Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Indonesia’s stock market has been rocked by a sharp sell-off after global index provider MSCI proposed downgrading the country from an emerging market to a standalone market, citing concerns over transparency and market oversight.

President Prabowo Subianto has pushed back against the move, declaring that Indonesia will not be intimidated.

What is behind the proposed downgrade and what could it mean for foreign investment and Indonesia’s economic outlook?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Adam Ahmad Samdin, Senior Economist at Oxford Economics, about the implications of the proposed downgrade and what lies ahead for Indonesia’s financial markets.

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Nine in 10 young Singaporeans have made friends through work, according to a recent Straits Times survey.

While these friendships can make work more enjoyable, offer emotional support and even open doors to career opportunities, they can also come with risks such as office gossip, broken trust and blurred boundaries.

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada discuss the ups and downs of workplace friendships and whether these relationships can stand the test of time.

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A father who once wore Singapore’s colours. A son now rising through Atletico Madrid’s academy. And a family that bet it all on a footballing dream..all the way in Spain. Now, Kyen Sasikumar is on the cusp of representing Singapore at the Under-15 World Cup. But what does it take to chase the dream - and what does it cost? We bring Kyen and former Lion R. Sasikumar together to talk ambition, sacrifice, pride and legacy.

READ MORE:
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/madrid-based-kyen-sasikumar-looking-to-deliver-for-spore-u-15s-at-fifa-youth-world-cup-and-festival

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France is bracing for more demonstrations after anti-government protests escalated into widespread violence, with thousands arrested and public buildings and businesses damaged. Paris, Marseille and Lyon are among the cities affected, while curfews have been imposed in parts of several cities.

With more protests planned over the next two weeks, what should travelers know before heading to France?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Cedomir Nestorovic, Professor of Geopolitics and International Marketing at ESSEC Business School, to take a look at the areas affected, potential travel disruptions and what visitors should keep in mind.

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Younger philanthropists are taking a different approach to giving back, placing greater emphasis on measurable impact and innovation rather than simply donating money.

A new report by global wealth manager Lombard Odier finds that younger donors are nearly three times more likely than older generations to prioritise measurable impact, and more than twice as likely to value innovation.

As one of the largest intergenerational wealth transfers unfolds, how could these changing attitudes reshape charitable giving, family wealth management and succession planning? 

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Maximilian Martin, Global Head of Philanthropy at Lombard Odier Group, about how the next generation could redefine what it means to give back.

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Think you can recognize your boss’s voice? Think again. AI voice cloning can now replicate someone’s voice using just seconds of audio, making it increasingly difficult to tell a real instruction from a convincing fake.

A new KnowBe4 survey of 500 office workers in Singapore found that 36% were not confident they could distinguish a genuine message from their CEO from one generated by AI. 

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Alex Parada unpack why workplace hierarchies, pressure to respond quickly and overconfidence could make us more vulnerable to AI scams. Plus, the team puts their ears to the test with a quiz: can they tell the difference between a real voice and an AI-generated deepfake?

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This time, finance presenter Chua Tian Tian reports from Hong Kong, where Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao announced one of its most significant strategic shifts for its overseas business in recent years to focus on the quality and distinctiveness of products listed on its platforms.

To support the shift, Taobao embarked on a comprehensive upgrade to its cross border shopping experience, with expanded direct access worldwide to curated stores and products from China.

Taobao also noted that the new strategy is backed by substantial investments in the region, adding that it spent over RMB 100 million on marketing efforts alone in Singapore for this year’s single’s day campaign period. 

But how exactly does the new direction prepare Taobao for its next phase of growth in both Asia Pacific and Singapore, where e-commerce competition is intensifying of late? 

In this “On the Go” Special episode of Under the Radar, Tian Tian seeks to answer the question by speaking to Ye Tian, General Manager, Taobao & Tmall Overseas and Cora Cai, Country Head, Taobao Singapore.

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Singapore has vowed to use “every legal and regulatory lever” against companies linked to the haze, with 10 firms in Indonesia issued preventive measure notices under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

Several Singapore-listed companies have also come under scrutiny over their potential links to the fires, while authorities are examining whether companies could face consequences affecting their access to financing and government incentives.

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University, about how far Singapore can go in holding haze-linked companies accountable, the legal challenges of enforcing its laws across borders, and whether this latest crackdown can help prevent future haze episodes.

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Gen Z is often seen as a generation of digital natives who consume technology, but some are taking things a step further by creating their own inventions to solve real-world problems.

From mömigo, a reusable breastmilk storage and feeding system inspired by the challenges of breastfeeding on the go, to JellyBot, an underwater robot designed to monitor coral reefs with less disruption to marine life, these inventions show how everyday problems can spark new ideas.

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Nicolette Wong, inventor of mömigo and Singapore National Winner of the 2026 James Dyson Award, and Afham Shahril, co-inventor of JellyBot, about what it takes to turn an idea into reality, the challenges of becoming a young inventor, and whether Gen Z is becoming a generation of innovators.

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Back-to-back Asian championship crowns? Check. World Cup-bound? Check. The Singapore Women’s Netball Team aka the Vandas have delivered on court, winning back-to-back continental titles and qualifying for the 2027 Netball World Cup. Yet, why does it feel like they deserve more attention? Head coach Tara Steel and vice-captain Angelina Lim join us to discuss the team’s ambitions, the team's challenges and whether Singaporeans are doing enough to support our champions.

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