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Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Glastonbury's Welsh language pop star who is playing alongside Charli XCX and The 1975 after catching the eye
Glastonbury's Welsh language pop star who is playing alongside Charli XCX and The 1975 after catching the eye Cardiff's Mali Haf will play the BBC Introducing Stage Mali was a runner up in the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2025, earning her a place on the coveted line up. (Image: Bea Young ) She describes her music as electronic fairycore of Welsh witch pop, but who exactly is Mali Haf who will be performing Welsh language music at Glastonbury 2025. The singer will appear at one of the most prestigious festivals in the world alongside the likes of The 1975, Neil Young and Charli XCX to name a few. So, how did a girl from Cardiff find herself on this prestigious line up of acts? Well, she entered a competition on a whim. Mali entered the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2025, not optimistic that she would progress, let alone win a spot to perform during the weekend. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . It is an annual contest that provides a platform for new and unsigned UK/ Ireland-based musicians to showcase their talents and potentially win a coveted spot on the main stage at Glastonbury. The judges include Michael and Emily Eavis, Glastonbury stage bookers and music business professionals. Despite not winning the competition, they decided on two runners-up. This includes Ghana-born, Gloucester-raised neo-soul / hip hop act Nat Oaks and Cardiff's own Welsh language singer-songwriter Mali Hâf. Both of the acts received a £2,500 Talent Development prize from the PRS Foundation as well as a slot at this year's Glastonbury Festival. Content cannot be displayed without consent Article continues below To enter the competition you must submit a short application form and put forward your favourite representation of your music. Mali decided to submit her song Esgusodion, the Welsh word for excuses. She said about the song: "It's quite broad really, what I'm singing about, but like excuses. I guess I sort of realised that they're everywhere and it was at the time of the election. I was like, they are literally, they're everywhere. From yourselves, from politicians, from maybe partners. So I guess the song was like noticing that and shooing them away in a fun way." She then found out she had reached the top 90 out of 7,500 applicants, before then making the top 8 and then finally the top 3. She said: "Each step that happened it was like 'oh my god'. I had to process each step so the final one where I'm actually going to the festival you know it took a while to be like 'oh my god I'm going'. "If you asked me a few years ago, is that where you want to play and I'd be like of course that's every musician's dream. But, you know, I'm a realistic, maybe I'm too realistic sometimes, you know, just so I don't get my heart broken. But I was like, you know, if it doesn't happen, whatever and then it does happen. And it's like, you know I at least thought it would be something even more in the future. But the fact that it's come now, it's crazy." When asked what can the crowds of Glastonbury expect from a Mali Haf performance she said: "Well, if you follow me you know that I love my witchiness and magic spells and folklore, but like I also love modern music too so it's like combining that. My folky roots with with the modern elements, just being Mali Haf who's playful and doesn't take life too seriously." The weekend will boast numerous acts from across a spectrum of musical genres, as well as a variety of different acts including comedy, culture and educational talks. The singer has said that she is most looking forward to seeing the powerful women performing across the weekend, including Doechii and Amyl and the Sniffers. She said: "Festivals in general are like the happiest place in the world to me. Like you are just living in the outside world and you see music every two seconds. Really like it's just like a dream life for a weekend isn't it. Of course it's a dream like every other musician." The musician had previously worked at Glastonbury a few year ago on a coffee stall, however this time she'll be returning to do what she does best, performing her music on stage. Mali who has already started packing is looking forward to showing what Wales has to offer, whether that is in the way of her Welsh language songs or in her outfits. She has two outfits made by Welsh fashion designers, including Rosie Evans and Joseph Thomas of the Haus of Androgyny. She said: "Obviously, there's more to my identity than just being Welsh, but being raised in the Welsh culture and having music and the arts being so important, you almost feel like I've got to give back because like it's a big part of my journey like would I would be the singer I am now if it wasn't for my culture telling me how important and amazing singing and the arts are." The majority of her set will be done through the medium of Welsh, following in the footsteps of the Welsh band Adwaith who have also performed on the BBC Introducing Stage. The singer will be following in the footsteps of the Welsh language band Adwaith as she performs on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury. (Image: Adam Houghton ) She said: "I'm hoping that it's just becoming more normal to be heard, rather than like, 'oh, it's the first time we're hearing Welsh', because it shouldn't be, you know. It shouldn't like be unusual. We're literally next door to England and our language has been around longer. So why is it unusual? "I'm glad to be part of that wave that's just bringing its normality and showing every aspect of it, as there's not just one way of showing Welsh." Article continues below Mali will be performing on the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival across three different stages. You can find more information here.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Accenture sees highest-ever quarterly drop in headcount, as numbers fall by ...; America's contributed largest to total revenue
