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SINGAPORE: With her bright orange hair, diamond-shaped nose and bright green eyes, Julia, the newest muppet on Sesame Street looks to be a charmer. And charm children she did, at a special screening at Pathlight School on Monday (Apr 10).
It marked the Singapore television debut of Sesame Street’s first autistic character. Mediacorp’s okto, which is a free-to-air channel for kids and sports, is the first in Asia to broadcast Meet Julia, a special episode of Sesame Street in support of the autism community.
About 200 students and teachers from various special education and mainstream schools attended the screening at Pathlight School. The students, who came from schools such as Pathlight, Eden School, St Andrews’ Autism Centre, Rainbow Centre, AWWA School as well as Townsville Primary, also took part in a sing-along session.
Students taking part in the sing-along session (Photo: Howard Law).
Sesame Street developed Julia as part of an ongoing initiative to increase awareness and understanding of autism. She was introduced in digital form last year.
Julia, Sesame Street’s new muppet. (Photo: 60 Minutes’ Twitter page)
“We hope that screening Meet Julia will create conversations surrounding autism, said Ms Debra Soon, Mediacorp’s Chief Customer Officer. “We also really want to develop kids who are future-ready, who are accepting and inclusive, and who will be active citizens.”
Many in the audience cheered and laughed as she painted pictures and made friends with Big Bird and Elmo.
“She’s wonderful, and exceptionally nice,” said 10-year-old Vijaynarayanan Saaiarjun. “I hope you guys liked seeing Julia as much as I wanted to be her friend.”
But beyond entertainment, Julia’s on-screen presence sends a powerful message of inclusion.
“I think (the students) can identify with Julia,” said Pathlight School’s principal Linda Kho. “Not in a negative way, but in a way that it is okay to be different…it’s okay to play differently and do things differently.”
“I liked that – it’s very positive and there’s an affirmation … that there’s nothing bad about being different.”
“I think the fact that okto is the first channel that brings in this feature speaks a lot about what Singapore is trying to do,” said president of the Autism Resource Centre Denise Phua. “To be progressive in making sure that we are indeed an inclusive nation and that education needs to start from young.”
Meet Julia aired on okto at 12.00pm on Apr 10 with a repeat telecast on the same day at 6pm. It will also air at 8.30am on Sunday (Apr 16). Viewers can also watch the episode as catch-up on Toggle.
Le Dîner en Blanc is back in Singapore for its fifth edition on Saturday June 3, 2017.
For those unsure, this is the dinner in a picnic setting where you bring you own table setting, picnic basket with food and drink, and everything including your attire is to be in white.
Sounds fun?
This year’s soiree has new hosts – Alexis Lhoyer, Guillaume Chabrieres, and Jasmine Tuan – who aim to revitalise the true meaning of this sought-after picnic event that has been a leading summer event in Paris for nearly 30 years.
Registration to participate happens in three stages. Phase 1 is for members who attended the 2015 edition, Phase 2 is for new members who are referred by Phase 1 attendees, and Phase 3 is for people who signed up on the waiting list via singapore.dinerenblanc.com/register.
All phases will be closed by May 20.
Previous years’ events have been held at Sentosa’s Tanjong Beach with more than 3,000 diners, and Marina Bay Sands Waterfront Promenade with 800 diners.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
SINGAPORE: The prosecution in the City Harvest case has filed a “criminal reference” to the Court of Appeal, to clarify the law under which the High Court made its decision to cut the jail terms of all six church leaders, said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in a statement on Monday (Apr 10).
In a split decision, the High Court had on Friday convicted church founder and pastor Kong Hee and five others of reduced charges. That had an impact on their sentences which were more or less halved.
The six church leaders were found guilty in 2015 of misappropriating S$50 million of church funds, and originally convicted of the most aggravated form of Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) under section 409 of the Penal Code.
However, following an appeal, the High Court convicted them of a reduced charge under section 406 of the Penal Code – the least aggravated form of CBT for which the punishment is up to seven years’ jail.
“Having carefully considered the written grounds, the prosecution is of the view that there are questions of law of public interest that have arisen out of the High Court’s decision,” said the AGC in its statement.
In particular, the prosecution is questioning “whether a director or a member of the governing body of a company or organisation who is entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property, is so entrusted in the way of his business as an agent for the purposes of section 409 of the Penal Code.”
The AGC added: “The prosecution has accordingly filed a Criminal Reference today, to refer these questions of law to the Court of Appeal.
“If the Court of Appeal answers the questions referred in accordance with the prosecution’s submissions, the prosecution intends to request that the Court of Appeal exercises its powers under section 397(5) to reinstate the appellants’ original convictions under section 409 of the Penal Code and make necessary and consequential orders in relation to the sentences given.”
