Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took to Facebook today and posted a fun photo of himself and fellow ministers in a mid-air jump.

Singapore celebrates Youth Day today with a school holiday for secondary and tertiary students tomorrow. His post was done in celebration of it.

PM Lee said: “Happy Youth Day to all the young and young at heart!

“Your dreams today can become your passions tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because that’s the beauty of being young. You can experiment, try things out, and discover what you can be. The future often looks daunting, but go forth and create your own!”

PM Lee said the photo was taken in Moscow on a trip earlier this year. In the photo with him are Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching, Minister Grace Fu and Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo.

With such a good attempt at a mid-air jump shot, PM Lee asked Facebook users to share their own shots, which, of course, many did.

This weekend also saw the SHINE Festival take place along the Orchard Road stretch between ION Orchard and *SCAPE.

The festival is an annual youth-oriented event presented by the National Youth Council.

The three-day event, on till 10pm tonight (July 3), provides youth with a platform to celebrate their passion and talent, as well as a chance to be mentored by industry professionals.

This year’s theme, “Your Next Stage”, encourages youth to take risks and come out of their comfort zone – echoing PM Lee’s wishes to youths today.

Shine Festival 2016

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The Straits Times

spanaech@sph.com.sg

A new cancer treatment being tested for the first time in the world in Singapore could bring hope to women suffering from tough-to-treat breast cancer.

Such women include Madam Goh, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 at the age of 39. After initial treatment, she led a normal life until 2011, when the cancer returned with a vengeance. It had spread to the rest of her body, including her liver and lungs.

Her oncologists at the National Cancer Centre tried one treatment after another to stop it but with little success. Last year, having run out of options, they referred her to the National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS) as they knew of an ongoing trial there.

In the trial, doctors use the body’s natural killer cells (NK cells) to stop the progression of late-stage breast cancer.

Madam Goh underwent treatment between Septemberlast year and March. The 56-year-old mother of two, who declined to give her full name, said: “My appetite has returned and I feel like a normal person now.”

NK cells have been used for some time to fight cancer, but usually for liquid cancers such as leukaemia.

The trial was the first attempt to use them in patients in the terminal stages of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) breast cancer, which accounts for about one in four breast cancers here.

The results of the clinical trial at NCIS were presented at one of the top cancer meetings in the United States last month.

Dr Lee Soo Chin, a senior oncologist researcher at NCIS and the principal investigator in the trial, said there is now a follow-up trial using higher levels of NK cells. It is hoped that this could lead to longer progression-free survival.

If all goes well, the treatment could go into clinical practice for early stage HER-2 patients who face a high risk of the cancer recurring.

NK cells are part of a body’s immune system but, in cancer patients, the level of NK cells is usually low. The trial took the NK cells out of the patients’ blood, multiplied the numbers by about 350 times in a cell culture, made them more potent through a patented process, then put them back in the body.

Patients were also given Herceptin, a very potent standard drug to treat HER-2 breast cancer. Besides killing cancer cells, this drug increases NK cells’ ability to fight the cancer. That is why the trial is meant for only this kind of breast cancer.

The whole treatment costs about $50,000.

All of the trial’s 14 patients, such as Madam Goh, had exhausted all available treatments, with one having undergone 13 different treatments.

The first three patients were given one million NK cells per kg of their weight. When it was found to be safe, the next 11 were given the target 10 million NK cells per kg.

Dr Lee said the median progression-free period of 6.3 months is very good as most other treatments keep the cancer at bay for two months or less. The longest progression-free survival so far is nine months.

She has started two patients on a dose of 50 million NK cells per kg of body weight, with plans to double that dose in the hope that higher doses could lead to longer survival. The treatment is well tolerated, and patients enjoy a good quality of life.

This has been the case for Madam Goh. She has been travelling, going to Bangkok and China, and is now planning a trip to India.

This article was first published on Jul 03, 2016.
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Bewildered – that was how an OCBC Bank relationship manager described his reaction when Yang Yin asked for $600,000 in $10,000 bills as collateral to purportedly open an art gallery in Hong Kong.

Yet the most eye-catching piece of evidence presented in court yesterday as the trial began to decide whether the former China tour guide misappropriated $1.1 million from a rich, elderly woman, was a Chinese painting that was folded repeatedly and found stuffed in an envelope in a piece of luggage.

Yang claims he bought the painting for the elderly woman, Madam Chung Khin Chun, for $500,000. But the prosecution said such a claim only shows that the 42-year-old was lying. The day’s hearing, however, was cut short after Yang’s lawyer said his client had been breaking out in a “cold sweat” and was not feeling well.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets turns ugly

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The Straits Times, Madam Hedy Mok, Lianhe Wanbao, Madam Chang Phie Chin

Nearly two years after Yang’s involvement with wealthy widow Madam Chung was first reported in this paper, he faced the court yesterday to fight criminal breach of trust charges involving $1.1 million.

