- FC Bayern sign Nicolas Jackson on loan from Chelsea FC Bayern
- Chelsea transfers: Blues agree new deal with Bayern Munich to sell Nicolas Jackson BBC
- Nicolas Jackson transfer news: Chelsea open to selling striker to Bayern Munich amid talks with Sporting’s Conrad Harder Sky Sports
- Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich might have control of the obligation to buy on Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson; A rundown of some transfer deadline deals you might’ve missed; and MORE! Bavarian Football Works
- Bayern’s new ‘Neymar’ set to star bundesliga.com
Author: admin
-
FC Bayern sign Nicolas Jackson on loan from Chelsea – FC Bayern
-
The Blind Date of Mars with 3I/ATLAS in a Month | by Avi Loeb | Sep, 2025
Press enter or click to view image in full size(Credit: BBC) Blind dates are exciting because they hold the potential for surprises, especially when dealing with an interstellar date partner of unknown origin.
On October 3, 2025, the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS will pass within a distance of 29 million kilometers from Mars. At that time, the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be able to image 3I/ATLAS with a resolution of 30 kilometers per pixel. The resulting closeup image might separate the contributions of the nucleus and surrounding dust cloud to the total luminosity of reflected sunlight stemming from 3I/ATLAS.
The Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 3I/ATLAS from Mars, namely the closest distance that 3I/ATLAS gets to the complete path of Mars around the Sun, is merely 2.7 million kilometers. This by itself constitutes a remarkable fine-tuning of the path of 3I/ATLAS.
If 3I/ATLAS is a technological object, this short MOID makes it easy for a precursor mini-probe to reach Mars. In addition, an orbit correction by 10–15 kilometers per second during the month of September 2025, could shrink the closest approach distance of 3I/ATLAS from Mars to zero, as calculated in Figure 4 of my paper with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl (accessible here).
The ejection of icy fragments from the surface of a natural comet can only result in a velocity kick of order 0.4 kilometers per second based on the analysis of data from the Webb telescope (accessible here). This ejection speed is insufficient for these fragments to reach Mars. Moreover, the extent of the CO2 plume observed by SPHEREx around 3I/ATLAS (as reported here) is of order 350,000 kilometers, a distance beyond which the plume is expected to be confined by the ram-pressure from the solar wind. This distance is still shorter by a factor of a hundred from the value needed to reach Mars during the closest approach of 3I/ATLAS without a maneuver. Given all these considerations, the arrival of materials from 3I/ATLAS to Mars in October 2025 will be a potential signature of technology.
Gladly, the Labor Day holiday provided me with a relief from my routine administrative duties as director of Harvard’s Institute for Theory & Computation. In between interviews for television and podcasts, I calculated that if 3I/ATLAS has a precursor probe that was traveling ahead of it and sideways towards Mars by about 30 million kilometers, then this precursor probe would be able to intercept Mars on October 3, 2025 or during the week preceding it.
This provides a second motivation for using HiRISE within a month. In addition to imaging the nucleus and dust cloud of 3I/ATLAS, HiRISE could image Mars in search for any precursor objects that precede 3I/ATLAS and get closer to Mars than the main object. Near-Earth telescopes cannot detect the reflection of sunlight from precursor objects that are smaller than a hundred meters, the upper limit on the size of all space probes launched by humans so far.
Blind dates can be exciting if we observe the other side with curiosity and regard data collection as an opportunity to learn something new.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Press enter or click to view image in full size(Image Credit: Chris Michel, National Academy of Sciences, 2023) Avi Loeb is the head of the Galileo Project, founding director of Harvard University’s — Black Hole Initiative, director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the former chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University (2011–2020). He is a former member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. He is the bestselling author of “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” and a co-author of the textbook “Life in the Cosmos”, both published in 2021. The paperback edition of his new book, titled “Interstellar”, was published in August 2024.
Continue Reading
-
Mercury makes an elusive appearance with the bright star Regulus on Sept. 2
Look to the east slightly ahead of dawn on Sept. 2 to catch a fleeting glimpse of fleet-footed Mercury alongside the bright star Regulus, before it becomes lost in the light of the rising sun.
TOP TELESCOPE PICK:
(Image credit: Amazon) Want to get a close look at Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review.
Stargazers hoping to catch a brief glimpse of Mercury should find a viewing spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon and be in position an hour before sunrise in order to stand a chance of spotting the elusive planet as it rises slightly before the sun.
The rocky world will appear as a bright morning star hugging the horizon among the stars of the constellation Leo, with the bright star Regulus — also known as the “heart of the lion” — located less than 2 degrees to its lower right. Remember, the width of your little finger held at arm’s length is approximately 1 degree in the night sky.
