Episodes
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From modern hanboks to Jeju's legendary sea women, discover how South Korea's oldest traditions are finding new life.
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.In this episode, host Li Xueying interviews South Korea correspondent Wendy Teo to explore the modern revival of South Korea's cultural traditions, from the reimagined hanbok to Jeju's legendary haenyeo.
They also discuss why the hanbok is making a comeback in South Korea, from everyday office wear to global pop culture, driven by K-pop, changing attitudes towards traditional dress and efforts to preserve cultural heritage.
Then travel to Jeju to meet the haenyeo, the island's legendary female free-divers, and find out why this centuries-old, physically demanding way of life is drawing a new generation seeking a slower, more meaningful life.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:50 Modern hanbok redefining tradition
5:00 The BTS effect on national dress
6:00 The power of hanbok diplomacy
12:55 The siren call of Jeju Island
16:15 Diving into the unknown
18:20 Can these traditions survive?
Read Wendy Teo’s article here: https://str.sg/LBkd
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Natasha Liew
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Trump-Modi friendship was strong, but now US-India ties are strained. What caused the severe turbulence?
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
In this episode, senior columnist Ravi speaks with Prof Sumit Ganguly, Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Director of the Huntington Program on improving US-India relations.
They discuss the severe turbulence in bilateral ties including the massive tariffs the Trump administration placed on India, India’s refusal to give Trump credit for intervening to stop the India-Pakistan conflict in May, 2025, and the removal of ‘Indo’ from the USIndoPacific Command, now reverted to its old name US Pacific Command – which Indians have taken as a deliberate slight from Washington.
They also examine the question: Is India playing a waiting game to see Trump off, and can the US really do without Indian backing if it is to maintain influence in the Indian Ocean.
Highlights (click/tap above)
1:04 Why USIndoPacom was changed to USPacom
3:46 ‘Body blows’ to US-India bilateral relationship
7:20 Trump-Modi personal chemistry is gone
8:47 Present situation is an “aberration”
10:48 The Pakistan factor
14:18 End of India’s muscular foreign policy
17:16 Opportunity for China to improve India ties
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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Missing episodes?
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Johor votes in July – but the real contest is whether Malaysia's unity government survives the campaign trail.
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.
For our June episode, ST's Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Dr Francis Hutchinson, coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Programme at ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
5:20 Johor votes on July 11 – what BN actually needs to achieve in its own fortress state
13:50 What single result in Johor would most change the national political conversation heading into GE16?
21:20 Governing together versus fighting an election together – what would a real PH-BN electoral pact for GE16 actually need to look like?
29:40 BN wants 115 seats; PH won 82 in GE15: Serious, practical negotiations happening for a pact?
32:00 Why did Anwar raise the prospect of a snap election publicly – genuine frustration, or a negotiating tactic?
35:10 Can we book our year-end holidays yet, or is GE16 actually happening in 2026?
39:00 Malaysia bans social media for under-16s – but where do these kids actually go now?
Read more:
Johor vote may shape Negeri Sembilan race as staggered polls raise questions: https://str.sg/4mkFp
Negeri Sembilan crisis signals end is nigh for Anwar’s unity government: https://str.sg/fsUA
Where do we go now? Malaysia's under-16 social media ban leaves teens detached and displaced: https://str.sg/tVuZG
Read Zurairi A.R.’s articles: https://str.sg/DCfr
Read Shannon Teoh's articles: https://str.sg/wzyK
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Zurairi A.R. ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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The menace is everywhere and you can hardly spot it, stop it or punish it.
Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.
Singapore recently ordered social media platforms to block access to 14 online posts that target the Indian community, such as by suggesting that Singapore was being overrun by Indians.
Investigations showed that the content most likely originated from a platform based in China and was subsequently carried on other platforms and websites, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on June 6.
In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with a US-based expert who has studied disinformation, defined as organised and systematic efforts to manipulate people and to transmit false narratives.
Darrell West of the Brookings Institution has carried out extensive research on how technologies such as generative AI can be used to create serious threats to personal safety, race relations and governance.
He is a senior fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies programme.
He is the co-author of Lies That Kill: A Citizen’s Guide to Disinformation. It explains how falsehoods spread and what citizens, institutions, and policymakers can do to resist them.
His bottom line? Only you can protect yourself from disinformation.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:03 Disinformation is more than misinformation
4:12 Where is all the disinformation coming from?
5:08 How Iran beat the US in information war
8:10 Does the US use disinformation as well?
10:12 Who’s at the top of the disinfo game?
13:30 Do disinfo producers ever pay a price?
19:04 Disinformation will get worse ahead of US elections
20:41 Only you can protect you
24:32 Are Gen Z better at detecting fakes?
More articles on:
Singapore blocks online posts targeting Indian community; content likely from China-based platform: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/spore-blocks-online-posts-targeting-indian-community-content-likely-from-china-based-platform
Behind the anti-Indian posts: How social media pages mix divisive narratives with clickbait: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/behind-the-anti-indian-posts-how-social-media-pages-mix-divisive-narratives-with-clickbait
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
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Can Trump and Xi’s new ‘constructive’ framework bring stability to the US-China dynamic?
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
In this episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Wang Xiangwei, the eminent Hongkong-based China scholar and former editor-in-chief of South China Morning Post.
Wang, who is soon heading to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a Senior Visiting Fellow, offers a Chinese perspective on the changing dynamics of the US-China relationship, with Beijing now treated as a near-peer by Washington, and increasingly able to set the agenda.
US President Donald Trump, he says, is the most China-friendly person in his Cabinet and the days when even Chinese garlic was treated as a national security risk are long over.
In an odd way, China does not wish to see the US retrench from Asia entirely.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:26 How things have changed in US-China ties
5:20 ‘G-2’ is in place now, and China a peer equal
8:55 Goodbye, Indo-Pacific
13:20 Up ahead, long period of stability
16:17 For the first time, China sets the agenda
20:36 Boards of trade, investment
26:22 Surprise, Surprise…China wants US to stay in Asia!
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Being uber-responsible, people-pleasing and a perfectionist are traits that first-born girls in Asia purportedly have.
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.A book in Taiwan on the so-called “eldest daughter syndrome” is now a bestseller translated into other languages.
It looks at how many first-born women in the East Asian society struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, burnout, anxiety and other mental health struggles. This often arises from the profound psychological and physical pressures that they face at home.
What is even more insidious is when these traits carry over from the private space to their workplace.
Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee, herself a first-born girl, speaks to foreign editor Li Xueying, another first-born girl, on her personal experience, as well as the question: where is all of this coming from?
Highlights (click/tap above):1:58 What is the eldest daughter syndrome
4:43 Myth vs social expectations
6:29 Eldest daughter syndrome entrenched in Taiwan society
10:17 How it plays into workplace burnout and boundaries
13:55 Managing guilt and saying no as an eldest daughter
Read Yip Wai Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/jbsK
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
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Twists and turns can be expected for the rest of this year.
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 Greater China bureaus.
For May, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the Xi-Trump summit held in Beijing from May 13-14, 2026.
Heading into the event, expectations were modest as US President Donald Trump appeared to be distracted by war in the Middle East. At first glance, the deliverables might have seemed slightly underwhelming.
But the bottom line is both men got a bit of what they needed. Mr Trump got purchases for Boeing jets, agricultural products and possibly energy, while Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated a “new positioning” of bilateral relations.
There are also implications for cross-strait ties, with Beijing framing the Taiwan issue as something to be treated with utmost caution while Washington signalled that it might be rethinking the latest tranche of arms sales to the island.
With many geopolitical issues on the agenda, the tariff war appeared to have taken a back seat. Nonetheless, the announcement on the boards on trade and investment has opened up additional and much-needed room for dialogue.
There are at least three more bouts of engagement between Mr Trump and Mr Xi for the rest of this year, and plenty of opportunities for both sides to bargain and make deals.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:34 The world can breathe a sigh of relief
5:14 What is “constructive strategic stability”?
