Alex Lynn claimed pole position for the second race in a row as Cadillac secured the top spot in qualifying for the 6 Hours of São Paulo—though a post-session penalty for teammate Sébastien Bourdais prevented a repeat of their front row sweep.
Lynn delivered a superb lap of 1:22.570 in the 10-minute Hyperpole session at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, placing the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R on pole and setting the benchmark in both segments of qualifying. It marked a back-to-back front-row sweep for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA—at least initially—whose sister car, the #38 entry driven by Sébastien Bourdais, had provisionally secured second on the grid just 0.100s adrift.
However, following the session, the stewards handed the #38 a grid penalty for impeding car #93 Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ Paul di Resta during qualifying. As a result, Bourdais will now start from third, promoting Julien Andlauer and the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 to the front row alongside Lynn. The pole position remains unchanged.
“It feels great to be on pole again. It’s a special feeling to drive the Cadillac on one lap,” said Lynn. “I love being here in Brazil – the São Paulo track is so cool. Our side of the garage has been confident all week, and it showed. We knew we had the pace and now it’s time to deliver on race day.”
BMW M Team WRT completed the revised top five courtesy of René Rast in the #20 M Hybrid V8, followed by the second Peugeot, the #93 of Paul di Resta. Porsche’s second works car and the #15 BMW slotted into seventh and eighth, while the Le Mans-winning AF Corse-run #83 entry was the highest ranked Ferrari in ninth, with the #8 Toyota rounding out the top ten.
LOCAL ACE DUDU DOES POLE
In LMGT3, local hero Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello gave the São Paulo crowd plenty to cheer about, taking pole position in the #10 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin. The Brazilian posted a time of 1:33.849, over two-tenths quicker than the next-best entry, and will share the car with Anthony Mcintosh and Valentin Hasse Clot.
It marked a proud moment for Barrichello, son of two-time Formula 1 runner-up Rubens, who continues to build his reputation on the world stage in front of his home fans.
The green flag for Sunday’s six-hour race flies at 11:30 local time.
Cathie Wood buys $18.7 million of troubled megacap tech stock originally appeared on TheStreet.
Cathie Wood doesn’t easily walk away from the companies she believes in.
The Ark Invest founder has a habit of sticking with tech stocks she sees as shaping the future. Even when these names face controversy, Wood often leans in rather than pulling back.
This is what she just did, adding to a high-profile tech stock that’s been under pressure, caught in headlines and market swings.
Wood’s funds have experienced a volatile ride this year, swinging from sharp losses to strong gains.
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In January and February, the Ark funds rallied as investors bet on the Trump administration’s potential deregulation that could benefit Wood’s tech bets. But the momentum hit a wall in March and April, with the funds trailing the market as top holdings slid amid growing concerns over the macroeconomy and trade policies.
Now, the fund is regaining momentum. As of July 11, the flagship Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) is up 25.5% year-to-date, far outpacing the S&P 500’s 6.4% gain.
Wood’s remarkable return of 153% in 2020 helped build her reputation and attract loyal investors. Her strategy can lead to sharp gains during bull markets but also painful losses, like in 2022, when ARKK dropped more than 60%.
As of July 11, Ark Innovation ETF, with $6.8 billion under management, has delivered a five-year annualized return of negative 1.7%. The S&P 500 has an annualized return of 16.2% over the same period.
Over the past 12 months through July 10, the Ark Innovation ETF saw nearly $2 billion in net outflows, according to ETF research firm VettaFi.Image source: Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Wood’s investment strategy is straightforward: Her Ark ETFs typically buy shares in emerging high-tech companies in fields such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, biomedical technology, and robotics.
According to Wood, these companies have the potential to reshape industries, but their volatility leads to major fluctuations in Ark funds’ values.
Related: Cathie Wood’s net worth: The Ark Invest CEO’s wealth & income
The Ark Innovation ETF wiped out $7 billion in investor wealth over the 10 years ending in 2024, according to an analysis by Morningstar’s analyst Amy Arnott. That made it the third-biggest wealth destroyer among mutual funds and ETFs in Arnott’s ranking.
Wood recently said the U.S. is coming out of a three-year “rolling recession” and heading into a productivity-led recovery that could trigger a broader bull market.
In a letter to investors published in late April, she dismissed predictions of a recession dragging into 2026 and struck an optimistic tone for tech stocks.
“During the current turbulent transition in the U.S., we think consumers and businesses are likely to accelerate the shift to technologically enabled innovation platforms including artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, blockchain technology, and multiomics sequencing,” she said.
