With Washington distracted and opportunities in clean energy, Beijing might have the last laugh

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 March, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the war in the Middle East.

The conflict in Iran has further complicated Beijing’s ties with Washington. However, there are some dividends that might be reaped by China as America’s allies potentially look East because they find it more and more challenging to be on the same page as Trump.

On the economic front, fuel shortage is being felt across the board. But given China’s strengths in green technology, there might be opportunities for its companies as countries look to rejig their energy mix in the long run.

Additionally, military analysts have suggested that the conflict serves as a living laboratory for Chinese technology given that some of Iran’s defences are reliant on systems developed by China.

For now, Beijing’s global standing may have taken a hit as it has been exposed for having limited influence over happenings in the region. But with America fully engaged in Iran and the financial cost of the war, foreign policy space might well open up for China.

Highlights (click/tap above):

02:17 Tensions between US and its allies could benefit China

07:26 A reminder on fossil fuel reliance

10:20 Beijing has spent years preparing for a fuel shock

12:56 Will China join a convoy in the Straits of Hormuz?

17:23 Iran as a living lab for military tech

20:02 Beijing’s limited influence in the Middle East

Read more: https://str.sg/rk3J

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

Host: Albert Wai (albertw@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

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Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

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Will lucky draws, monetary rewards or ‘sticks’ work when it comes to getting Singapore residents to recycle?

A new recycling initiative called the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) launches on April 1, but with household recycling rate in 2024 fell to a record low of 11 per cent, will this move the needle?

Mr Heng Li Seng, founder and director of social enterprise Green Nudge, and Associate Professor Victor Seah, director of the Behavioural Insights Centre of Excellence at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, drop by The Usual Place to help sort out our recycling woes.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:29 Will the BCRS work?

5:41 Is a 10-cents refund a good enough sweetener?

7:11 ‘Sticks’ to change behaviour

10:49 Transparency of recycling process

16:14 Tiong Bahru residents have enough of blue bins

18:29 Shaming others into recycling?

21:39 Recycling not so simple as before

24:29 Can recycling be sexy?

28:39 No silver bullet to get people to recycle

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

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Editorial producer: 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: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Are these cards really that bad? Could playing with them lead to gambling?

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

Pokemon. One Piece. Magic: The Gathering. These trading card games bring back nostalgic childhood memories. But the government's plans to regulate them raise questions.

In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to psychiatrist Lim Boon Leng from Gleneagles Medical Centre, and Chew Zhan Lun, co-founder of card marketplace CTRL Collectibles, who recently made headlines for rejecting a $1.3 million offer for one of his Pokemon cards.

They delve into the nature of the trading card scene and how such cards - initially meant for children to play with - have turned into a hyped-up investment asset. But with social media and livestreaming fuelling this boom, there are practices that could cross the line into gambling. Could regulations, therefore, be a good thing for the scene? And what could they look like?

Highlights (click/tap above):

7:28 When a hobby becomes lucrative, what do we lose?

13:08 What makes people spend thousands of dollars on a single card?

17:29 Is there something inherently wrong with trading cards that could cause one to be addicted to gambling?

20:31 Are we exposing our children to gambling?

26:41 Is regulation going to take the fun out of the hobby?

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

Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

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

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

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What does being overinsured mean and what can I do about it?

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

The question people always have when buying insurance is: how much? And not just how much it costs, but how much is enough?

How can you tell if you have too much insurance?

In this episode, ST business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan looks at what being overinsured means and how to review your policies.

Her guest is Life Insurance Association’s executive director Chan Wai Kit.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:36 What are riders and do I need them?

6:14 Why are riders so expensive?

8:10 Do I need my own policies if I already have corporate insurance?

12:00 Why do premiums increase with age?

14:48 How to tell if I’m spending too much on insurance?

20:09 What happens when I cannot pay for my premiums?

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

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

Host: Sue-Ann Tan (suetan@sph.com.sg)

Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong & 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

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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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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Depleting its own military resources and antagonising Arab neighbours may be a cost too high for the regime to bear.

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.

In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Prof Benjamin Radd, an authority on the politics of the Middle East, especially Iran.

Professor Radd, PhD (UCLA 2015) JD (Stanford 2003), is a Political Scientist and Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and an expert on government and politics of the Middle East, US foreign policy, and comparative law.

