Latest news with #TheUsualPlace
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Your Ultimate Guide to ST Podcast Live Events
Attendees of the third edition of ST Podcasts Live which includes two podcast recordings on June 3, 2025 at 9 Raffles Place, Republic Plaza. SINGAPORE - Worried about career longevity? Have you or someone you know been struggling with mental health? Are you a young person who feels caught up in the rat race, or are you curious to know more about Singapore's heritage and local music scenes? No matter what you may be interested in, everyone gets a say at The Straits Times' 180th anniversary live podcast events to celebrate the newspaper's milestone year. Those who are interested in learning how a podcast recording is done, or in mingling and meeting with like-minded people to discuss the trending topics of the day, have been invited to attend over six live podcast recordings held this year. Participants could gain insights into the inner workings of podcast production and even pose questions to the guests. Joining them was Money FM 89.3 producer-presenter Dan Koh, who emceed for the events on Feb 12 and April 15, as well as Kiss92 presenter Shawnrick Hu, who emceed for the event on Jun 2. Events so far have featured ST Podcasts' The Usual Place, In Your Opinion, Health Check, Headstart On Record, and Music Lab, with more soon to come. In the inaugural live podcast event held at The Foundry in February, host of The Usual Place Natasha Ann Zachariah met with guests from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to discuss 'the narrative, resonance and stories behind' heritage spaces in Singapore. Colin Low, chief executive of SLA, and Ng Wee Liang, who creates content on Singapore heritage, spoke with Ms Zachariah on how millennial Singaporeans can play a part in reviving and preserving historical buildings and their heritage. Later in the evening, assistant podcast editor and In Your Opinion host Lynda Hong hosted a discussion with correspondent Christie Chiu on how music moves the mind and its transformative impact on dementia care. Guest Johnson Soh, founder of eldercare company SanCare Asia, demonstrated how an instrument called Crdl (pronounced Cradle) provides a sensorial experience for seniors, allowing them to translate their touch into sounds as a way of connecting with others, while programme executive at Fei Yue Community Services Amanda Soon also spoke about how music and sound can be therapeutic for seniors, and how young people can get involved in volunteering to make a difference. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Singapore More students to get Smart Buddy watches; most schools have gone cashless Singapore Vape disposal bins at 23 CCs for users to surrender e-vaporisers, without facing penalties Business Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly (From left) Event emcee Dan Koh of Money FM, In Your Opinion podcast co-hosts Lynda Hong and Christie Chiu, Mr Johnson Soh, founder of SanCare Asia, and Ms Amanda Soon, programme executive from Fei Yue Community Services, taking a group picture with the audience during the ST Podcasts Live! event held in partnership with Singapore Land Authority at The Foundry on Feb 12, 2025. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM At The Projector in April, In Your Opinion made another appearance where Ms Hong spoke with two youths about their experiences in starting up a business, and whether school grades would determine success at the workplace. Adella Yeo Rae-Nyse, who is currently an account manager at a software company, had co-founded MatcHub, a startup that matched fellow NUS students to find suitable job roles based on their personality. Meanwhile Nabill Shukry Johary, a part-time student with SUSS studying marketing, juggles school with a business he started up in 2021 with his father - Cheekies, a home-based delivery service of healthy meals for the Muslim market - in a bid to help his family move out of their one-room rental apartment in Tampines. Senior health correspondent Joyce Teo also hosted a session of Health Check, where she and guests Lee Yi Ping, the programme lead and principal Case Manager at Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health in Singapore, and Delane Lim, the founder and executive director of the charity Character & Leadership Academy, which runs youth development, mental wellness, and suicide prevention programmes for young people, discussed mental health. From left: Delane Lim, Lee Yi Ping and Health Check podcast host Joyce Teo. ST PHOTO: JASPER YU For a younger audience, June's event featured ST's Headstart On Record discussions regarding career health and wellbeing at club Rasa Space. The episode was hosted by correspondent Tay Hong Yi, speaking with guests Noel Png, a telecommunications system engineer at ST Engineering, and senior career coach Parameswari Seenivasa. Audience members also chimed with questions about their own careers and opportunities. Later in the night, Music Lab host Eddino Abdul Hadi hosted award-winning Singaporean composer, producer, and music director Evan Low to discuss the trajectory of a career in music in Singapore. A recipient of the National Arts Council's Young Artist Award in 2024, Low has worked on over 200 songs. He is best known for being a co-composer and musician on recent National Day Parade songs The Road Ahead (2021) sung by artistes such as Linying, Not Alone (2024) by Benjamin Kheng and the 2018 remake of We Are Singapore. Mr Evan Low @evanturetime Award-winning Singaporean Music Director & Music Producer at the third edition of ST Podcasts Live which includes two podcast recordings on June 3, 2025. ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee Three more podcast events are planned for the rest of the year. Catch full episodes on ST's podcast platforms and stay tuned for updates!
