The actor Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct after admitting that he purposely touched a woman inappropriately at a horror film convention in New Jersey in 2022.
“It was not an accidental touching,” the 81-year-old Busey, who was once nominated for an Oscar, told a judge during a virtual court appearance Thursday.
In exchange for Busey’s plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three other counts of criminal sexual contact as well as one count of attempted criminal sexual contact. All of the charges stemmed from accusations that he groped five women with whom he was taking pictures while attending the Monster-Mania convention at a Double Tree Hilton hotel in the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, from 12 to 14 August 2022.
Authorities said Busey grabbed the buttocks of two women and then put his face near a third woman’s breasts while trying to unlatch her bra, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
CourtTV reported that Busey’s defense attorney, Blair Zwillman, had initially argued Thursday that the indictment against her client should be dismissed because police had conducted a “faulty” investigation and failed to question certain witnesses. But Camden county, New Jersey, prosecutor Keith Carmy, contended that there was no evidence out there that would have been exculpatory for Busey and that substantial witness testimony had been presented to the grand jury which charged Busey.
The judge presiding over Busey’s case, Gwendolyn Blue, denied Zwillman. After Busey pleaded guilty, Blue tentatively set a virtual sentencing hearing for him on 18 September, CourtTV reported.
Busey reportedly faces one to five years of probation as well as fines, and he must submit a DNA sample to authorities.
He wore a hearing aid “as loud as it will go” during Thursday’s hearing, yet he evidently struggled to hear the proceeding.
Busey is known widely as a character actor with more than 100 film and television credits, generally in supporting roles. Among his credits are Point Break, Under Siege, Rookie of the Year, Lethal Weapon and Predator 2.
He earned an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing the title role in 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story.
The case to which Busey pleaded guilty on Thursday was not his first brush with the law. He faced drug charges in 1995 after a near deadly cocaine overdose sent him to the hospital.
Busey has also previously been arrested on charges of spousal abuse. And during the 2011 season of Celebrity Apprentice, he was accused of sexually assaulting a female employee of the show.
Flaco Jiménez, master of the accordion and pioneer of tejano music, has died at the age of 86.
“It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jimenez,” reads a post from his family on Facebook. “He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely. Thank you to all of his fans and friends – those who cherished his music. And a big thank you for all of the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans.”
The cause of death is unknown but a January post from his family stated that he was “in the hospital facing a medical hurdle”.
According to his son Arturo, his last words were “Ya estoy cansado”, which translates to “I’m tired.”
Jiménez won six Grammy awards in his career, including for country instrumental performance and tejano music performance, and a lifetime achievement award in 2015. “This one, the lifetime achievement, is top of the line,” he said at the time. “You can’t go higher than that one.”
His sound was instrumental in defining tejano and conjunto music. The Guardian’s Piper LeMoine wrote that “the soundtrack of the American south-west would be incomplete” without these two genres.
“The way I learned to play the accordion was on the wild and happy side, much like Cajun and zydeco music,” he once said in an interview. “One of my early idols was Clifton Chenier. The way he played, it was like the accordion was yelling at you: hey, take this. I like to make my accordion yell and scream and make it happy.”
After performing in San Antonio in the 1960s, Jiménez went to New York City and worked with artists including Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson and the Rolling Stones.
His first solo album was released in 1972 and he would go on to record more than 25 in his career.
A tribute was paid by Cesar Rosas, a member of Los Lobos who worked with Jiménez on the song Don’t Worry Baby.
“Not only was Flaco my musical mentor, but he was also a dear friend to all of us Los Lobos,” Rosas said to the San Antonio Express-News. “He was such a musical influence on me that [he] made me run out and buy a bajo sexto and start using it in my band. He will forever be in my heart. What a tremendous loss.”
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Arab Emirates will host a Twenty20 tri-series including Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month as part of the teams’ buildup for next year’s T20 World Cup.
