Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in the United States in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh chats with Money FM 89.3's Elliot Danker and Bharati Jagdish about the following points: Highlights (click/tap above): 00:51 US' rate of hospitalisation in January 2022 surpasses record set in January last year due to the Omicron variant 02:53 Citigroup staff face vaccine mandate; they must get exemption or risk losing job 04:50 US will push for a more comprehensive approach with Asia, amid its rivalry with China 06:18 US House candidate Shelley Luther's call for Chinese students to be banned from Texas universities may drive up anti-Asian hate crime Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis & Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

Pickupp, the Asia tech startup redefining logistics, recently announced it has raised another US$37 million in Series B funding. This third round of funding follows its initial Series A round in November 2020, and Series A+ round in July 2021. Lee Chee Meng, Co Chief-Operations Officer, Pickupp shares how Pickupp has diversified its product portfolio and offerings across all industries and verticals so far and how data can be the future of logistics. 

WGSN, the global authority on trend forecasting, has released the top trends in consumer behaviour and product development for 2022 and beyond. Informed by WGSN’s unique methodology, the top trends reveal the future of tomorrow, today. Jessica Tang, Senior Consultant of APAC, WGSN shares some of the key trends and developments that will emerge in Asia for 2022 and how innovative businesses in the region are driving these trends. 

In this week's Washington Report, Nirmal Ghosh, US Bureau Chief, Straits Times gives an analysis of the Covid-19 situation in the US which has seen the rate of hospitalization surpass the record set in January last year, Citigroup's strict vaccine mandate, the US's push for a more comprehensive approach in its Asian engagements, and more.  Follow The Straits Times' Asian Insider Podcast channel - co-produced with Money FM 89.3 - like us and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Asian Insider newsletter.   Asian Insider videos: https://str.sg/JoVb SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

In this morning's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss Disney's plan to hire two social media content coordinators to “expand DPEP (Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) social media presence” – especially on TikTok.

Max Loh, EY Asean IPO Leader and Singapore and Brunei Managing Partner, Ernst & Young discusses the outlook for IPOs and how Singapore will stack up against the intensifying regional competition

The F&B scene here has been and is still facing a hard time due to Covid-19. Digitalising has been the top priority for many F&B businesses but how can they do so easily? Sai Alluri, Co-Founder, Momos shares how Momos' platform can help maximise overall growth of restaurants and how the F&B businesses will evolve in a post-pandemic era. 

Prudential Singapore recently announced its partnership with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and ST Engineering to help SMEs with the knowledge and resources to go digital in a secure manner. Goh Theng Kiat, Chief Customer Officer, PrudentialSingapore shares why Prudential Singapore sees the importance of helping SMEs here and what their SME Skills Accelerator programme has to offer. 

According to the Ministry of Health, a person’s fully vaccinated status will lapse 9 months or 270 days after the last dose of their primary vaccination series from 14th February. This announcement comes as an effort to prepare Singapore for a large omicron wave that could see a peak of 15,000 cases a day in the worst case scenario. Assistant Professor Hsu Li Yang, Vice Dean of Global Health, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health shares the effectiveness of booster jabs in containing the predicted surge in omicron infections and what the Singapore healthcare system is doing to prepare for it. 

In this morning's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss Donald Trump’s new media venture plans to launch its social media app Truth Social and Pegasus Asia's lodge for a preliminary prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore.