Latest news with #799
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
D Asia Travels opens Indian branch, explores new Vietnam destination
IN a move aimed at enhancing travel convenience for travellers worldwide, travel agency D Asia Travel Sdn Bhd has established its branch office Asian Trails Pvt Ltd (Asian Trails India) in Alappuzha, Kerala. Its manager Mohd Arshad said this expansion enables seamless booking of ground packages across India, eliminating intermediaries and simplifying the travel process. Asian Trails India focuses on India inbound tour and holiday packages, including Kerala package and Coimbatore Isha temple trip, Kerala honeymoon package for couples, Ooty Kodaikanal trip, Mumbai Shirdi Package, Shimla Manali packages and honeymoon, Kashmir honeymoon packages, Golden Triangle India (Delhi,Agra and Jaipur) and Leh Ladakh trip. The agency conducts thorough inspections of hotels to ensure cleanliness, addresses concerns regarding driver behaviour, and offers customised itineraries that cover more destinations than standard packages. 'D Asia Travel has been providing services to our clients for the past 14 years. Customers can book directly through Asian Trails India's website or contact us via email or WhatsApp for exclusive deals, including special packages for Muslim travellers. By eliminating the hassle of planning, the agency provides peace of mind with dedicated support throughout the journey, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable travel experience,' Arshad said. Kerala's five-day four-night package starts from RM1,299 per pax. Newlyweds who want to celebrate their honeymoon in Kerala would get a special rate RM2,799 for each couple for five days and four nights. New destination: Phu Quoc, Vietnam D Asia Travels has added Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, as part of its featured destinations. Nestled in the Gulf of Thailand, Phu Quoc is a breathtaking blend of white sandy beaches, luxury resorts and unspoiled natural beauty. It is ideal for honeymooners, beach lovers and adventure seekers alike. From snorkelling in turquoise waters to chasing sunsets at Long Beach and exploring pepper farms or waterfalls, this island is Vietnam's rising star. With visa-free access for many countries and an increasing number of direct flights, Phu Quoc is more accessible than ever. And now, with D Asia Travels' expertise, travellers can explore Phu Quoc with carefully curated itineraries, licensed tour guides and full-service support. D Asia Travels Year-End Promo 2025 The agency offers promotional rates for European tours, highlighting vibrant cities, rich historical landmarks and scenic beauty. Also available are Bali honeymoon packages, featuring luxurious villa stays and high-end hotel options for couples seeking romantic getaways. Highlights: ● Honeymoon packages: Romantic escapes to Bali, Maldives, Krabi, Phuket, Kashmir and Kerala. ● Muslim-friendly tours: Itineraries for destinations such as Kerala, the Golden Triangle of India, Shimla-Manali and Kashmir. ● International tours: Packages to Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Europe. ● Kerala honeymoon package: Starting at RM2,499 per couple for a five-day, four-night itinerary covering Cochin, Munnar and Alleppey. ● Bali package: Prices start at RM999 per person, with private villa options for couples at RM2,999. ● Maldives honeymoon package: Four days, three nights, starting at RM3,999 per couple. ● Kashmir honeymoon package: Six days, five nights, from RM2,990 per couple, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar. ● Golden Triangle Tour, India: Five days, four nights, from RM1,560 per person. ● Sri Lanka package: Six days, five nights, starting at RM1,880 per person. ● Vietnam package: Five days, four nights in Danang, from RM1,780 for groups of four or more. ● Turkey Classical Tour: Seven days, six nights covering Istanbul, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and more, starting at RM4,599 for groups of four or more. ● Medan Lake Toba Package: 4 Days, 3 Nights from RM980 per person.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Fantasy Baseball rest-of-season rankings: Outfielders