Accenture, a global IT services and consulting giant with a significant workforce in India, reported an 8% year-on-year revenue increase to $7.7 billion for its March-May 2025 quarter, driven by strong demand for AI-related services. The Ireland-based company, which operates on a September-August fiscal calendar, noted a positive 0.5% foreign exchange impact on its quarterly revenues. The company raised the lower end of its full-year revenue growth forecast to 6-7% in local currency, up from 5-7%, reflecting confidence in its performance. However, challenges persisted, with gross margin dipping to 32.9% from 33.4% a year earlier and a record quarterly headcount reduction of 10,337, bringing its global workforce to approximately 790,000. Despite a $2.15 billion year-on-year increase in generative AI (GenAI) bookings for the first nine months of FY25, overall bookings fell by $1.75 billion compared to the same period in FY24. What Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said on earnings Accenture continues to invest heavily in AI, growing its data and AI workforce to 75,000 and targeting 80,000 by the end of FY26. 'We are a leader in GenAI, achieving another milestone quarter with $1.5 billion in bookings and over $700 million in revenues,' said Chair and CEO Julie Sweet during the earnings call. She highlighted total GenAI bookings of $4.1 billion and revenues of $1.8 billion for the year to date. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Americas contributed the largest share of the total revenue The Americas led regional performance, contributing $8.97 billion to total revenue, followed by Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) with $6.23 billion, and Asia-Pacific with $2.53 billion. New bookings for the quarter totaled $19.7 billion, down 6% in U.S. dollars, with $9.08 billion from consulting services and $10.62 billion from managed services. Accenture's cash balance stood at $9.6 billion at the end of third quarter. Looking ahead, the company projects Q4 FY25 revenues between $17 billion and $17.6 billion, signaling optimism for continued growth. 'We remain focused on being our clients' reinvention partner of choice, as evidenced by $19.7 billion in bookings, including 30 clients with quarterly bookings exceeding $100 million,' Sweet added, emphasizing Accenture's leadership in large-scale transformations.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Rassie Erasmus announces Springboks squad featuring new talent for Barbarians clash
Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye will anchor the Springboks' scrum against the Barbarians on Saturday. Image: Backpagepix Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has named four uncapped players to face the Barbarians in their season opener in Cape Town on Saturday. Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and flank Vincent Tshituka have both been named in a relatively experienced starting lineup, while Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Neethling Fouche (prop) will feature off the bench. 'They have all slotted into our systems really well and have a good understanding of what we want to do in this match, while it also presents us with a fantastic opportunity to see how they measure up against a handful of experienced players in the Barbarians team,' Erasmus said. 'This may not be an official Test match, but we are approaching it as such, and a good result will hopefully set us on course for an exciting season. 'Asenathi, Vincent, Neethling, and Marnus have all been impressive at training and for their respective franchises this season, and we hope to see them replicate those quality performances in this match.' BREAKING! The first #Springboks squad for the season is out, the available players will assemble in Johannesburg on Sunday 🇿🇦#ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 5, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Another notable inclusion in the starting team was Lood de Jager, who will partner up with Jean Kleyn in the engine room. The experienced lock is back for his first Test since the Springboks' 2023 Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks in New Zealand, which was his only Test in the last two seasons following a string of injuries. 'Lood is in great form and hopped straight back into the thick of things with the intensity and work rate that we are used to seeing him deliver, and we are thrilled to see him and players like Faf (de Klerk) and Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) who missed a large chunk of last season back from injury.' Players from the Bulls, as well as Ireland-based lock RG Snyman, and flyhalf Handre Pollard, only joined the squad last week following their involvement in the United Rugby Championship and English Premiership finals. As a result, only Bulls utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been included in the match-23 from this group of players. The squad assembled in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon after two weeks of training in Johannesburg and started their on-field match preparations on Monday. They were also joined by utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has recovered from his injury, taking the size of the squad to 46 players. However, Erasmus' team still boasts a lot of experience with Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse joining forces in the back three, while double Rugby World Cup-winning centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel will look to make their presence felt in the midfield. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg will dictate play at halfback.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Legal row over millions being made at firm sourcing staff for HSE
