Asian Insider SPH Media
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- Nieuws
Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.
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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
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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
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Thai music, Thaksin, a ‘tattoo’: Thailand feels its way forward
Tan Tam Mei reflects on her time as Thailand correspondent, and looks ahead to how the country could navigate geopolitical and domestic politics.
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.
A man sings. It is part of Thailand’s folk music tradition from its north-east region of Isan. But he is warbling in Laotian - a reminder of Thailand’s location in the heart of the Mekong region, and its shared culture, language and borders with its neighbours.
The pull and push dynamic that Thailand engages with its neighbours is one challenge. Another is how it is grappling with its turbulent domestic politics and shifting attitudes about traditional institutions and beliefs including the monarchy.
In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with ST’s former Thailand correspondent Tan Tam Mei about her two and a half years based in Bangkok, bookended by Covid-19 protests, and the return of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra after 15 years in exile.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:43 The rise of Thailand’s “rural people” music
6:00 Selling soft power
10:28 The pull and push of Mekong countries
12:41 Thaksin returns, but to a different electorate
13:11 Thailand looks peaceful, but an uneasy dynamic is at play
16:34 A ‘tattoo’, a souvenir of ThailandRead Tam Mei’s articles here: https://str.sg/oZRkj and https://str.sg/uNXj
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
---
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. -
Having babies: Natural next step after marriage or thank you, next?
Our guests discuss if parenthood is an expectation or choice.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
In Singapore, where preliminary estimates indicate its Total Fertility Rate hit a record low of 0.97 in 2023, some are opting to remain child-free.
In the first episode of our new podcast series, The Usual Place’s host Natasha Ann Zachariah brings together two guests who hold opposing views on being parents.
Joan Chong, 35, never wants kids. She never yearned for them before she got married, and flat out told her partner when they started dating, that she did not want to be a parent.
Meanwhile, Dainial Lim is a passionate voice in favour of embracing the joys of parenthood. To him, having children is a natural path in life after getting married, and it would have been a relationship dealbreaker for him if his wife was not for it.
They sit down with Natasha to dissect their personal choices in a candid and unfiltered conversation. What unfolds is a discussion about their choices and dissecting the misconceptions that come with it.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:56 Is it still taboo to say you want to be childfree
6:48 Do women still bear the burden of raising children?
9:44 Joan’s realities of being childfree
14:31 The scary part about having children
17:16 How kids changed Dainial’s life
23:05 Does Joan feel left out for not receiving government incentives?
25:17 Are Singaporean parents entitled?
31:25 If anyone’s on the fence about having children, what would Joan and Dainial tell them?
DM Natasha your thoughts on this topic at her IG: https://str.sg/8Wav
Watch the video version of this episode: https://str.sg/nZDz
Produced by: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong and Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai & Eden Soh
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
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Natasha Zachariah's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
---
Discover more ST podcast channels:
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
Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
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
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Why Asean is watching the Philippines’ strategy in South China Sea
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 several other countries including the Philippines - have deepened worries over accidental escalation, not least because the Philippines and the United States have a mutual defence treaty.
The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has taken a more robust stand on China relative to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, and the Philippines has sharply upped its defence budget and is enhancing its defence cooperation and military interoperability with the United States.
However, neither the Philippines nor the United States have the appetite for conflict with Manila's giant neighbour - China.
To shine a light on the Philippines’ strategy, host Nirmal Ghosh has two guests in this episode:
1. Former rear admiral with the Philippine Navy Rommel Ong - now professor of praxis at the Ateneo School of Government in the Philippines
2. Dr. Colin Koh, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:43 Why did the Philippines allocate more budget for defence and maritime security in 2024?
3:48 Dr Koh on the Philippines facing uncertainties; Why Prof Ong does not expect a significant increase in US troops in the Philippines
7:58 Dr Koh and Prof Ong on China using "grey zone" tactics like water cannons and aggressive blocking manoeuvres in the South China Sea
8:27 Could tensions escalate to armed conflict in the South China Sea?
14:52 "War" of a different kind between the Philippines and China since April 2023
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
---
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. -
Saving the Shompen tribe – when survival collides with strategy
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 Andaman and Nicobar islands for four decades.
They discuss the fate of the Shompen in Great Nicobar, a tribe of fewer than 600 people whose lives are likely to be upended by plans to build tourism resorts and a transhipment port as well as a naval base on the island. Dr Pandya, who has worked with the Shompen, makes a strong case for including their point of view in developmental plans for their island.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:12 India’s plans for the Great Nicobar
5:35 ‘Shy Shompens’ under threat
9:20 Strategic significance of the Andaman and Nicobar
13:15 Limited “carrying capacity” of the islands
16:30 Last of the ‘hostiles’ are Sentinelese
18:45 Port is like a ‘bad sewage system’
22:45 A right to make choices
Produced by: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg) and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Follow Speaking Of Asia Podcast every second 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
Ravi Velloor's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Ravi Velloor on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/5nfm
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
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
ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i4Y3
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
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Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
The $1 chip that keeps Taiwan’s tech devices in working order
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 can be found atop laptops, ATM machines, printers all over the island, even in the offices of engineers in Hsinchu Science Park – home of the island’s semiconductor industry.
In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with ST’s Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee about how these chips became the go-to lucky charms for Taiwan appliances, and the folk traditions and pseudoscience that continue to thrive in the technologically advanced society.
Highlights (click/tap above):1:00: Why Kuai Kuai corn chips are so popular in Taiwan2:05: How they “bestow their magical powers” on appliances
4:28: TSMC, the world’s leading semiconductor company, has its own edition of Kuai Kuai chips
5:47: The propensity for Taiwanese to turn to such folk beliefs 8:29 The wrong use of Kuai Kuai chips was believed to have crashed Taiwan’s tax filing system in May 2017 Read Wai Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/6vYn
Produced by: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis 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 Yip Wai Yee's articles: https://str.sg/wFZk
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:
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
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
ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i4Y3
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
---
Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.