Latest news with #FirstLight
The Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Singaporean actress Gina Lim feels lonely after moving to new city in Taiwan
Singaporean actress Gina Lim and her husband, Taiwanese actor Chang Han, moved to Taitung in 2023 for their daughter's education. Photo: Gina Lim/Facebook Singaporean actress Gina Lim, who is based in Taiwan, has posted about feeling lonely after moving to a new city. The 47-year-old married Taiwanese actor Chang Han, 51, in 2016 and they have an eight-year-old daughter. They moved from Taipei – where Lim spent 22 years – to Taitung in 2023 as their daughter is attending a school in the south-east coast of Taiwan. 'Life has become very different after we moved to Taitung,' Lim wrote in Chinese on social media on June 29. 'There are no relatives or sources of support around me, and I have to do everything by myself.' She added: 'To be honest, I felt a little lonely and overwhelmed when Chang was filming in other places for a long time.' Chang recently starred in Taiwanese TV series The Bliss (2025), First Light (2025) and The World Between Us: After The Flames (2025). He also acted in the Japanese drama series Tokyo Salad Bowl (2025). 'As my physical condition is not very stable, I sometimes felt really tired and wanted to take a break, but my mind did not feel at ease,' Lim wrote. The actress disclosed in December 2024 that she had stage one colorectal cancer and was on the way to recovery after surgery. 'At this moment, I am grateful to friends and parents of my daughter's classmates,' she wrote. 'You took my daughter out for play dates, so that she had company and happy memories, and I did not have to worry about her being bored at home.' Lim said their offers of assistance allowed her to take a break and recharge herself. 'For you, it may be just a small favour, but it provided me with great support and comfort,' she wrote. 'My time in Taitung has become warmer because of you.' Lim's post on Facebook received more than 1,700 'likes'. Taiwanese actress Ding Ning commented: 'It is true that a neighbour nearby is better than a relative far away.' Lim rose to prominence in Taiwan after starring in the hit school drama series Spicy Teacher (2000 to 2004). She told the Taiwanese media in 2023 that she and her husband moved to Taitung to give their daughter an education outside the mainstream schooling system. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
007 First Light Preview: 'We've Built a James Bond For Games'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Bond is back, but you're not going to recognize him. In the first Bond game since 2012's dire 007: Legends, a game so bad it lost publisher Activision the Bond rights, the iconic spy is reborn as a 26-year-old rookie agent yet to earn his stars. According to Christian Elverdam, CCO of 007 First Light developer IO Interactive, the pitch to Bond custodian's Amazon MGM was simple: what if the people behind the Hitman series turned their hands to an even more iconic assassin? The newly unveiled Bond for 007 First Light The newly unveiled Bond for 007 First Light IO Interactive "We're very comfortable building a lot of different locations with social gameplay," Elverdam tells Newsweek. "And completing your missions without shooting. And so a big part of that [pitch] was actually just showing how Hitman plays as everything but a shooter - a very creative, stealth-action/spycraft game." There are plenty of crossovers between James Bond and Agent 47. They both travel the globe undertaking vital missions against shadowy villains, are well-trained in stealth and subterfuge, and equally comfortable shooting off firearms as well as their silver tongues. They're also fond of the odd disguise. Elverdam says 007 First Light will deploy every facet of Bond in delivering a similar plurality of gameplay styles, with multiple routes towards completing your objective. Is 007 First Light a Shooter? "This version is a Bond 360-degree experience," says Elverdam. "We also wanted to up our game when it comes to melee combat, shooting, also the fluent shift between melee and shooting, and then up the spectacle moments." For examples of 007 First Light's open-ended approach, Elverdam lets slip a secret: "Dissect the trailer because we left a few clues in there." 007 First Light Trailer At one point in the game's one and only gameplay trailer, you'll see Bond pick someone's pocket, suggesting his nimble fingers will let you steal keys and potentially plant evidence. There's also a look at the amateur agent's messy shooting technique, which sees him improvise by throwing his pistol when it runs out of ammo. This is a more desperate firefight than a polished enemy dispatch. 