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 does BN actually need to achieve in its own fortress state, beyond just winning?

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 – is there any serious, practical negotiation 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. (zurairi@sph.com.sg)

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: podcast@sph.com.sg

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The Chinese film Dear You, shot almost entirely in Teochew, is not only a box office hit - it has ignited intense debate among Chinese Singaporeans.

From film-makers to politicians, many people have weighed in on the authorities’ decision to limit screenings of the Teochew version, and instead have a wider general release for the Mandarin-dubbed version.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said that this move supports the bilingual policy which aims to promote Mandarin as the main language among Chinese Singaporeans.

But the strict policing of dialects, when other foreign language films have been allowed to be screened, has the local audience asking: is it time to relook how we treat dialects?

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:08 Why strong reaction to limited Teochew screenings?

6:22 Is it a film that touches only Teochews?

9:27 What's lost in dubbed movies?

13:11 Is the outrage fair?

15:27 Time to relook policy on dialects in film?

20:40 Has the Speak Mandarin Campaign been too successful?

23:48 Can Chinese dialects and Mandarin coexist?

29:08 “We’re not comparing like for like.”

31:34 Are dialects less valuable than Mandarin?

35:45 Who’s learning dialects now?

38:17 Beyond the uproar, what happens next?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Targeting one-child couples to have a second child is lower-hanging fruit than trying to get families to have a third under the Large Families Scheme, says a researcher who studies the modern parent.

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Stopping at one or two children is such a norm in Singapore that a 'large family' now means having three or more children.

This definition comes after the government launched the large families scheme in 2025, in a bid to encourage Singaporeans to expand their households.

In its first year alone, the scheme has already stepped in to help about 5,000 Singaporean children. Each of them received up to $16,000 in additional grants to ease the financial load of multi-child parenting.

But can money alone shift a couple’s mindsets to having more children?

Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Kalpana Vignehsa joins assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong to discuss the modern realities, anxieties, and choices of raising children in Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above):

7:27 Why focus on one-child family instead of two-child families under Large Families Scheme

25:48 BTO Co-Living: Building a Child-Raising Community with 12 Families

28:16 $300,000? $500,000? The value of child-raising to society

36:04 Why a family with 3 kids is usually on a single income

50:14 Youth prioritising education, NS and BTO, leaving no room for marriage, let alone babies

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb

Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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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 (bhagya@sph.com.sg)

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: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Independent content creators in China are making online posts disparaging Singapore, its politicians and minorities.

The latter, in particular, has made the authorities here concerned enough to block access to 14 online posts earlier in June, which targeted the Indian community and contained inflammatory narratives about Singapore’s cultural diversity.

If the content isn’t state-sanctioned, what’s driving Chinese content creators to make such posts, and why did it find an audience here?

In this episode, I chat with:

• Benjamin Ang, the head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security, Future Issues and Technology at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He researches cybersecurity, digital security and disinformation, and

• Straits Times senior columnist Tan Dawn Wei, who writes about China and its relations with the rest of the world. She was in Beijing for seven years from 2018 as ST’s China bureau chief, covering all aspects of the country, from its domestic politics to its economy.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:58 Difference between state-directed vs organic disinformation

3:56 Clicks for “outrageous” content

9:05 All about the clicks

10:23 "We just happen to be a hot topic.”

13:06 Why did the content focus on race?

18:05 Does the racist content reflect how some Singaporeans think?

21:21 How polarisation can happen

26:10 Why doesn’t the Chinese government take down such content?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Singapore's new Online Safety Commission (OSC) rolls out to combat cyberbullying, deepfakes, and online harms. But will this law protect victims, or will trolls simply hide in darker corners?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Imagine discovering that your face and voice have been hijacked, manipulated into a deepfake, and broadcast across the internet. It is a chilling violation of privacy, and it proves a terrifying point: no one is immune to online harms.

As digital abuse, cyberbullying, and image-based violence become increasingly normalised, the rules of engagement are also shifting. Enter the Online Safety Commission (OSC) that Singapore is officially rolling out in June 2026.

This new regulatory watchdog is designed to force tech giants to take down harmful content and give victims some respite from the harassment and bullying. But will this new law actually have the teeth to protect us? Or will trolls quickly invent new ways to circumvent it?

In this episode of In Your Opinion, assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong sits down with legal expert and founder of SG Her Empowerment (SHE) Stefanie Yuen Thio. Yuen Thio shares her personal ordeal as a deepfake victim and uncovers the severe realities of digital abuse facing youths in Singapore today – including the alarming normalisation of teenagers selling intimate photos for $50.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:14 Her personal experience surviving a deepfake attack

7:43 How "trusted flaggers" like SHE get harmful content taken down faster than standard reporting

9:57 What the new Online Safety Commission (OSC) actually means for victims of cyberbullying

24:36 The disturbing reality of youths commodifying their bodies and selling intimate photos for $50

27:22 Beyond the law: The urgent need for age assurance technology and bystander intervention

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb

Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Are Singaporeans too rigid to be funny? How to take ourselves less seriously to overcome stress.

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.

In this episode, theatrical clown and actor Shanice Stanislaus shares with host See Kai Wen about how thinking and acting like a clown can help navigate high-pressure environments.

The “Clown Mentality” includes having the audacity to dream and try, never afraid of failing and finding ways to add whimsy into your life. We all have a little clown in our pockets.

Shanice also speaks about her journey as one of the only few professional clowns in Singapore, her award-winning clown shows, and how she helps Singaporeans find their “funny” in her workshops.

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:00 What is clowning?

02:58 Are Singaporeans too uptight to be funny?

07:11 Why we need to learn how to fail

10:51 Comedy is truth and pain wrapped nicely

15:33 Using humour to break the ice in work situations

21:55 How to find your inner clown and humour

25:47 Adopting a “Clown Mentality”

27:51 Shanice’s experience performing as a clown overseas

Follow See Kai Wen on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/qfwqQ

Host: See Kai Wen (seekw@sph.com.sg)

Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Elizabeth Law and Joanna Seow

Follow Headstart On Record Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/wB2m

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wuN3

Spotify: https://str.sg/wBr9

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Get business/career tips in ST's Headstart newsletter: https://str.sg/headstart-nl

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Do note: All analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast are for your general information only. You should not rely on them in making any decision. Please consult a fully qualified financial adviser or professional expert for independent advice and verification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPH Media shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of or reliance on any analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast. SPH Media accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever that may result or arise from the products, services or information of any third parties.

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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 (velloor@sph.com.sg)

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: podcast@sph.com.sg

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