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3 reasons why Klarna’s valuation has fallen by 69% from its peak just a few years ago

FINANCE

Fortune

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September 3, 2025

3 reasons why Klarna’s valuation has fallen by 69% from its peak just a few years ago

Klarna went from Europe’s most valuable startup to a lesson in how fast fortunes can change—and now, the long-delayed IPO is finally happening. The Swedish company turned “buy now, pay later,” or BNPL into a global catchphrase and won the hearts of Gen Z along the way. Now it’s preparing to list shares at an estimated $14 billion valuation, but it’s been quite a ride to get there, including a 69% fall from the $45.6 billion perch it once enjoyed.

Back in 2021, the Swedish BNPL giant was soaring in subsequent fundraises, first becoming Europe’s startup champion and then coming only behind Stripe among fintechs globally. Still, a $14 billion IPO represents a redemption arc for a company that could’ve easily been another cautionary tale—its valuation plunged by as much as 85%, to $6.7 billion by 2022. Klarna has cleaned up its finances, diversified into ads and consumer features, and now looks more like a disciplined fintech platform than a free-spending rocket ship.

The company, backed by investors including Sequoia Capital and Silver Lake, filed for a U.S. initial public offering that could come by year’s end. It would be among the largest listings of a European technology company in recent years. At its peak in 2021, Klarna was valued higher than some European banks. But rising interest rates, tighter regulation of BNPL services, and investor skepticism toward profitless growth led Klarna to slash operating costs, cut staff, and seek capital at progressively lower valuations.

In recent quarters, Klarna has reported progress. Losses have narrowed, and management has shifted its focus from expansion to measured growth and profitability. Analysts say its large merchant network and consumer adoption remain competitive advantages, though questions persist about the durability of its installment-payment model in a higher-rate environment. In its regulatory filing, Klarna said it was profitable for its first 14 years before expanding into the U.S. and other markets, and it hasn’t recorded an annual profit since 2018. “In 2023, our operating loss started to decline and we began generating positive transaction margin dollars in the United States,” the company said in its regulatory filing. So why did Klarna’s value collapse after its profits did—and why is it headed toward a seeming rebound on the public markets?

1) The end of low interest rates

Tech valuations in general have suffered since 2022, when the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates aggressively to combat rising inflation. Many frothy business models that depended on easy credit—BNPL foremost among them—suffered as capital became costlier. Broader macroeconomic volatility has weighed on many firms similar to Klarna, as geopolitical unrest and trade policy uncertainty have combined to put a cap on investment.

The S&P 500 has become extraordinarily concentrated, led at times by the “Magnificent Seven,” and lately the Magnificent Six without Tesla. Nvidia has shot to a remarkable $4 trillion-plus market cap and can move markets now by virtue of its tremors. At times, the S&P 500 is more like the S&P 10.

2) Consumer slowdown

The American consumer is the engine of the American economy, responsible for two-thirds of GDP most years. And yet something funny has happened in 2025, as the massive surge in data-center construction associated with the AI revolution has contributed more to GDP growth than consumers getting out and shopping. This isn’t to say that data-center construction is two-thirds of GDP, but that it’s growing faster than the average consumer, who is showing signs of fatigue amid a stagnant labor market and a rising inflation backdrop.

Apollo Global’s chief economist Torsten Slok has warned that inflation may resume its upward climb from the 2021 surge that kneecapped Klarna’s highest valuation, seeing a potential “inflation mountain” looming ahead. On the other hand, consumers who are strapped for cash may be turning more to BNPL services, as LendingTree found 14% of U.S. adults who used the services to buy groceries in 2024 evolving into 25% the next year. Consumers may slow down, but rising inflation and even a recession could push them more into financing purchases with the help of BNPL services.

3) Regulatory scrutiny

Klarna came under scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) during the Biden Administration, which certainly favored stronger regulation than the CFPB under either Trump regime. Some Senators and state Attorneys General have urged the CFPB to take a stronger supervisory hand with BNPL firms, voicing concerns that vulnerable, low-income consumers were at risk of being targeted.

