Daily roundup: Chicken Supremo owners retiring after 34 years, hawker stall to continue under new owner — and other top stories today, World News
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.
1. Chicken Supremo owners retiring after 34 years, hawker stall to continue under new owner
Fans of Chicken Supremo were hit with a wave of mixed emotions after recent news that the popular Western hawker stall in Jurong would be closing down... » READ MORE
2. 'You're not getting rid of me that easily': WP's Harpreet Singh says Punggol team will continue groundwork
The Workers' Party (WP) Punggol team will continue their groundwork and outreach initiatives, Harpreet Singh Nehal said in a Facebook post on Friday (May 9)... » READ MORE
3. Swensen's wedding? Restaurant's buffet concept to open in the west with space for large-scale event hosting
Ever envisioned yourself getting married in Swensen's because of nostalgia? Well, now you can... » READ MORE
4. Britney Spears sparks concern after baring chest in deleted video
Britney Spears has caused fresh fears by posting and quickly deleting a raunchy new social media video... » READ MORE
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Actor Jared Leto accused of sexual misconduct by nine women
Though Jared Leto's representative has 'expressly denied' the allegations, the actor-musician has yet to respond to them. PHOTO: AFP American actor and musician Jared Leto, who starred in films such as The Suicide Squad (2016) and House Of Gucci (2021), has been accused of sexual assault by nine women as young as 16 at the time of the alleged incidents. These accusations stretch over two decades, in which Leto, 53, is said to have continued to engage with the women. The accusations resurfaced when Los Angeles-based DJ Allie Teilz, 30, reposted one of her Facebook posts from 2012, in which she alleged that Leto had assaulted her when she was 17. She wrote: 'You're not really in Los Angeles until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… I was assaulted and traumatised by this creep when I was 17.' She described his actions as 'predatory, terrifying and unacceptable', as Leto 'knew her age', but claimed he 'did not care'. A second anonymous victim alleged that Leto approached her at a cafe in Los Angeles in 2006 when she was 16, according to a report by US-based newsletter Air Mail. Leto was said to have struck up a 'quick conversation' with the girl and got her number. According to the woman, their late-night conversations 'turned sexual'. Former model Laura La Rue, 33, also claimed that Leto had 'flirted' with her and 'teased' her when he invited her to his Los Angeles home after they had met at an animal rights benefit when she was 16. During a separate visit, Leto walked out of a room completely naked in front of her, claimed La Rue, who was 17 at that time. 'He just walked out... like it was normal… I thought maybe this was just what adult men do,' La Rue told Air Mail. Leto's representative denied La Rue's claims, stating: 'Their communications contain nothing sexual or inappropriate and Ms La Rue later applied to work as Mr Leto's personal assistant, further underscoring the absence of anything inappropriate in any of their interactions.' Though Leto's representative has 'expressly denied' the allegations, the actor has yet to respond to them. Leto, who made his acting debut in the television series Camp Wilder in 1992, won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for playing a transgender woman in the biographical drama Dallas Buyers Club (2013). In 2024, he performed at the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix as the lead singer of rock band Thirty Seconds To Mars, which he co-founded with his brother Shannon Leto in 1998. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
a day ago
- AsiaOne
Jared Leto facing allegations from 9 women of inappropriate behaviour, Entertainment News
Jared Leto is facing allegations from nine women of inappropriate behaviour, including with a teenage girl. The frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars and star of films including House of Gucci and Suicide Squad, 53, is alleged to have inflicted the behaviour on them over the course of nearly two decades, and the accusations involve women who say they were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents. According to an expose published by Air Mail, the claims, which have apparently circulated in Hollywood for years, have now been brought into the open, with one woman stating to the outlet: "It's been an open secret for a long time." The accusations came to light after Los Angeles-based DJ Allie Teilz, 30, re-shared a 2012 Facebook post on her Instagram Stories, in which she alleged Jared assaulted her when she