Your guide to a kinder end-of-life journey in the ICU.

Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National University Hospital recently launched a new initiative called A Kinder ICU that is supported by a 3.93 million grant from the Lien Foundation. The aim is to integrate palliative care into standard ICU treatment. 

In this episode, Joyce Teo finds out more about  the initiative and the nature of palliative care from her two guests. They discuss how palliative care has evolved and how it provides essential support to patients who are critically ill and their families. 

The conversation also explores the importance of reflecting on the desired quality of life as one approaches the end of their journey.

The two guests are Assistant Professor Neo Han Yee, a senior consultant and head of the palliative medicine department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Ms Charmaine Sim, an advanced practice nurse at the medical intensive care unit at the National University Hospital.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:26 Palliative care 10-20 years ago vs now

5:28 Feeling conflicted seeing a family member in the ICU

9:27 There is an art to palliative care

10:23 Life presents you with unexpected crises 

14:10 Medical staff will also feel distressed if they are imposing pain on patients  

21:12 Helping the family of a man who fell critically ill just before he was about to return home

23:40 Is it fair to keep trying to save his life?

25:03 The doctor is legally authorised to withdraw life support when life-sustaining efforts are futile, but there’s a need to help the family hold that grief

29:30 Filial piety is a virtue but it can also create a sense of guilt 

34:26 What is the minimum quality of life you want to live by?

35:43 You cannot assume that you will pass away in your sleep…

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN 

Host: Joyce Teo ([email protected])

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

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Feedback to: [email protected]

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The 2026 World Cup in North America is just around the corner but is it in danger of being too bloated? 

The June 11-July 19 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada will feature a record 48 teams from six confederations, with 12 groups of four teams each.

A new round of 32 will make its debut and the tournament will feature a record 104 matches in total, 40 games more than the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Four countries that will be making their debut in North America are Curacao – the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup – fellow minnows Cape Verde, and Asian newcomers Jordan and Uzbekistan.

In comparison over World Cup history, the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930 had just 13 teams – three groups of three and one group of four nations. One winner from each group advanced to the semi-finals and the tournament comprised only 18 matches. There were no qualifiers then as it was an invitational tournament.

In this episode, The Straits Times collaborates with Money FM 89.3’s Sports Minutes to invite nine fans in Singapore - who hail from participating World Cup nations - and together with columnist and pundit Neil Humphreys, they look ahead to what is in store at the June 11 to July 19 tournament.

Representing their home countries but based in Singapore, are the following fans featured:

Mexico: Mauricio Espinoza, chef/owner of Papi's Tacos in SG

Argentina: Lucas Bilbao, co-founder, Minga Creative Company

France: Stephane Missier, chief strategy officer, BBH Singapore

Brazil: Matheus De Moura Sena, senior tax manager, Deloitte

Spain: Sahil Naresh Primalani, founder, Aula De Lenguas

England: Faraaz Marghoob, group strategy director, BBH Singapore

Morocco: Karim Bencherifa, football coach

Japan: Shuya Yamashita, BG Tampines Rovers footballer

Germany: Lennart Thy, Lion City Sailors footballer

Try out The Straits Times World Cup results simulator: https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2025/12/worldcup-2026-simulator/index.html

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:55 Humphreys: Quality over quantity? Was it only about the money, not simply inclusivity & diversity?

2:43 Mexico, masks and the love of the game 

5:12 Can Argentina make it two in a row? 

7:00 A classic modern rivalry between France and Argentina

8:40 Mayonnaise: How mixing special ingredients needs to be done right too, in the case of France with many superstars

10:00 A comeback for Brazil, Spanish flair, or is football finally "coming home"?

14:06 The Morocco dream, history for Japan? Will Germany switch it?

19:09 Can World Cup 2026 overcome all the issues surrounding it?

22:10 World Cup 2026 favourites? Dark horses?

36:35 Is Cristiano Ronaldo too old? Who else should win the World Cup?

Host: Deepanraj Ganesan ([email protected]) & Zia-ul Raushan ([email protected])

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Jonathan Roberts, deputy head, Audience Lab (video)

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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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A recent Straits Times survey of 1,000 unmarried people explained why the dating scene is so bleak: it’s hard to meet new people, dating can be expensive and there are unrealistic expectations of love and relationships.

In this episode, Natasha chats with:

• Liu Zhiqun, co-founder of Kopi Date, a dating platform that curates one-on-one coffee dates, and

• Dr Kenneth Tan, an assistant professor of psychology at Singapore Management University, who studies relationships from end-to-end - that is from singlehood to why relationships end.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:53 Has dating become harder?

5:29 21 years old, no dating experience

10:10 The ‘perfect partner’ problem

11:33 Has social media warped our idea of romance

14:21 Dating 101: teaching rejection in schools?

18:29 Why people don’t bring their best self on dates

21:46 “Why do I have to work for love as well?”

27:15 Is school the best place to look for love?

31:20 Fear of being alone leads to settling

32:34 Red flags, icks: are they just excuses?

36:25 Old-school gender rules in a modern dating world

41:52 Can the Government fix our love lives?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

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 and Elizabeth Law

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: [email protected]

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In an age where information is readily available and where we're fed an unending stream of content, have we lost our sense of wonder?

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

We live in a time where technology has made information more readily available than ever. Curiosity has been the main driver of human discovery since the beginning of time but when faced with a barrage of information, have we stopped wanting to know more? 

In this episode of In Your Opinion, senior columnist Rohit Brijnath speaks with celebrated physicist, educator and rock star Brian Cox. Currently on a world tour with his live show, Emergence, he takes us on a journey across the cosmos, civilisation and human curiosity all while attempting to answer the question: how do we find wonder?