But not all investors share this optimism. Over the past 12 months through July 10, the Ark Innovation ETF saw nearly $2 billion in net outflows, according to ETF research firm VettaFi.
On July 11, Wood’s Ark funds bought 59,705 shares of Tesla Inc. (TSLA) . That chunk of stocks is worth roughly $18.7 million.
Wood has been a longtime supporter of Tesla and still believes in the stock, even after a sharp drop following CEO Elon Musk’s recent announcement about launching a new political party.
Related: Jim Cramer drops blunt 6-word message on Nvidia stock
Tesla sales have dropped in key markets like Europe and China, as Musk faced political pushback and alienated some car buyers in key markets.
“We’ve been dealing with controversy around Elon Musk in one form or another since we first bought the stock,” Wood said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. “We do trust the board and the board’s instincts here and we stay out of politics.”
She also noted that Musk seems more focused on the business again, especially after he decided to take charge of sales in the U.S. and Europe.
“One of the announcements Elon made recently is that he is going to oversee sales in the U.S. and in Europe,” Wood said. “When he puts his mind on something, he usually gets the job done. So I think he’s much less distracted now than he was, let’s say, in the White House 24/7.”
Meanwhile, Tesla is entering the India market, with its first showroom in Mumbai next week. Tesla will need to pay about 70% import duty fees, as it does not want to produce cars in India, according to Reuters.
More Tesla:
Back in March, Wood predicted Tesla’s stock would reach $2,600 in five years, which is nearly nine times higher than where it trades now.
Much of the optimism is driven by the company’s highly anticipated Robotaxi, which Wood believes will account for 90% of the company’s value over time.
Tesla has long been Wood’s top holding, accounting for 9.26% of the Ark Innovation ETF.
The stock is down more than 22% year-to-date, the worst among the Magnificent 7 stocks.
Related: Veteran analyst sends bold message on Palantir stock target
Cathie Wood buys $18.7 million of troubled megacap tech stock first appeared on TheStreet on Jul 12, 2025
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Actor Humaira Asghar Ali (late). — Instagram@humairaaliofficial/File
KARACHI: As the probe into actor-model Humaira Asghar’s death progresses, police have retrieved data from her electronic devices, offering new clues to the investigators, officials confirmed Saturday night.
She was found dead on July 8 in a flat in Defence Phase VI’s Ittehad Commercial area, where she had been living alone for seven years.
Her body was discovered when a court-appointed bailiff arrived to enforce an eviction order over unpaid rent, following a case filed by the flat’s owner.
In a breakthrough pointing to new leads, investigators have accessed her three mobile phones, a tablet, and a laptop, officials familiar with the case say.
They said the passwords for the devices were written in a personal diary found in the room where the actor’s decomposing body was discovered, allowing them to unlock and recover the data.
Two people have so far recorded their statements, while two others have been summoned for questioning, officials said.
Police added that the actress regularly visited a gym and a beautician.
Her gym trainer and others from her close circle will also be approached to help piece together her final days, according to investigators.
Humaira’s bank accounts, transactions, and communication records have also been reviewed, authorities said, noting that her contact list was small, suggesting a close-knit circle.
Officials further said no evidence suggesting foul play was found in Humaira Asghar’s apartment, while the exact cause of death would become clear once the post-mortem and chemical examination reports were available.
A case will be registered after the reports are received, they confirmed.
On July 10, Sindh Police’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South, Asad Raza, had said that the model’s body is probably six months old.
“The expiry date of food and drinks found in the flat is 2024, and the last messages in the actor’s phone records are also from October 2024,” DIG Raza had said, based on the police surgeon’s finding that the actor’s body was in an “advanced stage of decomposition”.
Humaira shot to fame with her appearance on the reality show Tamasha Ghar and later cemented her place in the spotlight through her role in the film Jalaibee.
Her death comes less than three weeks after renowned veteran actress Ayesha Khan was found dead in her flat in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area.
The passing of 84-year-old Ayesha came to light after neighbours alerted her family to a foul smell coming from her apartment.
AI content faces monetization hurdles on YouTube – Daily Times
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SINGAPORE: Japanese rubber futures closed higher on Friday and posted their fourth consecutive weekly gain, as extreme weather in key producers Thailand and Indonesia stoked supply concerns.
The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery was up 2.5 yen, or 0.79%, at 317.3 yen ($2.16) per kg. The contract gained 1.67% this week.
The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery rose 120 yuan, or 0.84%, to 14,360 yuan ($2,002.65) per metric ton. The most-active August butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE climbed 155 yuan, or 1.35%, to 11,615 yuan per ton.