Sharjah will host all seven games of the tri-series, starting Aug. 29. Teams play against each other twice before the top two qualify for the final.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have already secured direct qualification for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. UAE could also qualify but it has to play ICC’s Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers in Oman in October.
Afghanistan, which finished seventh in the last T20 World Cup, hasn’t played a T20 since a bilateral series against Zimbabwe late last year. Pakistan is currently playing a T20 series against West Indies in the United States.
The tri-series will be followed by the Asia Cup, also scheduled to be held in the UAE, from Sept. 9 when Afghanistan takes on Hong Kong in the opening game.
Baseline characteristics of participants according to CTI quartiles
Table 1 presents the baseline characteristics of participants categorized by CTI quartiles (C1: < 9.57; C2: 9.57—9.88; C3: 9.88—10.23; C4: > 10.23). A total of 2,237 patients were included, with 48.3% being male and a median age of 63.5 years (IQR 57.00—68.00). Among the CTI quartile groups, the number of CHD cases was as follows: C1 (lowest quartile), n = 354; C2, n = 436; C3, n = 504; and C4 (highest quartile), n = 530. The MUOO phenotype constituted the largest proportion across all metabolic subgroups. In contrast, the number of metabolically healthy individuals was relatively limited, which may be explained by their generally milder clinical manifestations and lack of underlying comorbidities—factors that likely reduced the probability of undergoing definitive diagnostic procedures, such as coronary angiography, in routine clinical settings. Across increasing CTI quartiles, SBP, DBP, BMI, WC, FPG, HbA1c, TC, TG, and LDL-C progressively increased (P < 0.001). In addition, patients in the higher CTI quartiles exhibited a higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension and were more likely to be receiving antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering therapies (P < 0.001). Baseline characteristics of participants across different metabolic phenotypes are presented in Table S1, and the overall study flow is illustrated in Fig. 1.
Table 1 Baseline characteristics according to CTI quartiles
Identification of factors associated with new-onset CHD
This study systematically evaluated the strength of association between multiple variables and new-onset CHD using feature selection methods. Feature selection was performed using the Boruta algorithm, with results presented in Fig. 2A and B. Following 500 iterations, we identified the ten variables most strongly correlated with CHD, ranked by z-scores. These key factors include the HDL-C, CTI, WC, TG, TyG, BMI, CALLY, HbA1c, neutrophil (NEUT) and LYM. To further elucidate the relationships between these factors, we applied SHAP analysis, as shown in Fig. 2C. A color gradient from blue to red reflects the increasing strength of each variable’s association with the model. The vertical axis displays the ranked importance of variables in the diagnostic assessment of new-onset CHD. The relationship between feature values and their corresponding SHAP values is also displayed, highlighting how each factor influences the model’s. Additionally, Fig. 2D further delineates the associations between the top ten contributing factors and new-onset CHD. Finally, Fig. 2E presents an interactive nomogram incorporating the six most strongly associated factors—such as CTI, HDL-C, and TyG—providing a visual representation of the relative contribution of each factor to CHD at a given time point.
Associations between the CTI and incidence of new-onset CHD
Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between increasing CTI levels and the likelihood of new-onset CHD diagnosis, suggesting that individuals with higher CTI values were more likely to be diagnosed with CHD (Table 2). This association remained robust even after adjusting for potential confounders (P for trend < 0.001). When compared to the baseline group (C1), the ORs for C2, C3, and C4 were 2.75 (95% CI: 1.63—4.22), 3.61 (95% CI: 2.84—5.20) and 6.83 (95% CI: 5.29—9.01), respectively, reflecting a positive association between increasing CTI levels and the likelihood of CHD. Table S2, using CTI tertile stratification, further corroborates the robustness and consistency of the observed associations.