was 17. She claimed: "You're not really in LA until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… in a kilt… And a snow hat. "I was assaulted and traumatised by this creep when I was 17." She further alleged Jared "knew" her age but "didn't care", describing his actions as "predatory, terrifying and unacceptable". A second woman, who remained anonymous, told Air Mail Jared approached her in 2006 when she was 16 at Urth Caffe in Los Angeles. She said: "I looked down and it was Jared Leto. We had a quick conversation, and he got my number." She claimed the actor called her days later, adding: "I don't know if he was on drugs or what… it was the weirdest, grossest voice… (but) for me, it's Jared, you know?" The woman alleged their late-night conversations "turned sexual", and claimed Leto asked: "Have you ever had a boyfriend? Have you ever sucked a d***?" Model Laura La Rue, 33, also alleged she met Leto in 2008 when she was 16 and he was 36, at a Yes! on Prop Two animal rights benefit. She said: "He asked how old I was. I said, 'I'm 16. How old are you?'" La Rue claimed Jared still asked for her number despite knowing her age, and later invited her to his Los Angeles home, where he was "flirting" and "teasing (her) the whole time (she) was there." [[nid:717248]] Jared's representative denied La Rue's and the other accounts to Air Mail, stating: "Their communications contain nothing sexual or inappropriate and Ms La Rue later applied to work as Mr Leto's personal assistant, further underscoring the absence of anything inappropriate in any of their interactions." La Rue denied applying for such a role. More females made accusations against Jared to Air Mail, while sources also described parties at his Los Angeles home with a ratio of 60 "very young women to four or five men", where guests were allegedly encouraged to skinny dip. Jared's publicist said the actor "has not had a drink or used drugs in over 35 years".
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
From 'playgrounds' to 'playscapes': Punggol sees new play areas with giant pencils, kinetic bugs and a 'crocodile', Lifestyle News
SINGAPORE - "Playgrounds" are becoming dynamic urban "playscapes" with three new installations along the scenic Punggol Waterway. No longer just comprising utilitarian play equipment, these outdoor play areas also include larger-than-life totems of pencils, an Instagram-worthy crocodile structure and a kinetic flora and fauna installation. These were the winning designs of the inaugural Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Play@Punggol design competition held in 2023. Unveiled in March along the 4.2km Punggol Waterway, the three installations are Flora and Fauna Kinetics Playscape at the promenade near the upcoming Punggol Regional Sports Centre; Pencils by the Water at the promenade adjacent to Waterway Point; and Wow, A Crocodile! near Adventure Bridge. When Singaporean product designer Raul Vlajic first glimpsed the Flora and Fauna Kinetics Playscape by day, he was struck by how the installation's design of butterflies and dragonflies invited passers-by to join in the fun. The interactivity "keeps to the essence of what a playground should be, and gives movement through the kinetic butterfly and dragonfly features", says the 25-year-old Hougang resident. He often takes a 45-minute bicycle ride through the Punggol Park Connector to Punggol Waterway to view the installation. "There are also light elements, which made me go again at night to see how the lights interact with the surroundings. This was a whole new experience - it not only provided ambient lights to interact with the play space, but also added a fun after-dark element." Singapore's public play spaces have evolved from concrete structures in sand pits since the 1970s to narrative-driven neighbourhood landmarks in the 2010s, through collaborative efforts. According to OpenStreetMap, a free, open-source collaborative mapping platform, there are at least 1,400 playgrounds in Singapore, with about 70 per cent of play areas located in HDB precincts. HDB has also pioneered placemaking - creating public spaces that are vibrant, meaningful and enjoyable for the community - through playgrounds that weave local lore. This can be seen in iconic designs such as Toa Payoh's dragon playground - a terrazzo-clad symbol of communal identity - and Tampines' fruit-themed structures, which pay homage to the precinct's agricultural past. Together, URA and HDB have shifted towards immersive experiences in playscapes that also serve as social anchors for different communities in Singapore. Vibrant public spaces are key ingredients of a happy, healthy city as they anchor a community's sense of place, support social bonding, and promote wellness and