007 First Light Cars The frantic car chase is another staple of any Bond film. In the trailer, we see him speeding his gleaming motor through a sleepy European village. Add to copious use of gadgets (a laser watch, drone, and earpiece letting you communicate with handlers), and you have a game that finally seems to be getting Bond right. Elverdam calls them "gameplay verbs" - different actions you can take aimed at making you feel like Bond. For IO Interactive, the key consideration was propelling players through a faster story. That, however, comes at the cost of map size. A shot of the driving sequences in 007 First Light A shot of the driving sequences in 007 First Light IO Interactive 007 First Light Map Size 007 First Light's maps aren't on the scale of Hitman's sprawling but sedate social sandboxes, which invite replay after replay. IO Interactive discovered that leaning too far in this direction risked diluting Bond. "James Bond is a character-driven game, and it's a character-driven story. So you need obviously some forward momentum that is centred around James and his motivations." Is 007 First Light Like Hitman? That forward momentum comes in the form of funnelling - in other words, when the levels get narrower and the only way is straight ahead. Elverdam says 007 First Light is structurally similar to 2012's Hitman Absolution, albeit executed a whole lot better. "I think we've integrated the story very smoothly into the different missions. So it doesn't feel staccato," says Elverdam. "But the idea is obviously that you don't feel like this big distinction between when you're playing and when you're in cutscenes. It's much more fluent this time around." Action isn't Hitman's strong suit. Shooting has always felt stilted, and melee is more of a button-matching mini-game. That all changes for 007 First Light. 007 First Light Shooting Gameplay Shooting-wise, you'll be getting some extra help in the form of gentle auto-aim. "You just tend to hit some shots that you might, let's just say, behind the scenes, you might have missed them a little bit," says Elverdam. It's more about having fun than mastering the mechanics. Melee, meanwhile, has plenty more depth. "There is what I would call a real game in there," says Elverdam. "In Hitman it's much less of a game and much more of just pushing a button." 007 First Light Engine A dramatically updated Glacier engine powers the spectacle, with vastly more detailed NPCS, better animation, and overall higher world fidelity. We see Bond strut around glitzy hotel resorts, explore mountain chateaus, and parkour across nighttime cityscapes. IO Interactive even had to learn fresh filming techniques to make the game feel more cinematic, from nailing the camera motion to applying the right lens. It's all part of the new 360-degree Bond. "It's important to get that mixture right. It's almost like mixing the perfect cocktail. You need the right amount of everything." Hopefully shaken, not stirred. 007 First Light Release Date - When Does 007 First Light Release? 007 First Light is set to release for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026. There is no specific release date at this time.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Singapore actress Gina Lim feels lonely after moving to new city in Taiwan
Singapore actress Gina Lim and her husband, Taiwanese actor Chang Han, moved to Taitung in 2023 for their daughter's education. PHOTO: GINA LIM/FACEBOOK Singaporean actress Gina Lim, who is based in Taiwan, has posted about feeling lonely after moving to a new city. The 47-year-old married Taiwanese actor Chang Han, 51, in 2016 and they have an eight-year-old daughter. They moved from Taipei – where Lim spent 22 years – to Taitung in 2023 as their daughter is attending a school in the southeast coast of Taiwan. 'Life has become very different after we moved to Taitung,' Lim wrote in Chinese on social media on June 29. 'There are no relatives or sources of support around me, and I have to do everything by myself.' She added: 'To be honest, I felt a little lonely and overwhelmed when Chang was filming in other places for a long time.' Chang recently starred in Taiwanese TV series The Bliss (2025), First Light (2025) and The World Between Us: After The Flames (2025). He also acted in the Japanese drama series Tokyo Salad Bowl (2025). 'As my physical condition is not very stable, I sometimes felt really tired and wanted to take a break, but my mind did not feel at ease,' Lim wrote. The actress disclosed in December 2024 that she had stage one colorectal cancer and was on the way to recovery after surgery. 'At this moment, I am grateful to friends and parents of my daughter's classmates,' she wrote. 'You took my daughter out for play dates, so that she had company and happy memories, and I did not have to worry about her being bored at home.' Lim said their offers of assistance allowed her to take a break and recharge herself. 'For you, it may be just a small favour, but it provided me with great support and comfort,' she wrote. 'My time in Taitung has become warmer because of you.' Lim's post on Facebook received more than 1,700 'likes'. Taiwanese actress Ding Ning commented: 'It is true that a neighbour nearby is better than a relative far away.' Lim rose to prominence in Taiwan after starring in the hit school drama series Spicy Teacher (2000 to 2004). She told the Taiwanese media in 2023 that she and her husband moved to Taitung to give their daughter an education outside the mainstream schooling system. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FirstLight power must lower Connecticut River for Turners Falls dam repair