A day after the High Court delivered its decision, Law Minister K Shanmugam said that the AGC told the Government they were appealing, and gave their reasons for why the sentence was low. “And the Government believed that the original sentences were too low as well,” said Mr Shanmugam on Saturday.
Kong had his eight-year jail term cut to three-and-a-half years on Friday. Former fund manager Chew Eng Han’s six-year sentence was lowered to three years and four months, while deputy pastor Tan Ye Peng had his original five-and-a-half-year sentence reduced to three years and two months.
Former finance manager Serina Wee Gek Yin’s original five-year sentence was halved to two years and six months, and former finance committee member John Lam Leng Hung’s three-year sentence was similarly halved to one year and six months.
Former finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen had her 21-month jail sentence reduced to seven months.
LONDON – Three months after having their first child, Janet Jackson and her husband Wissam Al-Mana have split ways.
Sources close to the couple told DailyMail, “Sadly, Janet and Wissam have decided that it wasn’t working and to go their separate ways.”
Though they’ll be separated, the two have decided to co-parent their first-born, Eissa Al Mana, who was born on January 3.
“They’re both busy people but determined to be good parents, even if they’re apart. It’s amicable and Eissa will stay with his mother, who is basing herself in London.”
However, Page Six reported that the split may have been due to Al-Mana’s ‘controlling’ behaviour during Janet’s pregnancy.
“She thought he had become too controlling during the pregnancy and she had already allowed him to dictate her appearance and even the way she performed at concerts,” sources close to the couple told the publication.
The source added, “It drove her crazy and she felt she was losing her fan base.”
Reportedly, Al Mana had asked Janet to be mindful of her wardrobe during her 2014 concert tour, a demand the singer gave in to.
Janet Jackson wed billionaire husband Wissam Al Mana in a private ceremony in 2012.
SINGAPORE – The prosecution in the City Harvest Church (CHC) case has filed a Criminal Reference today to the Court of Appeal.
A statement from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said: “Having carefully considered the written grounds, the Prosecution is of the view that there are questions of law of public interest that have arisen out of the High Court’s decision, including and in particular, whether a director or a member of the governing body of a company or organisation who is entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property, is so entrusted in the way of his business as an agent for the purposes of section 409 of the Penal Code.”
“The Prosecution has accordingly filed a Criminal Reference today, to refer these questions of law to the Court of Appeal.”
Last Friday (April 7), all six church leaders in the largest case of misuse of charitable funds in Singapore’s history had their sentences slashed by a three-judge High Court panel, despite the prosecution’s appeal for longer jail terms.
Their original jail terms, ranging from 21 months to eight years, were cut, in some cases by over half.
The 52-year-old church founder Kong Hee had his eight-year term cut to 3.5 years, while former fund manager Chew Eng Han, 56, had his six years reduced to three years and four months.
Tan Ye Peng, 44, had his 5.5 years in jail cut to three years and two months while former finance manager Serina Wee, 40, had her five-year jail term halved to 2.5 years.
The three-year sentence of former finance committee member John Lam, 49, was also halved. Former finance manager Sharon Tan, 41, will be jailed for seven months instead of 21 months.
The High Court’s decision was weighted on the ruling that directors are not agents under the more serious Section 409 of the Penal Code dealing with criminal breach of trust. The bench majority replaced the offence with basic criminal breach of trust, resulting in lighter sentences.
The statement added: “If the Court of Appeal answers the questions referred in accordance with the Prosecution’s submissions, the Prosecution intends to request that the Court of Appeal exercises its powers under section 397(5) to reinstate the appellants’ original convictions under section 409 of the Penal Code and make necessary and consequential orders in relation to the sentences given.”
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On Saturday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam had said the decision to cut the jail terms of the six convicted could have serious implications for corruption cases.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
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A Yishun resident’s photos of a cow at a lift landing have gone viral on Facebook.
Stomp comtributors Gan, Dixon, Arina, Andy, Nur Tasha, Kelvin and Edwin alerted Stomp to the post.
In it, the resident posted photos of the cow at the lift landing of block 506B, accompanied by a man into the elevator.
While the sight is unusual, it is not the first time a cow has been spotted at a local housing estate.
The animal was likely there as part of a Hindu tradition to bless the home someone is moving into.
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The cow will brought into the home and made to walk around, thus blessing the premises, as per Hindu beliefs.
Residents who wish to have this ritual performed in their homes need to inform a dairy farm, reports The New Paper.
Permits from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority are required each time the cows are taken out of the farm, whose main business is supplying milk.
Before each house blessing or temple visit, the dairy farm staff will do a survey of the location.
This includes measuring the size and maximum load of the lift, as well as checking the size of the house to determine which cow from the farm is suitable for the visit.
Each cow has its own handler, as well as a farm worker who cleans up after them.
