Charlize Theron is calling out Hollywood studios for not wanting to take a “risk” when it comes to female-led action movies.
The action film veteran recently opened up about Hollywood double standards during an interview with The New York Times, saying, “It’s harder” to get action-packed pics with female leads made.
“That’s known,” Theron said. “Action films with female leads don’t get greenlit as much as the ones with male leads. I think the thing that always frustrates me is the fact that guys will get a free ride.”
She continued, “When women do this and the movie maybe doesn’t hit fully, they don’t necessarily get a chance again. With this, we were very aware that eyes were on us. It’s not a risk that studios want to take, but they’ll take it many times on the same guy who might have a string of action movies that did not do so well.”
The Oscar winner has starred in several action films throughout her career, including Æon Flux, Atomic Blonde, The Italian Job, The Old Guard, Mad Max: Fury Road and multiple Fast & Furious franchise installments. She most recently reprised her role as Andy in The Old Guard 2.
Theron also explained why she loves doing action films, despite being “accident-prone” on set, leading to “a lot of fractures” and multiple surgeries over the years.
“I love dance, but I would never have been able to go back and be a dancer again, right?” she said. “Action movies gave me this opportunity to be physical again, to be a storyteller with my body.”
Garmin doesn’t actually have a direct competitor out there with a wide range of models that cater to professionals and amateurs.
For Prime Day Amazon is offering a whopping 43% discount on the Forerunner 255, bringing its price down to just $199 from its regular price of $349. This is the company’s best-selling product, and it has a 4.7 out of 5 rating and it can be purchased as a limited time offer that does not require a Prime membership.
See at Amazon
Quality and Tracking
Its slender profile and always-visible, full-color face make it comfortable to wear all day and the screen remains easy to view in bright sunlight. Coming in two sizes (46 mm and 41 mm), the watch is sure to fit most wrists and fashion styles. Battery life is great at up to 14 days of smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours of GPS mode, so you can track your fitness and workouts without having to constantly reach for a charger.
This watch has an entire suite of features far beyond simple step tracking: Morning Report feature gives you a snapshot of your sleep, HRV, recovery, and workout suggestions as soon as you wake up so you can start each morning knowing exactly what you need to do. Forerunner 255 also has more in-depth information about your training and recovery including monitoring heart rate variability, recovery time, and daily workouts that are suggested based on your performance and rest. If you are preparing to run a race, the adaptive training plans and estimated race finish times keep you motivated and on target, taking into account course data, weather, and your current performance.
The watch assesses your current training level in order to inform you whether you’re undertraining or working too hard, and the integrated sports apps accommodate a broad spectrum of activities, from running and cycling to triathlon and multisport profiles. With running dynamics and power in the wrist, you can monitor your stride, ground contact time and effort in real-time.
Forerunner 255 also features advanced safety and navigation capabilities: GPS tracking is fast and accurate, no matter what city street or new trail you’re on. The watch pairs with Bluetooth and USB and effortlessly transfers your data to the Garmin Connect app for deeper analysis and sharing with others or coaches. 4 GB of storage gives you room to store your training plans and workout history.
If you’re looking for a feature-rich GPS running smartwatch, the Garmin Forerunner 255 at $199 is an unbeatable deal.
Heartstopper actor Joe Locke and trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney drew attention—and admiration—when they attended Sabrina Carpenter’s concert at BST Hyde Park this past Saturday, showcasing a notably affectionate display.
Locke, 21, best known for portraying Charlie Spring in the Netflix hit Heartstopper, appeared relaxed in a white T-shirt and jeans, topped with a black sweater and a cheeky “Straight 4 pay $” cap. Mulvaney, 28, wore a blue floral mini dress, white heels, and matching hair clips. The pair was frequently photographed dancing together, sharing drinks, and chatting closely, marking one of their first major public outings since their relationship “hard launch” via a couples photo on social media.
joe locke, dylan mulvaney, and lily drew singing and dancing along to sabrina carpenter’s performance of “juno” at bst hyde park via dylan’s insta story pic.twitter.com/YsyLpVksEs
The Instagram post, captioned “First couples shoot thank you for having us at camp koko,” featured both together, and Locke’s reply—“Hard launch”—confirmed their romantic pairing. Fans flooded the comments with enthusiasm: “Wait… Is this a hard launch?!?” and “Hot Couple!” offered glimpses into the public excitement.