TURNERS FALLS — Hydroelectric power company FirstLight will temporarily lower the water level along a section of the Connecticut River in Turners Falls next month, saying it is the only way to repair a broken gate. The bascule gate, so named because it hinges up to close, failed last month releasing 300 gallons of hydraulic fluid into the river. In a news release Tuesday, FirstLight said it will provide as much advance notice to the community as possible when it lowers the water in the Turners Falls Impoundment and it will try to start this work after the July Fourth weekend, provided that the gate's current condition remains stable. There is no public safety hazard and there has been no damage to the dam itself, the company said. But FirstLight warned that a reduced water level on the section of river above the dam will temporarily strand boats near the shoreline and inhibit boating. FirstLight said it has had engineers working on a repair plan since the June 3 spill. 'Of the more than half a dozen solutions considered for the fix, all would have required that the water levels in the Turners Falls Impoundment be lowered, and the approach we've identified is expected to have the shortest duration impact on the river,' it said. The water has to be drawn down to the elevation of the crest of the gate. FirstLight said it is focused on minimizing the duration of the drawdown to the extent possible and expect it to last for 1 to 5 days. The repair comes as First Light is seeking a long-term relicensing of the generation station. A change in tenor: Springfield Symphony, union announce labor contract 'What do businesses hate?': Mass. employers navigating uncertainty and fear MGM Springfield reports gambling take for May Read the original article on MassLive.
Irish Examiner
23-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'It's been very healing': Cork man's 170km walk raises over €19k for parental bereavement charities
Content advisory: this article deals with infant loss and parental bereavement. Each of us has lost someone we've loved — and felt the impact of their presence, no matter how brief, continue to resonate. Last week, Cork man Finbarr Buttimer, honouring the life of his daughter Nóra, set out on a journey to raise funds for the organisations that provided he and his fiancée with critical support when it was needed most. Trekking the full 170 kilometres between Cork city and Dingle, Co Kerry, Buttimer initially sought to raise €2000 for parental bereavement charities Féileacáin and FirstLight. As of Monday morning, the support and solidarity he's received from the wider community has seen that figure reach nearly ten times that amount, as he continues to document his journey on Instagram. "This is a walk to Dingle for my daughter, Nóra, who sadly passed away six months ago," Buttimer told the Irish Examiner on Friday. "She was a healthy baby, but when she was born, there were complications around her birth, and sadly, 12 days later, she passed away. "Over that six month period, my fiancée Mae and I have had to rebuild our lives, and the two charities that I've decided to raise for played a huge role in that. "The first one is FirstLight. They're a long-running charity, involved in providing crisis intervention and grief counselling for bereaved parents, at any age or any stage of their grief or of their loss, and they were there to help us with that immediate support, which was vital. " Féileacáin, then, has been like our community. They're another parental bereavement group who help with advocacy, who help create things like memory boxes, for example. "We have some mementoes of Nóra at home that Féilecáin have put together - a lock of her hair, and other very nice pieces that we really cherish, and remind us of her. "They also run a very active five-a-side soccer group for dads, run tournaments around the country, and for me personally, they've been an amazing source of strength and community, because I feel less alone. I feel like I'm with people who understand what the experience is like whenever I'm playing with them. "They run other groups as well, like pregnancy after loss groups, and support groups for children and families who have lost [loved ones]. There are so many other charities and groups who are also involved in this space, like Bumbleance, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, and LauraLynn." Finbarr Buttimer, under the Shandon Bells as his walk from Cork to Dingle got underway last week. For Finbarr, choosing to excur to Dingle from his hometown of Cork City was a matter of fulfilling a personal wish for his daughter. "It's a place that I would have gone on holidays a lot as a child growing up, and it's a place that I always wanted to bring Nóra, so I'll bring her with me in spirit. "The reason I'm doing a walk is because I like to do these long-distance walks; in 2022 I did the Via Francigena, the Camino from Canterbury in England to Rome, I did that over three months, then in 2023, I walked from Cork