Chris Evans first donned the stars and stripes in “Captain America: The First Avenger” in 2011.
Now, six years and five movies later (including two uncredited cameos), it would be hard to imagine anyone embodying the iconic Marvel role.
But fans might have to get used to the idea sooner, as the 35-year-old actor is reportedly hanging up his shield after the Marvel two-part Infinity War saga, set to be released in 2018 and 2019.
According to Esquire, Evans signed up for a six-film contract with Marvel for his role as the patriotic leader of the Avengers.
Currently, he has fulfilled four of those obligations, and has decided not to renew the contract and just finish the last two films.
In previous reports, Evans has discussed the possibility of retiring from the superhero role in the coming years “to explore other options.”
Although he has ventured to directing as well, Evans said that he is not retiring from acting and is simply looking at another direction for his career.
Meanwhile, the Infinity War saga looks to be the biggest Marvel movie yet, and promises to alter the landscape of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
In the comics, the role of Captain America has been donned by multiple characters, including Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who were both introduced in the MCU.
A controversial new casino alleged to be sited on overlapping territory between Thailand and Cambodia is actually located in Cambodia, 300 metres from the Thai border, and not in Ta Phraya National Park, the chief of the National Parks Department said on Monday.
Thanya Netithammakul was responding to an allegation made on Facebook by anti-corruption activist Veera Somkwamkid, who claimed that the new casino was located in an overlapping area and may be sited in the national park.
Veera questioned why the military government had allowed this to happen, and suspected that the previous post that he made on the same issue had led to a warrant being issued for his arrest over a week ago for violation of the Computer Crime Act.
The casino is reported to be situated close to the Sai Takoo border checkpoint in Buri Ram province, in which former politician Newin Chidchob, who is now a football-club sponsor, is known to be influential.
Newin filed a complaint to the police seeking that Veera be charged for posts that he claimed had also implicated him of involvement with the casino, Nation TV reported.
In his latest post yesterday, Veera did not mention Newin, but referred to some close aids to Cambodian leaders.
He also alleged that the National Parks Department had being negligent in carrying out its duty.
This resulted in the agency undertaking an examination of the official map of the national park map to prove that the casino was not located within the park, followed by Thanya’s prompt denial of Veera’s allegation.
At least a hundred monkeys climbed down a hill to cool off in a pool of water at Wat Tham Sue in Krabi on Sunday.
Krabi has not seen rain for about two months and this particular area has experienced a severe rise in temperature.
“The monkeys climbed down into the pool, close to where tourists had come down for refreshments. Everyone was delighted to be able to enjoy a surprise appearance by the ‘guests’,” Jamras Sornsuvann, the temple keeper, told the Phuket Gazette.
The monkeys playfully splashed around in the water and smiled at tourists as they took pictures.
Jamras warned people to be careful, adding that monkeys become aggressive in hot weather and could end up biting someone.
“Do not feed them, as they are naturally able to procure food for themselves,” he warned.
He also noted that tourists should only take photos, and not touch, play with or provoke the monkeys in any way.
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SINGAPORE: Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) will open its new Integrated Care Hub (ICH) in 2022, it said on Tuesday (Mar 21).
The 500-bed community hospital, which held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, will offer a full range of rehabilitation care facilities to help prepare patients for their return home, TTSH said in a news release.
A sky bridge will connect ICH to the main TTSH building so patients can be easily moved between facilities, the hospital added.
Design of a therapy gym at ICH. (Image: TTSH)
Rehabilitation services by TTSH are currently housed at the Ang Mo Kio – Thye Hua Kwan Hospital.
ICH will also provide sub-acute care, which supports a patient’s recovery phase from an acute illness or injury that no longer requires specialist oversight.
For more coordinated palliative services, Dover Park Hospice will also move to ICH. The hospice will provide round-the-clock medical, nursing and psychosocial care, TTSH said.
Artist’s impression of the Dover Park Hospice in the ICH. (Image: TTSH)
The ICH is part of the 17-hectare HealthCity Novena healthcare complex, which is due to be completed in 2030. Its master plan was first announced by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in 2013.
The complex also houses the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and Ng Teng Fong Centre Centre for Healthcare Innovation, which held its topping-out ceremony on Tuesday. Both centres will open in two years’ time.
Speaking at the ground-breaking event for ICH, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said the National Centre for Infectious Diseases will replace the century-old Communicable Disease Centre on Moulmein Road.