active lifestyles, says Yap Lay Bee, URA's group director of architecture and urban design. Its Play@Punggol initiative allows Singapore-based designers to contribute to enhancing public spaces in the waterfront town through creative installations that showcase its identity, history and environment, while also introducing elements of fun and interaction for residents and visitors. The three winning designs were chosen by a jury, comprising representatives from government agencies, academia and the design community. They looked at 81 submissions and selected the winners based on their potential to activate spaces and engage the community, as well as the buildability of their designs. The winning teams walked away with $12,000 each as prize money, while seven runners-up got $2,000 each. The design competition - organised by URA and supported by the National Parks Board, JTC Corporation and the Singapore Institute of Architects - is among a series of initiatives that involve the built environment industry in co-creating more enjoyable spaces for the public around the island. URA will continue to partner architects and designers to enhance public spaces for a more vibrant Singapore, and will reveal more details when ready, Yap adds. "We are heartened by the responses to these vibrant gathering nodes, with users sharing that the installations are inclusive, educational and photo-worthy landmarks." The Straits Times showcases the three winning designs, as well as five other playscapes around Singapore that draw not only children but adults as well. Winning playscapes 1. Flora and Fauna Kinetics Playscape The playscape at the promenade near the upcoming Punggol Regional Sports Centre (RSC) comes alive through kinetic elements that engage the senses, featuring outsized and stylised bees, dragonflies and butterflies. Wind chimes respond to the breeze, creating soothing natural sounds. By day, sunlight passing through colourful plexiglass wings and leaf motifs casts vibrant patterns on the ground, adding a playful visual element. Swing-like seats offer gentle movement and a space to rest, blending sensory play with moments of calm. By night, children can turn hand cranks that activate LED light strips, lighting up and spinning the wings of the sculptures of a butterfly and dragonfly for a dazzling effect. The kinetic play design by landscape architecture firm Land Design One embraces the flora and fauna of Punggol's landscape, inviting residents to immerse themselves in an alternate natural world. The design had three main sources of inspiration, says Isabel Bautista, 27, a Singapore-based multidisciplinary designer with a flair for creating immersive, unforgettable experiences. First, the sparse biodiversity at the location was a challenge for the team to create a vibrant ecological focal point. Second, the upcoming Punggol Regional Sports Centre link bridge that connects to Punggol's Heritage Trail provided an opportunity for the team to envision the installation as a transitional landmark - a whimsical threshold between the modern amenities of the RSC and the rich cultural layers of the heritage trail. Third, "crafted linear, vertical forms that mirror the site's existing canvas framework, ensuring the design feels right at home in its surroundings", says Bautista, who has a diploma in architecture from Singapore Polytechnic and a bachelor of arts in product design from Lasalle College of the Arts. She worked with a team of designers from Land Design One that included Kathleen Lacsina, Brian Baker and Neal Samac. An integral part of the project was in developing a good working relationship with fabricators, which allowed the team to refine every detail through close collaboration. To enhance the sensory experience, the team conducted a series of colour and material workshops focused on the insect and leaf modules. After multiple sessions, they selected translucent acrylics and dichroic films, prototyping light interactions to achieve vibrant ground-level colour reflections. Dichroic films are specialised films that exhibit colour-shifting or iridescent effects. "This project resonates deeply. Growing up in a family of architects and landscape architects, parks were where my siblings, cousins and myself bonded and made lifelong 'park friends'," recalls Bautista. "Post-pandemic, creating spaces for such connections feels especially vital and I hope to give today's children those irreplaceable memories." 