News Broadcasting
Hallmarks ‘Sesame Street’ introduces HIV- Positive muppet to spread AIDS awareness
Hallmark has announced that its kids show Sesame Street will introduce a HIVpositive Muppet. The as yet unnamed character will appear next month on Takalani Sesame which is the version of the kids‘ show that airs in AIDS-ravaged South Africa. The newest Sesame Street Muppet will be brought to viewers by the letters H, I and V.
An official release informs that in South Africa an estimated one in nine people are infected with HIV. Sesame Street producer Joel Schneider announced the introduction of the HIV-positive Muppet, who does not yet have a name or a final design at this week‘s 14th lnternational AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain.
He said, “There is no systemic education for children about the HIV virus and AIDS. They often receive a lot of misinformation. We know in South Africa, as well as in other places, the virus is a huge issue.” Some of those countries (among the 70 in which Sesame airs) where the new Muppet might also appear may include Russia and Mexico. It has not been clarified as to whether the character would also join Bert and Ernie in the American Sesame Street. The story about how the character contracted HIV is still under discussion, but it‘s likely to involve a story line about a blood transfusion or transmission through childbirth.
Talking about the character of the muppet Schneider said: “We know that she‘ll be lively, alert, friendly, outgoing and HIV positive. She‘ll be healthy, not sickly. The aim is to help ‘destigmatise‘ the virus among viewers of the programme, We want to show children that it‘s okay to touch an HIV-positive person, okay to hug, that a person can still be a constructive part of the community.”
Sesame Street airs weekdays at 7 am and in the evening at 4 pm on the Hallmark Channel Kids Block.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
