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CNA938 Rewind - Japan’s snap vote: New PM Sanae Takaichi puts leadership to the test

Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called a rare snap election on 8 Feb, just months after taking office. It’s a high-stakes move to convert soaring approval ratings into a stronger mandate amid economic strain, rising costs of living and regional uncertainty. Analysts say the poll could reshape Japan’s political balance and test whether voters endorse her leadership and policies. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman find out more with Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Principal at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory.

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CNA938 Rewind - What is the Nipah virus and should we be concerned about an outbreak here?

Health authorities are on high alert, stepping up measures to guard against the spread of the Nipah virus amid a fresh outbreak in West Bengal. Singapore has ramped up screening for passengers from India, with temperature checks for flights arriving from affected areas, and increased surveillance of migrant workers arriving from South Asia. For the latest, Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng speak with Dr Daniel Bausch, Visiting Professor, Centre for Infectious Disease Emergency Response, NUS.

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CNA938 Rewind - The Big Question: Should businesses do away with the CNY surcharge?

Today’s Big Question asks: why do some beauty service providers impose CNY surcharges sometimes as early as a month before the festive period? Why does this practice seem to apply almost exclusively to Chinese New Year? Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng speak to Associate Professor Ang Swee Hoon, Marketing Department, NUS Business School on whether such surcharges help or hurt businesses in the long run, and to Jeric See, Director, Jeric Salon, who explains why he chooses not to charge extra.

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CNA938 Rewind - Ate-Teen Percent Jump: SEA’s Food Delivery Hits US$22.7B, Thailand Leads the Charge

Momentum Works’ latest report shows South-East Asia’s food delivery accelerating to 18% on-year in 2025 to US$22.7B, with Thailand fastest at 22% and Singapore among the slowest. The competitive map is shifting too as platforms lean into affordability, ads, dine-out and broader “demand orchestration” beyond delivery. For more, Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng speak with Li Jianggan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Momentum Works.

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CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: Dancing teens in MRT linkways – charming or getting in your way?

Ever walked down a corridor to a MRT station, and bumped into a group of youngsters getting down and funky to the biggest K-pop tunes? Does it make you smile to see those kids enjoying themselves or… does it make you extremely annoyed that they couldn’t do it someplace else? Daniel Martin discusses further with Professor Hoe Su Fern, Principal Research Fellow, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)–University of the Arts Singapore. She’s also Director of the Cultural Policy and Evidence Lab, NAFA.

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CNA938 Rewind - 'Rejected landings' explained: Why pilots choose not to land

What’s a “rejected landing”? It’s a term being thrown around since news broke about the tail of a Singapore Airlines aircraft making contact with the runway at Changi Airport last Saturday (24 January)… Daniel Martin discusses further with Fabian Lim, Founder, Wings Academy.

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