9:09 Temple of Heaven, Imperial Garden: Visit steeped in symbolism
10:43 A captivated Chinese public
13:11 Taiwan should be worried
19:20 Trade tensions take a back seat
21:16 China hugs the US and Russia
Read more: https://str.sg/pyWN
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
Host: Albert Wai ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
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A banquet in Beijing does not alter US-China rivalry but both leaders could sell modest outcomes as wins, says analyst.
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, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Han Shen Lin, the China Managing Director for The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm based in Washington DC. Mr Lin leads the firm’s China operations from its Shanghai office.
Concurrently, as an Associate Professor of Practice in Finance at NYU Shanghai, he teaches courses in global finance and markets.
Mr Lin also serves as Chair of the Financial Services Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
He is a US Marine Corps veteran (Indo-Pacific) and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine).
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:31 Is the summit happening for sure?
3:12 China could get Tehran's attention on a ceasefire, but will they?
5:39 Why has Trump been so keen to go to China?
7:28 What might be President Xi's top asks?
9:18 Will they talk about AI?
11:24 Trump often trolls foreign leaders but treats Xi respectfully. What does Beijing make of this?
13:54 Will this summit improve ties?
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
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India’s poor air is driving much needed investment away from the country.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
There was a time when China was thought to have the world’s most polluted cities. However, Beijing’s sustained efforts have overturned that situation. Instead, when the question of polluted cities comes up, eyes turn to India now.
According to the noted Harvard economist Gita Gopinath, a former top IMF official, poor air quality is driving investment away from India and is causing more damage to its economy than US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
There is enough policy experience, and scientific knowledge, to mitigate the situation. Indeed, India has within itself some of the world’s best scientific brains. The question is whether it has the political will to take the right measures, including pricing essential services such as water appropriately to curb overuse and wastage.
In this wide-ranging conversation, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Chandran Nair, the Malaysian-born, founder and CEO of Hongkong-based Global Institute for Tomorrow on how India could take cues from China to fix its foul air and water.
Mr Nair, a biochemical engineer who in 1994, set up the first foreign environment consultancy in China. He is also a frequent traveller to China and India. He is also a sceptic of the consumption-based growth model that he says is causing irreparable damage to the environment.
Highlights (click/tap above)
3:42 China’s journey from ‘most polluted’ nation
10:52 India’s dismal environmental situation
14:26 Faulty growth models
17:37 Democratic non-dividend: India cannot do a China
22:42 Why utilities like water need to be priced right
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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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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The stakes are high. A region’s association with a popular dish is increasingly big business, as the Chinese eat out more.
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.
Disputes over where popular dishes originated are common across Asia. The world-famous butter chicken is fought over by two restaurants - one that started out in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, and one in New Delhi, India. In Southeast Asia, neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have also tussled over chicken rice.
It is little wonder that China, given its geographic scale and the incredible richness of its regional cuisines, has its own internal food feuds.
Kaoyu, or grilled fish, is a regional speciality of Chongqing, made with freshwater fish from the Yangtze River and spices such as mala peppercorns and Chinese chillies.
The dish’s commercial success, both inside and outside of China, has raised questions about its true origin story, with two regions in Chongqing, Wanzhou and Wushan, laying claim to it.
In this episode, host Li Xueying asks Chongqing-based correspondent Aw Cheng Wei to share his journey in tracking down where kaoyu came from, and to get to the heart of why food is so important to the Chinese.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:23 How Chongqing’s cuisine reflects its local environment and culture
4:39 Popularity of the kaoyu dish across China
5:59 Beginning of the dispute over the dish’s origin
8:46 Government efforts to preserve authenticity through industry standards and culinary schools
10:31 The complexities of culinary origin disputes across China and beyond
13:40 China’s attitude towards food
15:42 Food’s power to connect and what it means for China
Read Aw Cheng Wei’s article here: https://str.sg/6y3x
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
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From drink-driving to MACC scandal, is Malaysia's justice system bending to public pressure or finally getting serious?
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.
For our April episode, ST's Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Latheefa Koya, executive director of Lawyers for Liberty and former chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:10 Spate of fatal drink-driving crashes sparking a national debate: Why did one Klang case change everything?