The industry has fought back, with a trade group that included Klarna suing the CFPB at one point over “impossible” disclosure rules. As of 2025, the CFPB has deprioritized federal enforcement in BNPL, indicating a shift toward fragmented oversight, with expectations for more state-led regulatory actions and frameworks.

Can the unicorn ride again?

Over the past two years, the company has rebuilt with a focus on cutting losses, expanding into adjacent businesses like advertising, and working toward profitability. The IPO is expected to test investor appetite for fintechs that once commanded dizzying valuations but now face more traditional public-market scrutiny on margins and earnings.

The listing, expected in New York later this year, will still mark one of the most significant European tech IPOs of the decade. Investors will be watching closely to see whether Klarna’s new chapter proves it can outgrow its BNPL roots — or whether once-hot fintechs will struggle to recapture their private-market shine.

For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.

Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.

This story originally appeared on Fortune

£10,000 invested in IAG shares 10 years ago is now worth…

STOCK MARKET

Motley Fool

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September 3, 2025

0

£10,000 invested in IAG shares 10 years ago is now worth…

Image source: Getty Images

Shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE:IAG), or IAG as it’s known, have really outperformed over the past couple of years. Of course, they were coming from a depressed position. Aviation stocks were naturally beaten down during the pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused more pain — pushing up fuel prices and closing some of the world’s most useful airspace.

But what about £10,000 invested a decade ago? Well, sadly the investment would be pretty flat. The stock is almost exactly the same price as it was 10 years ago. Lots of movement in between — and the shares have rarely been higher — but the same endpoint.

There would have been dividends too, but not a massive amount. The yield averaged around 3.5%-4% before the pandemic, but no payments were made between 2020 and 2023. As such, I believe investors would have received a little over £2,000 as dividends during the period.

Yes, the figure would be a little different if dividends were reinvested, but the total return here is only a little over 2% a year. That’s really not very good at all. In fact, I could have beaten that with most government bonds.

Why have we seen IAG surge in recent years?

Ok, so what’s behind the recovery? Well, there are simple things such as the end of the pandemic, robust demand for air travel, and falling fuel prices. Those are the core reasons behind the shift.

But there has also been a re-rating. In other words, investors now seem more content to pay a higher price for each pound earned by the company than they were a year ago. That simply reflects hopes for a sustained recovery in the industry.

Currently, the shares are trading around 6.7 times forward earnings. To put that into context, last November I wrote that the shares were trading at 5.6 times forward earnings — this is a significant shift. And let’s remember, the shares were already pushing up by then. The price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple had been a lot lower.

Reaching fair value

Currently, IAG is trading around 10% below its average share price target. That’s the price that analysts — taking the average — believe represents fair value for the company. This doesn’t represent a huge margin of safety compared to historic levels.

IAG isn’t expensive. That’s for sure, but it’s a little more expensive than some of its peers. Notably Jet2, which although it trades with a higher P/E, has a net cash position that represents more than half of its market cap.

I’m also a little concerned by IAG’s net debt position. This could be a drag on earnings throughout the medium term. It currently sits around £6bn, but is forecast to roughly halve in the coming years. Nonetheless, it could be an even bigger concern if the industry is hit by an external challenge.

Personally, I like IAG, but elected to put my sector investments into Jet2. I still believe IAG is worth considering, but my preference is certainly for the AIM-listed package holiday giant.

This story originally appeared on Motley Fool

Apple’s going to automate all the iPhone factories – Computerworld

TECHNOLOGY

Computerworld

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September 3, 2025

0

Apple’s going to automate all the iPhone factories – Computerworld

It’s easy to imagine a world where the people aren’t. Expect heavily automated production lines and distribution networks, extensive use of robotics, and strategic use of humans for those fiddly jobs robots aren’t good at, and for the highly skilled system maintenance roles.

Semi-skilled labor

That’s not to say you’ll need to be highly skilled yourself — you’ll just need to know enough about what you’re doing not to get hurt and be able to wear a Vision Pro headset to handle challenges with help from the specialist at head office. It’s so much cheaper to employ one hugely skilled specialist and some reasonably smart engineers than to ensure that all the tech workers are equally capable. In some cases, you won’t even need a human at the front end, because the AI-driven robot will be able to collaborate just as well in some tasks.

