Latest news with #Asa
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
The Irish sister hotels perfect for relaxing staycation with outdoor tubs, snow cabin, delicious food & resident puppy
TIME spent with a friend is good for the soul – and if you can do it in one of Ireland's top hotels, even better. With that in mind, my pal Denise and I headed for 5 The luxury 4-star Galgorm Hotel & Spa is ideal for a weekend break 5 It is renowned as a pampering hotspot 5 Many relaxing opportunities at the resort after a stressful week The resort is renowned for pampering and we were excited to see what was on offer after hearing so many good things. Our accommodation, the Forest Den, was a private hut in the woods — and it simply blew us away. It came with its own outdoor seating area, a piano, private hot tub, sauna and outdoor shower, as well as a cosy, indoor kitchen and sleeping quarters. Denise was so excited she hopped on a video call straight away to show off the room while I had a nosy around. READ MORE IN TRAVEL After a few glasses of As a The staff were that perfect mix — appearing just as you were about to call them and then leaving you be when you want some time to chat and eat. And just across the courtyard was the bar, with live Most read in the Irish Sun After a couple of drinks, we went back to our den via the resort's free courtesy bus, where we spent two hours soaking in the outdoor bath. We fell into bed content and dozed happily to the sounds of the forest outside. The short Irish train journey perfect for summer day out with 'stunning views' If you are staying at the Galgorm, you get full access to its Thermal Village Spa. This has a number of gorgeous relaxation spots, from the outdoor hot tubs overlooking the river to the sauna huts. Inside, they have a pool and a snow cabin. CABIN FEVER Said to be great for circulation and the lungs, a snow cabin is essentially like walking into a freezer! There were blocks of what looked like snow on the walls, and it was a contrast to the heat of the pool I had been in just moments before. We raced through breakfast to spend as much time as we could there, sunning ourselves in the sauna, and taking a swim. There's no need to dress up, as everyone walks around in their recognisable brown dressing gowns. We only wished we had more time to have a treatment, such as the 90-minute Taste of Galgorm, which includes a back and foot massage, and a head treatment. Or the 60-minute Relaxing Full Body Massage. But by the time we had booked our stay, they were fully booked, so try to book early. ON THE MOVE We packed up the car and head for Galgorm's sister hotel, The Rabbit. Just a 25-minute drive away, I would describe it as the cool, younger sibling. And it gets my vote simply for being dog-friendly. It even has its own resident pup, Florence. While the previous night was more focused on spa and chill — and there is a lot of that at The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat — there is also music, for those wanting party vibes. We met groups of women and hen parties, all enjoying the pool with cocktails in hand. Our room was fab, with a retro vinyl player, quirky wallpaper and accessories, as well as a secluded outdoor tub. WELCOME PACK There was also a welcome pack with some chocolates and a bottle of prosecco, so we sat out in the sun and poured ourselves a glass before our afternoon plans. We were booked in for a Private Botanical Bathing Experience. The one-of-a-kind treatment includes your own private jacuzzi, filled with soothing smells and an unbeatable view of the water. A QR code connects you to the bar, which delivers your order. You get to pick the botanicals used, with options such as Sleep Time (best near night-time) and Rest and Restore, but we went for Feel Good. This was a mix of bergamot sweet orange and rosemary, to detox and promote relaxation. GO: GALGORM RESORT AND THE RABBIT HOTEL STAY HERE: Lodging at the Forest Den at Galgorm, is available from £270 Bed & Breakfast per room (2 guests) – coming in at €321.94 based on current exchange rates. The Comfy Room with Outdoor Bathtub at The Rabbit is available from £275 Bed & Breakfast per room (2 guests) – coming in at €327.90. For guests staying overnight at the Rabbit, adding the Botanical Bath is an extra £50 or €60. Then it was time to get changed and head to the hotel's restaurant, where once again I was delighted to see they had a vegetarian menu. To top off our night, we had prime position in the restaurant to watch a man surprise his partner with a proposal — thankfully she said yes! The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, it was time to hit the road again. To anyone who is overdue a catch-up with a friend, this is the one for you. 5 They have an excellent menu for vegetarians 5 Nicola enjoyed her weekend break at the hotel