We're a quarter of the way into the fresh baseball season. It's a fun and useful time to recalibrate the market. Last week, we tackled the starting pitchers, the sirens of our game. So now let's we hit the biggest part of the offense — the outfielders. We'll get to ranking the infield next week. What has happened to this point is merely an audition. The goal with this project is to set up a cheat sheet or depth chart at a given position. You could use it for a fresh draft (the Yahoo Friends & Family Draft is coming soon!), or for trade and pickup ideas. You can use it to consider the strengths and weaknesses of your own teams. [Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all] The salaries are a combination of data, observation and special sauce. Players at the same number are considered even. The goal is to figure out where the clusters of talent lie. Injured players are at the bottom, courtesy ranks. Those are not for debate, but I welcome your reasonable disagreement on anything else. Catch me on Twitter or Bluesky, and away we go. $44 Aaron Judge $39 Kyle Tucker $38 Corbin Carroll $37 Fernando Tatis Jr. $34 Mookie Betts $33 Kyle Schwarber $33 Juan Soto $32 Jackson Merrill $29 Oneil Cruz $27 Jackson Chourio $23 Pete Crow-Armstrong $21 Julio Rodríguez $21 Jose Altuve $20 Byron Buxton $20 James Wood It was tempting to slot Judge in his own tier. He's that ridiculous. His Baseball Reference tab is a sea of black ink, identifying his dominance. He's great at pretty much everything. As you'd expect, his Baseball Savant page is a glorious sea of red sliders, pinned to the right. Sure, the average might be an eyelash lucky, but Judge's expected slugging is actually .799. He's a barrel machine. He takes walks. He almost never chases, too, rare for a slugger of this caliber. The perfect hitter. The Cubs have been the NL's best offense all season, with Tucker the trigger man from the No. 2 slot. His batting average is actually 31-points unlucky and his slugging is 53 points shy of where it should be, so Tucker could take a step forward. The Cubs have to be nervous that Tucker could turn into a one-year rental, but they had to take the chance. Chicago looks like a sure-bet playoff team and once you make the tournament, anything can happen. Shockingly, Tucker only has just one top 5 MVP share on his resume, a combination of some bad luck and bad timing. He'll be a deep contender this year. Did you notice he's 21-for-21 on steals since the beginning of 2024? Another ballplayer who can do anything he wants on the field. How do you get Merrill out, exactly? He's on a 14-for-23 binge since his return from injury, pushing his OPS up top 1.259. His hard-hit metrics are dreamy and he's also pulling the ball more this year, making opponents pay when they fall behind in the count. Merrill has never posted a great walk rate, but when you're this good at pitch recognition and barreling the baseball, I won't quibble about a modest walk count. He rarely swings at a bad pitch; you miss the zone, he spits at it. It's scary to think he merely turned 22 in April. $19 Brent Rooker $18 Wilyer Abreu $17 Seiya Suzuki $17 Steven Kwan $17 Christian Yelich $17 Wyatt Langford $15 Trent Grisham $15 Heliot Ramos $15 Riley Greene $15 Lawrence Butler $14 Kerry Carpenter $14 Jarren Duran Sutter Health Park has been an offensive bonanza for the first six weeks, but Butler's oddly had trouble getting comfortable there (.628 OPS at home — with a .192 average — against a .754 OPS on the road). I believe in the breakout player Butler was last year. Although his expected stats aren't fun to look at right now, this is still a power-speed profile I'm willing to bet on. Kwan is one of my favorite players because his approach is in direct contrast to the rest of the world. At a time where so many players sell out for velocity, Kwan lags at the bottom of the hard-hit metrics and the bat speed leaderboard. Forget trying to fool him or strike him out, of course; Kwan excels at contact. And it's not like he never has an explosive result — he has 18 home runs since the beginning of 2024. He's going to win a batting title someday, and despite mediocre speed, he's good for 15-25 steals a year, too. The Red Sox aren't in a hurry to promote uber-prospect Roman Anthony, and part of that story is Abreu's breakthrough. We knew Abreu's glove would play — he's a plus-plus