Though you probably won’t want to risk a $100,000 automaton in any of the more dangerous, high-risk challenges. A squishy human will do them fine, and any subsequent insurance payouts will be cheaper than a new machine, particularly once the human’s family reads the small print in the contract their dearly departed signed.

This story originally appeared on Computerworld

Rumors, prices, new features and everything else you need to know

TECHNOLOGY

Engadget

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September 3, 2025

0

Rumors, prices, new features and everything else you need to know

We’re in the homestretch — in just one week, the 2025 iPhone event will be here to showcase the new iPhone 17 lineup. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 1PM ET. The new smartphones will come equipped with the latest iOS 26 features preinstalled, along with any new features Apple reveals that day. But since we still have to wait a couple of weeks until the iPhone event, we can only speculate what the new devices will look like. As with most unreleased iPhones, rumors and leaks have trickled in about the hardware side ahead of the official introduction. Here’s what we’re expecting and what we can reasonably assume we’ll get from Apple next week.

What are the latest iPhone 17 rumors?

The iPhone 17 case rumors keep coming from leaker Majin Bu, per MacRumors. The latest shows a clear iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max case with the large rear camera bump cutout. However, it appears the case isn’t fully transparent, and instead has a white rectangular piece that covers the MagSafe area. The same post notes Apple is working on a tinted version of the Clear Case, which could become available later on.

These rumors haven’t been confirmed by Apple and we won’t know what the actual iPhone 17 models will look like until the iPhone event next month.

How much will the iPhone 17 cost?

Apple’s announced plan to expand US-based manufacturing partners seems to give it at least some shielding from the steepest Trump administration tariffs that have already triggered price increases on everything from PlayStations to Switch consoles to high-end cameras to Sonos speakers. But given that President Trump’s trade policies can change from week to week, and Apple’s continuing reliance on Asia-based supply chains, price shocks remain an ongoing possibility. The bigger question is: Will Apple absorb any higher costs, or pass them on to consumers?

If prices do creep up, Apple may choose to pair it with an “upgrade.” Consider this recent rumor posted by MacRumors from a leaker known as “Instant Digital,” suggesting that the default storage of the iPhone 17 line may start at 256GB, doubling the current 128GB baseline. While that could be accompanied by a price increase of $50, Apple could at least pitch it as a “better value.” That said, the company doubled the default RAM of its Mac computers from 8GB to 16GB at no extra cost in 2024 — but that was before the current Trump tariff cycle started.

Now, on the eve of the iPhone announcement, a report from JPMorgan mixes and matches the rumors above. As recounted in 9to5Mac, the iPhone line’s starting prices will still stretch from $799 to $1,199 — just as they do now — with the Air possibly getting a $50 increase versus the iPhone Plus model it’s replacing, and the 17 Pro costing an additional $100, but including more storage.

Again, these prices are only projections and haven’t been confirmed by Apple.

When will the iPhone 17 series be announced?

As noted above, the date has been confirmed for Tuesday, September 9. That lines up with Apple’s traditional schedule, and the earlier report from iphone-ticker.de (via MacRumors).

This generation of Apple smartphones may be the last to be fully released in September, however. There have been hints that the introduction of the iPhone 18 collection in 2026 will be split into a pro-tier announcement in the fall and a standard model announcement the following spring.

What will the new iPhone 17 lineup include?

Design leaks suggest that Apple is building an ultra-thin smartphone, likely to be named the iPhone 17 Air to match Apple’s ultralight laptop designation. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, often a solid source of advanced intel about Apple, reported in January that the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with a basic A19 chip and will only have a single camera lens. It may also use Apple’s new in-house modem, which was introduced in February on the iPhone 16e. More details about this development may leak ahead of September, but that’s what we know for now.