The new centre will integrate multiple functions, from public health surveillance to clinical disease management and training of healthcare professionals, Dr Khor said, adding that the facility is an important investment to prevent and manage infectious disease outbreaks.
The construction of a future Jewel at Changi has reached the halfway mark, putting the airport on track to build an icon that aims to make Singapore a more attractive air hub and destination.
When completed, Jewel Changi Airport will glitter with more than 9,600 pieces of glass, specially made in the United States, that will frame its facade.
At the site, in front of Terminal 1, work was in full swing when The Straits Times visited last week – the first exclusive preview since construction started in 2014.
The facade and works inside will be completed by the fourth quarter of next year, in time for an early 2019 opening, said project head Ashith Alva. The five-storey, mainly commercial development with five basement floors will house about 300 shops and food and beverage outlets.
Highlights include a 40m indoor waterfall and a five-storey garden with about 2,500 trees and 100,000 shrubs from countries including Brazil, Australia, Thailand and the US.
Directly connected to T1, Jewel will be linked to the other two terminals via air-conditioned bridges with travelators.
At $1.7 billion, the project is a considerable investment for Changi Airport Group, which owns 51 per cent of Jewel Changi Airport Development, with the remaining stake held by CapitaLand Mall Asia.
The airport, however, sees it as a necessary cost to stay ahead in the race for premier air hub status.
Ms Hung Jean, chief executive of Jewel Changi Airport Development, said: “A key vision for Jewel is to be a world-class lifestyle destination that will be a game changer for Changi Airport amid intensifying competition on the global airport landscape.”
This will “significantly augment Changi Airport’s status as a leading international air hub, drawing international travellers to Changi Airport and Singapore”, she said.
While the jury is still out on whether Jewel will make Singapore a more attractive destination for visitors, or lure travellers who would otherwise have connected at other airports, experts agree it will please those who do come.
Singapore Management University’s Assistant Professor Terence Fan, who specialises in transport issues, said Jewel should appeal to a growing number of transit travellers, who account for about a third of Changi’s total traffic.
He said: “Passengers with two hours or less between flights would normally stay within the sterile zone close to boarding gates while those with longer layovers, like more than 10 hours, are more likely to unwind and rest in a hotel.
“For those in between, the hassle of going into town may not be worth it, but they can also do some serious shopping and walking around.
“Jewel would be great to cater to this group of travellers, especially the elderly and those with young children who may not be so inclined to take a cab and walk about outside of a temperature-controlled environment.”
It is important for an airport to set itself apart from its rivals and this is what Jewel aims to do, said Mr Ramanathan Mohandas, head of the diploma programme in aviation management at Republic Polytechnic.
“This investment in infrastructure and facilities is to offer a distinctive experience to the travelling public, which will help Changi stay ahead of the competition,” he said.
A team of Chinese scientists in Chongqing have developed a method to match a blood type within two minutes, according to a paper published in an international medical journal.
Blood typing is important for pregnancies, transfusions and transplants, but at hospitals the process takes about half an hour using centrifugal machines.
Nanomedicine researchers at the Southwest Hospital affiliated with the Third Military Medical University said that they have designed a dye-assisted paper-based procedure that is not only quicker, but also more cost effective.
The procedure could be suitable for use in emergencies and resource-limited areas, according to the findings, which were published by Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday.
Zhang Hong, who led the study, said her team discovered a blood test based on a colour change that occurs when a common pH indicator dye reacts with blood, which can be seen with the naked eye.
According to the study, the new strategy is founded on the ability of human serum albumin – the most common protein in blood – to react with the yellow monoanionic dye bromocresol green. How it reacts with the dye allows doctors to know which blood type a person has.
The tests can also determine whether someone is Rh positive or negative, and if they have a rare blood type.
During the study, which began back in 2014, researchers tested 3,550 human blood samples to validate the robustness of the procedure.
“We’re now going to spend one or two years conducting clinical tests, increasing the number of samples and accuracy,” Zhang said, adding that the accuracy of the lab tests is 99.95 per cent, and the plan is to improve that to 99.98 per cent.
At the same time, the team is in discussions with Chinese biochemical companies over adapting the method for low-cost production.
“It’s estimated that the blood testing method will be at least 40 per cent cheaper than the current technology,” she said. “Hopefully it will be on the market in three years.”
Once the home of works by local and international artists alike, the MAD Museum of Art and Design in Tanglin Road abruptly shut its doors earlier this month, The Straits Times has learnt.