Venus will be visible as a bright point of light to the upper right of Mercury on Sept. 2, with mighty Jupiter positioned beyond to form a diagonal line of solar system planets. A 6-inch telescope will allow you to resolve the cloud bands on Jupiter, along with the moon-like phases of Venus, though we would strongly advise against turning binoculars or a telescope on Mercury owing to its proximity to the rising sun.
Mercury appears close to Regulus predawn on Sept. 2. (Image credit: Starry Night.) As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury’s tight orbit prevents it from ever rising particularly high in Earth‘s sky. On the morning of Sept. 2, Mercury will reach an altitude of just 6 degrees at sunrise from the perspective of viewers in New York, and will quickly be overwhelmed by the glow of the sun as it draws closer to the horizon.
Mercury will be nearly impossible to spot for the remainder of the month as it draws closer to the sun in the sky ahead of its superior solar conjunction on Sept. 13, when it will pass on the opposite side of the sun relative to Earth. The months that follow will see Mercury appear as a bright evening star, which will be visible low on the western horizon in the hours after sunset.
Continue Reading
-
Liniker Is Ready for the Spotlight
The three-block stretch between Columbus Circle and Grand Army Plaza just on the southern border of Central Park is so busy that it’s hard to know where to look. Near the entrance on 59th street, horse-drawn carriage drivers vie for the attention of tourists, while across the road, serious-looking people in business attire idle in front of the Carnegie Hotel, presumably waiting for someone important.
The Brazilian singer and songwriter Liniker, who has just landed in muggy New York to perform at Lincoln Center’s Brazil Week, has questions: Who are the suits going to meet? Are they famous? And is anyone shelling out upwards of $100 for the ride? The more she thinks about it, the less likely it seems that she’ll arrive at an answer, so she opts to capture this tableaux on her film camera instead.
More from Rolling Stone
As we enter Central Park to find a spot to sit down, she points at a squirrel gripping the side of a tree trunk, and stops to take a picture before it beetles upwards and disappears into the canopy. When another one crops up — this time on the grass — she snaps another photo.
“It’s like they’re making little waves with their bodies,” Liniker says in Portuguese, wearing a white tiered, maxi skirt and a matching white top. Here in New York, the artist gets to feel anonymous in a way that no longer feels possible back home. In her native Brazil, where her songs rack up millions of streams per month, she has become something of a pop phenomenon.
After training as an actress, Liniker first made a name for herself as the singer for the band Liniker e os Caramelows, but has since left the group. In 2022, her first solo record, the soulful Indigo Borboleta Anil, earned her a Latin Grammy award, making her the first trans woman to receive the prize. Her latest LP, last year’s CAJU, plays with a more varied sonic palette, moving into decidedly pop territory. Melding pagode, hip-hop, samba, and electronica, it has expanded her audience significantly, and pushed her further into the spotlight.
Born in Araraquara, a city north of São Paulo, Liniker, who was named after the British goalie Gary Lineker (it was her soccer-loving uncle’s idea), grew up in a creative family. She found a continuous source of support and inspiration in her mother, a samba dancer who taught her that art could be a form of resistance. “In spite of everything she went through raising me and my brother by herself,” Liniker says, “she always gave me the chance to live my life the way I wanted to live it.”
When Liniker and Fejuca, one of her trusted collaborators and a co-producer on both of her solo records met, they bonded over their similar upbringings. “She comes from a big, musical family and I do too,” he says, calling from his car in between studio sessions in Rio de Janeiro. “And so we both experienced these Black Brazilian gatherings where people listen to everything: Tim Maia, Marvin Gaye, Os Racionais.”
In the early stages of making CAJU, a concept album based on an imaginary one day trip to Japan, Liniker, Fejuca and co-producer Gustavo Ruiz, knew they wanted to tap into this past, and make the work feel nostalgic. “So we recorded the whole thing using analog tape,” Fejuca says.
At the park, Liniker tells me she also wanted the work to feel “cinematic.” The trio looked for a way to create a sense of continuity between songs. “If you listen closely, you’ll hear everyday sounds in all the tracks: there’s a door closing, keys, rain, footsteps, the Japanese flight attendant whose voice opens the record,” she says.
Some of these compositions start in Liniker’s journals. “I keep a diary,” she says, “and I also write poems and songs, and letters, mostly by hand.” Her lyrics are personal, introspective, and often a little tongue-in-cheek. “Have you memorized the number of tattoos I have?” she asks a lover, in earnest, in the title track “CAJU” over a smooth R&B beat. “How many shows are in my schedule? What my favorite album is? How much my heart weighs?”