defender — but he's made himself into a dynamic offensive player, significantly improving his walk and strikeout rates this year while also bumping his home runs. Abreu is nothing special as a runner, but he can grab 10-12 bases a year simply by being smart and athletic. Add it all up and this is one of the most underrated hitters in MLB. $12 Jung Hoo Lee $12 Andy Pages $12 Randy Arozarena $12 Jasson Domínguez $12 Jordan Beck $12 Brenton Doyle $11 Brendan Donovan $11 Brandon Nimmo $11 Tyler Soderstrom $10 Lars Nootbaar $10 George Springer $10 Victor Scott II $10 Luis Robert Jr. $10 Cody Bellinger $10 Nick Castellanos $10 Michael Harris II $10 Kyle Stowers $10 Bryan Reynolds $10 Anthony Santander $10 Kristian Campbell $9 T.J. Friedl $9 Cedric Mullins $9 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. $9 Adolis García $9 Spencer Steer $9 Josh Lowe Santander's home run count last year was seven higher than it should have been, per Statcast, so the power drop isn't a shock. It can also be stressful to change teams on a big contract, the pressure that comes standard. With strikeout and walk rates moving in the wrong direction, this is the classic case of a player who's likely pressing. Moving forward, I'd bet on something around a .240 average, but with 20-24 homers to come. We asked just two things of Scott two months ago — hit for a reasonable average and run rabbit, run. So far so good: a tidy 11-for-12 on swipes, with a .288 average and .355 OBP. Now it's fair to wonder if the Cardinals will consider promoting Scott in the lineup; he's been eighth or ninth just about all year. $8 Mike Yastrzemski $8 JJ Bleday $8 Josh Smith $7 Evan Carter $7 Austin Hays $7 Tyler O'Neill $7 Dylan Moore $6 Trevor Larnach $6 Taylor Ward $6 Jorge Soler $6 Willi Castro $5 Dylan Crews $5 Miguel Andújar $5 Jonathan India $5 Michael Toglia $5 Maikel Garcia $4 Jake Meyers $4 Harrison Bader $4 Ceddanne Rafaela $4 Sal Frelick $4 Alec Burleson $4 Chandler Simpson $3 Max Kepler $3 Kyle Isbel $3 Andrew McCutchen $3 Joc Pederson Carter was a big deal two years ago, then hit the struggles that befall so many glittering prospects. I can't unsee that he was the No. 3-4 batter for the Rangers when they rolled to the championship in 2023. He's still just 22 and he was considered a top-five prospect a year ago. His plate-discipline stats were good during the Triple-A reset, everything else was pedestrian. But sometimes you have to simply bet on talent. The light could go on at any moment. Simpson is another rabbit who just needs to hit for an ordinary average to mark his territory on our rosters. He's grabbed seven bags on eight attempts over 20 games; this roughly equates to 56 on a full season. He's slugging .301, about what we expected. If this type of specialist is going to justify a roster spot, he needs to dominate in the area where he's skilled. Simpson can check that box. He's chasing a little more than we'd like, though his K/BB stats are in a good place. $2 Eli White $2 Kameron Misner $2 Enrique Hernandez $2 Isiah Kiner-Falefa $2 Alek Thomas $2 Jo Adell $2 Jordan Walker $2 Daulton Varsho $2 Michael Conforto $2 Nolan Jones $1 Miguel Vargas $1 Heston Kjerstad $1 Jacob Young $1 Alex Verdugo $28 Yordan Álvarez $25 Ronald Acuña Jr. $21 Teoscar Hernández $19 Jazz Chisholm Jr. $12 Ian Happ $11 Mike Trout $9 Víctor Robles $7 Colton Cowser $7 Lane Thomas $ 7 Tommy Edman $ 6 Tyler Fitzgerald $5 Andrew Benintendi $5 Jurickson Profar (suspension) $3 Dane Myers
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Fantasy Baseball rest-of-season rankings: Outfielders
We're a quarter of the way into the fresh baseball season. It's a fun and useful time to recalibrate the market. Last week, we tackled the starting pitchers, the sirens of our game. Today we hit the biggest part of the offense — the outfielders. We'll get to ranking the infield next week. What has happened to this point is merely an audition. The goal with this project is to set up a cheat sheet or depth chart at a given position. You could use it for a fresh draft (the Yahoo Friends & Family Draft is coming soon!), or for trade and pickup ideas. You can use it to consider the strengths and weaknesses of your own teams. [Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all] The salaries are a