Table 2 Association between the CTI and new-onset CHD
Figure 3A presents the results from the RCS models, which illustrate the non-linear relationship between the CTI and overall new-onset CHD. The analysis revealed a statistically significant non-linear association between CTI and new-onset CHD (P-overall < 0.001, P-nonlinear < 0.001). Further visualizations in Fig. 3B show the distinct distribution of CTI values in individuals with and without CHD, reinforcing its significant association with new-onset CHD status.
Fig. 3
Associations between the CTI and presence of new-onset CHD. A Dose–response relationships between the CTI and CHD in the overall population. B Violin plots of CTI distribute in individuals with and without CHD. C PCA plots illustrate the distribution of the CTI in metabolically distinct groups across populations with and without CHD. D Sensitivity analyses evaluating the association between the CTI and presence of CHD, with adjustments for age, sex, BMI, SBP, DBP, smoking, drinking, HDL-C, LDL-C, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, TC, ALT, and AST. CTI C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index; CHD coronary heart disease; OR odds ratio; CI confidence interval; PCA principal component analysis; PC principal component; MHNW metabolically healthy normal weight; MHOO metabolically healthy overweight/obese; MUNW metabolically unhealthy normal weight; MUOO metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese; BMI body mass index; SBP systolic blood pressure; DBP diastolic blood pressure; HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC total cholesterol; ALT alanine aminotransferase; AST aspartate aminotransferase
Association between the CTI and new-onset CHD in metabolically heterogeneous obese individuals
As previously described, a significant association was observed between CTI and new-onset CHD diagnosis. To further investigate the heterogeneity of this association across distinct metabolic obesity phenotypes, a stratified analysis was performed based on metabolic status. When included as a continuous variable in the regression model, CTI showed a significant positive association with new-onset CHD diagnosis in both the MUNW and MUOO groups (Table 3). In the fully adjusted model, each one-unit increase in CTI was significantly associated with a 42% higher odds of new-onset CHD diagnosis in the MUNW group (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.28—1.57) and a 13% increase in the MUOO group (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06—1.22), indicating a robust positive association within these metabolically unhealthy phenotypes. Furthermore, when grouped by CTI quartiles, the proportion of CHD showed an increasing trend across higher CTI quantiles. Specifically, among individuals in the MUOO group, those in the highest CTI quartile (C4) exhibited a significantly greater likelihood of CHD diagnosis compared to those in the lowest quartile (C1), with an OR of 2.28 (95% CI: 1.26—3.83). Further analysis indicated that the association between CTI and new-onset CHD was strongest in the MUNW group, with an OR of 11.30 (95% CI: 5.21—25.82) after adjusting for confounding factors.
Table 3 Association between the CTI and new-onset CHD in metabolically heterogeneous obese individuals
Figure 3C presents the distribution of the CTI across the four metabolic phenotypes, stratified by CHD status. After conducting principal component analysis (PCA), we observed a clear stratification of CTI values among individuals with CHD, with a more concentrated distribution within the CHD group compared to non-CVD patients. This clear distinction was evident in the reduced dimensionality space. As shown in Fig. 3D, the results of the multiple sensitivity analyses were consistent with the previous findings. After adjusting for potential confounders, the association between CTI and CHD remained consistent across subgroups, with the MUNW group exhibiting the highest sensitivity to CTI levels.
Subgroup analysis of the association between the CTI and new-onset CHD in metabolically heterogeneous individuals
This study aimed to evaluate the association between CTI and new-onset CHD in the context of metabolic heterogeneity, and to explore the value of CTI in stratified identification across different clinical profiles. Fig.S1 indicates that the association between CTI and CHD varies across subgroups defined by glucose metabolic status, sex, and age, suggesting the presence of heterogeneity in these relationships. To achieve this, we conducted subgroup analyses based on glucose metabolic states, gender, age, and BMI-metabolic phenotypes. Given that DM is a major contributor to CHD and other adverse clinical outcomes, we further explored the association between CTI and incident CHD across different glucose metabolic states among metabolically heterogeneous individuals. The results showed that in patients with DM or Pre-DM, CTI was significantly associated with new-onset CHD in the MUNW subgroup (Fig. 4A).