During the pandemic, the singer Moses Sumney would occasionally go live on Instagram and add people who requested to join. One day, Liniker sent him a request and they struck up a conversation. While he had heard her name around, he wasn’t familiar with her music. Then thousands of Brazilians flooded in and started commenting. “And I thought to myself, ‘I’m clearly very late to this because this person is a huge star,’” he recalls.
After they got off the call, Sumney checked out her music and became a fan. “It’s cool seeing how she combines R&B music with a truly Brazilian aesthetic,” he says. “What she does is so beautiful.” The two ended up becoming pen pals and when Sumney was in Brazil earlier this year, Liniker invited him to see one of her shows in Salvador, Bahia. “It was like seeing Brazilian Beyoncé,” Sumney says. “The hair whips, the outfits, the crowd.”
The next time I see Liniker, she’s running around the stage at Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center in an asymmetrical glittery dress and knee high boots, her band members shimmying behind her in lime green outfits. People in the audience are moving, jumping, and singing along. Most aren’t sitting on the chairs the organizers set up for them earlier in the day. It’s clear this is music you can dance to.
Liniker feels emotional being at a venue where so many prominent Brazilian artists have performed over the years. “It’s such an achievement for any of us to be able to cross the ocean to get to any place that isn’t the place we’re from,” she said to the crowd in Portuguese. “That applies to us musicians, but it also applies to anyone who has immigrated to a country they weren’t born in dreaming of a better life. When we’re up here, we’re also dreaming a different dream, and I’m so glad that dream fits in the mouths of so many people today.”
Lately, while reflecting on her career, it’s dawned on her that she never wants to take anything for granted. “What an honor,” she told the crowd as the night drew to an end and she prepared to leave the stage. “I’m so happy.”
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Continue Reading
-
US tennis star Coco Gauff falls to Naomi Osaka in blockbuster fourth round match
A treble of aces wasn’t enough to overcome the onslaught of shots on court, as Coco Gauff bowed out of the 2025 US Open on Monday (1 September), lasting only one hour and five minutes against Japan’s resurgent Naomi Osaka.
The scene was one of shock at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the top seeded American tennis player conceded defeat in straight sets – 3-6, 2-6 – ending her hopes of winning a second women’s singles title at Flushing Meadows.
Unforced errors, combined with service troubles, ultimately hobbled Gauff’s chances on centre court, as the four-time Grand Slam singles champion from Japan impressed onlookers with the sheer dominance of her play.
“I was super locked in,” Osaka stated after the match. “I just had so much fun out here.”
“I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play,” she added. “This is my favourite court in the world, and it means so much to me to be back here.”
Returning to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2020, the No. 23 seed will look to play with the same passion and precision she brought to the court on Monday, as she chases a third singles title at Flushing Meadows.
More to follow…
Continue Reading
-
Movies to look forward to this fall : NPR
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Movie theaters have been overrun all summer by dinosaurs, dragons, aliens, Formula One racers and superheroes. In other words, it’s blockbuster season. But as the weather cools, Hollywood’s vibe will change, says critic Bob Mondello. He’s here with his fall movie preview.
BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Four months left in 2025 and not a superhero in sight. What on earth will the film industry do?
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “TRON: ARES”)
EVAN PETERS: (As Julian Dillinger) I would like you to meet Ares, the ultimate soldier.
MONDELLO: The same thing college students do with their term papers – turn to AI.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “TRON: ARES”)
PETERS: (As Julian Dillinger) He’s biblically strong, lightning fast, supremely intelligent. And if he is struck down on the battlefield, I will simply make you another.
MONDELLO: What could possibly go wrong? “Tron: Ares” flips the script from the previous “Tron” films by bringing virtual beings into our world rather than plugging people into a computer grid.
Other dark visions of the future include two from Stephen King – “The Running Man,” about a TV reality show…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “THE RUNNING MAN”)
JOSH BROLIN: (As Dan Killian) The rules are simple. Survive 30 days with the entire nation hunting you down.
MONDELLO: …And “The Long Walk,” King’s very first novel written when he was 19, with a contest that’s eerily similar.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “THE LONG WALK”)
MARK HAMILL: (As The Major) I’m not going to go through the whole rule book, but it boils down to this.
MONDELLO: Walk or die.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “THE LONG WALK”)
HAMILL: (As The Major) There’s one winner and no finish line.
MONDELLO: Happily, most fall films are based in the real world. In fact, more than a few are biopics.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BLUE MOON”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) Blue moon.
MONDELLO: Richard Linklater’s made two, one about Broadway’s Lorenz heart, the lyric-writing half of Rodgers and Hart.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BLUE MOON”)
ETHAN HAWKE: (As Lorenz Hart) Wise guy.