to Rosslare to raise money for Simon Community and the Nasc migrant rights centre in Cork. "So it felt right that, in order to mark Father's Day, to mark six months since Nóra's passing, that we would hold this event. And the response has been absolutely amazing." It might not have been Finbarr's first long-distance walk, but any such undertaking brings with it a certain degree of preparation and training, and this journey has been no exception. "I learned a lot about walking in Ireland from the trip to Rosslare. Having lightweight gear is important, having good shoes is important, and not carrying too much food or water is actually an important thing. "But then the other thing, obviously, is this isn't a typical walking trail. I did, beforehand, have to do a lot [of prep], I had to look at a lot of maps. I had to look at what roads are quietest, what times would have been quietest. "Also, I've been camping the whole way, and so at the first night, for example, I was relying on the kindness of strangers to allow me to camp in some farmer's field or in a forest somewhere. "A lovely couple, and I would like to mention them, Fiona and Brian on the Butter Road. They let me camp in their garden, they said, 'look, it's no problem', and gave me tea and cakes and everything. "It was so generous of them to see this random man show up, for them to give me that shelter there for the night." Moving out from the city and into the countryside has brought with it its own set of considerations, but also, helped set a tone for the weekend legs of Finbarr's journey, and helped bring his focus to the purpose of his excursion. "Once you get outside of the city, there's a lot of industrial and farm traffic. Once I got past Tower and onto the Butter Road and beyond, it became quieter, and as I came up by Bailinagree, one or two cars would pass every hour, then roads would turn into boreens, and boreens would turn into boreens with the green strip down the middle. "Then it became really idyllic Irish countryside, where I could focus less on having to stay in on the side of the road with cars going past, and I could look up around the landscape. It was like the Boggeragh mountains and Millstreet, and the reeks in the distance, Claragh mountain. "I think because of the rain earlier in June and the sunshine now, there's a real lushness to the landscape, and a lot of the hedgerows are in bloom. It's just unbelievably idyllic, and it's been very healing. "From that point of view. It's kind-of like a green bath, or, I don't know what the term is... we're surrounded by nature, and you feel a real sense of peace about you. "It's just a whole different perspective on on Ireland, really, and on the landscape. And it makes me appreciate it a whole lot more. "All along the way, I'm thinking of Nóra. The word 'féileacáin' means 'butterflies' [in Irish], and in Irish mythology, butterflies represent the souls of relatives that have passed, who have come to visit and reassure you that everything's okay. "I'm always seeing butterflies, and robins remind me of her as well, and they're all along the road, so I feel that she's with me, and I know that she'll be with me going forward in the walk and beyond." Finbarr Buttimer is undertaking a walk from Cork to Dingle to raise funds for Féileacáin and FirstLight, following the passing of his daughter Nora. By his calculations, Finbarr's walk was set to conclude by Tuesday of this week, and along the way, support has ranged from friends and family, to the charities involved, to a wider community that has been following his updates online and reaching out to show support and solidarity. "The response has been absolutely incredible. I'm incredibly moved when I think about it, because we see in the donation page the amount that we've raised, just that in and of itself, shows that hundreds of people are thinking about Nóra, they're thinking about me and Mae, and they want to show us their support. "These are all people we would have loved her to see, and people are reaching out to her by giving, that just means the world to us that so many people are thinking of her because she deserves that. "Those two causes... when I was in Millstreet the other day, I was in touch with FirstLight, and if the fundraiser were to end then, and half of the money were to go to FirstLight then, I think it was something like fifteen families could be provided for, with crisis intervention and psychology support. "To know that through Nóra, we can do good in the world is an incredible feeling, and it honours her memory. As parents, that's what our duty is now, going forward, is to is to honour her, and I feel that with this amazing support, we've been able to do that." The Walk to Dingle for Nóra fundraising page is still open on GoFundMe, staying open until Monday June 30. All funds raised will go directly to Féileacáin and FirstLight, charities that provide assistance to bereaved parents. Follow the last few legs of Finbarr's journey, as well as post-walk fundraising updates, at his Instagram page: @finbarrformerlybaz Special thanks to Julia Healy for her assistance with this article.
