Latest news with #Skye
GMA Network
a day ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Skye Chua to represent PH in Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy 2025
Skye Chua is set to raise the Philippine flag at the 2025 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy. Sparkle shared the exciting news on Instagram, announcing that the two-time national medalist, fresh from training in Osaka, Japan, will represent the country at the upcoming competition to be held from August 1 to 5 at the SM Skating Rink at the Mall of Asia. 'Competing on home ice, she not only carries the country's hopes but also inspires a new generation of Filipino skaters as the Philippines hosts this prestigious ISU-sanctioned event,' Sparkle said. Previously, the Sparkle actress participated at the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy where she also served as the Philippine flag bearer. A national figure skater, Skye also competed at the SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy in July 2024, where she placed third. As an actress, Skye most recently appeared in GMA Prime series "Pulang Araw" as Japanese character Yuki. She was also part of the figure skating series "Hearts on Ice" starring Ashley Ortega and Xian Lim. —Jade Veronique Yap/JCB, GMA Integrated News
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Dawn Steele on the 'daunting' prospect of her Fringe debut
She is about to make her debut appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a play which will also mark her return to the stage for the first time in more than a decade. Read more: The actress says the chance to appear in the play came at 'the right time,' ahead of her 50th birthday later this year, at a time when she was affected by the downturn in Britain's TV drama industry. It will also realise her growing ambitions to become part of the Fringe after attending numerous shows with friends in recent years and a desire to return to the stage. Dawn Steele will be appearing in the Fringe play Skye at Summerhall. (Image: Supplied) Steele is preparing to play a number of characters in Skye, a chilling family mystery, set on the Hebridean island of the same name 30 years ago. She will be taking centre stage in the debut play by award-winning author and Fringe producer Ellie Keel. Dawn Steele has been most recently seen on screen in the crime drama Granite Harbour. (Image: Newsquest) Steele will be starring opposite fellow Glaswegian James Robinson, who played the young William Wallace in Braveheart, in Skye, part of Summerhall's Fringe theatre programme. The play will be Steele's first stage work since she appeared in the comedy thriller A Perfect Murder, an adaptation of the best-selling Peter James novel, in 2014. Previous roles included the John Byrne plays Cuttin' a Rug and Tutti Frutti, the latter with the National Theatre of Scotland and David Harrower. Speaking to The Herald during a break in rehearsals, Steele said: 'I've not done any theatre for quite a long time. 'It's not really been a choice, but is just the way it's worked out. I'd love to do more theatre, but I just don't get asked. 'I was sent this play by my agent as Ellie, the writer, wanted to hear it read out loud before. She has produced a lot of theatre but this is her first play. 'When I read it, I did think: 'If they ask me to do this, I'm going to have to say yes.' 'In a way, I was scared. I thought 'I hope they don't ask me to do this. It's very wordy, it's a two-hander and I'll be on stage for a whole hour.' 'But I was just really compelled by the script. It felt quite magical to me.' Skye focuses on the main character of Annie and her siblings after they see a ghostly vision of their father on a beach four years after this death. Steele said: 'The play is about an incident that happened on Skye when the children were young, which changes the course of their lives. Annie retells the story with the help of her brother Brawn. 'I don't want to give too much away, but I would say it's a cross between a ghost story and a thriller. 'It's ultimately about memory, how it plays tricks on you, particularly in a family context, and what people hold onto. 'When I read the script I got a real feeling for it and I really loved the character of Annie. I thought she would be a real challenge to play. 'A big part of the appeal is that it's going to be on at the Fringe, which I've been to a lot with friends over the last few years. 'Everything we saw last year was really good. I do remember thinking: 'I would really like to do something here.' When you see really good theatre you want to be up there.' Keel is bringing Skye to the Fringe after producing a number of previous plays at the festival, including Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz and The Last Show Before We Die. She made her name as an author last year with debut novel The Four, about a group of boarding school students bound by a chilling secret. Steele said: 'It feels daunting doing this play because I've not done theatre for a while, but it's not like I've never done theatre before. I've done a lot. "The last two-hander I did was Blackbird, which was pretty daunting. With anything that is a two-hander or a solo show it is pretty exposing. It was also a very challenging play. I remember thinking: 'Oh my god, I'm never going to get through it.' Before I knew it we were touring it around the country. 'The thought of doing new writing at the festival really appealed to me. It's been really interesting and challenging. We've been changing stuff on a daily basis. It's been a bit like doing stuff with John Byrne. The play has changed quite a lot, but for the better. 'I'm so used to TV, where the script is the script, and that is it. Theatre is much more collaborative than TV. There's more of a process. It's not just a case of turning up and doing your lines. 