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Wednesday (11 November): You’d heard of a new internship and apprenticeship programme teaching our young Singaporeans the tricks of the hawker trade, slated to commence next April – the idea: to attract some of them to take up careers in the industry that’s in danger of fading away. At the same time, it made us think: we send our teens to OBS to build resilience, so why not send them to hawker stalls to cook, clean and serve customers? They’ll get immersed in our food culture – possibly pursuing a hawker career upon graduation, while learning the value of hard work through tough hurdles and conditions… Daniel Martin discusses further with Dr Leslie Tay, Founder of local food blog, “i eat i shoot i post”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember skipping P.E. lessons, faking excuses or finding ways to get out of NAPFA tests back in school? We may have laughed it off back then, but could our attitude towards physical education have consequences that we're only realising years later? Daniel Martin discusses further with Azhar Yusoff, Former PE teacher and Head of PE and CCA and former Senior Lecturer at the PE and Sports Science Academic Group at NIE/NTU. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nvidia lost around US$190 billion in market value on Monday (9 November), amid controversy over CEO Jensen Huang's admission of an extramarital affair. Separately, the company is investigating whether he was targeted by foreign intelligence operatives. How much can a leader's private conduct really cost a company, and why do some businesses suffer from leadership scandals while others weather the storm? Daniel Martin discusses further with Associate Professor Angie Low, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education, Provost's Chair in Finance, Nanyang Business School, NTU. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you given your AI agent full access to your emails, personal files and even banking details - and could that put you at risk? Daniel Martin finds out from Associate Professor Goh Weihan from the Infocomm Technology Cluster, SIT, how to take back control, and why simply revoking access may not be enough to keep your information safe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent public consultation on COE matters resulted in a majority supporting a proposed 'feebate' scheme, with most respondents favouring a five-band system to distinguish between mass-market and luxury cars. In light of that, could it look more likely that the future roads of Singapore will see a wave of similar low-cost cars being driven, and could that result in certain trade-offs? Daniel Martin discusses further with Say Kwee Neng, automotive industry veteran and consultant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heard about the Manpower Ministry (MOM) probing around 45 firms operating at Changi Airport over suspected work pass offences? But when businesses rely on contractors and subcontractors to get things done, could they end up assigning foreign workers roles they’re not authorised to perform? Daniel Martin discusses further with Associate Professor Geoffrey Chua, Nanyang Business School-Division of Information Technology & Operations Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After more than a week of improved air quality, is Singapore finally seeing the end of the haze? On TalkBack, Daniel Martin spoke to Professor Matthias Roth, Provost’s Chair Professor at the Department of Geography, NUS, about whether haze could return, what the inter-monsoon period will bring, and whether we should prepare for hotter days and heavier rain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With forest and peatland fires linked to palm oil plantations in Indonesia contributing to the ongoing haze, you might want to boycott palm oil products… But when they’re found in everything from biscuits to shampoo, is avoiding them even possible? Daniel Martin discusses further with Professor Roman Carrasco, Deputy Head of Department (Research) in the Department of Biological Sciences, NUS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore and Indonesia have had to deal with matters ranging from transboundary haze to cuts in gas exports, and both have drawn reactions on social media. But, when we weigh in on issues involving another country, are we simply sharing our views, or could our online comments and reactions be making matters worse? Daniel Martin discusses further with Associate Professor Natalie Pang, Department of Communications and New Media, NUS. She’s also a member of the Media Literacy Council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore is bringing forward plans to raise the retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70 by 2029. It's part of six recommendations announced by the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment today, including more flexible jobs and financial support for older workers. Daniel Martin discusses further with Hao Shuo, CEO, Singapore National Employers Federation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As smartphones get more expensive, a NielsenIQ study found that new phone sales in Singapore fell nearly 14 per cent between 2023 and 2025, while retailers reported a rise in repairs. On TalkBack, Daniel Martin spoke to Johar Alkhatib, Owner of Pronto Arigato Repair Hub, about how easy it is to repair today’s smartphones, when repairs are worth the cost, and whether Singapore needs stronger right-to-repair protections. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Health has released N95 masks from its stockpile to retailers amid increased demand, despite earlier warnings about the risk of haze. On TalkBack, Daniel Martin spoke to Dr Rayner Tan, Assistant Professor at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Vice-President of the Society of Behavioural Health Singapore, about why people may wait until haze arrives to prepare, and whether earlier warnings were enough to prompt action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man was charged after allegedly using a concealed device to obtain customers’ bank card information at Mustafa Centre. Daniel Martin spoke to Professor Zhou Jianying, Centre Director of the iTrust Centre for Research in Cyber Security at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, about whether someone nearby can scan information from your wallet or phone, and how to protect yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Wages Council has recommended pay increases of 6 to 8 per cent for lower-wage workers, even as growth remains uneven across industries. Daniel Martin spoke to Associate Professor Ong Ee Cheng from the Department of Economics at NUS about whether businesses can afford these increases, and what the recommendations could mean for workers and employers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With N95 mask distribution kicking off, could fears of another haze crisis trigger a repeat of the panic buying and hoarding we saw in 2013? Daniel Martin discusses further with Professor Leonard Lee, a behavioural scientist at the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (IPUR), a research institute at NUS, and at NUS Business School, on how Singaporeans can be encouraged to take only what they need. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.