home bars different from regular bars?
5:08 Home bars are not meant to make money for some owners
7:00 How home bars are part of China’s “da zi” or companion culture
11:50 Chinese youths need for a deeper connection
Read Cheng Wei’s article here: https://str.sg/iAyf
Produced by: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Read Tan Tam Mei's articles: https://str.sg/ifku
Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
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ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Youths on their expectations of Singapore's next PM Lawrence Wong
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong becomes Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, 2024, when he succeeds current PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
The upcoming leadership transition - when Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong becomes Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15 - has ignited discussions about where Singapore goes from here.In particular, what issues are youths most concerned about before they go to the ballot box in the next General Election?
In this episode of The Usual Place, Natasha hosts three guests:
Joel Lim, 31, host of Political Prude: The Podcast
Gautham Vijayan Kumaran, 26, a final-year student at the National University of Singapore
Carissa Cheow, 28, the chief strategy officer for a tech firm and a career counsellor
From expectations of DPM Wong when he takes over as prime minister, to their thoughts of how the impending general election will play out, these three guests candidly share their views and shed some insight on what youths might want to see from their future political leaders.
Highlights (Click/tap above):
4:18 Qualities young voters are looking for in Singapore's next PM
12:19 What are these young voters looking for when the next election comes around?
19:31 Is there a dichotomy between traditional bread-and-butter concerns and wider, all-encompassing issues such as climate change and civil liberties?
21:58: Are younger voters harder to convince?
31:51: How will scandals of politicians in 2023 factor into the next election?
34:28: Will social media be the dominant platform among voters at the next GE?
Host: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)
Edited by producers: Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Filmed by: Joel Chng and Marc Justin De Souza, ST Video
Follow The Usual Place Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Natasha Zachariah's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
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ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#tup #tuptr
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Chinese drama My Fair Princess: The cast's dramatic off-screen lives
It is one of the most famous Chinese period dramas ever, but where are the members of its main cast now?
Synopsis: How Did We Get Here is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, where host Jan Lee will deep dive into a celebrity, a band or the cast of a movie or film that made an impact on Asian entertainment and how they got to where they are now.
There is a good argument to be made that the most famous Chinese drama ever aired is the Qing dynasty period royal romance My Fair Princess, best known for its first two seasons aired in 1998 and 1999.
The story is about a case of mistaken identity. An orphaned street urchin named Xiaoyanzi accidentally becomes a princess in place of her friend, the Qing emperor Qianlong’s illegitimate daughter Ziwei.
The series broke viewership records, became extremely popular across Asia and was an unprecedented hit that turned its main cast members into household names - Vicki Zhao, Ruby Lin, Alec Su, Zhou Jie, Fan Bingbing and Julian Chen.
Now, 26 years since the drama first aired - a lot has happened to the main cast. Two have been effectively cancelled by the Chinese government, one has apparently become a successful farmer, one is widely disliked by Chinese netizens and one quite literally got "burnt".
#PopVultures host Jan Lee discusses How Did We Get Here.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:20 Introduction about My Fair Princess
4:11 How the series got cast and its impact on Asian entertainment
11:57 What happened to Julian Chen?
14:16 What happened to Alec Su?
17:16 Is there a feud between Ruby Lin and Zhou Jie?
28:03 The cancellation of Fan Bingbing
35:12 The many troubles of Vicki Zhao and her eventual downfall
Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg) Amirul Karim
Edited by: Amirul Karim
Follow #PopVultures Podcast here every month:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWad
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWaA
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaP
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Follow Jan Lee on Instagram: https://str.sg/Jbxc
Read Jan Lee's articles: https://str.sg/Jbxp
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#PV #HDWGH
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
No magic bullet but vaccines may help long war against dengue virus
Asia is on the cusp of a summer of life-threatening dengue fever.
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.
Dengue fever case numbers have gone up across the global tropics. This includes Singapore, a model in many respects for health surveillance and epidemic control, and mosquito control. In the first quarter of 2024, Singapore recorded more than double the number of cases than in the same period in 2023.
Meanwhile across the world, Latin America and the Caribbean have been warned to prepare for their worst dengue season ever.
The long war against dengue must contend with many factors including climate, weather, and human behaviour. Even without an outbreak or epidemic, dengue may circulate silently among populations.
No single solution is perfect. Dengue vaccines have been developed, but there are four strains of the virus, and the vaccines have different degrees of efficacy.