MONDELLO: Alas, “Blue Moon” finds Hart nursing his sorrows at the opening night party for “Oklahoma,” the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BLUE MOON”)
HAWKE: (As Lorenz Hart) We write together for a quarter a century. And the first show he writes with someone else is going to be the biggest hit he ever had. Am I bitter?
BOBBY CANNAVALE: (As Eddie) Larry…
HAWKE: (As Lorenz Hart) Yes.
MONDELLO: Linklater’s other biopic is “Nouvelle Vague,” about French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “NOUVELLE VAGUE”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: “Nouvelle Vague” – (speaking French).
MONDELLO: Also about filmmaking, the comedy “Waltzing With Brando.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WALTZING WITH BRANDO”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As Salvatore Corsitto as Amerigo Bonasera) For justice, we must go to Don Corleone.
MONDELLO: Starring Billy Zane as a troublemaking Marlon Brando.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WALTZING WITH BRANDO”)
BILLY ZANE: (As Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone) Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character) Cut.
MONDELLO: Elsewhere, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as the popular martial arts fighter known as The Smashing Machine.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “THE SMASHING MACHINE”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #5: (As character) Please welcome in his Octagon debut, Mark Kerr.
MONDELLO: In “Nuremberg,” Russell Crowe plays Hitler confidant Hermann Goering…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “NUREMBERG”)
RUSSELL CROWE: (As Hermann Goering) I will have, as you say, my day in court.
MONDELLO: …Opposite Rami Malek…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “NUREMBERG”)
RAMI MALEK: (As Douglas Kelley) I know more about this man than anyone else on the planet.
MONDELLO: …Who plays an American Army psychiatrist trying to assess whether Goering’s fit to stand trial.
And in the season’s big music biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE”)
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE: (As Bruce Springsteen, singing) Tramps like us, baby, we were born to run.
MONDELLO: …”The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss and does his own singing.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE”)
WHITE: (As Bruce Springsteen, singing) Baby, we were born to run.
MONDELLO: Along with those dramatic recreations, there are documentaries – “Riefenstahl,” about Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl, “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost,” which is Ben Stiller’s homage to his comedy team parents, and “Orwell: 2+2=5,” about British author George Orwell, who wrote “Animal Farm” and “1984.”
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “ORWELL: 2+2=5”)
DAMIAN LEWIS: (As George Orwell) The very concept of objective truth is fading out of this world. This prospect frightens me much more than bombs.
MONDELLO: Too much reality? Well, some heavyweight directors have crafted entertainments that sound like potential Oscar bait.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “JAY KELLY”)
GEORGE CLOONEY: (As Jay Kelly) Jay Kelly.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #6: (As character) And action.
MONDELLO: Noah Baumbach’s coming-of-middle-age dramedy stars George Clooney as a movie star.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character) Jay Kelly is a hero of cinema.
MONDELLO: He is in his 60s. He’s suave, relaxed, always seems to be playing himself.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “JAY KELLY”)
CLOONEY: (As Jay Kelly) You know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it.
MONDELLO: He is, in short, a lot like George Clooney.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “JAY KELLY”)
ADAM SANDLER: (As Ron) We love him.
LAURA DERN: (As Liz) You love him. I work for him.
MONDELLO: “There Will Be Blood” director Paul Thomas Anderson is working in IMAX for the first time with his comedy “One Battle After Another.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #8: (As character) It’s World War III out there.
LEONARDO DI CAPRIO: (As Bob Ferguson) Viva la revolution.
MONDELLO: “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino tackles a #MeToo story in “After The Hunt.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “AFTER THE HUNT”)
AYO EDEBIRI: (As Maggie Price) Hank walked me home. He asked for a nightcap, which, you know, it’s fine. He’s Hank. Everybody loves Hank.
JULIA ROBERTS: (As Alma Olsson) What are you saying happened?
MONDELLO: Grad student Ayo Edebiri accuses college professor Andrew Garfield, and Julia Roberts gets caught in the middle.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “AFTER THE HUNT”)
EDEBIRI: (As Maggie Price) I don’t feel comfortable having this conversation with you anymore.
ROBERTS: (As Alma Olsson) Not everything is supposed to make you comfortable.
MONDELLO: “Dreamgirls” director Bill Condon’s latest is “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” with Jennifer Lopez as the title character.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN”)
JENNIFER LOPEZ: (As Ingrid Luna, singing) Spider woman in her velvet cape.
MONDELLO: While Kathryn Bigelow, who won Oscars diffusing bombs in “The Hurt Locker,” upgrades to stopping a missile launch in “A House Of Dynamite.” Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro is tackling “Frankenstein.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “FRANKENSTEIN”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #9: (As character) What manner of creature is that?