Fig. 4
Sensitivity analyses evaluating the association between the CTI and new-onset CHD across different stratified subgroups. A stratified by glucose metabolic states. B stratified by age. C stratified by sex. CTI C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index; CHD coronary heart disease; OR odds ratio; CI confidence interval; MHNW metabolically healthy normal weight; MHOO metabolically healthy overweight/obese; MUNW metabolically unhealthy normal weight; MUOO metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese; NGR normoglycemia; Pre-DM prediabetes mellitus; DM diabetes mellitus
In the age-based stratification, we observed a significant association between the CTI and CHD in both the ≤ 60 years and > 60 years groups. Particularly among individuals over 60, the CTI demonstrated the strongest association in the MUNW and MUOO subgroups (Fig. 4B). This finding highlights the enhanced capacity of CTI to identify new-onset CHD diagnoses in older adults, which may be attributed to the more complex metabolic profiles and more pronounced adverse cardiovascular phenotypes observed in this population.
When stratified by gender, the CTI exhibited a strong association with CHD in both male and female participants, with particularly notable associations in the MUNW and MUOO subgroups (Fig. 4C). Specifically, CTI showed the strongest association with CHD among female participants in the MUNW subgroup, while also demonstrating robust discriminatory performance in identifying CHD among male individuals in the MUOO group.
Analytical assessment of the association between CTI and new-onset CHD
Within the study population, CTI exhibited a markedly stronger association with CHD compared to other conventional metabolic markers (Fig. 5, Tables S2 and S3). In the analysis of Harrell’s C-index for new-onset CHD, CTI demonstrated significantly greater association compared with traditional metabolic indicators and the TyG index alone, including TyG (0.897 vs. 0.768, P < 0.001), TG (0.897 vs. 0.638, P < 0.001), and FPG (0.754 vs. 0.672, P < 0.001) (Fig. 5A). To address the potential bias introduced by uneven event distribution, we included PR curves, which corroborated the findings from the ROC curves analysis, further support that CTI demonstrates a more pronounced association with new-onset CHD compared to its individual components (Fig. 5B).
Fig. 5
Assessment of CTI performance in distinguishing CHD status. A ROC curve analysis evaluating the diagnostic performance CTI with CHD. B PR curve analysis evaluating the diagnostic performance CTI with CHD. C calibration curve for the CTI. D DCA for the CTI. E CIC for the CTI. F confounding matrix for the CTI. TyG triglyceride-glucose index; CTI C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index; ROC receiver operating characteristic; PR precision-recall; CHD coronary heart disease; TG triglyceride; FPG fasting plasma glucose; AUC area under the curve; DCA decision curve analysis; CIC clinical impact curves; CHD coronary heart disease
In Fig. 5C–F and Table S4, the calibration curve, DCA, CIC and Five-fold cross-validation provide a comprehensive assessment of the CTI’s performance in identifying individuals with CHD. Five-fold cross-validation and calibration curve analysis confirmed the good model fit of CTI-related models, further supporting the stability and reliability of CTI in cardiovascular assessment. Moreover, the DCA and CIC analyses highlighted the clinical utility of the CTI, revealing that it offers substantial net benefits and significant clinical impact within reasonable threshold probability ranges. In five-fold cross-validation, the average sensitivity and specificity based on the optimal CTI cutoff value were 98.1% and 90.9%, respectively, demonstrating its strong discriminatory ability.
Mediating role of the CALLY index in the relationship between the CTI and new-onset CHD
Table S5 presents the relationship between the CTI and the CALLY index. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant inverse correlation between these two indices (P < 0.001), a finding that remained consistent even after adjusting for potential confounders. Table 4 provides an overview of the association between the CALLY index and new-onset CHD. Logistic regression results revealed a significant negative association between the CALLY index and new-onset CHD. Specifically, the OR for CHD was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.83—0.92), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81—0.90), and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83—0.94) (P < 0.001). This pattern further supports the robustness of the CALLY index as a mediating factor in the association between CTI and CHD.