Metro
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Devastating' disturbing film based on a true story comes to Amazon Prime Video
A film guaranteed to leave you weeping and wailing has landed on Amazon Prime Video. Released in 2008, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas shows war from the gut-wrenching, innocent perspective of a child as eight-year-old boys Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) strike up a forbidden friendship. Set during World War II, Bruno moves with his parents and sister from Berlin to a new home by a concentration camp, where his father (David Thewlis) has just become the commandant. As the youngster wanders off out of boredom, unbeknownst to his family, Bruno grows close with the Jewish boy behind the barbed-wire fence, visiting him frequently without a clue about what's truly happening on what he believes is a 'farm.' Their special bond ultimately has devastating consequences, and it's safe to say the movie's final twist packs a real punch. Despite being released almost 20 years ago, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas remains a hugely popular, albeit divisive, film. Based on John Boyne's book of the same name, it is often shown in schools to offer students an emotional insight into the Holocaust and generate discussions. However, despite receiving generally positive reviews for its emotional storytelling upon its initial release, it also garnered criticism for 'misrepresenting' and 'trivialising' elements of war. But now you can decide for yourself, as the 94-minute historical drama is available to stream. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has a 65% rating overall from critics on review platform Rotten Tomatoes, while viewers have scored it 85%. Among the feedback, Richard Crouse writes that it will 'take your breath away,' while Mike Massie says 'this is a film that cannot be easily forgotten.' 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas may very well be 2008's most important family film [sic],' says Richard Propes. 'Even in its lighter moments, the picture never downplays the horror of the situation, and the devastating ending is potent enough to affect even those viewers who write it off as nothing more than a sensationalist stunt,' argues Matt Brunson. 'A movie so horrific it haunts your dreams but so fascinating you can't turn your eyes away from it,' Jackie K. Cooper pens. In contrast, though, some suggest that the plot is 'too manufactured' and 'gimmicky'. Since it was released, there's no denying that child actor Asa, now 28, has forged a successful career for himself. He was 10 when he made The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, with director Mark Herman saying they came across him early on in the audition process. In the years since, he's appeared in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and, most famously, took the lead in Netflix series Sex Education, starring opposite Gillian Anderson. More Trending As for Jack, the now 26-year-old lives a quieter life. Both he and co-star Asa were nominated for the Young Artist Awards thanks to their performances in the movie, with Jack going on to star in the BBC miniseries Runaway in 2009. He remained close friends with Asa after the pair were plucked from obscurity to star in what would become a hit film; however, Jack no longer acts. Watch The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas on Amazon Prime Video. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Amazon Prime Video quietly adds one of the 'best horror shows ever' MORE: Amazon Prime confirms iconic 90s gameshow revival with WWE legend as host MORE: Amazon Prime fans rush to binge 'incredible' thriller axed 10 years ago
The Star
11-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Boosting Asean centrality
FOR too long, the Asean region has been policy-rich but institutionally poor. There is much to do with many policies for getting things done, but little by way of regional frameworks for doing them cohesively and comprehensively. Asean itself emerged after failed attempts at indigenously-led regionalism: the Association of South-East Asia (Asa) and Maphilindo (Malaya, the Philip-pines, and Indonesia). Since then Asean has succeeded admirably, but it has always needed to do more. This need is particularly clear in regional economics. For consecutive decades since Japan's economic miracle from the mid-1950s, East Asia, comprising North-East Asia and South-East Asia, has remained the world's most economically dynamic region. Yet while Europe has the European Union and North America had Nafta (North American Free Trade Agreement) and now the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, East Asia has no equivalent regional economic organisation. Despite growing challenges