In May, he pleaded guilty to 120 charges, including offences involving his permanent residency and falsification of receipts which gave the impression he was running a legitimate business here. He is also being sued by Madam Chung’s niece for allegedly manipulating her aunt into handing over her assets, worth an estimated $40 million.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sanjiv Vaswani told the court yesterday that Yang’s claim that he withdrew $600,000 in 2012 to register a business in Hong Kong stood in “stark contrast” to documents filed in the civil suit, in which he stated it was used to purchase six paintings. The prosecution also said the withdrawal came after Yang had liquidated over $1.3 million worth of Madam Chung’s unit trust investments.

See also: Ex-China tour guide claims trial to charges that he stole$1.1m from widow

Mr Ngoh Boon Leong, who was Yang’s OCBC Bank relationship manager at that time, testified yesterday: “My understanding of opening business entities is that they don’t normally require cash as collateral, plus the amount was indeed a bit too big, even if it’s for this reason.”

Also taking the stand was Assistant Superintendent Yow Kien Seng. He described how during a raid in September 2014 at a Fernvale Link flat, where Yang was staying at the time, a painting was found in his luggage.Yang said the painting by Chinese master Xu Beihong, called “Yin Ma Tu” or Horse Drinking Water, was bought for $500,000 on Madam Chung’s behalf.

But according to the agreed statement of facts, the sum of $500,000 was transferred several times between Madam Chung’s and Yang’s accounts before it was finally deposited into Yang’s father’s Bank of China account in 2010.

Yang’s lawyer Irving Choh, however, said the painting belonged to Madam Chung, and she had asked Yang to get it authenticated.

Madam Chung’s long-time friend, Madam Chang Phie Chin, also testified yesterday. The 86-year- old, who used to live with Madam Chung, described how Yang and Madam Chung had kept in touch even after a trip to Beijing in 2008. Both women went together, and Yang was their tour guide.

A year later, he moved in to live with the widow in her Gerald Crescent bungalow. Some time later, Yang told Madam Chung, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2014, that he had to fire her long-time driver, as he had tried to strangle him. But Madam Chang said neither she nor Madam Chung saw it happen.

Appearing in a purple jumpsuit with his feet shackled, Yang, who is in remand since October 2014, showed little expression at the hearing. During Madam Chang’s testimony, he was seen leaning against the side of the dock. Asked if he was well enough to continue, his lawyer said no. The trial continues on Monday.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets: A look at Madam Chung’s bungalow

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The Straits Times, Raymond Tan

This article was first published on July 2, 2016.
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For one month each year, the usually empty void deck of Block 724 in Jurong West Street 72 is transformed.

Its pillars are draped with cloth, the floors are covered with carpets, and the space is lit up with overhead lights.

Every Ramadan, this void deck functions as a pop-up prayer area.

For the past 20 years, a group of six residents have turned this public space into a temporary surau (Malay for prayer hall).

Their leader, Mr Yusoff Subri Abdul Ghafoor, tells The New Paper on Sunday: “This place is more than just an area for us to pray, it represents how during this holy month, we as a community can come together to take stock and be devoted to our religion.”

Muslim residents in the area gather at the surau every night to perform the special terawih prayers, which are unique to the fasting month.

Terawih can be done individually, but devotees are encouraged to perform them in large groups.

According to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s website, there are more than 40 such makeshift prayer areas here in void decks and multipurpose halls.

Mr Yusoff Subri says these prayer areas are especially helpful to those who do not live near mosques.

The surau at Block 724 can accommodate about 200 people.

SPECIAL

“Terawih are special, and it is a shame if those who are ill or old cannot perform them with others because they cannot travel,” he says.

“Since mosques are hard to get to for them, we bring the prayer areas to the people here.”

The surau has a permit from the town council to conduct these sessions till 10.30pm every night for the whole month of Ramadan.

But the space is used for more than just prayers.

The residents also use it to distribute food, drink tea and have communal meals.

The surau will also be used for Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers on Wednesday morning.

After that, while most Muslims will be visiting and celebrating, Mr Yusoff Subri and his committee will be packing up because the surau has to be cleared by the next day.

His son, Mr Muhammad Ashraf, who is part of the organising committee, will be helping out.

The 24-year-old facilities manager, who has been praying there almost every night during Ramadan since he was four, does not mind it at all.

He says: “It is important to have this sense of continuity that people can depend on, I am happy to share the reins with my father.”

Taking prayer to the people

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The New Paper

This article was first published on July 03, 2016.
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