Joe has been openly gay since age twelve and has previously shared his journey in interviews with Teen Vogue. Dylan rose to prominence with her TikTok series documenting her gender transition and authored Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer. Despite public backlash years ago—most notably during the Bud Light boycott—Mulvaney has continued to advocate for LGBTQ representation and inclusivity.
The couple’s affectionate outing at Sabrina Carpenter’s concert has sparked widespread buzz, highlighting their chemistry and mutual support. As both celebrities continue to rise in their respective fields, fans and media will be watching their romance—and public appearances—closely moving forward.
Samsung signage during the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose, California, US, on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics on Tuesday forecast a 56% fall in profits for the second quarter as the company struggles to capture demand from artificial intelligence chip leader Nvidia.
The memory chip and smartphone maker projected operating profit for the quarter ending June to be around 4.6 trillion won, down from 10.44 trillion Korean won year over year.
The figure is a deeper plunge compared to SmartEstimate from LSEG, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.
According to LSEG SmartEstimate, Samsung was expected to post an operating profit of 6.26 trillion won ($4.57 billion)for the quarter. Meanwhile, Samsung projected its revenue to hit 74 trillion won, falling short of LSEG smart estimates of 75.55 trillion won.
Samsung is a leading player in the global smartphone market and also one of the world’s largest makers of memory chips, which are used in devices such as laptops and servers.
However, the company has been falling behind competitors like SK Hynix and Micron in high-bandwidth memory chips — an advanced type of memory that is being deployed in AI chips.
“The disappointing earnings are due to ongoing operating losses in the foundry business, while the upside in the high-margin HBM business remains muted this quarter,” MS Hwang, research director at Counterpoint Research, said about the earnings guidance.
SK Hynix, the leader in HBM, has secured a position as Nvidia’s key supplier. While Samsung has reportedly been working to get the latest version of its HBM chips certified by Nvidia, a report from a local outlet suggests these plans have been pushed back to at least September.
The company did not respond to a request for comment on the status of its deals with Nvidia.
Ray Wang, research director of semiconductors, supply chain and emerging technology at Futurum Group told CNBC that it is clear that Samsung has yet to pass Nvidia’s qualification for its most advanced HBM.
“Given that Nvidia accounts for roughly 70% of global HBM demand, the delay meaningfully caps near-term upside,” Wang said. He noted that while Samsung has secured some HBM supply for AI processors from AMD, this win is unlikely to contribute to second-quarter results due to the timing of production ramps.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s chip foundry business continues to face weak orders and serious competition from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Wang added.
Reuters reported in September that Samsung had instructed its subsidiaries worldwide to cut 30% of staff in some divisions, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Samsung Electronics’ stock is up about 16% year-to-date, according to LSEG data. The company will release its detailed third-quarter results towards the end of this month.
King Charles brings out ‘secret weapon’ amid cancer treatment
King Charles is delegating Royal duties to a key member of the Royal Family.
His Majesty, who is ailing with cancer, has entrusted sister-in-law Sophie Wessex to take on important trips.
Royal editor Jennifer Newton says: “King Charles has entrusted a key royal dubbed the Firm’s ‘secret weapon’ to carry out a major overseas trip on his behalf.”
She added: “It has been announced that Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina later this week, where on behalf of the monarch, she will attend an event marking the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.”
She wrote in Mirror: “Sophie, who became Duchess of Edinburgh in 2023, has been dubbed the royal family’s ‘secret weapon’ in recent years for her meaningful approach to her role.”
The expert further continued: “She was a favourite of the late Queen’s and has risen in public prominence after being credited in royal circles for quietly steadying the ship after a tumultuous period for The Firm. As patron to more than 70 organisations, her work has seen her travel to conflict zones as well as campaign for victims of sexual violence around the world.”
ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascentage Pharma Group International (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855) (“Ascentage Pharma” or the “Company”), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs in cancers, announced the appointments of Veet Misra, Ph.D., as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, and Mr. Eric Huang, as Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Development and Finance. Both Dr. Misra and Mr. Huang will report directly to Dajun Yang, M.D., Ph.D., the Company’s Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Yang said, “I am excited to welcome Veet and Eric to our senior management team. As an innovative biopharmaceutical company dual listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, Ascentage Pharma is entering a phase of notable growth. The addition of these seasoned executives will help accelerate the implementation of our global strategy of becoming a leading, fully integrated global biopharmaceutical company.”
Dr. Misra brings a rare combination of deep scientific background in biology and significant experience in U.S. capital markets in the biopharmaceutical sector. “I am confident that Veet’s unique blend of scientific acumen and capital markets expertise can help us garner stronger traction in the global capital markets and strengthen our operations,” added Dr. Yang.
Mr. Huang brings rich expertise in the global pharmaceutical industry and a wealth of experience in corporate management. “This makes Eric a great match for Ascentage Pharma’s long-term growth needs. His experience will help drive excellence in Ascentage Pharma’s corporate operations as the Company continues to make headway in expanding globally,” said Dr. Yang.
Dr. Misra commented, “I am thrilled to join Ascentage Pharma as its Chief Financial Officer. Ascentage Pharma is a global leader in apoptosis-targeted therapies. Its dual listing in Hong Kong and the U.S. reflects strong recognition of the Company in these two premier markets. I look forward to working with my colleagues to accelerate the global development of the Company’s innovative pipeline and create sustained value for patients and shareholders.”
Mr. Huang said, “It is my great honor to join Ascentage Pharma, a company that has established growing global competitiveness in the field of hematologic malignancies. The strategic partnership with Takeda and the dual listing in Hong Kong and the U.S. have created a sound foundation for global expansion. I look forward to working closely with the Company’s management team to further improve operations and efficiently integrate the Company’s existing resources to accelerate the global development and commercialization of its core assets, ultimately bringing more novel therapeutics to patients in need.”
Dr. Misra has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking. Prior to joining Ascentage Pharma, he was a Managing Director in the Healthcare Investment Banking group at Cantor Fitzgerald where he covered the biopharmaceutical sector. Before that, he worked in the life sciences investment banking groups at Houlihan Lokey and RBC Capital Markets. Over the course of his banking career, Dr. Misra advised on deals spanning equity, equity-linked, debt, and debt restructuring, as well as buy-side/sell-side M&A and corporate strategy, primarily focusing on the biotechnology sector. Dr. Misra earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, with a focus on the oncology field, from the University of Toronto and an MBA in Finance & Strategy from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto.
Mr. Huang has served in various managerial positions at multinational companies for more than 20 years and possesses extensive experience in driving continuous financial performance improvement, business/operational excellence, and global operations. Prior to joining Ascentage Pharma, Mr. Huang served as the Chief Financial Officer for Greater China and Asia-Pacific at Beigene, where he also led Global Technical Operations Finance and Global Commercial Finance, and implemented comprehensive financial planning management and optimized globally-based resource allocation leading to sustained financial improvements. Before that, Mr. Huang was at Novartis, where he served as the head of finance for multiple countries and regions. Mr. Huang received an MBA in Finance from Dowling Business School.
About Ascentage Pharma
Ascentage Pharma (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855) is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs in cancers. The company has built a rich pipeline of innovative drug candidates that includes inhibitors targeting key proteins in the apoptotic pathway, such as Bcl-2 and MDM2-p53 and next-generation kinase inhibitors.
The lead asset, olverembatinib, is the first novel third-generation BCR-ABL1 inhibitor approved in China for the treatment of patients with CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) with T315I mutations, CML in accelerated phase (CML-AP) with T315I mutations, and CML-CP that is resistant or intolerant to first and second-generation TKIs. It is covered by the China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). The Company is currently conducting an FDA-cleared, global registrational Phase III trial, or POLARIS-2, of olverembatinib for CML, as well as global registrational Phase III trials for patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ ALL and SDH-deficient GIST patients.