Top rubber producer Thailand’s meteorological agency warned of heavy rains and accumulations that could cause flash floods and overflows from July 11-13. Sudden heavy rains in southern Thailand caused severe floods and water logging, while a drought in Sumatra, Indonesia continued, Chinese commodities data provider Longzhong Information said in a note.
With these two major production regions suffering from extreme weather at the same time, many rubber plantations were forced to delay harvesting, a rare supply shock, Longzhong said. Rubber futures, which were trading at a discount to physical breakeven levels, are now playing catch-up, a Singapore-based trader said.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday credited his government’s effective measures for stabilising the economy, citing a sharp fall in inflation and interest rates, as well as a crucial agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that helped Pakistan avert default.
Speaking to students of the Uraan Pakistan Summer Scholars Internship Programme, Sharif painted a picture of economic rescue under his leadership, claiming the country had dodged financial collapse through team work and tough reforms.
“When we took over, inflation was exploding at 38% and the policy rate had hit a punishing 22%. Today, it’s down to 11%. We did not just make policies, we worked day and night and left the rest to Allah,” he added.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio lags due to narrow tax net, informal economy: ADB
The prime minister said 2023 had brought Pakistan to the brink of default, but his administration pushed through reforms and sealed IMF agreements that stabilised the economy. “Most thought we’d go bankrupt. I knew we wouldn’t,” he said, adding that “Pakistan has come out of the risk of default.”
Sharif did not hold back from criticising what he called a deeply entrenched culture of favouritism and influence-peddling. “Recommendations start pouring in even before real reform begins,” he said. “But we were ready. Officers from grades 20 to 22 were shown the door despite pressure from all over the country.”
Taking a shot at corrupt practices, he warned, “Those who lie by swearing on Allah and the Prophet should repent.”
He pointed to major reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as proof of his administration’s commitment to clean governance. “Sharp bureaucrats used to game the system. We changed that. Now digitisation and faceless tech are in place and the FBR has collected Rs500 billion through enforcement.”
While touting his government’s work, Sharif struck a moral tone. “Allah will ask me what I did in this world and I’ll say I worked on merit,” he said, vowing to continue what he called a “journey full of obstacles.”
He praised Pakistan’s youth as the backbone of the country’s future and said the laptop distribution scheme in Punjab – worth Rs20 billion – was entirely merit-based. “The future lies with this galaxy of young superstars,” he said.
Sharif also took aim at India, referencing the Pahalgam incident and cross-border hostilities. “Pakistan had no role in that incident, but India used it as an excuse for aggression, killing 55 innocent civilians. We defended ourselves and shot down six enemy aircraft. On May 10, we hit back and it was a strong, united response.”
Sharif said Pakistan had offered to support an impartial international investigation, but insisted Islamabad would never shy away from defending its sovereignty.
Despite the defiant tone, Sharif said he was not seeking personal accolades. “I have never taken credit – it has always been about teamwork. We must achieve our goals, or we will face the consequences.”
Kévin Estre set the seventh-fastest time in the sister car. In LMGT3 class, Porsche customer team Iron Dames advanced to the Hyperpole session for the first time and set a season best with seventh place on the grid. The 6-hour race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace starts on Sunday at 11:30 local time (16:30 CEST).
The Qualifying
The twelve-minute qualifying session was not a major challenge for the two Porsche 963 of the works team. With 20 degrees Celsius air temperature and a comparatively cool asphalt temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, Julien Andlauer set a time of 1.23.279 minutes after two warm-up laps. This was enough for the Frenchman to finish fourth. His compatriot Kévin Estre even circled the Interlagos circuit three times to bring the Michelin racing tyres of his Porsche 963 up to temperature. He subsequently finished seventh with a lap time of 1.23.533 minutes. As a result, both Porsche Penske Motorsport hybrid prototypes were guaranteed a place in the Hyperpole session for the top ten.
The front grid positions were decided in this ten-minute time trial. Once again, both works drivers took the time to warm up their tyres thoroughly. On his first fast lap, Andlauer jumped into third position with a time of 1.22.834 minutes. He shares the hybrid race car with Michael Christensen. The Dane has also completed the Porsche Junior programme. The demotion of one Cadillac lifted the duo into the first row of the grid. Estre followed just under three tenths of a second behind in fifth place. He forms a team with the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. The two cars then failed to make any further gains. The pole position went to Cadillac Hertz Team Jota.
“We saw an interesting qualifying session. After our start to the season, it was good to get both Porsche 963 into the Hyperpole,” explained Urs Kuratle, Head of Works Motorsport LMDh. “We can be very satisfied with second place on the grid. Now we have to see what happens tomorrow in the 6-hour race.”
