For generations, Singaporeans have grown up with a familiar formula for success: study hard, work hard, get a stable career and build a secure future. But for younger generations, is that formula still enough? As Gen Z and younger Millennials rethink what success looks like, is it about working harder — or having the courage to take a bigger risk?

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks to a pair of brothers, Noah Lim and Paul Lim, Team Singapore's Ju-jitsu athletes to find out more.

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The haze is back and this time, it’s raising bigger questions about whether Southeast Asia has actually learnt anything from the haze crises of the past.

With Singapore’s PSI crossing into the unhealthy range in parts of the island, attention is once again turning to the forest and land fires in Indonesia and the smoke drifting across borders. Malaysia, one of the countries hardest hit, is now calling for ASEAN to revisit its decades-old transboundary haze agreement, arguing that stronger enforcement and accountability are needed.

So how worried should Singapore be as the haze situation develops? And after more than two decades of regional agreements, why is ASEAN still struggling to stop this from happening again and again? 

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Jia Yaw Kiu, Sustainable Development Lawyer at Kiu & Co, and Shabana Begum, Correspondent at The Straits Times, to find out more. 

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On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar dives into a 'friend-for-hire' service that is trending in Thailand. 

The trend comes as more people live alone and lifestyles change, but the reasons for hiring a companion are not always about loneliness. For some, it is simply about having someone available when friends are busy, or paying for a specific kind of company without imposing on their existing friendships. But when companionship becomes a paid service, where do we draw the line between friendship and a transaction? And could this kind of service eventually find a market in Singapore?

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Faris Ramli has been through the wars...but now comes the rebirth. After a difficult stretch of injuries, the Tampines' talisman is back, hungry and determined to make up for lost time. Speaking to Sports Minutes - he looks back on a turbulent season for the Stags, explains why he stayed and looks ahead to a new campaign, a new coach and potentially one more chapter with the Singapore national team.

🎧🇸🇬 Tune in as Sports Minutes builds you to the 26/27 Singapore Premier League season!

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The US and Iran have traded their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking targets along Iran’s southern coast and Tehran retaliating against US-linked military positions across the Middle East. The latest escalation has raised fresh fears that a conflict that has already dragged on for months could spiral into a much wider regional war.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as 'Trump Strait', asserting US control of the vital waterway even as fighting raged there with Iran.

So what exactly happened in the latest exchange? How far could Iran’s retaliation go? And with the US midterm elections looming, how much longer can Washington afford to keep fighting?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr James M. Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, to find out more. 

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What’s the furthest you’ve ever gone to satisfy a food craving? Maybe you’ve paid an eye-watering $20 for islandwide delivery... but would you actually fly to another country for it?

That’s apparently what happened when a Meituan delivery rider was spotted at Hong Lim Curry Puff in Singapore, picking up an order worth just S$13.50. The bizarre part? The rider had reportedly flown in from China, on a flight costing around S$455, just to collect the curry puffs.

On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar break down the strange story and ask the more important question: how much would YOU be willing to pay to get your favourite food? And at what point does a food craving become a full-blown pilgrimage?

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Upskilling and reskilling have become essential as workplaces evolve and the skills employers value continue to change. But for Gen X workers, who may already have decades of experience under their belts, figuring out what to learn next can be a very different challenge. Should you chase the latest hyped-up skill, or are the skills that have been overlooked actually more valuable? 

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Chandler Morse, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Workday to find out more. 

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A year after Singaporeans were given $100 in SG Culture Pass credits, just $30.4 million of the $300 million set aside for the scheme has been spent.

Only 14 per cent of eligible Singaporeans have used some or all of their credits, with seniors making up just 19 per cent of spending.

MCCY is now trying new ways to get more people to use their credits. But is the problem really the take-up or the Culture Pass itself? Could this $300 million be better spent somewhere else?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Shahril Salleh, Founder and Artistic Director of Vox Camerata Limited, and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Queensland, to find out more.

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Parents in China are paying thousands of dollars to send their kids to 'hardship camps' where they chop wood, dig potatoes, feed pigs and live without Wi-Fi. The idea? Teach children gratitude, discipline and the value of hard work.

But when kids are crying and begging to go home, it begs the question: is a little hardship good for kids or are we taking character building way too far? On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar break down those questions. 

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The biggest wealth transfer in history is underway and the next generation has very different ideas about what to do with the money.

As baby boomers pass trillions to millennials and Gen Z, younger heirs are looking beyond the traditional playbook of property, stocks and bonds, with growing interest in crypto, private equity, pre-IPO deals and direct investments.

But is this a smarter, more sophisticated approach to investing? Or are younger investors simply more comfortable taking risks?

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Maureen Li, Founder and CEO of ABIEL, to find out more. 

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