Said Stomp contributor Barak about the ritual:
“I know it is very expensive and they need to inform Housing and Development Board and seek their permission first.
“It is around $1,000 to $1,500.
“If the cow urinates in the house that means it is very good and they believe it is a good blessing.”
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SINGAPORE: The prosecution in the City Harvest case has filed a “criminal reference” to the Court of Appeal, to clarify the law under which the High Court made its decision to cut the jail terms of all six church leaders, said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in a statement on Monday (Apr 10).
The High Court had on Friday cut the jail terms of all six City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders after convicting them of reduced charges.
The six, including church founder and pastor Kong Hee were found guilty in 2015 of misappropriating S$50 million of church funds, and convicted of the most aggravated form of Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) under section 409 of the Penal Code.
However, in a split decision on Friday, the High Court convicted them of a reduced charge under section 406 of the Penal Code – the least aggravated form of CBT for which the punishment is up to seven years’ jail.
“Having carefully considered the written grounds, the prosecution is of the view that there are questions of law of public interest that have arisen out of the High Court’s decision, including and in particular, whether a director or a member of the governing body of a company or organisation who is entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property, is so entrusted in the way of his business as an agent for the purposes of section 409 of the Penal Code,” said the AGC in its statement.
It added: “The prosecution has accordingly filed a Criminal Reference today, to refer these questions of law to the Court of Appeal.
“If the Court of Appeal answers the questions referred in accordance with the prosecution’s submissions, the prosecution intends to request that the Court of Appeal exercises its powers under section 397(5) to reinstate the appellants’ original convictions under section 409 of the Penal Code and make necessary and consequential orders in relation to the sentences given.”
Law Minister K Shanmugam had said on Saturday that the AGC told the Government they were appealing, and gave their reasons for why the sentence was low. “And the Government believed that the original sentences were too low as well,” said Mr Shanmugam.
Kong Hee had his eight-year jail term cut to three-and-a-half years on Friday. Former fund manager Chew Eng Han had his six-year sentence lowered to three years and four months, while deputy pastor Tan Ye Peng had his original five-and-a-half-year sentence cut to three years and two months.
Former finance manager Serina Wee Gek Yin’s original five-year sentence was halved to two years and six months, and former finance committee member John Lam Leng Hung’s three-year sentence was similarly halved to one year and six months.
Former finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen had her 21-month jail sentence reduced to seven months.
Two doctors who attempted to climb a 200-foot tower holding a giant water tank at the National Hospital around 11.00 pm on Saturday were taken into custody by Maradana Police.
The suspects told police that they were lovers and hoping to enter into wedlock soon.
The male doctor is aged 33 years and his lover 29.
They were on their night shift at the hospital when they thought of climbing the water tank tower, according to their statement to police.
Their urge was to see the Colombo city at night, they have told Police.
The water tank tower is surrounded by a parapet wall and a security guard has been detailed round-the-clock to prevent unauthorised people entering it.
At the time the doctor couple attempted to climb the tower, the security guard was having his dinner.
He saw the silhouettes of two persons climbing the ladder leading to the top of the tank and stopped consuming his meals and rushed there.
He alerted the policemen at the hospital police post nearby.
Police arrived there and got the young couple to climb down.
They were later taken to the Maradana police station and under interrogation said their intention has been innocent.
The suspects had been taken the JMO Colombo and their blood and urine samples obtained, the police said.
Later they were released on police bail.
Further investigations are being conducted by Maradana Police under the instructions of OIC IP Sarath Perera.
Once hailed as the gem of the north, the Old Woodlands Town Centre boasted a bustling bus interchange, 24-hour eateries, a Shaw Brothers-owned cinema, and a huge department store.
They disappeared at different times: the bus interchange relocated in 1996, while the cinema ceased operations in the mid-2000s and has been vacant ever since.
Today, the town centre is a sleepy, old neighbourhood, drawing mainly nearby residents going about their daily shopping for necessities, and Malaysian workers, as the first populated centre past the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Two weeks ago, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced an extension of the checkpoint which would absorb the old town centre.
The upgrade is to meet growing traffic needs, while ensuring that immigration clearance remains secure, said the Singapore Land Authority in its joint statement with the ICA.
Two lots of private land – 268 and 270 Woodlands Centre Road – will be acquired for the extension, said the SLA.
In June 2012, the Housing Board announced that Blocks 1A to 6A of Woodlands Centre Road – located right smack in the old town centre – were bound for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers).
Residents of these six blocks, completed between 1980 and 1986, have already relocated, turning the town centre into a quiet, laidback area in the day.
Straits Times executive photojournalist Seah Kwang Peng explores the heart of the once-bustling border town.
This article was first published on Apr 10, 2017.
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