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, 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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How women navigate careers, caregiving and the expectations that come with both.

Synopsis: Join us for a five-part series on working motherhood from July 2-30 with episodes out every Thursday.

We begin with a question many quietly ask themselves: Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming even when everyone says it's supposed to be joyful?

What happens when mum is depleted, running on empty, and yet still tries to keep going? 

From the hormonal and neurological changes of matrescence to the relentless mental load of caregiving, we examine why motherhood can feel so all consuming – and why so many struggle in silence.

Host Vanessa Chelvan is joined by clinical psychologist Elysia Tan from Annabelle Psychology, who is navigating life with her nine-month-old daughter, and parent coach Joline Lim, co-director of Chapter Zero, who is raising two neurodivergent children. 

Highlights (click/tap above):

5:50 Breastfeeding: Not so ‘natural’?

9:26 Mental health professionals struggle too

10:35 Vanessa on her struggles as a new mum to twins 

16:35 No shame in seeking therapy

18:50 Returning to work as a new mum never gets easier 

24:42 Dysregulation and the hand model of a brain

28:25 Parenting excavates your entire childhood 

31:45 Reparenting and becoming the parents we wish we had 

40:38 ‘Baby steps’ – tips on letting go

42:27 Millennial parents spend more time caregiving than boomer parents 

45:35 When does hard become “too hard”? Recognising when mums need help 

51:34 One actionable tip for mums 

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Read more:

First Stop For Mental Health: https://mindline.sg/fsmh

It All Starts Hear: https://www.iash.sg/ 

Annabelle Psychology: https://www.annabellepsychology.com/ 

Chapter Zero: https://www.chapterzero.org/

Host: Vanessa Chelvan ([email protected])

Read Vanessa's articles: https://str.sg/gr5Z

Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jHdJ 

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Elizabeth Law

—

Follow The Mother Load limited series every Thursday (July 2-30):

Channel: https://str.sg/oMofY

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/8Kbv

Spotify: https://str.sg/DELD

Feedback to: [email protected]

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Helplines:

MENTAL WELL-BEING

• National Mindline: 1771 (24 hours) / 6669-1771 (via WhatsApp)
• Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) / 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp)
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928
• Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1 
• Women’s Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm)
• The Seniors Helpline: 1800-555-5555 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm)
• Tinkle Friend (for primary school-age children): 1800-2744-788

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Seniors are increasingly feeling lonely. Learn why preventing elderly loneliness starts in your 20s. 

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

The shift from open kampungs to closed-door HDB flats has left many Singaporean seniors socially isolated—often feeling invisible even while living with their own families. This chronic loneliness takes a severe toll on psychological well-being, acting as a major risk factor for cognitive decline and conditions like dementia.

How can our seniors age with dignity, connection, and purpose?

In this episode, assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong speaks with Karen Wee, executive director of Lions Befrienders. The social service agency leverages both high-touch human interventions and innovative technology, like Gen AI, to rebuild the kampung spirit in its transformative, relationship-centred approach to eldercare.

Crucially, Karen emphasises that preparing for a healthy old age cannot wait until retirement; it must begin decades earlier through the social habits and personal passions we develop in our 20s and 30s. This requires a societal shift away from purely economic achievements, toward teaching the younger generation how to form deep human relationships that will give them purpose long after they leave the workforce.

Highlights (click/tap above):

13:00 Scams are one reason why seniors refuse to open their doors

18:14 Why social loneliness develops from a young age

21:48 How seniors are benefiting from talking to Gen AI

42:04 Why pursuit of personal passions improves ageing

45:58 How social isolation progresses and worsens over time

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

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

Host: Lynda Hong ([email protected]) 

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

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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The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast 

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Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh fobbed off talk that he would face a challenge to his position at the party’s proceedings on June 28.

The results from the party’s internal meetings showed that most party members are still very much behind him.

What does this mean for the WP, and has the party turned the page on the saga involving Raeesah Khan?

In this episode, I chat with Tham Yuen-C, senior political correspondent at The Straits Times who has covered WP for about a decade, and Dr Teo Kay Key, a senior research fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies, who studies public opinion, and political and social attitudes.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:54 Is Pritam Singh invincible?

5:50 Who are the unhappy cadres?

8:27 What the “supermajority” vote says

10:46 Cult of personality around Pritam Singh?

16:10 Party stability comes first

20:15 “Pretty much business as usual.”

23:57 End of Raeesah-gate?

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, 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: [email protected]

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All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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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 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. ([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:

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Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts 

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa 

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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 ([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, 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: [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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Targeting one-child couples for a second child is lower-hanging fruit than pushing for a third under the Large Families Scheme, says a researcher. 

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 ([email protected]) 

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: [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:

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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:

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Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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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 ([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, 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: [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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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 ([email protected]) 

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: [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

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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