MONDELLO: And in “Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos reunites with his “Poor Things” star Emma Stone for a story of two kidnappers who think a business exec is otherworldly.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BUGONIA”)
AIDAN DELBIS: (As Don) How can you tell she’s an alien?
JESSE PLEMONS: (As Teddy) Well, the signs are obvious.
MONDELLO: First-time directors include Scarlett Johansson, who’s made “Eleanor The Great” with June Squibb…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “ELEANOR THE GREAT”)
JUNE SQUIBB: (As Eleanor Morgenstein) I’m 94 years old. And I’m moving to Manhattan for the first time today.
MONDELLO: …And Ronan Day-Lewis, who’s coaxed his father Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement for the Irish drama “Anemone.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “ANEMONE”)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS: (As Ray Stoker) What do you want from me, brother? What do you want?
MONDELLO: As for the football horror flick “Him,” the director is perhaps less important to audiences than the producer, Jordan Peele.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “HIM”)
TYRIQ WITHERS: (As Cameron Cade) Now we playing some football.
(LAUGHTER)
MONDELLO: Fall is also a time for romance. The aching gay love story “The History Of Sound” makes soulmates of music students Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “THE HISTORY OF SOUND”)
JOSH O’CONNOR: (As David) If I had what you had, I’d leave. I’d go far away, flee.
MONDELLO: While comic love stories include “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” that starts in the real world, then gives reality a tweak.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #10: (As GPS device) Remain on Interstate for 249 miles. David? David?
COLIN FARRELL: (As David) Sorry, are we talking to each other now?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #10: (As GPS device) Do you want to go on a big, bold, beautiful journey?
FARRELL: (As David) Yes.
MONDELLO: His GPS then teams Colin Farrell with a skeptical Margot Robbie.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY”)
MARGOT ROBBIE: (As Sarah) Your accent – is it real?
FARRELL: (As David) You think I’d fake an accent?
ROBBIE: (As Sarah, imitating David) The most beautiful places make you feel the most alone.
FARRELL: (As David) That’s a pretty good me, actually. I’m flattered.
MONDELLO: And while they get to live their dream, in the choose-your-partner-for-the-afterlife comedy “Eternity,” Elizabeth Olsen gets to die hers…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “ETERNITY”)
ELIZABETH OLSEN: (As Joan) It’s not a competition.
MONDELLO: …With both of her dead husbands.
MILES TELLER AND LARRY TURNER: (As Larry and Luke) Yes, it is.
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH: (As Anna) Sweetheart, it is 100% for sure a competition.
JOHN EARLY: (As character) It is, in fact, a competition.
RANDOLPH: (As Anna) That’s literally what we’re here for.
MONDELLO: Those are angels advising her.
And in the comedy “Good Fortune,” another angel, Keanu Reeves, tries to even the score between unfortunate assistant Aziz Ansari and very fortunate boss Seth Rogen.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “GOOD FORTUNE”)
KEANU REEVES: (As Gabriel) I’m not really supposed to be doing this. I’m normally only in charge of saving people from texting and driving.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIRES SQUEALING)
AZIZ ANSARI: (As Arj) Wait. You’re telling me I have a budget guardian angel?
REEVES: (As Gabriel) Kind of.
MONDELLO: Other comedies include the reunion tour of the greatest band that never was in “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #11: (As character) We’re still short a drummer.
KERRY GODLIMAN: (As character) What happened to him?
MICHAEL MCKEAN: (As David St. Hubbins) He sneezed himself into oblivion.
CHRIS ADDISON: (As character) Is that medically possible?
MONDELLO: …”Roofman,” a caper comedy in which Channing Tatum’s title character…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “ROOFMAN”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #12: (As character) And still no leads on the whereabouts of the escaped convict known as the Roofman.
MONDELLO: …Cannot share his back story with Kirsten Dunst. And then there’s the magician heist flick sequel called “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.”.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T”)
JESSE EISENBERG: (As J. Daniel Atlas) I’m talking about a trick that is bigger and better than anything you have ever seen.
MONDELLO: Jesse Eisenberg welcoming new illusionists.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T”)
EISENBERG: (As J. Daniel Atlas) According to that card, for some reason, I need you.
JUSTICE SMITH: (As Charlie) What about the other horsemen?
EISENBERG: (As J. Daniel Atlas) The other horsemen are dead.
ARIANA GREENBLATT: (As June) Oh, my God. What?
EISENBERG: (As J. Daniel Atlas) No, no, no. They’re, like, dead to me. Things got too real for them. They gave up. Stop interrupting.
MONDELLO: Other sure things include an apparent end to a bustling saga that seemed destined to go on forever – “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE”)
HUGH BONNEVILLE: (As Lord Grantham) It’s hard to accept, but it’s time to go.