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Astronomer executives' Coldplay scandal: Why it went viral and the obsession with public shaming
A tech CEO's alleged affair with his HR chief came to light during the concert. If combining the words 'kiss cam', 'Coldplay', 'Astronomer' and 'affair' means nothing to you, you have managed to be blissfully unaware of the internet's weekend meltdown over a very public spectacle. Here's the TL;DR recap: A couple, who were in a tight embrace, created a buzz among concertgoers – and later, the world – when they pulled a duck/hide move after they were featured on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert in Boston. Their reaction was so suspicious that the band's frontman Chris Martin quipped: 'Either they are having an affair or they're just very shy.' It turned out that Martin was right, and the cheating pair were colleagues at US tech firm Astronomer. Internet sleuths uncovered their names and job titles – he's Andy Byron the now-former chief executive at the company; she's Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's chief people officer – as well as information about their other relationships. People also found out who Mr Byron's wife was, with some even sending her messages about what they thought of her husband. Beyond the illicit affair being publicly exposed, the incident led to much introspection about what happens when private moments become public and leadership credibility. Also, what is our obsession with public shaming? In this episode of The Usual Place podcast, I will speak with: Stephanie Phua, founder of marketing and branding collective Duo Studio and co-founder of The Trampoline Club, a platform which pushes for compassion, understanding and mutual respect in conversations, Pan Huiyan, a millennial leadership coach, and Dr Sunny Johar, the managing director for South-east Asia for digital experience agency KRDS Tune in at 12pm SGT/HKT to watch the livestream and take part in the discussion on our revamped YouTube channel. Follow The Usual Place Podcast live at noon every Thursday and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thai and Cambodia militaries clash at disputed border World Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports Opinion The US dollar is down, but it has a lot going for it Singapore Judge asks prosecution for more information on Kpods in first case involving etomidate-laced vapes Singapore Singapore Oceanarium will enhance tourism while supporting sustainability: Grace Fu Singapore 5 teens arrested for threatening boy with knife, 2 charged with causing hurt Singapore Over 1.15 million Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 have claimed SG60 vouchers Opinion Cinemas struggle in a world that cannot sit still Apple Podcasts: Spotify:
New Paper
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
PSP's new leadership signals fresh start after GE2025 loss, says Stephanie Tan
Recent changes to the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) senior leadership represent "the first step" of its plans to come back from a disappointing performance at the 2025 General Election, said PSP's Ms Stephanie Tan. Besides nurturing new leaders, the PSP intends to update its image by putting more of its younger members in the public eye, and to find new ways to engage Singaporeans on important national issues, Ms Tan told Straits Times correspondent Natasha Ann Zachariah and host of ST's The Usual Place podcast during a live stream on July 10. On July 5, PSP announced that party founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock had stepped down from its central executive committee (CEC), alongside vice-chair and former Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Hazel Poa. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan also relinquished his position. In their place, Ms Tan, 37, was co-opted as a new CEC member, together with Mr Sani Ismail and Mr Lawrence Pek. The three of them had been first-time PSP candidates in the May general election. Speaking on the podcast show, Ms Tan said PSP had been gathering feedback from Singaporeans in the two months since GE2025 to "know where we went wrong and how we can do better". PSP had fielded 13 candidates in six constituencies, but saw its vote share decline compared with its first electoral outing in 2020. It also failed to keep its parliamentary presence unlike in the previous term, when it had two NCMPs. "We might seem to have been a bit slow in coming up with a response right after the GE, but that's because we were hard hit, to be honest, and we took time (to) come up with a new plan to see how we can steer this ship forward," said Ms Tan, who ran in Pioneer against the PAP's Mr Patrick Tay. "In the next four to five years, we want to continue to make an impact even if we have no parliamentary presence." Ms Tan said one of the main things PSP is tackling is perceptions by some that it is an ageing political party, and added that the latest leadership shake-up has the support of party