“It was a good day for us today,” emphasised Travis Law, Technical Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We wanted to achieve a good qualifying result with both Porsche 963. Second and seventh on the grid now give us a good starting position. Congratulations to Cadillac for pole position: they have done a good job. Now it’s up to us to chase them down in the race.”
The German Porsche customer team Proton Competition enters another Porsche 963 in the top Hypercar class. In the hybrid prototype, Nico Varrone missed out on promotion to the Hyperpole in twelfth place by less than a tenth of a second. Together with Neel Jani from Switzerland and Nico Pino from Chile, the Argentinian forms the driver trio of the number 99 car.
LMGT3 class: best qualifying result of the season for Iron Dames
Things went mixed for the two 911 GT3 R in Sao Paulo. In the first qualifying segment, Frenchwoman Célia Martin achieved the long-awaited top 10 position. Ninth place with a fastest lap time of 1.35.327 minutes enabled the Porsche from the Iron Dames customer team to make it into the Hyperpole session for the first time this season. Her colleague Rahel Frey took the wheel there. The Swiss driver was in the lead after her first attempt and was able to improve on her second flying lap to 1.34.433 minutes. After that, there was no further improvement. On Sunday, Martin, Frey and Michelle Gatting from Denmark will start the race from seventh on the grid. The successful Iron Dames initiative to promote girls and women in motorsport is cooperating closely with Porsche Motorsport from this year onwards.
The Manthey 1st Phorm sister car did not make it past qualifying. In Sao Paulo, the number 92 car has to take some success ballast on board, which has a negative impact on lap times. Ryan Hardwick set the 13th fastest lap in 1.35.504 minutes. The American shares the Porsche with Italian Riccardo Pera and factory driver Richard Lietz from Austria. Together, the trio recently won the LMGT3 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and lead the drivers’ standings before the start of the Brazilian round of the season.
New track surface at Interlagos: thorough analysis is the key
The 4.309-kilometre Autódromo José Carlos Pace has a special feature this year: a new asphalt surface. The teams have to take this into account when preparing for the 6-hour race. Michelin is at the forefront for the cars in the hypercar class. For the first time, Porsche Motorsport’s tyre partner is using a new, further improved measuring device called AMES for the analysis.
Philippe Rocher
“This equipment allows us to precisely determine the micro and macro structures of the asphalt,” explains Philippe Rocher, the Tyre Advisor of the French manufacturer responsible for the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team. “It scans the road surface with two laser sensors and creates a precise 3D representation of the condition – how open or closed the asphalt is, how rough it is and so on. This can take up to six minutes per measurement point, but allows us to draw precise conclusions about the tyre wear and grip conditions we can expect.”
Michelin measured the track in Interlagos at 29 individual points – usually at the corner entry points, at the apex and at the exit of corners. The position of these points is precisely recorded using GPS data in order to be able to recognise possible deviations at exactly the same points in future years.
The results of this in-depth analysis help Romain Gineste in his work. As Head of Track Engineering, the Frenchman is responsible for the set-up of the Porsche 963 in the WEC. New tarmac surfaces are nothing new for the Porsche Motorsport engineer. “If we can test on the revised circuits in advance, as we did recently at Spa-Francorchamps, for example, it’s easy. Here in Interlagos that was not possible, which creates a certain amount of uncertainty. Of course, the information from Michelin helps us a lot,” confirms Gineste. “But we also take a look at the surface ourselves during the track walk: is the track flat or bumpy, does the quality remain clean or is it changeable? In general, we don’t tend to overreact to a new surface. In fact, the new tarmac here in Sao Paulo hardly has any effect: The track has become a little faster, tyre wear could increase slightly. We are using the same tyres as in 2024 and don’t expect any surprises.”
Romain Gineste
The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo on television
The endurance race on the outskirts of the megacity of São Paulo starts on Sunday at 11:30 local time (16:30 CEST). The FIA WEC’s paid-for app supplements the live stream of the entire competition with live timing.
Drivers’ comments on qualifying
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): “For our number 5 Porsche, second place on the grid is an even better result as last time out at Le Mans. I’m quite happy with this outcome because we improved very well over the free practice sessions and optimised the performance potential of our 963 over one lap. In terms of lap times, we couldn’t beat the two Cadillacs in front of us. It was a lot of fun on the track. But the race is still to come. We will prepare properly and hopefully finish on the podium.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Seventh place on the grid is ok, but not what we wanted to achieve. Pole position was just as out of reach for us today as the third-fastest time for our sister car. We now have to analyse that. But no matter: at least we have a much better grid position than in the previous races of the season. We should be much more competitive in the race, but overtaking is difficult on this track. Nevertheless, we can still achieve a strong result.”
