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CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: For Rotterdam's former mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, poetry is a light in darkness

CNA938 Rewind

Ahmed Aboutaleb migrated to the Netherlands when he was a teenager. It was a vastly different world from the poor Moroccan village in which he grew up. In 2009, he was the first immigrant to become mayor of a Dutch city. When he was co-awarded the World Mayor Prize in 2021, his citation described him as having “acted as a father of a very large family… with courage, patience, and humility”. Mr Aboutaleb, who is an outspoken opponent of extremist ideology, shares why he believes so firmly in multiculturalism and how poetry has been a source of solace and strength throughout his life journey — in particular during the most challenging periods of his career in public service. Mr Aboutaleb was in Singapore in late-June 2025 for the International Conference on Cohesive Societies.

Resume Pause 33 min
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CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: How Ahmad Alhabshee found himself in furniture, family, and faith

Ahmad Alhabshee is the founder of Urban Salvation, a bespoke furniture workshop focussing on sustainability. Ahmad, who grew up in rough company, shares how becoming a woodworking professional helped him find himself, the role family played in shaping the values he brings to his work, and how his faith in humanity fuels his belief that more than just crafting furniture, he's also building people.

Resume Pause 36 mins
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CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Michael Cheah doesn't just repair cuckoo clocks — he restores memories

Michael Cheah is clearly passionate about his craft — of which he is the only person in Singapore authorised by the Black Forest Clock Association to perform. Michael shares how he ventured into the esoteric world cuckoo clocks on a whim, the trickiest clock he's ever had to fix, and how this journey has given him a sense of joy and purpose.

Resume Pause 34 mins
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CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: $30,000 earnings per month may not be adequate for the average hawker

We love our hawker centres in Singapore - a haven for our local food and it’s cheap. But behind the counters, are our hawkers making enough? Are we putting too many roadblocks in the way of hawkers trying to make a decent living? Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss with Daniel Tan, Founder of OK Chicken Rice and Mr Lee, an alias for a hawker at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre.

Resume Pause 34 mins
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CNA938 Rewind - White-collar trials, why does it sometimes take years?

The Hyflux trial kicked off earlier this week — about three years after former leaders were first charged. Why do some high-profile cases take a while to get to trial? Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak with James Ow Yong, Director, Fortress Law Corporation.

Resume Pause 15 mins
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CNA938 Rewind - Train breakdowns, is it sometimes safer to stay on board?

In light of five recent train service disruptions in just two months, Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discussed with Chew Lip Heng, trainer at Op-Star and Serve2Lead, and Associate Faculty with the SUSS' Public Safety and Security Programme, on how one should react if the train they’re on breaks down.

Resume Pause 14 mins
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