As a guest on the latest Engadget Podcast, Gurman told Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar and Igor Bonifacic the rumored iPhone Air will be rough around the edges at first. He believes the 17 Air will “lag in both” when it comes to camera and battery performance. “The battery life is going to be subpar compared to a base-level 17 or Pro model,” he says. The ultimate goal, he notes, is to get all the functionality of the Pro models into the Air models.

An investor note from Apple analyst Jeff Pu indicated that the Air will have a titanium frame. If his reports are accurate, the lightweight smartphone will be the only entry in the iPhone 17 lineup to use that metal; the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to be made of aluminum, which is oddly a lighter material than titanium. Other speculation had suggested that the Air would use a blend of aluminum and titanium, so the exact materials may not be known until the official announcement.

After the announcement dropped Tuesday for the official iPhone 17 event, MacRumors speculates the Apple logo says a lot about the new iPhones. Apple’s logo “hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features.” The logo shows bright orange and dark blue colors, rumored to be two of the iPhone 17 Pro colors, so they could be onto something. They also noticed it looks like an infrared heat map, hinting at the vapor chamber cooling system.

Additionally, an August 4 MacRumors report says the internal battery pack of the iPhone Air is just 2.49mm thick — half the thickness of the iPhone 17 Pro battery. The leak was posted on the Korean-language Naver blog, where they show the alleged batteries of the iPhone 17 Air and 17 Pro side by side. The same account claimed the 17 Air’s battery capacity was a mere 2,800 mAh, MacRumors notes. (That’s below the battery capacity of current iPhone 16 models.)

On a similar topic, an iPhone 17 Pro production leak appears to have revealed an all-aluminum chassis, according to MacRumors. Originally posted by leaker Majin Bu, the image shows a shell that has a large round hole on the back (where the Apple logo typically is) to allow for MagSafe charging. MacRumors says this could just be a molding but notes that the aluminum frame (versus the current titanium in Pro iPhone models) would yield a significantly lower weight.

That same leaker (Majin Bu), whom MacRumors classifies as a “hit-or-miss leaker,” suggests the iPhone 17 Pro will have better wireless signal strength thanks to an updated antenna design. The individual posted a render on X that shows a new antenna system that wraps around the iPhone 17 Pro’s supposedly wider rear camera bump. Again, this is a render, not a real-world photo. That said, we can’t knock the goal of better wireless reception, so we’re hoping this one has a degree of truth to it.

Leaker Majin Bu also claims “TechWoven” cases could be introduced, per a MacRumors report. The cases match the rumored design on the iPhone 17 models, with the wide camera bump. The leaker noted there are two lanyard holes for “convenient and secure carrying,” so it could be worn around your neck. The colors would come in grey/black, blue, green, purple and orange. Additionally, he says there will be new Liquid Silicone cases in eight colors, including Deep Orange, Pale Orange, Grass Green, Celadon, Fog Purple, Grey Blue, Dark Blue and Midnight Black.

Each new roster includes a base model, but over the years, Apple has shaken up the variety of phones it offers. Most likely there will be an iPhone 17 and an iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has also committed to the size matters philosophy, and has been building an iPhone Pro Max option with an even bigger screen and better battery life; the 17 roster will almost certainly have one as well.

The new Pro iPhones are said to have a full-width “camera island” on the rear, which would mark the first time an Apple model opted for that design. This feature can be seen in the purported iPhone 17 “spotted in the wild.” The pics, highlighted on MacRumors, show a black cased iPhone (17 Pro?) with the distinct back panel. Is it the real deal? The dual angles lend a degree of credibility in a social media landscape increasingly polluted with AI-enhanced fakes, but your guess is as good as ours.

The iPhone 17 Air seems primed to take the place of a potential iPhone 17 Plus. Since the iPhone 16e was only just introduced in February at a surprisingly high price point, it seems unlikely that there will be a new addition to that lower end of the spectrum, the models that were previously called SE.

At the very least, it sounds like the iPhone 17 Air won’t take away the charging port and rely only on wireless connectivity. Bloomberg said that while Apple had investigated making the iPhone 17 Air without a single port, the company (fortunately) changed plans. He also says that the rumored phone will have a 6.6-inch screen and include the Dynamic Island and Camera Control button. Finally, the price is rumored at $900 — likely more than the standard iPhone 17 but less than the Pro.