Table 4 Association between the CALLY index and new-onset CHD
Mediation analysis revealed that the CALLY index plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between the CTI and new-onset CHD (Fig. 6). The estimated mediation effect for CALLY was 6.453 (95% CI: 1.994—9.460, P = 0.004), underscoring its pivotal role in modulating the association between the CTI and cardiovascular. Although both ALB and CRP contribute to this relationship, their mediating effects were notably weaker in comparison to CALLY.
Fig. 6
Mediation analysis. A analysis of the mediation by CALLY index of the associations of CTI with CHD. B analysis of the mediation by ALB index of the associations of CTI with CHD. C analysis of the mediation by CRP index of the associations of CTI with CHD. D analysis of the mediation by LYM index of the associations of CTI with CHD.CTI C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index; CHD coronary heart disease; CALLY C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte; CI confidence interval; ALB albumin; CRP C-reactive protein; LYM lymphocyte; CI confidence interval
Enhanced association with new-onset CHD through the combination of CTI and CALLY index
The likelihood ratio test results demonstrate that the model incorporating both CTI and the CALLY index demonstrated superior performance compared to the CTI-alone model and models combining CTI with individual markers such as ALB or LYM, indicating a synergistic contribution of immunonutritional markers in enhancing the discriminatory capacity for new-onset CHD (Table S6). Additionally, this combination substantially improves the fit of the CTI with respect to CHD, highlighting its value in refining association.
Incorporating the CALLY index substantially elevated the association between CTI and CHD status (C-statistic: 0.897 vs. 0.926, P < 0.001) (Table S7). Additionally, all measures of NRI and IDI for CHD were significantly enhanced (P < 0.001). Although the baseline model, which included traditional markers such as CRP, exhibited moderate explanatory capacity for cardiovascular, the incorporation of the CALLY index significantly enhanced the model’s goodness-of-fit and discriminatory power, underscoring its added value in cardiovascular stratification.
Association between the combination of the CTI and CALLY indices and new-onset CHD in metabolically heterogeneous individuals
The CTI and CALLY indices were categorized into high and low groups based on their median values (CTI < 9.887 and CTI ≥ 9.887; CALLY: < 1.221 and ≥ 1.221). Logistic regression revealed a significant association between the combined indices and new-onset CHD, which persisted after adjusting for confounders (P < 0.001, Table 5). Notably, individuals with high CTI levels (≥ 9.887) and low CALLY index values (< 1.221) exhibited the highest proportion of new-onset CHD diagnoses, with an OR of 2.36 (95% CI: 2.06—2.69).
Table 5 Association between the combination of the CTI and CALLY indices in new-onset CHD
Among metabolically heterogeneous individuals, particularly within the MUNW subgroup, the combined use of CTI and the CALLY index demonstrated a stronger association with new-onset CHD compared to either marker alone. In this subgroup, those with high CTI and low CALLY had a significantly higher proportion of new-onset CHD diagnoses compared to those with low CTI and high CALLY (OR = 2.238, 95% CI: 1.867—3.085). While the association in the MUOO subgroup was somewhat less pronounced, it still exhibited partial statistical significance (Fig. 7).
Fig. 7
Association of the combined CTI and CALLY indices with new-onset CHD among metabolically heterogeneous obese individuals: A MHNW group. B MHOO group. C MUNW group. D MUOO group. CTI C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index; CALLY C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte; CHD coronary heart disease; OR odds ratio; CI confidence interval; MHNW metabolically healthy normal weight; MHOO metabolically healthy overweight/obese; MUNW metabolically unhealthy normal weight; MUOO metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese
Gold price was sharply up on Friday, gaining around 1.5% after US labor data soured the sentiment and sparked fresh migration into safety.