'It feels like this has come into my life at the right time. I'm going to be 50 later this year. It's going to be a real challenge, but I want to be challenged and I'm really prepared to take this on, because I feel I can do it. I'm jumping in head first. 'Were doing the play in a room with 140 seats. I won't have played in front of such a small crowd since I was in my mum and dad's living room. 'All of those things are quite scary, but it's also why I want to do it. It's getting me back into the rehearsal room and doing what I really loved in the first place about acting before I got into TV. I obviously love working in TV, but it is very different. Theatre and TV are two very different beasts." Steele, who has previously starred in Hoby City, Wild at Heart and River City, has been seen on screen most recently in the crime dramas Shetland and Granite Harbour, with filming due to get underway on the next series of the latter shortly after the Fringe. However Steele admitted she jumped at the chance to return to the stage after her quietest ever spell for TV work recently. Steele said: 'I've worked my whole career. I've not stopped. I know I've been really lucky. 'But it's been really quiet recently. A lot of actors are not working at the moment. It is a bit of a buyer's market. People can pick and choose who they want. 'There is less money around. People are being very picky about what is getting made. There is just less getting made and there is less work. It just filters down. 'I'm not doing the play because I was desperate for work. I'm doing it because I really like the play. 'If there isn't a lot of work on the ground, when something comes along that makes me sit up and think 'this is really good' I'd be stupid not to do it.' To purchase tickets for the Fringe, please click here
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Scottish Greens propose holiday homes tax to ‘protect Gaelic language'
The Scottish Greens are calling for higher taxes on second home owners in order to save the Gaelic language. Ross Greer, a Green MSP and the party's finance spokesman, will put forward proposals which would allow the ministers to levy a surcharge on those buying holiday homes in places with high concentrations of Gaelic speakers. Mr Greer said on Wednesday: 'Gaelic is an essential part of Scottish culture and national identity, but it is on the verge of extinction as a living language. 'Young Gaelic speakers are being forced out of the last communities where it is still the spoken language because holiday homes and Airbnb-style short-term lets have driven up house prices to levels they cannot hope to compete with.' The Green politician added: 'My proposals would make it harder for wealthier people to buy up second homes and short-term lets in Gaelic-speaking communities and, in turn, make it easier for locals, especially first-time buyers, to secure their own home.' Mr Greer is set to table an amendment to Bill currently being considered in Holyrood that would impose extra tax on the purchase of a second home in the 'special language areas', designated by the recently passed Scots Languages Bill. The Scottish Greens claim that three in five properties in Skye are holiday homes or short-term lets, and that house prices are £60,000 above the national average. The politician lauded a 100pc surcharge to council tax on second homes as having reduced the number of second homes and holiday lets across Scotland by 2,500 last year. As of May this year, the average house price in Scotland was £191,927, according to Land Registry data. The average price in the Highlands, including Skye, was £220,125, the same data showed. Fiona Campbell MBE, of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC), said: 'This is starting to feel less like serious policymaking and more like an unhealthy obsession. 'Ross Greer seems more interested in generating clickbait headlines than devising credible solutions to Scotland's rural housing challenges.' It's not the first time Scottish politicians have targeted second and holiday homes as the cause of Scotland's housing crisis. All 32 Scottish councils applied the 100pc second home council tax premium for the 2025-2026 tax year. In 2022, Edinburgh became the first local authority to introduce licensing for short-term lets, declaring the entire city a 'control zone'. As well as a licence, the changes also forced holiday let owners to apply for planning permission, at a cost of £690 to £2,073. The council originally said the fees applied to all owners in the city, even those who were in operation before the control zone came into effect. But the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court, later ruled that the changes only applied to properties that became holiday lets after the control zone was implemented. The City of Edinburgh Council then updated its guidance to say so-called 'legacy short-term lets' may require planning approval on a case by case basis. Campaigners said earlier this year that the council faces a compensation bill of as much as £1m as a result of the botched implementation. A requirement that holiday lets have no shared main entrance was also overturned by Scottish courts as a de-facto ban. In June, a similar control zone was proposed for the Highlands, after a smaller trial. Councillors said that 7,011 short-term let licences had been approved, and just four rejected. Labour and SNP politicians have also called for a 'campervan tax', to deal with the huge surge in visitors. The number of visitors to the Highlands has risen by 65pc since 2012, with nearly 36,000 campervans touring the region in 2022, according to the local council. It comes after tourists shunned a voluntary Highland Council scheme whereby campervan visitors could pay £40 for a seven-day pass to park in some of the local authority's car parks, with daily access to showering facilities. Forecast to raise £500,000 in its first year, it instead made just £20,000.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Influencer receives 'crazy' cosmetic procedure which leaves her with shock lumps all over her face and neck - but she swears it is better than fillers