5:44 Does this mask a deeper racial and class divide in Malaysian society?
8:26 Is a murder charge for drink-driving legally sound – or is the Attorney General bowing to public pressure?
12:57 Malaysia's road safety debate: Does the Islamic "diyat" mechanism have any place?
14:17 How can an anti-corruption body be weaponised as corporate mafia – and what powers make that possible?
20:41 MACC parading suspects in orange shirts: Does the humiliation tactic actually achieve anything?
25:15 Is PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's expected non-renewal of MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki a genuine reckoning – or just the bare minimum?
35:11 News nugget opinion: What 'energy-wasting' habit our guests absolutely refuse to give up, no matter what the authorities say?
Read more:
Malaysians are again up in arms over drink-driving, but this time it's for a different reason: https://str.sg/e3Gz
Why Malaysia PM Anwar's invoking a 'Zionist bogeyman' and a plot to topple the government: https://str.sg/rSwE
What fuel crisis? Why Malaysians are losing patience with their leaders' mileage: https://str.sg/H4H3
Read Zurairi A.R.’s articles: https://str.sg/DCfr
Read Shannon Teoh's articles: https://str.sg/wzyK
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Zurairi A.R. ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: [email protected]
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
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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The Iran war is an unprecedented crisis but South-east Asia is better placed to handle it.
Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
The US-Israeli assault on Iran, which led to the effective closure of the Straits of Hormuz, has seized up many Asian economies which are seeing rising fuel prices, soaring airline ticket costs and leaving restaurants short of cooking fuel.
But South-east Asia, with memories of the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s still fresh in memory is better placed macro-economically to tackle the crisis - evidenced in investors’ confidence in stocks such as DBS, SIA and OCBC.
In this wide-ranging episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of research at Maybank Securities and an expert on the interplay of geopolitics, macro-economics and the stock market. They unpack the full dimensions of the crisis before discussing how Asia is likely to fare when it ends, as it must some day.
Mr Wickramasinghe offers some advice: It has paid off for investors to be long on stocks, he says, and there is a case to keep some gold in your portfolio, as well as energy stocks.
Highlights (click/tap above)
1:38 A Michelle Yeoh, Di Caprio-style crisis
8:16 South-east Asia is better placed than other regions
14:09 DBS, SIA - why some stocks do better than the rest
15:33 Opportunities for investors in this crisis
17:59 Post-War realities to watch for
21:10 Equities will never go out of fashion
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Discover how bhajan clubbing is transforming devotional music in India.
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.
In this episode, host Li Xueying discusses with Debarshi Dasgupta the recent surge in bhajan clubbing - the fusion of devotional Hindu music with contemporary styles like EDM and rock.
This cultural phenomenon, exemplified by recent concerts in Delhi and other cities, explores how young Indians are finding a modern form of spiritual engagement, stress relief, and social belonging.
It has received government endorsement from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP as part of a Hindu religious revival, which includes state funding for concerts and events.
This cultural shift also addresses social acceptance and generational changes in religious practices.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:18 How bhajan clubbing draws different age groups and its impact on faith practices
3:41 Influence of political figures like Modi endorsing this musical trend
6:35 The correlation between stress relief, youth identity, and spiritual needs
11:13 BJP’s promotion of Hinduism and religious revival through government policies
13:22 Political and economic motives behind government support for Hindu cultural activities
16:17 Future prospects of bhajan clubbing and its evolution into all-night raves
Read Debarshi Dasgupta’s article here: https://str.sg/qFYv
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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With Washington distracted and opportunities in clean energy, Beijing might have the last laugh.
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 Greater China bureaus.
For March, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the war in the Middle East.
The conflict in Iran has further complicated Beijing’s ties with Washington. However, there are some dividends that might be reaped by China as America’s allies potentially look East because they find it more and more challenging to be on the same page as Trump.
On the economic front, fuel shortage is being felt across the board. But given China’s strengths in green technology, there might be opportunities for its companies as countries look to rejig their energy mix in the long run.
Additionally, military analysts have suggested that the conflict serves as a living laboratory for Chinese technology given that some of Iran’s defences are reliant on systems developed by China.