Much weaker than expected job growth in July and strong downward revision of previous month’s numbers, as well as higher unemployment, point to moderation in the labor market and add to hopes of Fed rate cuts.
On the other hand, fresh wave of higher tariffs that President Trump imposed on a number of countries just ahead of the deadline, has deepened uncertainty and boosted safe haven demand that also contributed to fresh bullish acceleration.
Traders, however, remain cautious and keep an eye on tariffs, which may lift inflation again and dent current positive view.
Fresh rally has fully reversed Wednesday’s sharp drop (down 1.6%) and improved near-term picture on penetration of daily cloud and return above the lower boundary of larger triangle, but bulls faced headwinds and were so far unable to emerge above daily cloud (also near 50% retracement of $3438/$3268 bear-leg) that is needed to confirm reversal.
According to the current situation on daily chart, the downside would remain vulnerable (14- momentum is at the centreline / the price is still below daily Tenkan/Kijun-sen), particularly if today’s rally fails to close at least within the triangle.
Repeated long upper shadows of hourly candles contribute to developing negative signals, however, near-term bias should remain with bulls while the price holds above broken Fibo 38.2% ($3325).
The picture will be more clear after the markets fully digest today’s data and complete the picture after several significant economic releases this week.
DLA Piper advised Grupo Cox (Cox), a leading Spanish multinational water and energy company, in its acquisition of Iberdrola’s assets in Mexico for US$4.2 billion – one of the largest cross-border energy deals of the year.
“We appreciated the opportunity to work with the Cox team on this landmark acquisition and look forward to advising the company on its future cross-border initiatives,” said Francisco J. Cerezo, Chair of the US-Latin America and Ibero-Américan practices, who co-led the deal team.
“I want to express my deep appreciation for the service provided in this transaction by the DLA Piper team, led by Francisco Cerezo and Mauricio Valdespino,” said Antonio Medina Cuadros, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary General of Grupo Cox. “Their professionalism and tireless work ethic went far beyond what one could expect from legal counsel. Without a doubt, their outstanding effort and dedication were among the key factors in the success of this complex transaction.”
In addition to Cerezo (Miami), the cross-border DLA Piper team was co-led by Partner Mauricio Valdespino (Mexico City) and included Partners Edgar Romo, Guillermo Aguayo, Roberto Ríos (all Mexico City), Robert da Silva Ashley (Miami), Michael McGuiness, Amadeu Ribeiro, Frank Mugabi (all New York), Yoko Takagi (Madrid), and Senior Associate Joseline Rodriguez (Miami), among a team of more than 40 DLA Piper attorneys.
With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex transactions seamlessly while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 15 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket, and ranked as number one in VC, PE, and M&A in combined global deal volume, according to PitchBook.
DLA Piper in Latin America’s team offers full-service business legal counsel to domestic and multinational companies with interests in and operations throughout the region. Our integrated approach to serving clients combines local knowledge with the resources of the DLA Piper global platform. With more than 400 lawyers practicing throughout Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico, in addition to our US-based cross-border attorneys, our teams frequently work with our professionals throughout the LatAm region, Iberian Peninsula, and around the globe. DLA Piper’s global platform of 90+ offices in more than 40 countries enables us to serve all our clients’ legal and business needs, whether they are based in Latin America or wish to do business there. For more information, visit Latin America | DLA Piper
The firm recently received the highest ranking for law firm client service in the BTI Client Service A-Team 2025 report, which identifies law firms providing exceptional service based on client feedback.
F1 – Norris continues to set the pace at the Hungaroring ahead of Piastri and Leclerc
Lando Norris continued to set the pace for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix going two tenths of a second quicker than team-mate Oscar Piastri in the second practice session at the Hungaroring, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in P3, just under 0.4s off top spot.
