East Asia Tonight - Thu 31 Jul 2025
Spotlight on East Asia, a region steeped in history and now helping to write the future of our world. We'll break down the key stories and explain why they matter.
East Asia Tonight
About the show:
'East Asia Tonight' shines a spotlight on a region steeped in history and now helping to write the future of our world. Greater China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula have economic and political might, and are major drivers of daily news and business. We'll break down the key stories and explain why they matter.
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CNA
a day ago
- CNA
East Asia Tonight - Thu 31 Jul 2025
48:20 Min Spotlight on East Asia, a region steeped in history and now helping to write the future of our world. We'll break down the key stories and explain why they matter. East Asia Tonight About the show: 'East Asia Tonight' shines a spotlight on a region steeped in history and now helping to write the future of our world. Greater China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula have economic and political might, and are major drivers of daily news and business. We'll break down the key stories and explain why they matter.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
National Museum of Singapore to launch first exhibition as part of revamp
SINGAPORE: Following a 10-month closure, the National Museum of Singapore will be opening the first of its revamped permanent galleries on Aug 8. The newly-named Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda will exhibit a multi-sensorial experience titled Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, said the museum on Thursday (Jul 31). Presented through animation and interactive elements, the installation highlights major milestones in Singapore's 700 years of history. It replaces the Story of the Forest exhibition, which centred on the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. "With Singapore Odyssea, we wanted to continue drawing on our collection and rich stories to present Singapore's history in an engaging and relevant way - this creates an accessible entry point, while honouring the depth and significance of our history," said Ms Chung May Khuen, director of the National Museum of Singapore. "In presenting Story of the Forest, we pushed the boundaries of a conventional museum-going experience through technology and multimedia to create a highly immersive space," Ms Chung added. "This was the impetus behind incorporating further multisensorial and interactive elements in Singapore Odyssea that we hope will continue to excite and enchant our visitors." Designed by local artists, Singapore Odyssea acts as an immersive time-travelling voyage and features four episodes with scenes spanning from present-day Singapore to the pre-colonial Singapore period, consisting of local stories and myths associated with the nation's origins. "The installation gives cultural and historical context to Singapore's identity, adding depth and enhancing appreciation for its place in the region and the world," said the National Museum of Singapore. A two-minute light show anchored by a suspended LED globe, the first of its kind in a Singapore museum, will be one of the first attractions in the installation. The light show traces Singapore's evolution of maritime trade routes over the centuries. Visitors can also expect to see visual wall projections of animated scenes and soundscapes of significant moments in the nation's history like Singapore's first National Day Parade before wartime evacuations and ancient coastal communities. Singapore Odyssea ends at the base of the glass rotunda with a digital waterfall curtain that depicts more moments of Singapore's history as visitors approach it. The floor will also respond to movements, with each step creating digital ripples on the surface that will also interact with surrounding ripples made by others. Visitors can also use a personalised RFID-enabled wristband at the start of the installation as a guide. The wristband features nine companions inspired by Singapore's wildlife such as an otter, a crab and a hornbill. The companions respond to the user's movement and environment by lighting paths and triggering hidden animations. When approaching the concluding section, visitors can digitally release their RFID-enabled companions at a digital well. "This symbolic gesture reinforces the adage that what is borrowed from nature should be returned with care - a call to action to build a sustainable future for both people and the real-life counterparts of these companions," said the museum. The experience will be accompanied by media where myths of creatures such as the giant tide-moving crab and the magical tree of life Pauh Janggi are reinterpreted. Singapore Odyssea will run alongside other complementary showcases such as Once Upon A Tide which explores Singapore's maritime evolution and a series of programmes for the National Day Celebrations on Aug 9. "We hope that the bold and innovative storytelling in Singapore Odyssea will captivate and inspire visitors to take pride in our heritage and develop a deeper interest in Singapore's remarkable history," said Mr Mark Shaw, executive vice president and director of Shaw Foundation.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr return for slasher sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Cast member Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. attend the premiere of I Know What You Did Last Summer in Los Angeles, on July 14. LOS ANGELES – For fans of 1990s Hollywood horror – when the slasher genre was revitalised by charismatic young stars – the new I Know What You Did Last Summer film is both a good old-fashioned scare and nostalgic throwback. Now showing in Singapore cinemas, it is the fourth instalment in the iconic franchise that began with 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer. It is also a full-circle moment for American actors Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. They reprise their roles from the original film and the 1998 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which launched their careers at a time when the box office was ruled by films such as these, along with early chapters of the Scream franchise (1996 to present), The Faculty (1998) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). The latest movie revolves around five friends who cover up their part in a deadly car accident. A year later, one of them receives an ominous note saying, 'I know what you did last summer', and a vengeful killer with an ice hook begins picking the gang off one by one. The quintet is played by American actors Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon. But at the film's Los Angeles premiere earlier in July, all eyes are on original stars Hewitt, 46, and Prinze Jr, 49. They play Julie James and Ray Bronson, who in the first film found themselves in a similar predicament after accidentally killing a boy in a hit-and-run. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal expected after Trump-Anwar phone call on eve of Aug 1 deadline Asia Trump says US will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports under new deal Singapore Driver in 2024 Tampines crash that killed 2 set to plead guilty in October Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Singapore Wegovy and beyond: Will weight-loss drugs change the way people look at obesity? Singapore $10 million Toto results to be announced on July 31, after no winners in last 3 draws Business US Fed holds rates steady despite Trump's pressure, with two governors dissenting Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), starring Jennifer Love Hewitt (left) and Freddie Prinze Jr. PHOTO: COLUMBIA PICTURES Hewitt expresses gratitude that the film-makers decided to bring back the two characters – and that fans of the first two movies had lobbied for it. 'They didn't have to have me back, but they did. My heart was very touched by that,' says the actress. She and Prinze Jr did not appear in the second sequel, 2006's I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, which went straight to video and was panned. 'It meant a lot to me that the fans were loud about that for Freddie and I, and I took that to work with me every day. 'So, I'm just deeply grateful to be here,' says Hewitt, who also starred in the supernatural series Ghost Whisperer (2005 to 2010) and procedural drama 9-1-1 (2018 to present). Jennifer Love Hewitt in I Know What You Did Last Summer. PHOTO: SONY PICTURES She is also thrilled that a new generation of fans will get to discover the franchise with this new film. 'It's so fun and it's very scary, and I'm really excited for them to see it,' says the star, who is married to American actor Brian Hallisay, 46, and has three children aged three to 11. Prinze Jr enjoyed working with the new cast. 'I love working with young people,' says the actor, who met his future wife, American actress Sarah Michelle Gellar – now 48 and the mother of their two children aged 12 and 15 – on the set of the 1997 film, where she played one of the other teens being stalked. 'They're still hungry, there's no cynicism built into their ego structure yet. And so, for me, it was very inspiring. It makes me excited to go to work.' Freddie Prinze Jr in I Know What You Did Last Summer. PHOTO: SONY PICTURES And he had nothing to teach them when it came to acting, he says. 'They're all so much better than I was at their age, they're such pros. I was very impressed by all their performances,' says Prinze Jr, who also co-starred with Gellar in the Scooby-Doo action comedies (2002 to 2004) and headlined the romantic comedy She's All That (1999). Hewitt saw her role on set as being there to support the younger ones, not steal their thunder. 'I wanted to give them space, and to know that this was not mine, it was theirs. And just be there to support and love and give guidance in any way that I could, or give no guidance at all – whatever they wanted,' she says. 'And I was blown away and very touched by all the respect and love that Freddie and I were given for being in the original.'