Nico Varrone (Porsche 963 #99): “I think we did a good job. During the free practice sessions, we were able to do a lot of set-up work on our Porsche 963 and improve bit by bit. It’s a shame that we missed the Hyperpole by less than a tenth of a second. We want to get the maximum out of the race tomorrow.”
Rahel Frey (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): “In the Hyperpole for the first time! Thanks a lot to Célia – of course it’s great that we were finally able to take part in the top ten shootout! With new tyres and a light car, it’s always a great feeling on the track. Seventh place is our best starting position so far. The steps we have taken have all been in the right direction: we are gaining speed and taking the momentum with us – that was the aim of the season. We now want to build on that. Tomorrow, we have to get through without any problems. In a long-distance race, you can’t win the race on the first lap. We’ll just carry on as before.”
Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “Due to the success ballast we have on board, we lose about half a second per lap here at Interlagos. Without this extra weight, we would have easily made it into the Hyperpole – but that’s the price we have to pay for our victory at Le Mans and the lead in the championship. The potential of the 911 GT3 R is demonstrated by our Iron Dames sister car, which reached the Hyperpole for the first time.”
Qualifying results
Hypercar class: 1. Lynn/Nato/Stevens (GBR/FRA/GBR), Cadillac #12, 1.22.570 minutes 2. Andlauer/Christensen (FRA/DNK), Porsche 963 #5, 1.22.834 minutes 3. Bamber/Bourdais/Button (NZL/FRA/GBR), Cadillac #38, 1.22.670 minutes (demoted by one position on the grid) 7. Estre/Vanthoor (FRA/BEL), Porsche 963 #6, 1.23.159 minutes 12. Jani/Pino/Varrone (CHE/CHL/ARG), Porsche 963 #99, 1.23.740 minutes
LMGT3 class:
1. McIntosh/Barrichello/Hasse Clot (USA/BRA/FRA), Aston Martin #10, 1.33.849 minutes
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An extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Jurassic period seems to have had quite the penchant for overreaching.
A new analysis of fossilized Tharsis fish reveals that the carnivorous marine animals seem to have frequently met their end with large cephalopods known as belemnites lodged quite fatally in their gullets.
According to paleontologists Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, Tharsis fish found in the 152 million-year-old Solnhofen Plattenkalk (limestone) formation in Germany appear in multiple instances to have died while attempting to swallow a belemnite nearly as long as themselves.
Multiple Tharsis specimens have been found with belemnites stuck in their mouths. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025)
“A recent review of collection material … uncovered several specimens of Tharsis from the Late Jurassic Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Archipelago with belemnites wedged in mouth and gill apparatus,” they write in their paper.
“In all cases, the rostrum [beak] reexits through the gill apparatus, whereas the broad phragmocone [internal shell] of the belemnite is firmly lodged in the mouth opening.”
Related: Ancient Tyrannosaur’s Last Victims Can Still Be Seen Inside Its Stomach
Tharsis fish were what are known as micro-carnivores; animals that eat very small animals such as larvae and zooplankton, in this case by using suction to gulp down their food. Their fossils are quite common.
Belemnites, which resembled squid with a long hooded body and multiple arms, lived in the open ocean, left far fewer fossils.
Interestingly, the belemnite fossils found in the Plattenkalk basins of Eichstätt and Solnhofen often consist of an internal shell overgrown with bivalves – suggesting that the belemnite was dead, kept buoyant in the water column by a gas-filled shell colonized by other animals, such as clam-like molluscs, feasting on the decaying soft tissue.
An oyster on a belemnite swallowed by a Tharsis fish. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025)
Tharsis fish were unlikely to be looking for food amid the hostile conditions of the seafloor, nor would the fish have been preying directly on the belemnites – but the researchers believe they know why the dead, drifting cephalopods may have posed such a choking hazard for the hapless fish.
“Apparently, these micro-carnivore fish were in the habit of sucking remnants of decaying soft tissue or overgrowth such as algae or bacterial growth from floating objects, but when a streamlined floating belemnite rostrum accidentally was sucked into the mouth, they were no longer able to get rid of these deadly objects,” the paleontologists write in their paper.
“Even though the fish tried to pass the obstructive item through its gills, there was no way of getting rid of it, leading to death by suffocation.”
Sounds deeply unpleasant, really.
The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
