Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

The Singapore Parliament has recovened, with President Halimah Yacob stressing on the importance of broadening meritocracy to combat social stratification. Former Nominated Member of Parliament, Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management University gave us a deep dive into the workings behind enhancing our social compact and what the government needs to set on its sails as it navigates through the second half of its term. This podcast is produced and edited by Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Presenter: Lynlee Foo

Singapore experiences haze from time to time - often a result of the forest fires in Indonesia. One new ecological study has found that such fires could occur more in coming years with deforestation in the region intensifying. How will that affect businesses and people living in the region? And why is the problem not going away just yet? Author of the study - Frank Van Veen, Professor of Ecology & Conservation at the University of Exeter shares an inside perspective. [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awedio | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | OmnyStudio [Contact Us] Presenter: Lynlee Foo Producer: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

The aftermath of the banking crisis triggered by the Silicon Valley Bank has caused jitters in the world of venture funding. That SVB fallout follows some numbers from a recent report showing that the annual deal volume in Singapore dropped 11 percent year on year to 651 while the total deal value dipped 3 percent to US$11 billion. Is this a sign of things to come? Mohit Ralhan, Global CEO & Managing Partner of Singapore-based TIW Capital Group explains why Singapore will remain resilient in the face of the global VC funding slowdown.

Charu Chanana, Market Strategist, Saxo Singapore, preview the week's key market agenda items including the monetary policy decision by MAS as well as the Q1 GDP advance estimates.

In this episode of Mind Your Business with a C-Suite leader, LynLee Foo and Ryan speak with Caesar Indra, President of Traveloka, to get some inspiration to find out why the book "Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon" made an impact on his leadership approach. This podcast is produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)

Local scientists from NTU recently developed a new cooling system that is set to cut the carbon footprint of data centres by a quarter. Project team-lead Associate Professor Wong Teck Neng from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Nanyang Technological University Singapore shares his take on how significant this new invention is in Singapore’s broader push towards sustainability. [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awedio | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | OmnyStudio [Contact Us] Presenter: Lynlee Foo Producer: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

An incident at a school assembly has ignited a curious debate over what some regard as an outdated and top-down education system  Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  In this episode, she chats with ST’s Indochina Bureau Chief Tan Hui Yee. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:34 Why did over 100 students get ugly haircuts? 2:55 Do Thai schools have haircut rules for students? 4:10 Authoritarianism or a matter of discipline? 5:40 Is student unrest welling up in the election season? 7:55 Are gender identity issues at play? 9:20 What do ugly haircuts tell us about a changing Thailand? 9:55 Is Thailand a relaxed, tolerant society? Read Tan Hui Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/i4ia Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo Read Tan Hui Yee’s articles: https://str.sg/i4iR Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters - --- Discover more ST podcast channels: In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL --- Special edition series: True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2 Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa --- Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsider

Have you ever wondered what goes into ensuring Singapore’s residential towns are liveable, especially as needs and expectations evolve? Harvey Neo, Senior Fellow at the Singapore University of Technology and Design’s Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities shares his take on the importance behind master-planning as governments face increasing pressures from the influx of immigrants into urban cities. [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awedio | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | OmnyStudio [Contact Us] Presenter: Lynlee Foo Producer: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

Beijing has condemned Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's ‘sneaky transit’ in the US to engage in a historic encounter with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which took place despite threats of retaliation from China. Ross Feingold, Director of Business Development, SafePro Group analyses the nuances behind that unprecedented meeting. [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awedio | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | OmnyStudio [Contact Us] Presenter: Lynlee Foo Producer: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

China has set this year's growth target at "around 5%", in a cautious forecast after the pandemic-hit economy posted one of its weakest expansions in decades. At the National People's Congress held in March, China says its focus for 2023 is the economy. But what exactly are they going to focus on and which sectors will be their priorities? In this episode of the Bigger Picture, Ryan Huang zooms in on everything China with Lance Noble, Head of China Reality Research at CLSA.