Nominated Member of Parliament Kok Heng Leun, who is the Artistic Director of theatre company Drama Box, went “On The Record” about convincing the Government to put the arts at the centre of education and policy-making.
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We need a wiser Singapore, not a reactionary one: NMP Kok Heng Leun
Customer service officer commended for foiling scams
Her job usually requires her help people to send and receive money overseas.
Yet within eight months,
Mrs Richelle Ang, a senior customer service officer at Western Union, has…
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TVB stars dish on their love lives
TVB and Astro recently launched a new package known as TVB Jade Pack, and engaged several TVB stars for the promotional activities in Malaysia. Star2.com took the opportunity to catch up with some gossip on some of our favourite TVB stars.
Benjamin Yuen, Tony Hung, and Grace Chan, were prodded by media to reveal their marriage plans.
While trying to assist his workmates Chan and Hung in evading media’s questions about their relationships, Yuen inadvertently revealed that he had been living with his girlfriend for quite some time.
The 35-year-old winner of Mr Hong Kong 2007 has been dating Jennifer Shum, 27, Miss Photogenic of the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, for two years and has said that she is his ideal marriage partner.
It was recently rumoured that Hung, 32, had proposed a live-in arrangement with his girlfriend Natalie Tong, 35, but she said no. When asked about the rumours, Hung admitted: “I hope to move towards this stage.” The two met on the set of 2014 TVB romantic drama Rear View Mirror, and reportedly started dating then.
The 24-year-old Chan reportedly started dating 46-year-old fellow TVB actor Kevin Cheng after they met on the set of TVB supernatural drama Blue Veins. Chan played coy and successfully evaded most of the questions about her relationship. But, the Hong Kong-born Canadian actress, and winner of both the 2013 Miss Hong Kong and the 2014 Miss Chinese International Pageant titles, shared that she is serious about her relationship with Cheng and wants to get married in Canada and raise her kids there.
Dubbed the Rumour Queen by gossip rags in Hong Kong, the 25-year-old Sisley Choi has been rumoured to be with a whole list of Hong Kong artistes: Him Law, Ruco Chan, Adrian Chau, Mak Chau Sing, Tony Hung, etc.
However, the first runner-up of the 2013 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, has refuted all the rumours. “All the rumours are just that; they are not real. I like making friends and I just hope to film more dramas,” said the former beauty queen who stars in four TVB drama series this year: Speed Of Life, Fashion War, Accident, Peculiar Taste.
Who knows how Wu Fung became known as Bowie Who? Not many people do. In fact, even the veteran entertainer himself did not. When asked about it, the 84-year-old Hong Kong star, whose real name is Wu Kai-Sau, confessed that he was just as perplexed as to the origins of the name.
“People used to asked me whether I had an English name. I would say yes, it’s Wu Fung. Then, someone told me that there were people who were saying that my name was Bowie. I tried to trace the origins, but couldn’t find the source. And it spread so fast that people from Singapore, Malaysia and America were all calling me Bowie. So, I had no choice but to go with it.”
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Football: Messi scare as Argentina down Honduras
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SAN JUAN, Argentina – Lionel Messi suffered an injury scare on Friday as Argentina defeated Honduras 1-0 in their only warm-up game before next month’s Copa America Centenario in the United States.
A first-half goal from in-form Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain settled a low-key encounter in San Juan, with two-time world champions Argentina dominating possession and shots.
But the result was overshadowed by an alarming incident involving Messi midway through the second half that forced the Barcelona superstar to leave the field clutching his lower back in pain.
The five-time FIFA World Player of the Year appeared to be hurt after a heavy aerial collision with Honduras substitute Carlos Discua in the 59th minute.
Messi grimaced and rubbed his lower back after the challenge and required treatment on the field for several minutes before being swiftly substituted for Ever Banega.
There was no immediate word on Messi’s condition following the game, which falls just over a week before Argentina open their Copa America Centenario campaign against Chile in Santa Clara on June 6.
The 28-year-old Argentina captain missed two months of last season’s club campaign for Barcelona after suffering a serious knee injury in September.
Earlier, Higuain’s goal in the 31st minute had settled the encounter for the hosts.
The striker produced a sublime Cruyff turn to wrongfoot defender Maynor Figueroa before lifting a delicate finish over goalkeeper Donis Escober.
Argentina had earlier threatened the Honduras goal when Messi played in Angel Di Maria only for the Paris Saint-Germain forward to shoot over the bar.
Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi also went close on 28 minutes, volleying just wide from Di Maria’s corner.
Higuain fired the Argentines ahead just after the half hour, and only a fine close-range save from Escober prevented Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo from making it 2-0 on 39 minutes, his shot from Erik Lamela’s pass parried away at the near post.
Identity of boy in Messi plastic bag jersey traced to Afghanistan
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Unanswered questions, uncertain future for Kranji farmers
62 farms in the northwest have to move out in a year, but say they do not have enough information about the location, size and cost of the new sites they will be relocated to.
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Justin Bieber hit with 'Sorry' copyright suit
NEW YORK – An indie pop singer has filed a copyright violation lawsuit against Justin Bieber, saying the superstar stole the distinctive vocal riff in his hit “Sorry” from her.
Casey Dienel – who performs under the stage name White Hinterland and has won acclaim in indie music circles – said she was entitled to “substantial” profits from Bieber’s song, saying the amount should be determined at a jury trial.
“Ring the Bell,” a track from White Hinterland’s third album “Baby,” released in early 2014, opens with a repeated four-note progression in her airy voice before synthesizers come in.
“Sorry,” from the Canadian celebrity singer’s album “Purpose,” which came out in November, is also built on a repeated vocal riff interspersed with a dance beat.