The second lead asset, lisaftoclax, is a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor for the treatment of various hematologic malignancies. The NDA for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory CLL and SLL was accepted with Priority Review designation by China’s National Medical Products Administration. The Company is currently conducting 4 global registrational Phase III trials: the GLORA study of lisaftoclax in combination with BTK inhibitors in patients with CLL/SLL previously treated with BTK inhibitors for more than 12 months with suboptimal response; the GLORA-2 study in patients with newly diagnosed CLL/SLL; the GLORA-3 study in newly diagnosed, elderly and unfit patients with AML; and the GLORA-4 study in patients with newly diagnosed higher risk MDS.
Leveraging its robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio of global intellectual property rights and entered into global partnerships and other relationships with numerous leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, such as Takeda, AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, and Innovent, in addition to research and development relationships with leading research institutions, such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan. For more information, visit https://ascentage.com/
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements, including statements that express Ascentage Pharma’s opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results of operations or financial condition. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties as discussed in Ascentage Pharma’s filings with the SEC, including those set forth in the sections titled “Risk factors” and “Special note regarding forward-looking statements and industry data” in its Registration Statement on Form F-1, as amended, filed with the SEC on January 21, 2025, and the Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 16, 2025, the sections headed “Forward-looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the prospectus of the Company for its Hong Kong initial public offering dated October 16, 2019, and other filings with the SEC and/or The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited we made or make from time to time that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this presentation do not constitute profit forecast by the Company’s management.
As a result of these factors, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on Ascentage Pharma’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects and speak only as of the date of such statements. Ascentage Pharma does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts Investor Relations: Hogan Wan, Head of IR and Strategy Ascentage Pharma Hogan.Wan@ascentage.com +86 512 85557777
Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron said Monday that he’s leaving the band after nearly 30 years.
The 62-year-old Cameron announced his departure in a social media post.
“After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam,” Cameron said. “Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter.”
Cameron didn’t give a reason for his departure.
“Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer. He has propelled the last 27 years of Pearl Jam live shows and studio recordings. It was a deeply important chapter for our group and we wish him well always,” Pearl Jam members said in a statement posted to the band’s social media accounts.
They made no mention of a replacement.
Cameron, who played drums for Soundgarden for more than a decade before joining Pearl Jam, was not a founding member of the band and didn’t play drums for the early albums that made them rock superstars.
But he provided some much-needed stability at the drum kit after the band had gone through four others since its inception. He first joined in 1998 as a temporary replacement for Jack Irons, playing on a long tour before making his studio debut with the group on 2000’s “Binaural.”
He just finished a yearlong tour with the band in support of its 12th studio album, “Dark Matter.”
Cameron was born and raised in San Diego before moving to Seattle shortly before its music scene became a global phenomenon. He played in proto-grunge band Skin Yard before joining Soundgarden. He did double duty with Pearl Jam and a reunited Soundgarden from 2010 to 2017.
Kelsey Parker shares heartfelt update into her motherhood journey post pregnancy
Kelsey Parker updated fans with heartbreaking news after her pregnancy loss.
Back in June, Kelsey shared the painful news that her and boyfriend Will Lindsay’s first child, her third, was “born sleeping.”
She took to her Instagram account on Monday, July 8, to pen down a heartfelt note about her pregnancy loss and shared the episodes on her podcast that were recorded during her pregnancy will air soon
“Before I gave birth to Phoenix, I had recorded a lot of podcasts for my @mumstheword_pod before going off on maternity leave,” Kelsey revealed.
“I want to thank the lovely team for checking in and being patient to put some episodes out that were during my pregnancy,” she continued.
“Over the next couple of months, these episodes will air. They were part of my journey so I didn’t want to not share them, and they all have incredible guests with really important stories and messages,” Kelsay added.
It is pertinent to mention that Kelsey is also mom to Bodhi, four, and Aurelia, six, whom she shares with her late husband, singer Tom Parker, who died in 2022 after a battle with brain cancer.