At the start of the session Nico Hülkenberg was the first man out on track, returning to the cockpit after sitting out FP1 in favour of test driver Paul Aron. The Estonian had a troubled session that ended in mechanical failure but Sauber were able to get the car back up and running for Hulkenberg and FP2.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda set the early pace with a lap of 1:17.645 set on Medium tyres, but the Japanese was soon eclipsed by George Russell who took P1 with a 1:17.442.
FP1’s fastest man Lando Norris was soon into P1, however, with the McLaren driver setting a new benchmark of 1:16.916. Oscar Piastri moved to P1 with a 1:16.697 but Norris was quickly back in control, posting a 1:16.525 to return to P1 as the opening session’s third quickest driver Charles Leclerc took up the same spot in FP2, 0.478 off the lead.
Behind the top three during the Medium tyre phase, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli slotted into fourth place, six tenths off top spot, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar fifth. Further back, the Red Bulls of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen sat in 10th and 11th respectively, with the latter complaining that steering the RB21 around the Hungaroring was like “driving on ice”.
With half an hour gone, Lance Stroll bolted on a set of Soft tyres and the Aston Martin driver jumped to top spot with a lap of 1:16.221.
Piastri then emerged on the red-banded C5 compound tyres and the Australian moved to P1 on 1:15.915, three tenths clear of the Canadian. Norris was lapping quicker, however, and the Briton’s qualifying simulations netted him a time of 1:15.624 and P1, 0.291s clear of Piastri.
The change of compound brought little joy to Verstappen, however. The defending champion could only manage a lap of 1:17.791 to sit in 12th place. The Dutchman was also seen throwing an object that had been left in the cockpit of his car onto the track in Turn 3, which compromised his lap and led to Race Control saying they would investigate the incident after the session. Tsunoda fared better, taking P9, though he was still eight tenths of a second adrift of P1.
Stroll improved to a time of 1:16.119 but he eventually lost P3 to Leclerc who posted a lap of 1:16.023 to go just under a tenth clear of the Aston Martin driver. Fernando Alonso, who sat out FP1 due to a back complaint, rose to fifth with a lap of 1:16.329, which he then improved by a tenth.
Behind the Spaniard Hamilton took sixth for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Hadjar. Tsunoda held on to ninth place ahead of Antonelli, Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Kick Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and the second Haas of Esteban Ocon.
The field then moved back to harder compound tyres, and there were no further improvements. Verstappen, now on Medium tyres again, was no happier and late in the session the Dutchman got on the radio to tell his race engineer that his car was “basically undriveable” and he ended the session in P14.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.624 27 208.552 2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.915 0.291 30 207.753 3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.023 0.399 28 207.458 4 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:16.119 0.495 28 207.196 5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:16.233 0.609 25 206.886 6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:16.329 0.705 28 206.626 7 George Russell Mercedes 1:16.417 0.793 27 206.388 8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:16.427 0.803 30 206.361 9 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:16.485 0.861 30 206.205 10 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:16.520 0.896 26 206.110 11 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:16.567 0.943 27 205.984 12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:16.680 1.056 31 205.680 13 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:16.704 1.080 29 205.616 14 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:16.791 1.167 25 205.383 15 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:16.812 1.188 29 205.327 16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:16.874 1.250 32 205.161 17 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:16.946 1.322 29 204.969 18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:17.021 1.397 30 204.770 19 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:17.043 1.419 25 204.711 20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:17.159 1.535 29 204.403
July brought notable advances in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research and treatment, headlined by new findings from the GALAXI program further clarifying guselkumab’s role in Crohn’s disease (CD) management and obefazimod meeting its primary endpoint for clinical remission in 2 phase 3 trials for ulcerative colitis (UC).
Additional research shed light on real-world IBD challenges, from communication gaps around diet to predictors of anti-TNF nonresponse in pediatric patients. In disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), studies highlighted a post-pandemic rise in DGBI prevalence, as well as the mental health benefits of a low FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, evidence also cautioned against unnecessary dietary restrictions, showing most IBS patients with perceived gluten or wheat sensitivity may tolerate both.
