Trade, tourism tensions emerge as governors, Canadian premiers meet
With trade war threats looming, governors from the Northeast and eastern Canadian premiers gathered at the Massachusetts State House to shore up relations, asserting their economies and populations are inextricably linked.
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BusinessToday
22 minutes ago
- BusinessToday
A Magical March Escape To Club Med Sahoro
Arriving in Tokyo at the tail end of March felt surreal. The air was crisp, a delightful 10-17 degrees Celsius, and the days shone with a brilliant, energizing light. Walking through Shinjuku, bathed in the warm sun, we felt invincible, ready to conquer anything – even the 20,000 steps I clocked that day! Tokyo was awakening into spring—a vibrant tapestry of green punctuated by delicate sakura blooms. It was a stunning welcome, but my true destination lay beyond the city lights, in the snowy heart of Hokkaido. Our journey to the Land of the Rising Sun wasn't about cherry blossoms; it was about chasing the last whispers of winter. 2025, a year of peculiar weather patterns, gifted Japan with a late-blooming snow season. And for me, that meant a ski holiday in March! While Hokkaido and its capital, Sapporo, are legendary for their powder, we were headed to a different kind of winter wonderland: Club Med Sahoro. Invited for a ski excursion, we found ourselves nestled amidst the Hidaka Mountains, where Club Med had wisely chosen to establish its first Japanese ski resort. At 1,000 meters above sea level, the air was thin and clean, promising breathtaking views and exhilarating slopes. Club Med's presence in Japan is significant, boasting five resorts and a testament to the country's allure. Powder Peaks and Post-Ski Pampering The moment we arrived at Club Med Sahoro, we were captivated. The resort sat at the foot of a hill, a landscape draped in thick, powdery, cotton-white snow. The traditional Club Med welcome – warm greetings, a refreshing cocktail, and a briefing on the wonders that awaited – almost faded into the background as my gaze was drawn to the snow-covered terrace and the skiers gliding by, their gear gleaming in the sunlight. Our adventure was about to begin! Hokkaido's reputation as a world-class winter sports destination is well-deserved. The climate is a skier's dream, blessing the mountains with the finest powder snow for an incredible 160 days each year. And Club Med resorts on this pristine island offer the perfect winter escape for everyone, from couples seeking romance to families creating memories and groups of friends chasing thrills. Club Med Sahoro, proved to be an idyllic retreat. The resort caters to all levels of skiers, offering lessons on its 21 uncrowded slopes. For the adventurous, there were off-piste opportunities that beckoned, while beginners can have their day of fun at the lower valleys. Beyond the slopes, we discovered a world of winter magic: snow trekking through pristine landscapes! Trying skiing for the first time was exhilarating—even if the sore muscles followed me into the next day, which gave me a good reason to experience the outdoor Canadian bath, where I soaked in steaming water surrounded by a breathtaking panorama of snow-covered land. Evenings at Club Med Sahoro were a delightful immersion into Japanese culture. Skilled chefs prepared a daily feast of local delicacies, from the delicate artistry of sashimi to the perfect balance of flavours in sushi. With a daily change in menu, on one of the nights, guests were feted with unlimited show crabs, giant claws filled with succulent flesh…what a deal! A taste of Japan Looking at the ambience, we were informed that the resort's design paid homage to the traditional Ainu culture, with authentic carvings and textiles seamlessly woven into a contemporary aesthetic, which creates a truly immersive experience. Club Med truly caters to everyone. For beginners and young families, the resorts feature charming snow gardens, gentle 'magic carpet' lifts, and inviting practice slopes. And for those seeking a challenge, a vast expanse of advanced slopes, black runs, and off-piste adventures awaited. Beyond the exhilaration of expert-led ski lessons and the thrill of downhill runs, a world of fun unfolds in and around the resorts. I spent an afternoon at Japan's largest indoor wave pool and explored an illuminated ice village, a shimmering spectacle of winter artistry. Evenings were filled with the warmth of Japanese hospitality, well-curated performances by the 'Gentils Organisateurs' or putting on shows to thrill both the young and adults. And no evening is over without music and dance! Our March ski trip to Club Med Sahoro was more than just a holiday; it was an unforgettable adventure, a journey into a winter wonderland I never expected to find so late in the season. It was a testament to the magic of Hokkaido and the unique charm of Club Med, which is truly a place where the thrill of the slopes meets the beauty of Japanese culture, creating a truly unforgettable experience. Next sojourn…Tomamu, perhaps? Related
Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations
Mason Thames as Hiccup with Toothless the dragon in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations NEW YORK – In 2020, Dean DeBlois publicly blasted live-action remakes of animated films as 'lazy' studio endeavours. The Canadian writer-director had, along with American film-maker Chris Sanders, made the 2002 Disney animated Lilo & Stitch and the 2010 DreamWorks Animation release How To Train Your Dragon. DeBlois said he viewed such remakes as 'a missed opportunity to put something original into the world'. Then, two years later, he received a call from Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer asking if he would be interested in directing a live-action version of How To Train Your Dragon. 'At the expense of seeming like a hypocrite, I thought, well, I'm either going to sit here and pout and watch somebody else do it,' the 55-year-old said in a video interview, 'or I could jump in and shoulder the blame or help to change the narrative.' With the reboot – which is showing in Singapore cinemas – earning over US$197 million (S$252 million) worldwide, DeBlois is enthusiastically attached to the type of movie he formerly criticised. Director Dean DeBlois (left) and actor Gerard Butler at the premiere for How To Train Your Dragon in Los Angeles on June 7. PHOTO: REUTERS A lot could have gone wrong. He had never made a live-action feature before Universal put him in charge of the US$150 million remake, and the genre as a whole is facing increased scepticism from audiences and studios alike. Yet, so pleased were the Universal executives after seeing a cut of the new Dragon, Mr Cramer said, that they rushed to greenlight a live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon 2, to be directed and written by DeBlois and released in theatres in 2027. How To Train Your Dragon – a retelling of the story of Hiccup, a pacifist Viking teenager who forms a bond with a once-feared dragon named Toothless on the Isle of Berk – represents the studio's first foray into live-action adaptations of animated films. Executives chose this property over Shrek (2001 to present) or Despicable Me (2010 to present) because of 'the human and creature drama at the centre of it', Mr Cramer said. Surprisingly, the original Dragon was only the fifth most popular animated film of 2010, trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, Tangled and Despicable Me. But in the years since, the Dragon franchise – including two sequels in 2014 and 2019, which DeBlois wrote and directed – has found a large and devoted following. The animated trilogy drew a combined US$1.65 billion at the global box office, and there have been three television spin-off series. At Epic Universe, Universal's new ly opened theme park in Orlando, Florida, there is an entire Isle of Berk land with rides, a live stage show, dragon meet-and-greets and 'Viking-ish' food. Here is how the new movie took flight. Widening the audience When DeBlois worked on the animated How To Train Your Dragon, he recalled Jeffrey Katzenberg, the DreamWorks Animation chief at the time, frequently reminding him: 'Don't forget the five-year-olds' in the audience. That was not the case this time. Universal, whose parent company acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016, was adamant that the new film cater not only to young viewers, but also to adults who had grown up with the original and those who had never heard of it. 'They were saying, 'Embrace the fact that this is an all-audience movie. We want teenagers. We want people in their 20s,'' DeBlois said. 'We were encouraged to think bigger.' So, while still aiming for a PG rating, the crew built large-scale practical sets at Titanic Studios in Belfast, North Ireland, including a 360-degree Viking training arena, to shoot immersive action sequences. English composer John Powell returned to make his sweeping score even more epic. And for those aerial shots and roller-coaster-esque flying sequences, the film-makers took a helicopter over Iceland, the Isle of Skye and the Faeroe Islands to capture expansive footage, including of the craggly islet Tindholmur, which served as the basis for their fictional Berk. Assembling the Vikings Hiccup (Mason Thames, left) and Astrid (Nico Parker, right) in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP To embody the endearingly awkward Hiccup (originally voiced by Canadian actor Jay Baruchel), the film-makers cast Mason Thames, a Texas native who had starred in the Universal horror film The Black Phone (2021). For Astrid, an ambitious Viking girl and Hiccup's love interest, they selected biracial British actress Nico Parker, who had her big break in Disney's 2019 live-action Dumbo remake. Both 17-year-old Thames and 20-year-old Parker grew up as passionate fans of the animated Dragon trilogy. Thames once dressed as Hiccup for Halloween, and Parker – daughter of British actress Thandiwe Newton and British director-screenwriter Ol Parker – recalled going to see the original in theatres with her family four times. When the cast was announced, however, some fans expressed outrage that Astrid would no longer be blonde and blue-eyed, as she had been portrayed in the animated films (though she was voiced by American actress America Ferrera, whose parents are from Honduras). 'It's one thing if people just love the animated movies, and their version of a perfect live-action is a play-by-play with people who look exactly the same,' Parker said. 