2. Pencils by the Water Twelve giant colour pencils are lined up in a grid near the promenade adjacent to Waterway Point, an idyllic spot for residents of Punggol as well as visitors to gather, snap photos or take in the waterfront sights. Inspired by the simple writing tool, the installation reflects the carefree joy of drawing and doodling. There are also chalkboards built into the structures that allow residents of all ages to draw on them and unleash their creative impulses. Pencils by the Water is the brainchild of DP Green's landscape architect Poornima Bargotra. DP Green is a specialist arm of the DP Architects group, focusing on landscape architecture and arboriculture consulting. Together with colleague and fellow landscape architect Thun Kongsub and director Yvonne Tan, Bargotra worked with URA's design brief, which called for repurposing 12 salvaged logs. The team worked closely with URA and playground equipment contractor Swan-Li (Singapore) to transform design sketches into something safe, sturdy and full of character. Although the team wanted to retain each log as a whole piece, they had to think of workarounds that included designing it in modular parts for on-site assembly, as transporting the full log as a single piece posed a logistical challenge. This modularity allowed the integration of features such as information panels and chalkboards. "We wanted to use the logs in their purest form possible," says Bargotra, 33. The installation reimagines the nostalgic 12-colour-pencil set as oversized elements for children and adults to interact with. "I grew up in Chennai, where daily life naturally flows into and on the streets. From shaded corners to open spaces, the bustle of life can be found within these places, creating a strong sense of community and connection to place," she says. That early connection to people and places shaped how she thinks about public spaces. Since moving to Singapore more than a decade ago, she has been inspired by how the city incorporates nature into daily life in ways that are harmonious and natural. Her teammate Thun, 36, a Thai national who has lived in Singapore since 2011, adds that the pencil is also a strong metaphor for the notion of potential, resonating with a young, evolving Punggol town. "Just like a blank page waiting to be filled, this space invites the community to 'pencil in' its own future," he says. He has a strong personal connection to Punggol, having spent nearly a decade working on projects in the area, including One Punggol and Punggol Green, both located near the installation site. "Good design can be transformative, not just visually, but also in shaping the everyday lives and well-being of the community. That's a big part of why we chose to participate in this campaign organised by URA." Since being installed in 2025, Pencils by the Water has become a visual landmark, say Bargotra and Thun, who have returned to the site several times while working on other landscape design projects in the vicinity. Punggol resident Tiffany Chin, who works in hospitality, says the installation is a refreshing and inspiring space for the community. "I love how it blends creativity, sustainability and play so seamlessly," says the 40-year-old mother of two children. "My kids are always excited to visit. It's more than just art - it's part of our everyday lives now. I really hope to see more installations like this across Punggol, as they make our neighbourhood feel alive, thoughtful and full of possibility." 3. Wow, A Crocodile! Drawing inspiration from crocodiles that once inhabited the Punggol region, the installation captures the moment a crocodile emerges from the water. Conceived as both a sculptural landmark and an interactive experience, the installation invites visitors of all ages to explore its cavernous interior, snap Insta-worthy wefies and engage in playful discovery along the sandy banks. Designer Jovan Tong, also from Land Design One, says that, together with his team, their research pointed to mangrove swamps near Alligator Shoal, an area off Punggol's coast. In the 1960s, when Punggol was still largely a kampung settlement, there was a sighting of a 7m-long crocodile that terrorised villagers, a story that fired the public imagination at the time. "We wanted to bring this forgotten tale back to life in a way that's playful and approachable, especially for children," says Tong, 27, who worked on the design with Kathleen Lacsina, Choong Yu Huan, Brian Baker and Neal Samac, all designers at the same firm. Land Design One, which is based in Singapore and Manila, works on design projects across the Asia-Pacific region. "The crocodile's open mouth was conceived as a bold, symbolic form capturing the moment just before it pounces - and frozen in time. Its body has textured blue acrylic panels to mimic crocodile scales, designed to offer a tactile and sensory experience that invites touch, curiosity and interaction," Tong adds. His colleague Choong, who lives close to Punggol Waterway, says he was surprised to learn that there used to be crocodiles