Clinical Trial Updates in IBD
GALAXI Findings and Guselkumab’s Role in Crohn’s Disease Care, with Bruce Sands, MD
Recent data from the GALAXI trial program evaluating guselkumab (Tremfya), a selective IL-23p19 inhibitor, are providing clinicians with critical insight into how this therapy may fit into evolving care paradigms for CD following its March 2025 approval for this indication. Bruce Sands, MD, Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, reviews key findings and their implications for the broader treatment landscape.
Obefazimod Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 ABECT Program for Ulcerative Colitis
On July 22, 2025, Abivax SA announced positive topline results from its phase 3 ABTECT-1 (Study 105) and ABTECT-2 (Study 106) 8-week induction trials evaluating obefazimod (ABX464) in adult patients with moderately to severely active UC. Results showed obefazimod met its FDA primary endpoint of clinical remission at week 8 in the 50 mg once-daily dose regimens for both trials.
More IBD Research
Gap Persists in Patient-Clinician Communication Despite Similar Views on Diet’s Role in IBD
Findings from this cross-sectional study in Australia suggest that although patients and clinicians are increasingly recognizing the role of diet in IBD, a persistent communication gap may contribute to heterogeneous and poorly followed dietary advice.
Study Identifies Predictors of Anti-TNF Nonresponse in Pediatric IBD
Findings from this single-center retrospective review of pediatric IBD patients showed anti-TNF therapies had a 3-year durability of >75% in patients with CD, while the durability was lower (37%-56%) for patients with UC/IBD-U. Of note, < 10% of patients were considered primary nonresponders, supporting the long-term durability of anti-TNF therapies for pediatric IBD while keeping in mind predictive factors of nonresponse.
COVID-19 and Diet in Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction
DGBI Burden, Prevalence Increased After COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Finds
Recent research is shedding light on notable increases in the prevalence and burden of DGBI in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era compared with pre-pandemic levels. Findings from the 2-country population-based survey offer the first direct, population-level comparison of the prevalence of DGBI before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight COVID-19’s long-term impact on both GI and mental health.
Low FODMAP Diet Improves Fatigue, Mental Health in IBS, Study Finds
A 12-week strict low FODMAP intervention may have significant impacts on coexisting symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and depression in patients with IBS, according to findings from an open-label, single-center, 12-week dietary intervention study conducted at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway. After the intervention, participants experienced improvements in fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and performed better on a test of attention than they did pre-intervention.
Study Finds Gluten, Wheat Safe for Most IBS Patients Despite Self-Perceived Sensitivities
Findings from this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover study showed only some patients with IBS and self-perceived sensitivities to gluten or wheat reacted to either ingredient, suggesting both may be safe for consumption in most IBS patients. Despite learning that neither gluten nor wheat was triggering their symptoms, most patients continued a gluten-free diet, posing important implications for the potential perpetuation of IBS symptoms, malnutrition, and reduced quality of life.
Related: Navigating IBS Triggers and Restrictive Diets, with Premysl Bercik, MD
Reddit is pausing its plans to let people make subreddits with content behind a paywall, CEO Steve Huffman said as part of Thursday’s earnings. The company is making the change as part of a shift in how it’s prioritizing its resources.
Huffman said last year that the company was looking into a way for users to make subreddits with “exclusive content or private areas,” and he hinted at the possibility of those subreddits having a paywall. Earlier this year, he said the feature was set to arrive in 2025.
But now, “to stay focused on what matters most, we’re shifting resources away from a few areas, such as work on the user economy,” Huffman (who goes by spez on Reddit) said on in a post. “This includes what some have referred to as paid subreddits. It’s still an opportunity we believe in, but right now, we’re all-in on strengthening our core product, making Reddit the go-to place for search, and accelerating international growth.”
In another post, he added that the team working on the user economy will join “our efforts” to improve Reddit’s core app, including working on things like onboarding and personalization. “That gets at our most important need today, which is logged-in core user growth.”