We’ve also gotten what seems to be a reliable look at what the color lineup will be for the new smartphones. Macworld reported that the iPhone 17 will be available in black, white, steel gray, green, purple and light blue. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly have four color options: black, white, light blue and light gold. While the Air colors will be less saturated, the visuals for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will go bold. The options for the Pro models are expected to be black, white, gray, dark blue and orange.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes there actually will be a new orange color offered for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as a light blue color for the iPhone 17 Air, he confirmed in his weekly Power On newsletter.

On July 30, Tom’s Guide highlighted an X post from Sonny Dickson — a longtime and generally reliable leaker of unreleased iPhone information — showing “dummy” iPhone 17 models in the new colors that were the source of the aforementioned Macworld story. While these are literally just mock-ups — not real, leaked iPhones — it’s interesting to see how the design and color rumors translate into a real-world look and feel.

To add the the rumors, a Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station suggests the iPhone 17e will come equipped with a new design that includes the Dynamic Island, MacRumors reports. According to the post, the new phone will have the A19 chip and could have a 6.1-inch OLED display with a front-facing 12-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 48-megapixel camera. However, it’s important to note this report refers to the 17e model that would be expected to launch no earlier than February 2026, if it followed the same release pattern as the iPhone 16e.

What will iOS 26 be like?

Apple upended its numbering conventions with WWDC 2025, and will match the name of each new operating system to the year it’s released. So when the next wave of iPhones hits, they’ll be running on iOS 26.

On the design side, the smartphone OS introduced during the big developer showcase took a contentious approach dubbed Liquid Glass. Apple has been scaling down the amount of transparency effects in the subsequent beta tests of iOS 26, but it will still have a glass-like visual.

The feature list includes big and small updates. On the more impactful side, the Phone and Photos apps have been redesigned. There will be several features leveraging artificial intelligence, such as live translation capabilities coming to Phone, FaceTime and Messages. Apple is also currently testing a sensitive content warning for child accounts that will freeze FaceTime video if nudity is detected by on-device machine learning tools. And the company is also launching Visual Intelligence, which will use AI to search for elements in an image.

iOS 26 also has a litany of minor, quality of life improvements. Group texts are getting support for polls. And for the slow risers out there, iOS 26 will finally let you escape the tyranny of the nine minute snooze alarm.

The next iOS is now available as a public beta. Here are our initial impressions of the Liquid Glass design and other new features. iOS 26 is compatible with all models back through iPhone 11.

What other products are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17?

If Apple follows its usual pattern, the iPhone 17 will be announced alongside new Apple Watch products. That would be the Apple Watch Series 11 (if Apple sticks to the same naming scheme), and maybe an Apple Watch Ultra 3 and/or an updated Apple Watch SE. (They’ll all run watchOS 26, of course.) Other possibilities — and this is, again, speculation — could include refreshed Apple AirPods Pro (which received its last big update in 2022) and maybe new AirTags trackers (first released in 2021).

The Apple rumor mill got a big shot in the arm this week thanks to the reported inclusion of product ID numbers in recent beta software builds. Per MacRumors, it’s a laundry list of new hardware, including long-rumored product updates like the Apple TV, HomePod mini, new Apple Studio Display monitor and two fresh iPads.

Of course, even if that list is totally accurate, we may not see those products until 2026 — if ever. So don’t expect all of products to share the stage with the iPhone 17, especially since Apple likes to keep its star performer at the center of attention.

That said, keep in mind that Apple has recently been having Mac-centric announcements in late October (as it did last year to debut new M4 Macs), so there’s always the chance of another shoe dropping a few weeks down the road.

Update, September 2, 2025, 3:56PM ET: Added new details about the potential iPhone 17 lineup prices, and a new Clear Case rumor.

Update, August 30, 2025, 8:45AM ET: Added commentary from Mark Gurman’s guest appearance on the Engadget Podcast about the rumored iPhone 17 Air.