Emergence will be in Singapore on June 10. 

Highlights (click/tap above):  

4:46 Should people be more curious? 

8:51 Keeping a sense of wonder through life

10:36 Are there aliens out there? 

15:38 There are things I don't actually know

19:55 Kepler, Galileo and Einstein around a table

29:13 Two weeks in space is ideal

32:46 Why world leaders should go to space

36:11 Are there mysteries that should remain? 

38:29 What to look for in the night sky

41:31 Can you see planets in Singapore?

42:06 Is an uncurious person a failure?

47:21 Brian Cox's top musical highlight

55:06 The AI revolution and social change

Books Brian Cox recommended:

• The Six-Cornered Snowflake by Johannes Kepler 
• The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution by David Wootton 
• The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle In The Dark 

Read Rohit’s columns: https://str.sg/wFu2

Host: Rohit Brijnath ([email protected]) 

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Elizabeth Law and Danson Cheong 

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: [email protected]

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Tech still holds long-term promise but choose companies carefully based on their fundamentals.

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

Talk of an AI bubble has been brewing for some time, with many asking when it will burst. 

But young investors still want to get in on the tech wave and buy into a sector that has great growth potential.

In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at which tech stocks show promise in a mature AI era.

Her guests are DBS Bank head of equity and fixed income Subhra Chatterjee and StashAway head of investment advisory Mark Yeo.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:00 Tech is still an integral investment theme  

6:00 What is the AI bubble

12:00 Should you still buy the MAG7

17:00 How to fit tech into your portfolio

21:00 SGX or Nasdaq or some other market entirely

31:00 What is dollar-cost averaging?

34:00 Different ways to diversify your portfolio

Read Sue-Ann Tan's articles: https://str.sg/mvSa

Follow Sue-Ann Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/A86X

Host: Sue-Ann Tan ([email protected])

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: [email protected]

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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Do fathers in Singapore get a bad reputation for being hands-off?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who chairs the new Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, drew some flak for speaking about career “detours” as something that should be normalised for mothers - with little mention of a fathers’ role in the parenting journey.

Why do we frame the parenting experience as mainly a woman’s role?

In this episode of the podcast, I put that question to two fathers: new stay-at-home dad Jeggan Rajendram and Kevin Goh, the Group Head of engagement and programmes at the Centre for Fathering.

We discuss who dads benchmark themselves to and whether mothers are preventing fathers from being more hands on.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:05 Are fathers missing from the parenting conversation?

3:30 “Regret minimisation”: Jeggan’s decision to be a stay-at-home dad

7:10 “People still look at me like I was crazy.”

11:27 Mums get a ‘head start’ on parenting

15:08 What’s holding fathers back from being more hands-on?

17:20 Mums, please involve dads, and let go

21:20 Whose standard is the right one?

24:05 The loss of identity as a stay-at-home parent

30:30 Being the stay-at-home parent doesn’t have to be forever

33:27 Encouraging dads to be more active parents

37:11 When dad’s your personal hairstylist

40:08 Will we have more babies if dads and mums are equals?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

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 & Hadyu Rahim

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam

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: [email protected]

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As AI supercharges cyber threats, how can the "missing 99%" of small and medium enterprises protect themselves?

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

Cybersecurity is undergoing a fundamental shift. For a long time, it was treated as a dark art – a deeply technical problem left to IT teams and discussed in jargon few others understood. But as the threat landscape has evolved, major breaches are forcing the conversation into the boardroom, turning cyber risk into a critical matter of corporate governance and liability.

While multinational corporations can afford elite digital defences, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – the 99 per cent of our economy – are often left exposed. Increasingly, SMEs are targeted not just for their own data, but as backdoors into the larger corporate and national networks they serve. If our current security playbook only works for the biggest players, how do we protect the rest?

In this episode, ST’s Deputy Opinion Editor Bhavan Jaipragas speaks with Gaurav Keerthi, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm StrongKeep, and former Deputy Commissioner of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above): 

1:55 Why does cybersecurity switch people off?

5:06 Are boards stepping up to AI threats?

7:25 Why are SMEs still exposed to threats?

10:05 The "Ikea model" for affordable cybersecurity

15:45 Can state-linked cyber threats be solved?

25:12 Cyber risks and opportunities of agentic AI

28:27 Critical actions for boards, SMEs, and users.

31:41 Balancing online security and everyday usability

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

Host: Bhavan Jaipragas ([email protected]) 

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

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: [email protected]

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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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Will a new bystander campaign by the police get more people to speak up for victims for molest and voyeurism?

In this episode of The Usual Place, I chat with Ms Lim Shoon Yin, the executive director of Singapore women’s rights group Aware, about what holds bystanders back and what they can do.

Also on the podcast is Dr Julia Lam, a forensic psychologist, who assesses people who have committed offences like sexual crimes. She studies impulse control disorder and behavioural addiction, among other areas.

She explains why perpetrators cross the line and act on urges, despite knowing it’s a crime.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:51 Are more people reporting sexual assault?

4:20 Why do bystanders freeze?

6:01 Could you become a molester or voyeur?

9:15 Why perpetrators choose to cross the line

10:36 Why take the risk of getting caught in public?

13:42 How bystanders can safely intervene, if unsure

17:33 Perpetrators not deterred by warning announcements, posters

20:22 Do conservative societal attitudes contribute to such behaviour?

26:02 What victims need when they report harassment

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

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, Hadyu Rahim & Amirul Karim

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam

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: [email protected]

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