in the area. "My family cycles through Punggol every week and that was the motivation to be involved in this competition with Jovan," says the 25-year-old. "Besides being a play space, the installation also tells a story that is unique to Punggol. It adds a visual and emotional identity to the space, especially for younger generations who will grow up with it as part of their everyday environment. Over time, I hope it becomes an iconic feature, something people instantly recognise and associate with Punggol Waterway." Punggol resident Paul Lim says the crocodile installation brings a smile to his face every time he walks past. It reminds him of Punggol's unique history in the earlier part of the last century, when saltwater crocodiles were spotted in the fishing villages there. "It was just made available to the public about two months ago after its construction, but already I see children and their parents there, enjoying a break from their busy day, immersed in the play space," adds Lim, a former educator who is in his 50s. "In time, I hope it becomes a neighbourhood landmark like the dragon playground in Toa Payoh or the watermelon playground in Tampines." Climbing, jumping and sliding in heartland playscapes From a Forest Ramble at Jurong Lake Gardens to a treehouse escape in Bidadari Park, these five playgrounds across Singapore put a new spin on playtime. Bird's-eye view of playtime in Sengkang The Rivervale Shores playgrounds in Sengkang, completed in August 2023, turn playtime into a bird's-eye adventure with three unique "bird's nest"-themed zones. Kids can lounge in rubber hammocks, dig into the sand pit or scramble up to lofty platforms for views of the surroundings. The ground-level trampolines invite little ones to bounce sky-high. Children will also be intrigued by the balancing sticks - just like the twigs birds collect - that challenge them to test their skills. Nature fun in Bidadari At the heart of Bidadari Park's nature playgarden stands a striking 5m-tall "treehouse" beside a sprawling tembusu tree. Completed in September 2024, Adventure Playwoods is a nature-themed playground that invites children to climb, balance and explore with its slides, adventurous climbing nets and a tunnel suspended high above the ground. The park is managed by NParks. Reaching the top of its "treehouse" rewards young adventurers with sweeping views of the park. For more excitement, children can opt for a thrilling zip line or get creative building sandcastles in spacious sandpits - making this garden a haven for hours of fun. Fruitful romp in Tengah Feeling hungry? Plantation Grange in Tengah, completed in December 2023, is bursting with fruit-themed playgrounds that take a leaf from its past as a 1950s fruit plantation. At Ong Lye Garden (Block 132A), a giant yellow pineapple beckons. Children can explore its interior and go down a green slide. Over at Durian Paradise (Block 132C), older children can tackle durian-shaped climbing towers, swings and spiral slides. Little ones can traverse a "fruit farm" near Block 131A, with play zones shaped like pineapples, watermelons and bananas, plus a bright red "lorry" to hop on. Sky-high play at SkyParc@Dawson Step into a wild adventure at Dawson Road's Eco-Jungle Playground, which was completed in 2020. Nestled between Blocks 96A and 96B, it invites children to explore timber sculptures of Singapore's indigenous spotted wood owl and Sunda slow loris, turning playtime into a mini-safari. Set within the lush, park-like grounds of SkyParc@Dawson, the playground is just one of many green spaces woven through the estate. There are also three Insects Hotels, the first of their kind for a public housing project. These are designed to recreate natural habitats to help local biodiversity thrive. Forest Ramble at Jurong Lake Gardens At Forest Ramble, the biggest nature playgarden in the heartland, playtime transforms into a wild adventure across 2.3ha of Jurong Lake Gardens, packed with surprises at every turn. Children set off on a journey across over 10 imaginative adventure stations in Lakeside Garden, each inspired by fascinating local creatures of Singapore's freshwater swamps. Fancy soaring like a grey heron? Try the zip lines. Want to channel your inner squirrel? Bounce and climb through treetop trails. Or splash and scamper like an otter at the otter-inspired station. The playscape, which opened in 2019, is managed by NParks. It is designed for everyone, with inclusive features that welcome children of all abilities to join in the fun. Whether children are gliding, leaping or inventing their own escapades, the playground invites every child to connect with nature and let their imagination run riot. [[nid:519528]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