An Australian influencer has revealed the results of a shocking cosmetic procedure that left raised bumps across her lips, jaw and neck. Skye Wheatley, 31, is very open about the numerous procedures and surgeries she has undergone to achieve her ideal look, including a controversial 'fox eye' surgery. But on Friday the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner went under the needle once more for skin boosters, which leave behind unusual lumps in the skin. 'I got some skin boosters done today. I don't know exactly what she used. But I got them through here [points at her lips], all on my neck,' she said on Instagram. Skye then leaned in close to show the numerous raised bumps covering her neck, lips and jaw. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'This is what it looks like. It looks crazy, but it just plumps the skin, adds so much hydration, and I'm obsessed with skin boosters,' she continued. 'I don't think I would want to touch filler over skin boosters at all. I really just want to work on getting my skin strong, healthy, and just adding lots of collagen, hydration.' Skin boosters are the latest cosmetic treatment trend sweeping through the influencer community. The procedure involves injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin, with claims it improves hydration and elasticity by boosting the skin's natural ability to retain moisture. While dermal fillers add volume and structure, skin boosters are said to stimulate collagen production and enhance the skin's natural quality and texture. They can sometimes leave bumps under the skin near the injection sites, but these typically go away after a few days as the product disperses. It comes after Skye underwent a controversial fox eye lift surgery, among several other procedures, in Turkey last October. The influencer revealed she couldn't open her eyes for three days following the procedure. 'Being in a foreign hospital with no eyesight was pretty unsettling,' she previously said. Skye also had liposuction, a complementary temporal lift, and a blepharoplasty. A temporal lift is a fat transfer into the face to prevent the need for injectable dermal fillers, and a blepharoplasty is an eyelid surgery. Skye has previously revealed on Instagram a list of all the plastic surgery procedures she's ever had done. She mentioned surgery on her nose, her breasts (twice), arms, inner thigh, and face.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Skye eyes 2026 return to the field
Skye Hamblin . Picture by Bernard Humphreys By James Buckley In partnership with Toyota. Skye Hamblin walked back from the 50m arc, turned back around and eyed up the big sticks as the seconds ticked down on North Wagga's 2022 premiership dream. She'd been waiting five years for this moment, ever since a torn ACL threatened to derail her burgeoning Aussie Rules career. Moving in, Hamblin dropped the ball onto her thumping right boot, which kicked truly to break the preliminary final deadlock. "I was sitting outside 50 trying to build the wall, it was ping ponging around, and it just managed to come out, I was on my own for some reason and I marked it," Hamblin recalled. "I didn't think too hard about it. I just went back and had a good crack at it. I was like, even if I kick a point, who cares, and it ended up going through for a goal which was pretty cool and then the siren went." The 29-year-old wasn't always a dominant full forward. Skye's legendary 2022 moment. North Wagga players celebrate after Skye's late goal clinched victory in Friday's preliminary final against Collingullie-Glenfield Park. Picture: Madeline Begley A self-described 'black sheep', Hamblin grew up in Mackay surrounded by a talented rugby league family. Her older brother, Andrew Davey, played 44 NRL matches for Parramatta, Manly and Canterbury, but Hamblin pursued a different route. Before moving to the Riverina to marry her now husband Jake in 2018 she discovered a different code, but knee surgery brought an 11-month stint on the sidelines. "I just spent a lot of time at training, rehabbing my knee and learning how to kick properly," Hamblin said. "I spent a lot of time at the field by myself just kicking goals and getting used to the ball. "I did do some work with a bloke named Mitch Fennessy, he's a one-on-one kicking coach. He helped just tidy up a few things, being able to spot where I'd gone wrong in my kicks, kicking goals, getting the feel for doing different types of kicks, different angles. "I really fell in love with the sport that year, and a lot of my friends were in the footy club as well. "I've always been a very competitive person in general anyway. I just wanted to get back to playing sport and I really love footy." Skye eyes 2026 return to the field Hamblin's commitment yielded instant success. She returned to the field in time to help Bakers Creek Tigers win a flag in the Mackay competition, before moving to NSW. After a stint with the Riverina Lions, she switched to North Wagga while simultaneously playing in the Canberra competition, for Tuggeranong and then Eastlake. Her and Jake have since moved out to Ganmain, where Hamblin now calls Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong home, and this year celebrated the birth of their first child, Charlie. That forced Hamblin into a temporary hiatus from playing, but she still took on assistant coaching duties and helped the club to a preliminary final. All going to plan, rival fullbacks won't get it so easy next year. "I'm aiming to be back next season," Hamblin said. To find out more, head to Toyota's Good for Footy webpage. This article has been produced in partnership with Toyota