“An ordinary lay listener would instantly recognise the sample and similarity between the songs,” said the lawsuit filed this week in a federal court in Nashville.
The complaint alleges that the riff is so similar – moving from the notes of B-flat to C to E-flat to F – that Bieber’s team took “Ring the Bell” as a sample and distorted it electronically without her permission.
Dienel said she repeatedly tried to contact Bieber’s team to no response.
Bieber did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
The suit also names Bieber’s songwriters as defendants, including Skrillex, a leading electronic music producer.
Skrillex and Diplo, another prominent producer, helped Bieber craft a new tropical house sound for “Purpose,” the third top-selling album in the United States last year.
Some fans interpreted “Sorry” – with its refrain “Is it too late now to say I’m sorry?” – as the former child star’s apology of sorts for his past antics or a message to his ex-girlfriend, fellow singer Selena Gomez.
The 22-year-old has had a string of legal run-ins for incidents including throwing eggs at a neighbour’s house, driving under the influence of alcohol without a license and allegedly assaulting a photographer.
The number of copyright cases against major musicians has been growing in recent months.
Last year, a Los Angeles jury ordered pop stars Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pay more than US$7 million (S$9.7 million) to the estate of the late Marvin Gaye over their hit song “Blurred Lines.”
Dienel, who was raised in Massachusetts and lives in the indie rock capital of Portland, Oregon, was initially known for jazzy, piano-backed pop but has increasingly brought in electronic elements.
Bad boy Justin Bieber wins big at MTV Europe Music Awards
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Reuters, AFP
Billboard Music Awards 2016: What the stars wore
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AFP, Reuters
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Pakistanis hit back as clerics say men can 'lightly beat' wives
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani media and activists poured scorn Friday (May 27) on a suggestion from an Islamic religious body that men should be allowed to “lightly beat” their wives, made in their draft of a women’s protection bill.
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) released a draft of the bill on Thursday, their response to progressive legislation giving women greater rights and protection in the province of Punjab.
Local media quoted the draft as saying: “A husband should be allowed to lightly beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods.”
The proposal was met with a wave of mockery in the media and online Friday.
The country’s biggest and most influential newspaper, the English-language daily Dawn, published a satirical article with a list of things people could beat other than their wives – including eggs, the bottom of ketchup bottles, and the Michael Jackson hit Beat It.
The article was a rare example of the media mocking those claiming to speak in the name of religion in conservative Muslim Pakistan.
The draft was also slammed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which condemned its recommendations as “ridiculous” and called for the council of “zealots” to be disbanded.
“It is difficult to comprehend why anyone in his right mind would think that any further encouragement or justification is needed to invite violence upon women in Pakistan,” the HRCP stated.
Online in Pakistan, the bill was met with derision.
“This body should be dissolved, preferably in acid,” wrote one Twitter user, as others expressed bafflement and anger.
Women in conservative Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades, in a country where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.
But the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Bill redefines “violence” to include “any offence committed against a woman” including things like domestic or emotional abuse, stalking or cybercrimes.
The bill, which was passed in February, also provides for a universal toll free help line for the women, and establishes district protection centres and residential shelters under a phased programme.
It also allows courts to order a GPS tracker installed to monitor a defendant’s movements.
The CII, formed in 1962 to advise parliament on the compatibility of laws with Sharia, has previously spoken out against the bill.
The council’s recommendations are non-binding, and it has drawn widespread criticism in the past for other rulings – including in 2013, when it suggested making DNA inadmissible evidence in rape cases, instead calling for the revival of an Islamic law that makes it mandatory for a survivor to provide four witnesses to back their claims.
CII chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani emphasised to AFP that the bill is still being drafted.
“Islam does not allow violence against women,” he said.
“There may be a dispute between husband and wife but that is something separate from torturing wives.”
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Simulated heartland terror attack aims to prepare residents for emergencies
A “scenario drill” was conducted in the Chong Pang estate on Saturday as part of SG Secure’s neighbourhood programme.
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Johnny Depp ordered to stay away from wife over abuse claim: Court official
LOS ANGELES – Johnny Depp was hit with a restraining order on Friday after his wife appeared in court with a black eye and accused the Oscar-nominated star of assaulting her, an official told AFP.
Amber Heard, who filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Monday and is seeking spousal support from the 52-year-old Pirates Of The Caribbean star, says she is the victim of repeated attacks by Depp.
“The judge issued a restraining order against Depp,” the official told AFP, adding that Heard, 30, had shown up at LA’s superior court with a bruised face.
Heard submitted pictures to the court to support her claims of abuse and said she feared Depp might harm her.
“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me,” she said in a sworn statement.
She added that Depp has a “totally acknowledged public and private history of drug and alcohol abuse,” and that she was scared of his temper.
Amber Heard files for divorce from Johnny Depp after 15 months of marriage
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Reuters, AFP
TMZ published a picture showing Heard, with bruising around her right eye, reporting that the actress says it was taken shortly after Depp smashed his iPhone into her face on Saturday night.
“Heard claims after he allegedly hit her, he offered her money to stay quiet, but instead she filed for divorce first thing Monday morning,” TMZ reported.
It added, however, that Heard refused to file charges against her husband when police showed up at their residence on Saturday.
The website noted that Heard says she is facing an immediate threat of harm from Depp, even though the actor is in Europe promoting his new film Alice Through The Looking Glass, which was released on Friday.
The court order, which is in effect until June 17, bans Depp from coming within 100 yards (91m) of Heard.
Depp’s lawyer Laura Wasser denied requests for comment, while Heard’s attorney Samantha Spector was not immediately available.
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