chief Leong Mun Wai and the CEC. "The party does have a pool of young talent," she said, citing the two elected CEC members who are younger than her: deputy organising secretary Soh Zheng Long, 36, and youth wing head Samuel Lim, 30. "It is just that, for the past few years, they have been working mostly behind the scenes." Going forward, the party will give more opportunities to its younger members to raise their public profile, although this has to be balanced with each individual's comfort level at being openly associated with an alternative party. PSP also intends to hold outreach events targeted at specific demographics, alongside the usual walkabouts and house visits. This could include visits to nursing homes to understand issues faced by elderly residents, their family members and the staff, which could be due to "certain gaps in the policies that we have", said Ms Tan. The party is also thinking of starting a podcast, and wants to up its game on social media to keep putting out its views on key issues, she added. On Dr Tan's move to step down as PSP's chairman, Ms Tan said this is to give party leaders "a clean slate to work from, away from his shadow". Dr Tan, 85, has been designated party adviser. Having set its foundations and core values, he trusts that the other party leaders can take PSP forward in the long political journey to come, said Ms Tan. "He said that he will not interfere on his own initiative. He will help when help is asked for," she said. A homemaker and former lawyer, Ms Tan said she sees her role on the CEC as a progression from leading her own campaign during the election, to making decisions at the party level. While the party is no longer in Parliament, she hopes that Singaporeans can take a long-term perspective on the PSP's journey. She noted that other opposition parties like the Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Party have been around for decades, and their experience showed that it takes a lot of time and consistent effort to build a political party and gain the trust of voters. "Our commitment to Singaporeans is still that we want to continue to build ourselves to be a credible, rational alternative political party, to give Singaporeans a choice at the ballot box," she said.
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
The Usual Place Podcast: What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. Two months after its dismal showing at the 2025 General Election, Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has shaken up its leadership team. On July 5, it announced that its founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock, and vice-chair Hazel Poa had stepped down from their roles in the central executive committee (CEC), the party's highest decision-making body. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan also relinquished his position. All three will remain members of the party. Dr Tan has been designated party adviser. Ms Poa was a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) in the last term of Parliament, along with party chief Leong Mun Wai. At a press conference at the party's headquarters in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre on July 5, Mr Leong announced a renewal plan, and introduced three new members who were co-opted into the CEC. The first is Ms Stephanie Tan, a full-time homemaker and former lawyer, who was the PSP candidate for Pioneer SMC. The other two are Mr Sani Ismail, an in-house legal counsel who contested West Coast-Jurong West GRC, and Mr Lawrence Pek, a former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, who contested Chua Chu Kang GRC. Ms Tan joins me in this podcast to talk about being part of PSP's refreshed leadership team, the insights she gleaned from walking the ground as a first-time candidate, and the challenges of a political party without a presence in Parliament. The Usual Place podcast is livestreamed at noon on YouTube on Thursdays. Subscribe to the YouTube channel to catch the podcast when it airs on July 10. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for suspected drug trafficking and handed over to CNB World Trump issues tariff notices to 7 minor trading partners, hits Brazil with 50% tariff Business SGX securities turnover up 23% in June, bringing financial year's gain to 28% Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ( natashaz@ ) Read Natasha's articles: Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: Feedback to: podcast@ --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: ST Podcasts website: ST Podcasts YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: Google Play:
Straits Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Explore The Straits Times' podcasts