The key to effective dengue control is health surveillance and a good laboratory system - and in Singapore’s case especially, collaboration with neighbouring countries. Vaccinating populations could help complement other dengue and mosquito control measures.
Globally, we discuss how countries must build urban infrastructure to be less mosquito-friendly.
Nirmal Ghosh hosts his guests who are also global dengue gurus:
Dr. Duane Gubler, Emeritus Professor and founding director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Signature Research Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School
Dr. Ooi Eng Eong is a Professor in the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:31 Dengue vaccine - the solution for Singapore?
8:06 Important lessons from Sars and Covid-19
16:03 Why a single vaccination cannot prevent dengue entirely
17:52 Contrarian view: Global warming is not the main cause of dengue fever
20:00 Better living standards can help control mosquito-borne diseases
23:19 Should new cities consider mosquito-related issues in building plans?
Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg) and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Follow Asian Insider with Nirmal Ghosh every fourth Friday of the month here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Follow Nirmal Ghosh on X: https://str.sg/JD7r
Read Nirmal Ghosh's articles: https://str.sg/JbxG
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
How are the 3,000-plus chargers at the HDB carparks being used today?
The head of the EV-electric shares some of the learnings from Singapore’s electrification journey.
Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
The pace of EV charger deployment at HDB carparks in 2024 will likely be slower than in the previous year - at least initially - before things pick up speed again. According to EV-Electric's chief executive, Mr Derek Tan, the target is to have another 700 or so chargers ready by 2024 and another 700 by the end of 2025.
The head of the company set up by the Land Transport Authority to coordinate the roll-out of Singapore’s public EV charging network said that the data shows that the bulk of the charging at the housing estates happen at night. As EVs become more popular, will we see users fighting over who gets to use the chargers when they return home from work?
Highlights (click/tap above):
5:50 The expected slowing down in the rate of charger deployment in 2024 and how every HDB carpark is different
12:05 The struggle between taking up a parking space for charging versus the needs of those who do not drive an EV
15:00 Data shows that 60 per cent of charging happens overnight
17:30 Ideas to encourage better charging etiquette - from fines to imposing a minimum spend
30:00 The one technological development that will turbocharge the deployment of chargers.
36:20 Why there should be parity in terms of the total cost of owning and using an EV with an internal combustion engine option.
Produced by: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Follow COE Watch Podcast here:
Channel: https://str.sg/iTtE
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/iqW2
Spotify: https://str.sg/iqgB
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: https://str.sg/wt8G
Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/iqkJ
Read more COE articles: https://str.sg/iGKC
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#coewatch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
A visit to Sungei Buloh: How Singapore can better host migratory birds
Why mudflats are vital for dwindling numbers of birds that stop over seasonally.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): In this new 4-part environment podcast series for 2024 - Green Trails - The Straits Times hits the ground with experts in spaces that are critical to the interlinked crises the planet faces: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The next episode drops in June.
For this inaugural episode, our team heads to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the local haven for birds that travel across the world to refuel at.
The society - one of the island's oldest non-governmental organisations - convinced the government to preserve Sungei Buloh as a wetland reserve by showing officials the diversity of birds that depend on the spot.
ST journalist Ang Qing takes a walk with representatives from the Nature Society (Singapore) - Veronica Foo and Tan Gim Cheong.
They talk about the lesser-known Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat, which is key to supporting the thousands of migratory shorebirds that stop over in Singapore between August and March, and why it should also receive full protection from the law.
Read also: Green Trails Podcast: Experience Singapore’s spaces through sound - https://str.sg/qcCm
Read an earlier article on migratory birds: https://str.sg/JtYUU
Discover the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group: https://str.sg/wNzGa
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:30 Why is Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve so special?
7:01 Have there been fewer shorebirds at the reserve?
11:15 What kind of man-made features threaten migratory birds?
18:00 Why a lesser known mudflat needs to get stronger legal protection
Host: Ang Qing (aqing@sph.com.sg)
Trail producers: Lynda Hong, Hadyu Rahim, Teo Tong Kai, Amirul Karim, Eden Soh
Edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive Producers: Ernest Luis (ernest@sph.com.sg) & Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg)
Follow Green Pulse Podcast here every 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWaY
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWag
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Follow Ang Qing on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ichp
Read her articles: https://str.sg/i5gT
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
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ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
---
#greenpulse
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.