Dr Judith Kundodyiwa, who owns a stake in Ireland-based Minana International, which trades as GoodPeople, has made 'very serious allegations' in Ireland of breach of duty against Minana's co-owner and managing director, Gerard Chimbganda, the UK's High Court has been told. The former friends set up Minana International in 2017 alongside Mr Chimbganda's wife, who also acts as the firm's finance director. She is also Dr Kundodyiwa's cousin. All three hail from Zimbabwe. Mr Chimbganda moved to Ireland in 2001. The allegations made in Ireland include that Mr Chimbganda has purported to take over 95pc of the shares in Minana International. Dr Kundodyiwa claims to own 50pc of the Irish firm. Company filings in Ireland claim that a company owned by Mr Chimbganda and his wife owns 95pc of Minana and that Dr Kundodyiwa owns 5pc. Dr Kundodyiwa has also claimed in Ireland that Mr Chimbganda at one stage paid himself €500,000, characterised as a dividend. When challenged about this, the UK's High Court has also heard, it is alleged that Mr Chimbganda promised that an equal dividend would be provided for Dr Kundodyiwa the following year. She says this was not forthcoming. Proceedings were issued in Ireland against Minana International in January this year. The latest set of publicly-available accounts for Minana International show that it made a near €1.3m profit in 2023 and had retained earnings of almost €2.9m at the time. In December last year, Mr Chimbganda launched an action in the UK against Dr Kundodyiwa and UK-based firm GoodPeople Healthcare Limited. Mr Chimbganda and Dr Kundodyiwa are equal and joint owners of the British firm, which provides domiciliary care services to local authorities, particularly through the use of migrant care workers. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Chimbganda claims that Dr Kundodyiwa – a consultant gynaecologist with the NHS in the UK – has been in breach of her duties to GoodPeople Healthcare. Both are directors of the firm. He alleges in the UK action that she has mismanaged the firm's finances and incurred expenditure for the benefit of herself, her family and others. He also claims that she has diverted business opportunities to a company owned by her sister. Dr Kundodyiwa has denied the allegations. Specifically, the allegations by Mr Chimbganda include that of more than £1m (€1.17m) paid into the accounts of GoodPeople Healthcare Limited, Dr Kundodyiwa failed to account for about £500,000 of this. He also alleges that there have been inconsistent explanations given in relation to tens of thousands of pounds of other expenditure and that payments have not been properly accounted for. Dr Kundodyiwa has rejected claims including those about inconsistencies and vagueness, noting that she has done her best in relation to the records currently available. She also claims that the action in the UK against her is in retaliation for the allegations made in Ireland against Mr Chimbganda. However, the action in Ireland was launched after the legal action in the UK.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
TCS, Infosys to HCL Tech: IT stocks fall after Accenture results, escalation in Israel-Iran war
IT stocks: Shares of IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro fell as much as 3 per cent on Monday following Accenture's financial results. Infosys fell over 2.43 per cent, becoming the biggest laggard on Nifty IT index. Meanwhile, TCS, Wipro and HCL Tech slipped below 2 per cent on June 23. On the other hand, Accenture share price dropped over 7 per cent on NYSE, hitting intraday low of $273.19 apiece, falling over 11 per cent on Friday, June 20. The IT stock has descended over 21 per cent in past six months. In terms of year-to-date (YTD), the share has slipped over 18 per cent. Accenture posted an 8 per cent year-on-year revenue increase, reaching $17.7 billion for the March–May 2025 quarter, surpassing Wall Street expectations of $17.30 billion. The growth was fueled by rising demand for the company's AI-powered services among enterprise clients. The company noted that its quarterly results included a favorable foreign exchange impact of around 0.5 per cent. Accenture posted earnings per share of $3.49, surpassing the projected $3.32. The company reported a gross margin of 32.9 per cent for the quarter, slightly down from 33.4 per cent in the same period last year. The Ireland-based firm revised the lower end of its full-year local currency revenue growth forecast to 6-7 per cent, up from the previous 5-7 per cent range. For the fourth quarter of FY25, it anticipates revenues between $17 billion and $17.6 billion. At the end of Q3, Accenture held a total cash balance of $9.6 billion. The IT major posted a decline in quarterly new bookings for the second consecutive time, which outweighed its revenue outperformance and raised annual guidance, leading to a drop of over 6% in its stock. Bookings — referring to future revenue from secured contracts — dropped by 6 per cent to $19.70 billion in the third quarter, a steeper fall compared to the 3 per cent decrease seen in the previous quarter. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
