Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) has been criticised for being toothless, but is that criticism fair?

And if the anti-haze law is not working, can Singapore take Indonesia to the International Court of Justice?

As Singapore finds ways to tackle its worst haze crisis in over a decade, Scott Tan, a partner in the International Arbitration practice of Rajah & Tann, says diplomacy - not litigation - would be a more durable solution to this perennial problem.

In this episode, he joins Audrey Tan, assistant news editor at The Straits Times and host of ST’s environment podcast, Green Pulse, to talk about why Singapore’s anti-haze law has been criticised, and whether that’s warranted.

We also chat about other possible ways to penalise haze-causing companies and how consumers can put pressure on such firms.

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

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Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Yang Jiesan Cruz

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

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A behavioural scientist unpacks the dark psychology of why smart people fall for the Nanning pyramid scheme

Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.

We often hear this saying: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Yet, 52 Singaporeans were recently arrested in China over the notorious Nanning pyramid scheme. So why do highly educated, financially literate people continue to fall for frauds that seem so obvious from the outside?

In this episode of In Your Opinion, Lynda Hong sits down with Dr Serene Koh, director of the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in Singapore, to deconstruct the dark psychology behind massive investment scams.

Moving past the surface-level blame of describing victims as greedy and gullible, Dr Koh explains how sophisticated syndicates architect fake realities, weaponise our closest family networks, and use our own intelligence against us.

Highlights (click/tap above):

00:52 Why behavioural science is the key to understanding scam victims

1:55 How the Nanning Ponzi scheme differs from other scams

4:15 How pig-butchering scams work

7:57 Why scammers target the human desire for family security rather than pure greed

13:11 Why shame and cognitive dissonance keep victims silent

15:42 Using inoculation programmes and survivor stories to build public resistance against scam syndicates

18:31 The sunk cost fallacy and social ties that prevent victims from walking away

22:12 How trust and personal relationships override logical due diligence

25:42 Why higher financial literacy and education can increase scam vulnerability

31:29 The social cost of fraud, eroded trust, and why people have stopped picking up phone calls anymore

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

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Why they offer more safety features and generate less nuclear waste, says a nuclear expert.

Singapore announced in May 2026 that it will be embarking on the first phase of a review by the UN atomic watchdog, to help Singapore determine if it has what it takes to deploy nuclear energy.

Host Audrey Tan discusses what this process entails for Singapore with Low Xin Wei, the chief executive of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI), a research organisation. He was previously the assistant chief executive at Singapore’s energy regulator, the Energy Market Authority.

Low describes the review process as being similar to a marriage counselling course, which participants undergo to learn more about what marriage entails.

Just like how the final decision on whether to get married will be determined by the couple, countries will have the final say in whether to go ahead with deploying nuclear energy.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:20 How has Singapore’s stance on nuclear energy changed over the years?

6:45 What are the three reasons behind this change?

12:21 How has public perception of nuclear shifted?

15:20 How nuclear energy can boost energy security

20:25 Embarking on Phase 1 of the integrated nuclear infrastructure review: What it entails for Singapore?

26:45 What will it take to demonstrate that nuclear plants are safer than what people perceive?

36:45 Where could a nuclear power plant in Singapore potentially be sited?

Read more:

S’pore to undergo review by UN atomic watchdog in 2027: https://str.sg/M6Du

Follow Audrey Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/848W

Read her articles: https://str.sg/JLM2

Host: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Green Pulse Podcast every Tuesday as we discuss how environmental issues intersect with business, politics and society:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf

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YouTube: https://str.sg/fapS

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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