to East Asia's legitimate interests, there is still no dedicated institution for better regional coordination, synergy, and representation of shared interests. In December 1990 Malaysia's activist foreign and trade policies proposed an East Asia Economic Grouping (EAEG) comprising Asean countries and China, Japan, and South Korea. Conceived as 'a loose, consultative grouping', it was endorsed by most of the countries including China, but the US pressured Japan to stay out. Without the EAEG, the 1997 Asian financial crisis devastated the region. A particularly stricken South Korea then strongly advocated reviving the EAEG's Asean Plus Three (APT) framework. A slightly expanded version is Asean Plus Six (APS) which shares Asean centrality with the APT, but with Australia, New Zealand, and India. The APS is represented in the Asean-led Regional Compre-hensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with India staying out for now. Calls are now heard for reviving the EAEG to work alongside the RCEP. Each can have its own focus while contributing to Asean centrality, without any unnecessary duplication or redundancy. Just as the 1997 Asian financial crisis had underscored the importance of the APT, rising US tariffs since 2018 can be a catalyst for the EAEG – it pays to turn economic adversity into greater prosperity instead. East Asia's current circumstances are the best yet for reviving the EAEG. It had been an Asean idea that Malaysia gave voice to a generation ago, and it should remain as much an Asean-led initiative today. Already, China, Japan, and South Korea are converging in North-East Asia. As expected, economics is the main theme for their convergence and the best means for overcoming their bilateral differences from a troubled history. This growing intergovernmental cooperation is supported by industrial collaboration. Toyota China for example has begun using Chinese automobile technology in such areas as autonomous driving and battery powertrains. The automobile sector is likely to see more regional collaboration, setting a trend for other sectors. After years of hesitation over electric vehicles (EVs) in which China is the world leader, Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation is proceeding in partnership with Chinese companies. An EAEG integrating North-East and South-East Asia would help regional promise and productivity immeasurably. Asean is a trusted, neutral and non-threatening agency that can help boost common regional fortunes with better prospects of peace and stability. The EAEG will be East Asia's first regional organisation if it materialises. From Asean at the core, an EAEG, the RCEP, and then the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) would form overlapping areas or concentric layers of trade cooperation to boost supply chain cohesiveness – with Asean centrality. Regional supply chains and markets need to be robust, resilient and closely integrated if they are to survive external shocks. Business climates thrive on confidence and is threatened by anxiety and uncertainty. Even the EU is revising its trade policies on China by improving relations, as a result of indiscriminate US tariffs. The East Asian region itself, comprising China and its neighbours, would be expected to do more. Since 2020, China's 'dual circulation' economic strategy emphasises domestic consumption to help cope with shortfalls in overseas demand. It has also prioritised 'new productive forces' with technology as an economic multiplier. Other East Asian economies can learn useful lessons from China's experience. South-East Asia's import substitution model for example may need to be tweaked if not transcended entirely when sanctions and high tariffs threaten. The immense benefits of closer regional integration include swift and seamless economic transitions in better protecting growth. China's size and vulnerability to foreign trade pressures have forced it to innovate considerably in economic policy, which can be instructive for other countries. East Asia may now be hunkering down to develop greater regional cohesion as a defence against involuntary trade restrictions. A logical consequence would be dual circulation applied on a regional scale. For years, successive US administrations have sought partisan support from South-East Asian countries, but a neutral Asean has refused to choose a side. Now the unwarranted and unwanted tariffs of April 2 may organically promote regional self-determination instead. Bunn Nagara is Director and Senior Fellow at the BRI Caucus (Asia-Pacific), and Honorary Fellow at the Perak Academy. The views expressed here are solely the writer's own.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Endeavour Mining PLC (EDVMF) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Cash Flow and Debt ...