MONDELLO: And after the longest intermission in musical comedy history…
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WICKED: FOR GOOD”)
ARIANA GRANDE: (As Glinda) Elphaba Thropp, I know you’re out here. Just come in before the monkeys spot you.
MONDELLO: …The second act of “Wicked.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WICKED: FOR GOOD”)
GRANDE: (As Glinda, singing) I’ve heard it said…
MONDELLO: Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote two new songs to make “Wicked: For Good” worth the wait, and it needs to be in a season this crowded.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WICKED: FOR GOOD”)
JEFF GOLDBLUM: (As the Wonderful Wizard of Oz) Bring me the room of the Wicked Witch of the West.
MONDELLO: I’m Bob Mondello.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “WICKED: FOR GOOD”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #13: (As character, singing) I have been changed for good.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Continue Reading
-
Woody Allen praises President Trump’s acting on Bill Maher podcast
President Donald Trump might be a polarizing leader with a day job, but Woody Allen would love to direct “the very good actor” in a movie again.
When just a famous New York City real-estate developer, Trump appeared in Allen’s 1998 film “Celebrity,” starring Charlize Theron and Leonardo DiCaprio.
“He was a pleasure to work with, and a very good actor, and very polite,” Allen said, speaking on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, in a new episode out Sept. 1. “He did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business. If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders.”
The comment prompted Maher to laughingly tell the controversy-plagued director, “If you think you were canceled before …”
Allen, 89, stressed he was not praising Trump politically.
“I’m a Democrat. I voted for Kamala Harris. I take issue with (Trump) on 95% of the things, maybe 99%,” he said. “But as an actor, he was very good. He was convincing and had a charismatic quality.”
“I’m not a Trumper,” Allen said. “I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump.”
In “Celebrity,” Trump is interviewed by a fawning TV reporter (Judy Davis) and deadpans about buying the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral for his next project. “Maybe doing a little rip-down job and putting up a very beautiful building,” Trump says in the movie.
Allen acknowledged he was surprised Trump pursued the presidency.
“He had everything: He liked Knicks games, liked to play golf, liked to judge beauty contests,” Allen said. “Why give it up for politics, which is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony?”
As he nears 90, Allen plans ‘on dying in the next few years’
The famously death-obsessed Allen turns 90 this year. On the podcast, Allen calmly surmised his time on Earth is numbered, and shot down Maher’s suggestion that artificial intelligence might prolong his life.
“I plan on dying in the next few years,” the filmmaker told him.
Allen said he’s “lucky” that his parents had “longevity,” and conceded Maher’s point that he looks and acts remarkably healthy.
“But that can change overnight,” Allen said. “Suddenly, you hit that number.”
Continue Reading
-
Defending champions Jackson, Williams and Watson on Jamaican team for Tokyo – worldathletics.org
- Defending champions Jackson, Williams and Watson on Jamaican team for Tokyo worldathletics.org
- JAAA names 50-member World Champs team, Thomas-Dodd opts out Jamaica Observer
- Jamaican track and field draws criticism after Bryan Levell left out of relay team Times of India
- Fraser-Pryce, Thompson lead Jamaica’s star-studded squad for World Championships in Tokyo IRIE FM
- Several J’cans In Quota Rankings For Tokyo World Champs RJR News
Continue Reading
-
Space investing goes mainstream as VCs ditch the rocket science requirements
Five years ago, investor Katelin Holloway made what she calls a “literal moon shot” investment. A founding partner of the generalist venture firm Seven Seven Six admits she and her team had “no clue” what rocket company Stoke Space was talking about when they pitched the firm on its reusable launch technology. “We knew full well we were not the specialist,” she says.
Since then, Holloway has also invested in Interlune, a company planning to harvest helium-3 from the moon and sell it back to Earth for quantum computing and medical imaging applications.
Holloway is well aware of the skepticism these bets might attract. At the same time, her journey from space novice to investor reflects a broader change in venture capital, as VCs without aerospace engineering degrees increasingly back space startups. In fact, global venture investment in space technology reached $4.5 billion across 48 companies as of July, according to PitchBook; that’s more than four times the amount that space startups attracted in 2024.
What’s driving this trend? For starters, SpaceX and other companies have substantially reduced launch costs, making space accessible to founders with applications-focused business models. “We are literally as a species sitting on the precipice of space becoming part of our day-to-day lives,” Holloway told this editor in a recent episode of TC’s StrictlyVC Download podcast. “And I truly do not think the world understands that or is ready for it.”