Seated (from left): Assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong, podcast producer Teo Tong Kai, The Usual Place podcast host Natasha Zachariah, podcast producer Eden Soh and podcast editor Ernest Luis. Standing (from left): Podcast producers Amirul Karim, Fa'izah Sani and Hadyu Rahim. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG Podcasts have become part of the global media landscape these days. The audio-on-demand format allows many listeners to often do other chores or hobbies, while hearing the shows in the background over headphones or bluetooth speakers. Follow our shows on your favourite audio apps Apple Podcasts, Spotify or even ST's app, which has a dedicated podcast player section. Trailer narrated by: Podcast editor Ernest Luis (ernest@ Edited by: Elsa Goh All-in-one ST Podcasts Channel Almost every weekday, our ALL-IN-ONE channel showcases discussions on Singapore current affairs and social issues, geopolitics through an Asian lens, health, climate change, personal finance and career. Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Get notified each time our latest episodes 'drop' during the week. Or you can follow the shows you'd like specifically below. The Usual Place (Livestream@noon every Thursday from July 3 onwards) Synopsis: In ST's first regularly-filmed podcast series, The Usual Place host and correspondent Natasha Ann Zachariah goes live with guests to explore the latest current affairs topics from a youth perspective. Follow The Usual Place Podcast: YouTube: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: HeadStart On Record (1st & 3rd Mondays of the month) Get a headstart in your personal finance and career with hosts - business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan and correspondent Tay Hong Yi. Follow Headstart On Record Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: (Seated from left) Headstart On Record hosts - business correspondent Sue-Ann Tan and correspondent Tay Hong Yi - with (standing from left) assistant audience growth editor Joanna Seow and podcast producer Amirul Karim. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO Green Pulse (1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month) The Straits Times' assistant news editor Audrey Tan and deputy foreign editor David Fogarty analyse the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Follow Green Pulse Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Health Check (1st Wednesday of the month) The Straits Times' senior health correspondent Joyce Teo chats with expert guests to help you make sense of health matters that affect you. Follow Health Check Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: In Your Opinion (2nd Wednesday of the month) The Straits Times' assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong and fellow journalists take a hard look at social issues of the day with guests. Follow In Your Opinion Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Wheel Insights (3rd Wednesday of the month) The Straits Times' senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe examines not just vehicle prices, but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport. Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Asian Insider (every Friday) Get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST's globally-based correspondents led by foreign editor Li Xueying. Follow Asian Insider Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: You can email the podcast team feedback or PR pitches at: podcast@ Special Edition series Green Trails (Headphones recommended): In this new 4-part environment podcast series for 2024 - Green Trails - The Straits Times hits the ground with experts in spaces that are critical to the interlinked crises the planet faces: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The Green Trails podcast series clinched the gold award for Best Podcast at the Digital Media Awards Asia 2025 on April 23, organised by the World Association of News Publishers (Wan-Ifra). Discover Green Trails Podcast: True Crimes of Asia (Headphones recommended): A 6-part series from April till September 2023, exploring recent real crimes that gripped, horrified and laid bare the issues that afflicted societies in Asia. Listen to the events surrounding a spine-chilling find in a Bangkok temple. Or the gruesome death of a domestic helper in Singapore. This series clinched the gold award for Best Podcast at the Digital Media Awards Asia 2024 in April, and third place for Best Podcast at the Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2024, both organised by Wan-Ifra. Discover True Crimes Of Asia Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (Headphones recommended): In this five-part special series featuring ST's foreign correspondents, The Straits Times dives into some of the greatest unsolved mysteries in South-east Asia, and examines the underlying issues that they exposed. The series also won The Best Podcast/Digital Audio Project category at the 2022 Digital Media Awards Asia, organised by Wan-Ifra. Discover Unsolved Mysteries Of South-east Asia Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Music Lab (Headphones recommended): The Straits Times records music acts chatting and performing an original song. Follow Music Lab Podcast: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