For now, Beijing’s global standing may have taken a hit as it has been exposed for having limited influence over happenings in the region. But with America fully engaged in Iran and the financial cost of the war, foreign policy space might well open up for China.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:17 Tensions between US and its allies could benefit China
7:26 A reminder on fossil fuel reliance
10:20 Beijing has spent years preparing for a fuel shock
12:56 Will China join a convoy in the Straits of Hormuz?
17:23 Iran as a living lab for military tech
20:02 Beijing’s limited influence in the Middle East
Read more: https://str.sg/rk3J
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
Host: Albert Wai ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Depleting its own military resources and antagonising Arab neighbours may be a cost too high for the regime to bear.
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, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Prof Benjamin Radd, an authority on the politics of the Middle East, especially Iran.
Professor Radd, PhD (UCLA 2015) JD (Stanford 2003), is a Political Scientist and Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and an expert on government and politics of the Middle East, US foreign policy, and comparative law.
Dr Radd is also a professor at the UCLA School of Law and adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law, where he lectures on American legal development and constitutional law and politics.
In addition, Dr Radd is the Founder and CEO of Fascination Lab, an educational and experiential learning consulting firm. In 2023, he was hired to design a political crisis simulation that was filmed and released as an award-winning documentary, ‘War Game’, which was selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:32 Iranian regime's capability for waging a long war
6:23 Will the Iranian regime try to make a nuclear bomb?
15:14 Potential emergence of a moderate leader in Iran
19:21 Is Arab faith in the US shaken?
20:23 The possibility of Arab nations attacking Iran
22:17 Has Trump landed himself in a political mess?
25:01 When will the war end?
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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How South-east Asia can navigate the age of AI and its impact on the economy and employment.
Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
Artificial Intelligence is impacting the world at a pace far greater than that of previous general-purpose technologies, such as the steam engine, electricity, and computing.
As the world adjusts to the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by tremendous advances in automation and robotics, it now faces the Fifth Industrial Revolution, the era of AI and its impressive ability to perform cognitive tasks normally performed by humans.
In this episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with the eminent economist Dr Khor Hoe Ee, who witnessed the Latin American debt crisis and the Asian financial crisis.
Dr Khor, formerly Chief Economist at AMRO, has also seen how events like Covid-19 have had a major impact on the economy.
They discuss how the US and China dominate the AI space, the speed of disruption, which South-east Asian economies are most exposed and what firms in the region can do to cope with the impact of this new technology.
They also cover other topics, for instance: What happens to employment as we know it? Is there a threat of widespread deflation? Should we consider a universal basic income?
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:19 The Fifth Industrial Revolution of AI is like no other period in history
7:56 South-east Asia’s options when US, China lead in AI
11:34 Jobs at risk; from radiology to business process outsourcing
12:00 Prospects for Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines
16:52 Is there a case for Universal Basic Incomes with future disruption in the market?
18:41 Who’ll win the AI race and how the region should position itself
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Chen Junyi and Fa'izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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Find out why it has become a paradox decades after its founding.
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.
Putrajaya, founded in 1995, turned 30 in 2025. As Malaysia’s administrative capital and inspired by Paris, it was supposed to replace the former tin-mining colony that is Kuala Lumpur.
Failure of urban planning that prioritised government offices and grandiosity over organic city life are some of the perceptions cited as to why the city has not lived up to its original promise.
The Straits Times’ Malaysia correspondent Hadi Azmi, who recently moved next door to Putrajaya, tells host and foreign editor Li Xueying, about the disconnect between the ambitious vision for Putrajaya and the ground reality.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:47 The vision and reality of Putrajaya
8:13 The “unfinished bridge” and Putrajaya’s shelved monorail system
10:31 Lack of political will leads to urban planning issues
13:28 Lessons from Putrajaya’s township designs
19:22 Hadi’s personal insights and experience in Putrajaya
Read Hadi Azmi’s article here: https://str.sg/CF3t
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
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From considering UEC path to starting school at six – is Malaysia's education overhaul built to last?
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.