That has allowed VCs to look past companies that build rockets to startups that use space-based data and infrastructure for new applications like climate monitoring, intelligence gathering, and communications. They’re also betting on orbital logistics, in-space manufacturing, satellite servicing, and lunar infrastructure development. Companies like Interlune represent this new category. For investors like Holloway, the appeal often lies at the “space tech meets climate tech” intersection, meaning startups that want to avoid repeating Earth’s environmental mistakes in space.”
Geopolitical tensions are also making defense-related space startups attractive because China’s rapidly advancing space capabilities are driving increased U.S. investment. VCs can be a nervous lot, and defense spending – knowing the U.S. government provides a reliable customer base and validation for emerging technologies – gives them greater confidence in the commercial viability of space ventures. At the Department of the Air Force Summit in March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “I feel like there’s no way to ignore the fact that the next and most important domain of warfare will be the space domain.”
Numerous U.S. defense-focused space startups closed sizable rounds this year, including military-class orbital systems developer True Anomaly, which announced a $260 million Series C led by Accel in July; and satellite manufacturer K2 Space, which is right now working on its first government mission and closed a $110 million round in February co-led by Lightspeed Venture Capital and Altimeter Capital. The defense angle adds sheen to space investments that might otherwise seem too risky. Indeed, Holloway notes that helium-3, the gas that Interlune plans to harvest, has national security applications, too, including detecting nuclear weapon movements.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025AI is creating even more momentum, including at the intersection of geospatial analytics and intelligence. In March, for example, the first satellite launched from Fire Sat, a partnership between Google, nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance, and satellite builder Muon Space designed to detect wildfires from orbit. The collaboration, announced last year, plans to deploy more than 50 satellites specifically built for wildfire detection. Earth imaging operator Planet Labs has also teamed up with Anthropic to analyze Earth observation data.
Perhaps most remarkably, the timetable for returns on these investments has shortened to a surprising degree. Traditional space companies required decades to generate returns, but today’s VCs believe they can achieve liquidity within standard 10-year fund horizons. “Our fund model hasn’t changed, so we still have a 10-year horizon,” Holloway explains. “We would not have made this investment if we did not think we could create outsized returns within 10 years.”
That kind of schedule sounds ambitious, but the public markets certainly seem receptive to these new space companies. Space infrastructure company Voyager listed in New York in June with a $1.9 billion market cap and closed its first day up 82% from its IPO price. (Its shares have since fallen roughly 45%.) The 48-year-old space systems manufacturer Karman Space & Defense opened 30% above its listing price in February. (Its shares have risen nearly 60% more since then.)
For Interlune, Holloway envisions potential exits including strategic acquisitions by aerospace or defense giants, energy company purchases, or even a government buyout given the national security implications that she describes.
All these converging forces – cheaper launches, defense spending, AI applications, and compressed timelines for returns – are reshaping who can invest in space. Holloway’s background – from public school teacher to Pixar script supervisor to Reddit’s VP of People & Culture to venture capitalist – highlights the broader skill sets these companies actually need. While she’s self-effacing when it comes to helium-3 harvesting physics, she brings operational chops.
“At the end of the day, a company is a company,” she says. “If you’re bringing humans together to build something hard, you need someone with a background in building strong companies.”
Whether the approach will pay off remains to be seen. The space economy is still mostly untested at scale, and many of these ambitious ventures face technical and regulatory hurdles that more traditional software startups have never encountered. But as more generalist VCs like Holloway place their bets, space is beginning to look less like a specialized niche and more like another buzzy sector where, if you have the operational know-how, you don’t need an aerospace engineering degree.
Continue Reading
-
Hong Kong Court Grants Summary Judgment on Liability While Allowing Defence on Quantum in High-Value Debt Claim
In Profound Success Investment Ltd v Multi Success Trading Ltd & Pan Haoran [2025] HKCFI 3022, the Court of First Instance clarified the scope of summary judgment under Order 14 of the Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A). The Plaintiff sought summary judgment against the second Defendant, a guarantor, in respect of a debt exceeding USD259 million. The Court granted judgment in full and struck out the counterclaim in first instance but on appeal, Deputy High Court Judge Gary CC Lam only entered interlocutory judgment on liability and granted leave to defend on quantum, confirming that liability and quantum may be procedurally separated even in claims for liquidated sums.
The DLA Piper team, led by Harris Chan (Partner) and supported by Sandy Au (Of Counsel) and Catherine Wong (Senior Associate), act for the Plaintiff.
Background
The Plaintiff, Profound Success Investment Limited, a BVI-incorporated investment vehicle, brought proceedings to recover over USD259 million in outstanding loans and interest from the first Defendant (Multi Success Trading Limited) and the second Defendant (Mr Pan Haoran) (Mr Pan), who executed a personal guarantee.