Dr Radd is also a professor at the UCLA School of Law and adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law, where he lectures on American legal development and constitutional law and politics.

In addition, Dr Radd is the Founder and CEO of Fascination Lab, an educational and experiential learning consulting firm. In 2023, he was hired to design a political crisis simulation that was filmed and released as an award-winning documentary, ‘War Game’, which was selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:32 Iranian regime's capability for waging a long war

6:23 Will the Iranian regime try to make a nuclear bomb?

15:14 Potential emergence of a moderate leader in Iran

19:21 Is Arab faith in the US shaken?

20:23 The possibility of Arab nations attacking Iran

22:17 Has Trump landed himself in a political mess?

25:01 When will the war end?

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

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Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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)More than 1,000 private residential developments in Singapore are hitting their 30s, and some are starting to show signs of wear and tear.

But if residents have not been prudent in saving for these big-ticket items such as upgrading lifts and fixing spalling concrete, should the Government step in to help?

Mr Andrew Lioe, president of the Association of Strata Managers, and Mr Daniel Chen, a lawyer and partner at Lee & Lee, with a practice focused on Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) disputes, weigh in on the challenges with managing sinking funds and the tension among different types of owners.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:44 How are sinking funds for condos managed?

4:44 Sinking fund kitty management woes

6:48 Why do owners want to delay adding to the sinking fund?

10:30 Why can’t MCSTs force owners to pay?

14:27 “The en bloc situation is not that common.”

15:24 The owner-occupied vs investor-owned mindset

18:33 What changes to the law could fix this problem?

22:36 Are problems caused by a selfish few?

26:00 The tension in mixed developments

29:45 Should the Govt step in to bail out condos?

33:50 Red flags when buying resale condos

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

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Editorial producer: 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: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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As the Middle East conflict sends oil and gas prices soaring, Green Pulse hosts discuss if geopolitics will break ASEAN’s fossil fuel addiction.

Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times provides you with a South-east Asian perspective to global environmental challenges.

The war in the Middle East is causing energy prices around the world to spike, due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz – an important shipping route for oil and gas – and attacks on fossil fuel production facilities.

For energy-importing nations, the volatility is no longer just an economic concern. It’s a matter of national security. Coming on the heels of the war in Ukraine, the latest crisis poses a difficult question: How can Singapore and its ASEAN neighbours insulate themselves from global shocks?

Green Pulse hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty discuss energy security and the role of renewables in this episode.

Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

3:19 Everyone is scrambling for fossil fuel supplies. Is this the time to be talking about renewables?

5:54 This latest energy crisis needs to accelerate the birth of the ASEAN Power Grid.

7:06 What lessons did the world learn from the 2022 energy crunch?

14:45 Boosting ASEAN’s energy resilience limits the region being held hostage by geopolitics.

19:17 ASEAN needs a clean-energy champion. Who will step up to rally the region?

Green Pulse LinkedIn newsletter: https://str.sg/green-pulse-nl

Read more on The Straits Times: https://str.sg/sLPM

Follow Audrey Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/848W

Read her articles: https://str.sg/JLM2

Follow David Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jcvy

Read his articles: https://str.sg/JLMu

Hosts: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg) & David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

Follow Green Pulse Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf

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

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWag

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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Veteran national swimmer Quah Ting Wen discusses finding her own joy in swimming.

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, ST video journalist See Kai Wen hosts national swimmer Quah Ting Wen, who tells him how American figure skating Olympic champion Alysa Liu’s infinite mindset inspires her as an athlete.

The infinite mindset belongs to people who emphasise enjoying the game, rather than having their focus on winning it.

With 65 medals under her swim cap, Ting Wen is the most bemedalled athlete in the SEA Games. She also speaks about the bittersweet feeling of racing with her sister and how she navigates that complicated relationship.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:50 How Ting Wen started her swim journey

4:19 Reflecting on being SEA Games’ most bemedalled athlete

10:33 Alysa Liu’s success in the Winter Olympics

14:17 What are finite games and infinite games?

19:47 Financial realities of being an athlete in Singapore

27:56 When will Ting Wen stop competing?

32:31 What Ting Wen would have done if she weren’t a swimmer?

36:14 How can everyday people adopt the infinite mindset?

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

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

Produced & edited by: Eden Soh

Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong & 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

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

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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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