Gold Production: 341,000 ounces in Q1 2025. All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC): $1,129 per ounce. Free Cash Flow: $409 million in Q1 2025. Net Debt Reduction: Reduced by $354 million to $378 million. Leverage Ratio: 0.22 times net debt to adjusted EBITDA. Dividends Paid: $240 million for 2024. Share Buybacks: $52 million year-to-date in 2025. Adjusted EBITDA: $613 million in Q1 2025. Free Cash Flow Margin: 39% in Q1 2025. Realized Gold Price: $2,783 per ounce in Q1 2025. Earnings Per Share (EPS): Increased from $0.45 to $0.90. Operating Cash Flow: $494 million in Q1 2025. Safety Performance: Group LTIFR of 0.05%. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with EDVMF. Release Date: May 01, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Endeavour Mining PLC (EDVMF) delivered a strong operational and financial performance in Q1 2025, producing 341,000 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,129 per ounce. The company generated record free cash flow of $409 million during the quarter, translating to $1,199 for every ounce of gold produced. Endeavour Mining PLC (EDVMF) significantly reduced its net debt by $354 million, bringing leverage down to 0.22 times net debt to adjusted EBITDA, well below the long-term target of 0.5 times. The company paid record dividends for 2024 of $240 million and has already supplemented returns with $52 million of share buybacks in 2025, indicating a strong commitment to shareholder returns. The Asa project is on track to underpin a 35% production growth to 1.5 million ounces by 2030, with a resource update expected in the second half of the year. Endeavour Mining PLC (EDVMF) anticipates slightly lower production in the second half of 2025, which may impact overall annual output. The company expects to pay significantly higher cash taxes in Q2 and Q3, which will impact cash flow during these quarters. There are ongoing challenges with VAT receivables in Burkina Faso, which have led to a small impairment and may continue to affect working capital. The company faces potential regulatory changes in Burkina Faso, including an accelerated implementation of a 5% free carry, which could impact financials. Endeavour Mining PLC (EDVMF) is operating in a high-risk geopolitical environment in West Africa, which may affect investor sentiment and share valuation. Q: Could the ongoing technical review impact Sabodala-Massawa's 2025 guidance? A: Ian Cockerill, Senior Non-Executive Independent Director, stated that the technical review is ongoing, and it's too early to determine if it will increase output. However, Sabodala is on track to achieve the upper end of its current guidance. Q: Is there potential for increased capital returns given the current free cash flow yield and net debt position? A: Guy Young, Chief Financial Officer, confirmed that there is potential for increased shareholder returns, including supplemental dividends and share buybacks, as long as the supportive gold price environment continues. Q: What is the status of VAT receivables, particularly in Burkina Faso? A: Guy Young explained that there is an ongoing issue with VAT receivables in Burkina Faso, and a conservative provision has been taken. Efforts are being made to resolve this with the government, and the situation is being monitored. Q: Are there any updates on the permitting for in-pit tailings deposition at Saadalla? A: Djaria Traore, Executive Vice President - ESG and Supply Chain, confirmed that necessary permits have been received, and discussions with communities are ongoing. The target is to have all validations by the end of Q2 2025. Q: What are the expectations for tax expenses in 2025, and how does the gold price impact this? A: Guy Young stated that the tax guidance is based on a gold price assumption of $2,600, with the majority of corporate income tax being fixed as it is based on last year's tax. Withholding tax may flex slightly depending on upstreaming. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Star
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 to hit Turkish theaters
ISTANBUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Ne Zha 2, a legendary tale from ancient Chinese mythology brought to life through stunning animation, will premiere in at least 80 cinemas across Türkiye starting May 2, its distributor CGV Mars Distribution told Xinhua on Wednesday. The film will be presented in Chinese with Turkish and English subtitles to cater to a wider audience. Ne Zha 2 follows the journey of a rebellious young hero born with extraordinary powers who defies fate and societal rejection to forge his own destiny. Onur Asa, general manager of CGV Mars Distribution, told Xinhua that the film's striking visuals and universal themes -- such as family, freedom, and self-transcendence -- are expected to resonate strongly with Turkish moviegoers. According to Asa, the movie reintroduces Chinese mythological narratives through a modern cinematic lens, blending vibrant animation with fast-paced action to deliver an engaging experience for audiences of all ages. "The visual storytelling and action-packed scenes transcend language barriers, allowing Turkish audiences to fully immerse themselves in the experience," he said, noting that the film offers a rare glimpse into the rich world of Chinese mythology.