For our February episode, ST’s Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Eddin Khoo, historian, writer, educator, and founder of Malaysian traditional culture conservation group Pusaka.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:08 There are more encroachment into the Chinese minority in Kelantan now. What has changed in the last five years?
7:35 PAS’ return to federal government seems imminent. What lessons should non-Muslims draw from Kelantan’s experience?
11:19 Has the government found a durable solution on Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) or will this just spell more trouble in the future?
16:23 PM Anwar seems to have found a political balancing act on UEC. How sustainable is this?
19:38 Was the rollback on the Standard One readiness test responsive governance or poor planning?
22:12 What do Malaysians actually want from the education system?
26:52 If you were elected mayor of KL, what would you fix first?
Read more:
Where Muslims pray in ‘Beijing Mosque’ and a Chinese community finds its way https://str.sg/chinese-minority-kelantan
Malaysia makes Malay and history compulsory for Chinese independent school route to public universities: https://str.sg/7BNQ
After Sabah drubbing, debate reignites over little-known exam that could break up PM Anwar’s coalition: https://str.sg/n6yA
Who should run KL? Study into local polls stirs fears over demographics: https://str.sg/ci5e
Read Zurairi A.R.’s articles: https://str.sg/DCfr
Read Shannon Teoh's articles: https://str.sg/wzyK
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Zurairi A.R. ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: [email protected]
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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From a phone plan for cat parents to a keyless life: Two Singaporean founders share tips from their US start-up journeys
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, US bureau chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Jasmin Young and Anthony Chow about how they established successful businesses in the US.
Jasmin Young has launched and led several Silicon Valley-based startups including Gather, which aims to build the world's first AI-based telco. She also steered Netreo, an enterprise software business, which was recognised by Inc 5000 as a fastest growing private company for eight consecutive years until 2024. She teaches at University of California, Berkeley and the National University of Singapore.
Anthony Chow, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Igloo, has unlocked a key part of the sharing economy. His firm creates smart locks, devices and enterprise software for homes, commercial properties and infrastructure worldwide. It has logged one billion unlocks annually and was named ‘International Startup of the Year’ at the Austin A List Awards 2025. A Stanford graduate, he also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the National University of Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:26 What’s Meow Mobile?
2:38 What’s Igloo?
9:14 Using AI to help connect people & products at scale
12:37 How can start-ups stand out in a crowd?
16:28 Why Anthony sent his smart locks into space
20:21 It’s a marathon, not a sprint
23:19 Jasmin’s biggest breakthrough during Covid
26:37 Does the Singapore brand help?
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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India's new trade pacts with the EU and US, and the big question: Will Delhi revisit its decision to abandon RCEP?
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
A flurry of trade agreements announced by India – first, a “mother of all trade deals” FTA with the European Union, and days later, a framework deal with the US that saw Washington slashing its punitive tariffs on Indian exports to levels just below that of Vietnam and Malaysia, involves wider strategic calculations on every side.
In this wide-ranging conversation, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Ambassador Jawed Ashraf, Chairman of India Trade Promotion Organisation and former foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Having served as envoy to Singapore and France, he weighs in on the thinking behind the deals, India’s newfound confidence to sign on to market-opening agreements, and the chances of India revisiting its decision to abandon the Asean-backed RCEP, or Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
They both discuss India’s trade imperatives, the tighter embrace by India of the European Union which is itself adjusting to a multipolar world, and how quality trade agreements help set the stage for foreign direct investment flows and stronger strategic ties. They also chat about the calibrated opening that India is making with China, even as it is not yet ready to revisit entering RCEP.
Highlights (click/tap above)
1:08 India withdrawal from RCEP and focus on bilateral relations
5:15 A greater alignment of trade with geopolitics
8:46 Roots of India’s “self-confidence” to sign trade deals
11:07 What the trade deals mean for ordinary Indians
14:11 EU looks to India, Taiwan in the AI age
18:14 EU-India, and a message to the US
20:53 Did Trump negotiate with a “gun to India’s head”?
24:18 Why stress on defence in US-India trade deal
27:01 RCEP: A calibrated opening is ongoing with China
Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP
Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Ravi Velloor ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: [email protected]
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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