
Asian Insider
Synopsis: Every Friday, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s globally-based correspondents.
Produced and edited by: Fa'izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.
Latest episodes

Jun 28, 2021 • 11min
Washington Report: How is Biden keeping the bipartisan infrastructure deal alive?
Straits Times US Bureau Chief, Nirmal Ghosh gives an analysis of the progression over linking the $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure deal and 'Family Plan', the Biden administration's challenge against Georgia’s new tightened law, the reaction behind the sentence of white ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 9min
S1E1: Apple Daily bids farewell as first trial under national security law begins: Inside Hong Kong Ep 1
Inside Hong Kong Ep 1: Apple Daily bids farewell as first trial under national security law begins 8:53 mins Synopsis: Every week, The Straits Times analyses developments in Hong Kong. ST's Hong Kong correspondent Claire Huang chats with Money FM 89.3's Rachel Kelly about the following points: Apple Daily closes its doors after 26 years (0:40) How a 24-year-old Hong Kong man became the first defendant to be tried under the city’s nearly one-year-old national security law (5:01) Produced by: The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis and Aleemah Basirah Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Claire Huang's stories: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/claire-huang Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Discover Asian Insider videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: http://bt.sg/podcasts Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 11min
S1E3: Could Malaysia face a general election this year?: Regional Round-up Ep 3
Regional Round-up Ep 3: Could Malaysia face a general election this year? 10:29 mins Synopsis: Every week, The Straits Times analyses South-east Asia's top news developments. The Straits Times' regional correspondent Leslie Lopez chats with Money FM's Timothy Go about the following points: A possible General Election in Malaysia at the end of 2021 (1:37) How significant is a vote by Thai lawmakers to potentially rewrite the country's charter (3:58) Why Filipinos may face a jail sentence if they refuse a Covid-19 vaccine (7:53) Produced by: The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis & Aleemah Basirah Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Leslie Lopez's stories: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/leslie-lopez Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Discover Asian Insider Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: http://bt.sg/podcasts Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 8min
S1E3: Has Tesla found itself a rival in China's carmaker Nio?: China Perspective Ep 3
China Perspective Ep 3: Has Tesla found itself a rival in China's carmaker Nio? 7:59 mins Synopsis: Every week, The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in China. Dr. Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs, sits in for The Straits Times' China bureau chief Tan Dawn Wei, who is on leave. He chats with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Go about the following points: China's reaction from the US FCC to advance a plan to ban approvals for equipment in US telecommunications networks (1:45) Possible talks between the US and China (3:30) Tesla's potential electric vehicle rival, China's carmaker Nio (5:07) Produced by: The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis & Aleemah Basirah Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Tan Dawn Wei's stories: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/tan-dawn-wei Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Discover Asian Insider videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: http://bt.sg/podcasts Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 24, 2021 • 9min
S1E3: United States ready to lead Western alliance again?: Washington Report Ep 3
Washington Report Ep 3: United States ready to lead Western alliance again? 8:29 mins Synopsis: Every week, The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in the United States. The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh chats with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Go about the following points: US President Joe Biden's first international trip as President (1:10) How the US' move to ship 2.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan could rock US-China tensions further (2:46) The Biden administration's plan to finalise a deal with Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal (4:57) Significance of new US holiday Juneteenth and its importance? (6:33) Produced by: The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis & Aleemah Basirah Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/nirmal-ghosh Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Discover Asian Insider Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: http://bt.sg/podcasts Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 24, 2021 • 13min
S1E72: Rising tide of meth across South-east Asia: Asian Insider Ep 72
Asian Insider Ep 72: Rising tide of meth across South-east Asia 13:09 mins Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests. Illicit drugs - mainly methamphetamines - is an industry that grew last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, border controls, and a recession. Nirmal Ghosh chats with Inshik Sim, research officer for illicit drugs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok, and Erlend Falch, officer in charge at the UNODC in Laos about the following points: The UN report on Asia’s illicit drug trade (1:58) Organised crime groups in Mekong region (3:23) Laos as a transit country (6:03) Drug trade impact on Bangladesh and India (9:25) Need for intelligence-based enforcement (11:35) Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg) & ST Video team Edited by: ST Video team, Aleemah Basirah & Hadyu Rahim Subscribe to the Asian Insider Podcast channel and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Discover Asian Insider Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Follow Nirmal Ghosh on Twitter: https://str.sg/JD7r --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 21, 2021 • 8min
Washington Report: Has the US proved it’s ready to lead the Western alliance again?
Straits Times US Bureau Chief, Nirmal Ghosh gives his analysis of US President Joe Biden's first international trip as President, how the US' move to ship 2.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan could rock US-China tensions further, the Biden administration's plan to finalise a deal with Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 17, 2021 • 11min
S1E2: Can the US catch up to China’s vaccine diplomacy?: Power Play Ep 2
Power Play Ep 2: Can the US catch up to China’s vaccine diplomacy? 10:58 mins Synopsis: Once a month, join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they both look at various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia. They chat about the following: Key differences between the US and China’s vaccine distribution approaches (2:50) Why China’s aid strategies have a poor reputation (4:11) How can America's medical aid be seen as beneficial during this time of uncertainty? (6:16) Why vaccine efficacy rate is an important factor, resulting in South-east Asian countries wanting to be independent in producing vaccines? (7:24) Follow ST's Power Play articles: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/st-power-play Produced by: Charissa Yong (charyong@sph.com.sg), Danson Cheong (dansonc@sph.com.sg) & Ernest Luis Edited by: Aleemah Basirah Follow our Asian Insider Podcast channel every week here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Charissa Yong's stories: https://str.sg/3xRa Read Danson Cheong's stories: https://str.sg/3xR2 Follow Danson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dansoncj Read ST's Power Play articles: https://str.sg/3xRE Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 17, 2021 • 8min
S1E2: Possible impact of China's new anti-sanction laws: China Perspective Ep 2
China Perspective Ep 2: Possible impact of China's new anti-sanction laws 7:48 mins Synopsis: Every Tuesday, The Straits Times' China bureau chief Tan Dawn Wei analyses the latest developments in the country she is based in, with Money FM 89.3's Elliott Danker. They chat about the following: China's reaction to G7 leaders seeking to counter Beijing's global might (1:37) China's new anti-sanction laws (3:23) China's next step in their space exploration front (5:22) Produced by: The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3 & Ernest Luis Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Tan Dawn Wei's stories: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/tan-dawn-wei Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Discover Asian Insider videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: http://bt.sg/podcasts Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 17, 2021 • 11min
Inside Hong Kong: Lottery for those vaccinated & Apple Daily offices raided again
On Prime Time, Howie Lim speaks to Claire Huang, Hong Kong correspondent for The Straits Times for an update and analysis of the latest from the territory. Earlier this week, 455,000 fully vaccinated Hongkongers registered for a lucky draw aimed at boosting the city's Covid-19 inoculation drive. On Thursday, 500 police officers raided the offices of pro-democracy paper Apple Daily, alleging its reports breached a national security law. #asianinsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.