When ST visited the museum yesterday, a notice by the High Court was on display at the entrance, stating that nothing on the premises could be removed without the permission of the court.
An accompanying court order said landlord Nouveau Developer sought to recover over $1.7 million in rental owed. No closure announcement was made on the museum’s website or its Facebook page, which had posted as recently as March 11.
A spokesman for Hong Leong Group, of which Nouveau Developer is a subsidiary, said in response to queries that a Writ of Distress was executed by the Court Sheriff on Feb 28.
“The museum has been owing rent from April 2016 to February 2017 despite numerous reminders to pay. We are taking legal advice on this matter,” said the spokesman.
Ms Jasmine Tay (above), seen here in a 2015 photo, founded the museum in 2009.Photo: The Straits Times
Founded in 2009 by former owner and curator Jasmine Tay as a space to make art and design accessible to everyone, the MAD museum moved from Mandarin Gallery to a space six times larger in Tanglin Road in 2014.
The 19,000 sq ft gallery features a cafe, cigar bar and shop, and has housed works by artists such as Ai Weiwei and The Haas Brothers.
The MAD Museum of Art and Design was shut when ST visited yesterday.Photo: The Straits Times
Ms Tay got her start as a gallery assistant before setting up Jasmine Fine Arts in 1993, specialising in Chinese contemporary art and representing artists such as Luo Zhongli and Zeng Fanzhi.
But she has run into financial trouble in recent years, and was made a bankrupt in November 2015 by one of her creditors.
According to Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) records, Mr Mohamad Fandy Saaid was appointed director of the museum as well as its sales arm, MAD Art and Design, thereafter.
Ms Tay remains only as a shareholder of the museum, according to the records.
A lawyer from Salem Ibrahim LLC, representing the museum, said Ms Tay was not involved with the company or current proceedings.
Previous payment negotiations between the museum and landlord were unsuccessful, and the museum ceased operations in the first week of this month, the lawyer said.
All employees have been paid their outstanding salaries, and the museum is looking for another location to move to, she added.
Actor Andrew Seow, who left a five-star review on the museum’s Facebook page last month, expressed sadness about the museum’s closure.
“It’s a great place dedicated to art and art lovers that prioritises passion over profit. If they decide to relocate, I will most certainly support them again,” he said.
This article was first published on Mar 21, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
<p>Once the home of works by local and international artists alike, the MAD Museum of Art and Design in Tanglin Road abruptly shut its doors earlier this month, The Straits Times has learnt.</p>
The choreography is styled after the “Koi Dance”, an emerging dance craze from popular J-drama, “We married as a job”, which swept across Japan last December. According to Rocketnews, the dance was so popular that it toppled the viral “Pen-pineapple-pen” sensation.
Tachiflower fronts the camera with two young dancers keeping pace with her as she busts out the kawaii-hitting moves in a kimono.
The video, titled No Rice No Life, is promoted by Japan’s National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations to get the younger generation interested in keeping traditional dining cuisines alive.
SINGAPORE: The latest video to set the Internet clucking – a giant rooster of the Brahma breed.
The massive chicken with impressive white plumage and black tail feathers steps out of a chicken coop and struts around a yard authoritatively in a Facebook video that has gone viral.
It was first posted on March 17 on a Facebook page for chicken enthusiasts called Shpeztaria Dekorative by Facebook user Fitim Sejfijaj.
Reposted on The Press of World Facebook page on Sunday, the 1min video reached more than 72 million views by Monday afternoon, and about two million Facebook users have shared it.
A few netizens suggested that the chicken was a “man in a suit” and others asked if the video was an optical illusion.
It’s not clear how big or tall the chicken in the video is.
While their name is Indian in origin, Brahma chickens are most likely descended from the Chinese Shanghai which also have feathered feet, according to poultrykeeper.com.
These were imported to the United States in the 1840s, and the Brahma was recognised as a breed by the American Poultry Association since 1874.
A rooster can weigh more than 5kg, and a hen more than 4kg on average, although there have been records of Brahmas reaching 8kg.
One Brahma bird in Essex,Britain, that was was vying for the title of world’s tallest cockerel, stood at 26 inches or 66cm, and was not yet full height, reports said.
They are said to be “gentle giants” and called “the king of chickens”.
The Brahma is not the only large chicken breed around, others include the Jersey Giant, Cochin and Cornish Game.