'But when it comes from a place of real hate towards any kind of inclusivity, it's not an opinion that keeps me up at night.' In a rare move, Universal brought back Gerard Butler, who originally voiced Hiccup's dad, Stoick the Vast, to reprise his role as the imposing chief of Berk. Gerard Butler (left) and Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP The actor 's work on the original had involved simply saying his lines in a recording booth. This time, he spent hours each day getting a bushy chest-length beard applied before suiting up in 3D-printed armour with ancillary weapons. 'It was incredibly heavy,' the 55-year-old Scotsman said of the wardrobe. 'The first time I put it on, I panicked that this whole movie was going to crash because Gerry Butler couldn't handle the 90-pound (40kg) costume.' Unleashing the dragons Before Thames arrived on set in Belfast, he fretted that 'it was just going to be a bunch of blue screens and a tennis ball as Toothless', he said. Instead, the actors often performed opposite giant foam dragon heads and operational puppet bodies. T hen, t o help digitally transform the dragons into believably menacing beasts, DeBlois turned to animation supervisor Glen McIntosh, an expert in paleontology who had animated dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park (1993 to 2001) and Jurassic World (2015 to present) franchises. 'Dean wanted the dragons to have the feeling that they were evolved animals, not creatures of fantasy,' McIntosh said. 'So, even though they are creatures of fantasy, they had to look like they weren't just cobbled together.' Each dragon breed is, therefore, grounded in specific real-life animal traits. A Deadly Nadder like Stormfly, for instance, is influenced by the winged arms of a bat, the head of a parrot, and the legs and talons of a golden eagle. Hiccup (Mason Thames) and the dragon Hideous Zippleback in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP And then there is Toothless. Unlike the fearsome menagerie that surrounds him, Toothless – a Night Fury with traits of a black panther and a salamander – needed to retain an extra layer of cuteness and relatability, while still looking as if he belonged in the same world as the others. The animators spent 2½ years updating their hero creature. Toothless' more cartoonish expressions, like raised eyebrows, were swopped out for head tilts or tail swishes that mimic those of a curious dog or cat. As they added intricacies like textured scales, McIntosh said, their guiding mandate was always, 'Is this something you would still want to pet?' Looking ahead DeBlois had considered opening the film with a new flashback from Stoick's point of view. But the final cut faithfully follows its animated predecessor, including three shot-for-shot scenes. Still, there are some subtle surprises, as when Astrid voices her desire to be chief of Berk one day, something that was never expressed in the animated version. It is a line that leaves open the possibility of future plot deviations. 'There's an opportunity going forward to maybe colour outside of the lines a little bit more,' DeBlois said. In May, the director was still drafting the Dragon sequel script, and he said there had not been any discussions about a third live-action film. Mr Cramer also could not 'definitively answer' if Universal would complete the trilogy. 'We do have ambitions and hopes,' the studio head said. 'But, you know, one movie at a time.' NYTIMES How To Train Your Dragon is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hans India
42 minutes ago
- Hans India
G7 Leaders Issue Stern Warning to Iran Over Nuclear Ambitions
World leaders on Iran of Seven (G7) countries meeting in Canada issued a statement on Monday declaring that Iran "can never possess Iran nuclear weapon ban" and calling for an immediate deescalation throughout the Middle East. This statement comes just days after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a strike on Iran's nuclear sites. The G7 Summit 2025 live expressed support for Israel's right to self defense in the statement. The statement stated, "We affirm that Israel is entitled to self-defense." "We have always been clear that Iran will never possess a nuclear device." It also shows that Canada must have a positive relationship to India... India is a fantastic country for a trade agreement - a highly educated populace, brilliant people and motivated people. A democracy, and a huge market. Canada would benefit greatly from a good relationship with India. Chinmoy Naik, the acting Indian High Commission to Canada, said that PM Modi was invited by Canadian PM Mark Carney to attend the G7 joint statement Iran as a outreach guest country. India will be speaking about new technologies like AI and quantum in the G7. These are current topics that affect us all. There will also be bilaterals at the sidelines. The G7 summit brought together world leaders who urged US President Donald Trump, to stop his trade war and de-escalate it. They warned that this could threaten global economic stability. Canada tried to avoid provocating Trump but leaders insisted that he reverse his plans to impose even higher tariffs starting next month. Unidentified senior German officials stated that "multiple participants requested to end the dispute as quickly as possible." The argument was that the dispute would weaken the G7 economies, and ultimately only benefit China. Trump's protectionist policies, according to reports, were damaging to the six other G7 countries.
