Talkback

Daniel Martin is joined by Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Education, to discuss announcements made at the MOE's Committee of Supply debate that will shape how Singapore's students succeed in their education journey together.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the U.S-Israel and Iran conflict dominating headlines, how can you tell if what you’re reading is true? There’s a battle for truth happening alongside the physical conflict – with misleading videos, recycled footage and AI-generated misinformation spreading fast. How can you avoid misinformation, and what should you do when you come across it? Daniel Martin discusses with Sarbojit Bose, Director of Training at the Cloud Security Alliance Singapore Chapter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore’s total fertility rate dropped to a new low of 0.87 in 2025, and while our citizen population expanded 0.7 per cent, growth has slowed in the past 10 years… But, in an AI-driven future, could low population growth remain low? A smaller, but highly skilled population could be equally productive? Daniel Martin finds out from Professor Paulin Tay Straughan, Professor of Sociology (Practice) and Director of the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, SMU.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bernard Chan, Operations General Manager at Anticimex, a pest control expert, discusses a viral Lucky Plaza rat incident. He warns against handling live rats and explains why trained tools and reporting matter. He covers health risks like leptospirosis, why rats bite when trapped, and how rats behave around people and food.

Air quality in Singapore remained in the good to moderate range recently, despite a noticeable burning smell across many parts of the island. That was linked to smoke from regional peatland and vegetation fires. We did get some rain over Chinese New Year, but was it enough? Daniel Martin speaks with Professor Steve Yim, Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health at the Nanyang Technological University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore alpine skier Faiz Basha finished 35th out of 96 competitors in the men’s Slalom event at the Winter Olympics. Alpine skiing joins some new, niche or lesser-known sports that have been making headlines in recent years like kitefoiling, carrom and chess. Daniel Martin discusses further with Kevin Goh, CEO, Singapore Chess Federation and Joseph Jiffy, Secretary, Association of Carrom (Singapore).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebate — the amount you get back when you scrap your car early — will be reduced by 45 percentage points. The cap will also be halved, from $60,000 to $30,000. What does this mean for the average driver? Daniel Martin speaks with Say Kwee Neng, automotive industry veteran and consultant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong delivered Singapore's 2026 Budget on Thursday (12 Feb). Part of its focus is on creating good jobs for all Singaporeans, and harnessing AI as a strategic advantage for the Republic. Daniel Martin dives into the announcements with Kok Ping Soon, CEO, Singapore Business Federation, Kexin Lim, Partner specialising in Tax and Entrepreneurial and Private Business, PwC Singapore, and Dr Clive Tan, Senior Consultant and Public Health Specialist, Tan Tock Seng Hospital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UNC3886 – it’s the espionage actor which targeted all four of Singapore’s major telecommunication operators in a cyberattack exposed last year. No evidence so far that any sensitive customer data was stolen – but still… has it made you think: Are you concerned your telco can’t protect you? Daniel Martin discusses further with Lim Yihao, Lead Threat Intelligence Advisor, APAC, Mandiant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore’s median monthly household income in 2025 crossed $12,000 – rising 6.8 per cent from the previous year, after adjusting for inflation. That’s according to the Key Household Income Trends 2025 paper, released today by the Singapore Department of Statistics (Singstat). Daniel Martin discusses further with Terence Ho, Adjunct Associate Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS. He’s also Executive Director (Designate) at the Institute for Adult Learning, SUSS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.