combination of data, observation and special sauce. Players at the same number are considered even. The goal is to figure out where the clusters of talent lie. Injured players are at the bottom, courtesy ranks. Those are not for debate, but I welcome your reasonable disagreement on anything else. Catch me on Twitter or Bluesky, and away we go. $44 Aaron Judge $39 Kyle Tucker $38 Corbin Carroll $37 Fernando Tatis Jr. $34 Mookie Betts $33 Kyle Schwarber $33 Juan Soto $32 Jackson Merrill $29 Oneil Cruz $27 Jackson Chourio $23 Pete Crow-Armstrong $21 Julio Rodríguez $21 Jose Altuve $20 Byron Buxton $20 James Wood It was tempting to slot Judge in his own tier. He's that ridiculous. His Baseball Reference tab is a sea of black ink, identifying his dominance. He's great at pretty much everything. As you'd expect, his Baseball Savant page is a glorious sea of red sliders, pinned to the right. Sure, the average might be an eyelash lucky, but Judge's expected slugging is actually .799. He's a barrel machine. He takes walks. He almost never chases, too, rare for a slugger of this caliber. The perfect hitter. The Cubs have been the NL's best offense all season, with Tucker the trigger man from the No. 2 slot. His batting average is actually 31-points unlucky and his slugging is 53 points shy of where it should be, so Tucker could take a step forward. The Cubs have to be nervous that Tucker could turn into a one-year rental, but they had to take the chance. Chicago looks like a sure-bet playoff team and once you make the tournament, anything can happen. Shockingly, Tucker only has just one top 5 MVP share on his resume, a combination of some bad luck and bad timing. He'll be a deep contender this year. Did you notice he's 21-for-21 on steals since the beginning of 2024? Another ballplayer who can do anything he wants on the field. How do you get Merrill out, exactly? He's on a 14-for-23 binge since his return from injury, pushing his OPS up top 1.259. His hard-hit metrics are dreamy and he's also pulling the ball more this year, making opponents pay when they fall behind in the count. Merrill has never posted a great walk rate, but when you're this good at pitch recognition and barreling the baseball, I won't quibble about a modest walk count. He rarely swings at a bad pitch; you miss the zone, he spits at it. It's scary to think he merely turned 22 in April. $19 Brent Rooker $18 Wilyer Abreu $17 Seiya Suzuki $17 Steven Kwan $17 Christian Yelich $17 Wyatt Langford $15 Trent Grisham $15 Heliot Ramos $15 Riley Greene $15 Lawrence Butler $14 Kerry Carpenter $14 Jarren Duran Sutter Health Park has been an offensive bonanza for the first six weeks, but Butler's oddly had trouble getting comfortable there (.628 OPS at home — with a .192 average — against a .754 OPS on the road). I believe in the breakout player Butler was last year. Although his expected stats aren't fun to look at right now, this is still a power-speed profile I'm willing to bet on. Kwan is one of my favorite players because his approach is in direct contrast to the rest of the world. At a time where so many players sell out for velocity, Kwan lags at the bottom of the hard-hit metrics and the bat speed leaderboard. Forget trying to fool him or strike him out, of course; Kwan excels at contact. And it's not like he never has an explosive result — he has 18 home runs since the beginning of 2024. He's going to win a batting title someday, and despite mediocre speed, he's good for 15-25 steals a year, too. The Red Sox aren't in a hurry to promote uber-prospect Roman Anthony, and part of that story is Abreu's breakthrough. We knew Abreu's glove would play — he's a plus-plus defender — but he's made himself into a dynamic offensive player, significantly improving his walk and strikeout rates this year while also bumping his home runs. Abreu is nothing special as a runner but he can grab 10-12 bases a year simply by being smart and athletic. Add it all up and this is one of the most underrated hitters in MLB. $12 Jung Hoo Lee $12 Andy Pages $12 Randy Arozarena $12 Jasson Domínguez $12 Jordan Beck $12 Brenton Doyle $11 Brendan Donovan $11 Brandon Nimmo $11 Tyler Soderstrom $10 Lars Nootbaar $10 George Springer $10 Victor Scott II $10 Luis Robert Jr. $10 Cody Bellinger $10 Nick Castellanos $10 Michael Harris II $10 Kyle Stowers $10 Bryan Reynolds $10 Anthony Santander $10 Kristian Campbell $9 T.J. Friedl $9 Cedric Mullins $9 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. $9 Adolis García $9 Spencer Steer $9 Josh Lowe Santander's home run count last year was seven higher than it should have been, per Statcast, so the power drop isn't a shock. It can also be stressful to change teams on a big contract, the pressure that comes standard. With strikeout and walk rates moving in the wrong direction, this is the classic case of a player who's likely pressing. Moving forward, I'd bet on something around a .240 average, but with 20-24 homers to come. We asked just two things of Scott two months ago — hit for a reasonable average and run rabbit, run. So far so good: a tidy 11-for-12 on swipes, with a .288 average and .355 OBP. Now it's fair to wonder if the Cardinals will consider promoting Scott in the lineup; he's been eighth or ninth just about all year. $8 Mike Yastrzemski $8 JJ Bleday $8 Josh Smith $7 Evan Carter $7 Austin Hays $7 Tyler O'Neill $7 Dylan Moore $6 Trevor Larnach $6 Taylor Ward $6 Jorge Soler $6 Willi Castro $5 Dylan Crews $5 Miguel Andújar $5 Jonathan India $5 Michael Toglia $5 Maikel Garcia $4 Jake Meyers $4 Harrison Bader $4 Ceddanne Rafaela $4 Sal Frelick $4 Alec Burleson $4 Chandler Simpson $3 Max Kepler $3 Kyle Isbel $3 Andrew McCutchen $3 Joc Pederson Carter was a big deal two years ago, then hit the struggles that befall so many glittering prospects. I can't unsee that he was the No. 3-4 batter for the Rangers when they swept to the championship back in 2023. He's still just 22 and he was considered a top 5 prospect a year ago. His plate-discipline stats were good during the Triple-A reset, everything else was pedestrian. But sometimes you have to simply bet on talent. The light could go on at any moment. Simpson is another rabbit who just needs to hit for an ordinary average to mark his territory on our rosters. He's grabbed seven bags on eight attempts over 20 games; this roughly equates to 56 on a full season. He's slugging .301, about what we expected. If this type of specialist is going to justify a roster spot, he needs to dominate in the area where he's skilled. Simpson can check that box. He's chasing a little more than we'd like, though his K/BB stats are in a good place. $2 Eli White $2 Kameron Misner $2 Enrique Hernandez $2 Isiah Kiner-Falefa $2 Alek Thomas $2 Jo Adell $2 Jordan Walker $2 Daulton Varsho $2 Michael Conforto $2 Nolan Jones $1 Miguel Vargas $1 Heston Kjerstad $1 Jacob Young $1 Alex Verdugo $28 Yordan Álvarez $25 Ronald Acuña Jr. $21 Teoscar Hernández $19 Jazz Chisholm Jr. $12 Ian Happ $11 Mike Trout $9 Víctor Robles $7 Colton Cowser $7 Lane Thomas $ 7 Tommy Edman $ 6 Tyler Fitzgerald $5 Andrew Benintendi $5 Jurickson Profar (suspension) $3 Dane Myers
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
REVIEW: Volkswagen Touareg R-Line is brilliant, but destined to struggle at the price point
The Touareg R-Line has a punchy TDI engine, cushy air suspension and luxurious cabin. Image: Jason Woosey A genuine contender in the luxury SUV space, the Volkswagen Touareg has been around for 23 years, and is now in its third generation. In the latter half of 2024, Volkswagen SA introduced the facelifted version of this third-gen model, first released internationally in 2018, and it brings a more luxurious and tech-savvy cabin. But with pricing pegged at R1,491,300 for the Elegance variant and R1,799,200 for the flagship R-Line that we recently had on test, it is somewhat expensive, going toe-to-toe with a glut of premium-brand SUVs. For what it's worth, you can pick up a new BMW X5 3.0D M-Sport for R1,828,000 or a Mercedes GLE 300d AMG Line for R1,931,800, while the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne models, which the VW shares its platform with, start at R1,958,000 and R2,049,000 respectively. Granted, the VeeDub undercuts its main rivals then, but not by a huge margin. The facelifted model doesn't look too different from its predecessor at first glance, but it has gained a number of model-specific design changes at the front end, highlighted by snazzy new high-definition Matrix LED headlights, featuring interactive LEDs that can mask the area facing