Loans were advanced under a Facility Agreement dated 29 August 2019, as amended and restated, for the benefit of two PRC property development projects owned by subsidiaries of Fullsun International Holdings Group Co. Ltd (the ListCo), a Hong Kong-listed company (the Debt). Mr Pan, having become the controlling shareholder and Executive Director of the ListCo in 2019, executed a personal guarantee in favour of the Plaintiff (the Guarantee).
Following the ListCo’s financial distress and a winding-up petition in 2022, a Scheme of Arrangement was sanctioned by the Hong Kong Court in June 2023 (the Scheme). The Plaintiff, as the largest creditor, participated in the Scheme but expressly preserved its rights under the Guarantee.
With the aim of recovering the Debt, the Plaintiff commenced legal proceedings and applied for summary judgment against Mr Pan. The Court granted the application in full in the first instance, to which Mr Pan appealed.
Grounds of Opposition
Mr Pan’s appeal against the Master’s decision (the Appeal) raised the following grounds in opposition to the Plaintiff’s summary judgment application:
- The Plaintiff’s Statement of Claim was defective by failing to account for repayments received under the Scheme;
- The Plaintiff’s claim was inherently weak due to inadequacies in the evidence supporting the quantum of the Debt;
- An account was necessary to ascertain the amount recoverable, and would warrant leave to defend;
- There was a triable issue as to the existence of an oral agreement between the Plaintiff and Mr Pan to waive or limit liability under the Guarantee (the Alleged Agreement); and
- Further investigation into WeChat messages between the parties warranted a trial.
The Decision
The Court allowed the Appeal in part, making the following determinations:
- Interlocutory judgment entered on liability
The Court entered interlocutory judgment against Mr Pan on liability under the Guarantee, finding that no arguable defence had been raised. Mr Pan’s primary defence was that the Plaintiff had orally agreed not to enforce the Guarantee, or to limit his liability thereunder (i.e., the Alleged Agreement). It is Mr Pan’s case that the Alleged Agreement arose during restructuring negotiations and was supported by the parties’ conduct, including the circulation of draft letters of intent and WeChat messages. It was argued that the absence of written confirmation and/or executed agreements was due to internal constraints within the Plaintiff’s risk committee, and that Mr Pan had relied on oral assurances in agreeing to proceed with and support the Scheme.
The Court rejected Mr Pan’s arguments, holding that the Alleged Agreement was inherently improbable and unsupported by contemporaneous evidence. It noted that the Scheme expressly preserved the Plaintiff’s rights under the Guarantee. In addition, the Court observed Mr Pan’s shifting account of when the Alleged Agreement was purportedly reached, ranging from “around May 2022” to “shortly before 13 December 2022”, undermined Mr Pan’s credibility. The absence of any signed letter of intent or written record of the alleged waiver further weighed against Mr Pan. Accordingly, the Court held that no triable issue on liability had been raised and entered interlocutory judgment pursuant to Order 14.
- Leave to defend on quantum granted
While the Court was satisfied that the Plaintiff had established a complete and verified cause of action on liability, it accepted that there were genuine weaknesses in the Plaintiff’s calculation of the debt amount. Mr Pan argued that the Plaintiff’s claim was overstated and inadequately supported, pointing to discrepancies in the Plaintiff’s account to reflect accurately repayments received.
The Court agreed that these issues gave rise to “genuine weakness” and “doubts and suspicion” in the Plaintiff’s quantum claim. It held that the Mr Pan should not be deprived of his prima facie right to challenge the amount claimed and to put the Plaintiff to strict proof. Accordingly, the Court granted leave to defend on quantum only, allowing Mr Pan to contest the amount of the Debt at trial.
Key Takeaways
The Court’s decision is notable for its affirmation of the Court’s power to grant summary judgment on liability while reserving quantum for trial. Even in claims for liquidated sums, such as high value debt claims, the Court is not bound to adopt an “all or nothing” approach. Instead, the Court may adopt a bifurcated approach where appropriate.
The Court’s reasoning underscores a pragmatic balance between procedural efficiency and fairness. It affirms that where a defendant fails to raise any arguable defence on liability, the Court may grant summary judgment on that issue, even if there are genuine disputes as to the quantum of the claim. This approach allows a plaintiff to secure early determination on uncontested aspects of its case, narrowing the scope of litigation and conserving judicial resources. At the same time, it preserves the defendant’s right to challenge the amount claimed where triable issues exist. This decision is a valuable precedent for creditors seeking to enforce guarantees and other debt instruments, particularly in complex commercial contexts involving restructuring schemes and partial recoveries.
For the full judgment, please see: Profound Success Investment Ltd v Multi Success Trading Ltd & Pan Haoran [2025] HKCFI 3022.
Continue Reading