Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

New reports from this week say that one of the most powerful ethnic minority armed groups battling Myanmar’s army has claimed the capture of the last army outpost in the strategic western town of Maungdaw, gaining full control of the 271-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh. Rakhine has become a focal point for Myanmar’s nationwide civil war, in which pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed forces seeking autonomy battle the country’s military rulers, who took power in 2021 after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. This follows just less than a week after a second major Myanmar ethnic rebel group says it is ready for China-mediated talks with the junta to end more than a year of renewed fighting that has ravaged areas along the Chinese border. On this episode of Morning Shot, we’ll be speaking with Dr Felix Tan, an independent political observer who lectures on International Relations and has published works on Myanmar shares his insights on what’s fuelling Myanmar’s civil war and whether there’s a realistic path to reconciliation and stability for the country. Presented by: Emaad Akhtar Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Photo credits: Wa Lone / Reuters

Big news for Southeast Asia! The iconic kebaya has sashayed its way onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Thanks to a joint effort by Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, this traditional garment is now officially a global cultural treasure.  Audrey and Emaad chat about its rich history and some iconic kebaya types we see around us. Presented by Audrey Siek & Emaad Akhtar Produced and Edited by Audrey Siek Photo & music credits: Pixabay & its talented community of contributors

With Singapore set to reach super-aged status as early as 2026, the nation’s vision centres around ageing-in-place. This brings into focus the importance of integrating medical, social and allied health services within the heartlands, something that PanCare Medical has built into its model, which adopts a more holistic approach, addressing not just medical but also functional, mental health and nutritional needs. On this episode of 2024 OCBC Emerging Enterprise, Dr Ong Guan Hong, CEO of PanCare Medical and Winner of the 2024 Emerging Enterprise Award shares how his medical group is transforming eldercare in Singapore, challenges behind expanding the slate of services for seniors, and gaps that they are working hard to fill. Presented by: Audrey Siek  Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

2024 is drawing to a close but tensions between the US and China are nowhere near over. China has hit out at America’s latest efforts to block Beijing’s access to chip technology. This comes ahead of 2025, when Donald Trump is set to take office at the White House, and had earlier warned of an additional levy of 10 percent on Chinese imports. While a revived trade war would further destabilise China’s economy, economists and tax experts have also cautioned it would also harm the US economy by increasing prices for American consumers and could lead to supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and a currency war with China. On this episode of Morning Shot, William Ma, Chief Investment Officer at GROW Investment Group shares his insights. Presented by: Emaad Akhtar Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Photo credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Kheng Siang Ng, Asia-Pacific Head of Fixed Income at State Street Global Advisors discusses how investors should navigate investing in Asia amid renewed signals of stimulus measures from China.  Produced/Presented: Ryan Huang

Kyle Rodda, Senior Financial Market Analyst at capital.com discusses why investors may be starting to get wary about the China stimulus signals coming through this week from policymakers. He also shares his view on whether the Chinese economy will provide any support for the AUD which has started to give back earlier gains this week, and how the Reserve Bank of Australia policy settings may hold it back. Produced/Presented: Ryan Huang

When we cook, we like to do a good job, and sometimes that means preparing more food than you actually need. It's common to keep the leftovers for a day (or four) but it also raises important questions:  how long can these leftovers be stored for?  how can you tell if your leftovers have gone south? Tune in to Breakfast Bites with Emaad, Ryan and Audrey to find out!   Presented by Emaad Akhtar, Ryan Huang & Audrey Siek Produced and Edited by Emaad Akhtar Photo & music credits: Pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Did you know that about 75 to 85 percent of your standard bottle of shampoo is made up of water? The haircare sector’s carbon footprint has also ballooned, becoming one of the biggest contributors of single-use plastics through the plastic packaging industry, which makes up about US$25 billion in sales globally. On this episode of 2024 OCBC Emerging Enterprise, Jlynn Chen, Founder & CEO of The Powder Shampoo shares more about her shampoo revolution and how it’s set to reduce your carbon footprint, one shower wash at a time. The Powder Shampoo is also Winner of the 2024 Most Promising Sustainability Startup Award. Presented by: Audrey Siek  Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

Ivy Ng, Chief Investment Officer APAC, DWS discusses how investors should navigate 2025, in view of the potential tariffs and trade wars with US President Donald Trump in office. She also shares her view on which Asian markets are still attractive. Produced/Presented: Ryan Huang 

It's that time of the year again, where we honour some of the greatest minds on the planet and bestow them with a coveted Nobel Prize. Emaad, Ryan and Audrey take us through 2024's winners across various categories, including Economics, Peace and Literature!   Presented by Emaad Akhtar, Ryan Huang & Audrey Siek Produced and Edited by Emaad Akhtar Photo credit: The Straits Times Music credit: Pixabay & its talented community of contributors