oncoming traffic. Round back it gains new LED taillight clusters with dynamic turn signals, and the lights are now connected by a horizontal strip. Interior and functionality Inside there's a new dual-screen cockpit as well as improved materials and a 30-colour ambient lighting system with adjustable colour settings across three zones. The new trims and materials complement an already classy interior that can hold its own among most of its luxurious rivals, while the high-definition screens, featuring modern and crisp graphics, lend a more modern and high-tech feel. The redesigned cockpit boasts large dual screens. Image: Supplied On the downside, this 'clean' new design has eliminated most of the physical controls on the dashboard and functions like the climate control must now be operated via the screen. That being said, there are permanent shortcuts to the climate functions and overall the central screen is fairly user-friendly. The haptic touch-slider controls on the steering wheel do feel a tad finicky, though. Volkswagen has also improved the voice control system and the USB-C ports now have a charging capacity of 45 watts. Standard equipment includes electrically adjustable leather seats, but you will have to pay extra for niceties like the Travel Assist Package, which adds semi-automated driving capability, as well as the Area View Camera and Night Vision system. The Touareg is a large vehicle, with an overall length of 4,878mm and a 2,904mm wheelbase. This is enough to ensure spacious seating for five occupants as well as a huge boot, which boasts a capacity of 810 litres. What's it like to drive the new Touareg? As before, power comes from the Volkswagen Group's silky-smooth 3.0-litre TDI turbodiesel motor, paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. With 190kW and 600Nm on command, it provides punchy, effortless performance that's unlikely to leave many owners wanting more. But most impressive is the fuel economy. Volkswagen claims a combined average of 7.8 litres per 100km but our car's long-term trip computer showed an average of 7.5 l/100km over 2,000km. However, my week-long test drive saw a figure of 9.9 l/100km as much of the driving was on urban routes, but that is still commendable under the circumstances. The Touareg boasts a clean design, but fails to stand out in the segment. Image: Jason Woosey With a 90 litre fuel tank, including reserve, the Touareg boasts a theoretical range of over 1,100km between refuels. Out on the road, the well-insulated Touareg is really quiet, and the air suspension system, which is standard on the R-Line, dishes up a cushy ride quality despite the fitment of 21-inch alloy wheels. The latter are an option, with 20' rims featuring as standard. The Touareg R-Line also comes with rear-wheel steering, which assists with low-speed manoeuvring as well as high-speed handling, but all round it's more of a comfortable than sporty drive. Like its BMW X5 rival, there is no low-range gearing for off-road excursions, but with 4Motion all-wheel drive and a ground clearance of 215mm, the Touareg is perfectly fine for milder off-road excursions. VERDICT The Volkswagen Touareg is brilliant in almost every respect, from its luxurious interior to its refined road manners and gutsy but economical diesel engine. But with a mainstream badge on its bonnet and a price that pitches it close to a glut of premium SUV products, the underrated Touareg is likely to remain a relatively rare sight on our roads. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel IOL
Express Tribune
04-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
iPad Air prices revealed as Apple launches new M3 models
Listen to article Apple unveiled new versions of its mid-range iPad Air on Tuesday, now featuring the M3 chip and advanced AI capabilities. The 11-inch model starts at $599, while the 13-inch version is priced from $799. Pre-orders for the new iPad Air begin today, with deliveries and in-store availability starting March 12. Last year, Apple released iPad Air models with the M2 chip, maintaining the same pricing for the 11-inch variant. For the holiday quarter, Apple reported $8.09 billion in iPad sales, surpassing estimates of $7.32 billion. Notably, more than half of the sales were to new iPad customers.