Update, August 27, 2025, 5:44PM ET: Added official Apple iPhone 17 event date, and a rumor about its event logo.

Update, August 25, 2025, 5:15PM ET: Added new reports about the iPhone 17 Pro’s orange color as well as new rumored Liquid Silicone cases.

Update, August 22, 2025, 11:52AM ET: Added new details about the colors of the rumored TechWoven case.

Update, August 20, 2025, 7:12PM ET: Added new rumor about potential TechWoven case for iPhone 17 series.

Update, August 18, 2025, 6:23PM ET: Added new rumor about the iPhone 17e potentially having the Dynamic Island.

Update, August 15, 2025, 2:05PM ET: Added new rumor about the all-aluminum chassis on the iPhone 17.

Update, August 13, 2025, 10:02PM ET: Added a list of the products that are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17s.

Update, August 11, 2025, 7:27PM ET: Added a render of a rumored new antenna design for the iPhone 17 Pro.

Update, August 8, 2025, 4:43PM ET: Added new speculation and reports about iPhone 17 pricing.

Update, August 6, 2025, 4:05PM ET: Added latest details about the potential iPhone 17 event date.

Update, August 4, 2025, 5:23PM ET: Added latest battery leaks about the iPhone 17 models.

Update, August 1, 2025, 8:15AM ET: Added new photos showing potential iPhone 17 colors.

Update, July 30, 2025, 11:08AM ET: Added latest leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17, and updated information on the iOS 26 public beta.

Update, July 17, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added latest information about iOS 26, possible materials for the Air, and the color options for the different models.

Update, March 17, 2025, 2PM ET: Added details about the rumored price and features of the iPhone 17 Air.

Update, April 11, 2025, 3:45PM ET: Added details from Front Page Tech’s new video that claims to reveal details from a leaked iOS 19 build.

This story originally appeared on Engadget

Did Cardi B Win Her Court Case? Updates on Trial Verdict – Hollywood Life

CELEBRITY

Hollywood Life

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September 3, 2025

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Did Cardi B Win Her Court Case? Updates on Trial Verdict – Hollywood Life

Image Credit: GC Images

Unless you don’t have a TikTok account, you probably know that Cardi B has been on trial against a security guard over assault allegations — and the court case has gone viral on social media. The 32-year-old music artist hasn’t held her tongue while testifying, and her sassy remarks have made headlines. Now that closing arguments should be delivered soon, fans are seeking an update on the verdict.

Hollywood Life has the latest updates on Cardi B’s viral trial below.

Why Is Cardi B on Trial? Attack Allegations Explained

Cardi B was accused by security guard Emani Ellis of assaulting her in 2018 at an obstetrician’s office in Beverly Hills, California. Cardi alleged that Ellis was recording her without consent in the office and instead there was no physical altercation — only a verbal argument. At the time, the “WAP” rapper was pregnant, and she wanted to keep it private.

@courttvlive

“You don’t want everybody in your business.” Defendant #CardiB testified that she didn’t want anyone to know she was pregnant the day of her “verbal altercation” with security guard EmaniEllis. #CourtTV What do YOU think? WATCH LIVE on YouTube! #courttvtiktok #court #Cardi #CardiBtrial

♬ original sound – Court TV – Court TV

“She couldn’t get a scratch from me because I didn’t touch her,” Cardi claimed on the stand. “She didn’t touch me. She was going to touch me, but she didn’t get to touch me.”

Ellis denied filming Cardi B and claimed the argument turned physical, alleging that Cardi spat on her and cut her cheek with her fingernails. Ellis is suing Cardi for $24 million in damages.

@courttvlive

#CourtTV takes a look back at CardiB’s best and boldest highlights from the stand during her civil assault trial. What’s YOUR favorite moment? 👀 #truecrime #truecrimestory #court #courtroomdrama #courtroom #courttvtiktok #Cardi #CardiBTrial

♬ original sound – Court TV – Court TV

Can I Watch the Cardi B Trial Live?

Yes. While major cable news networks are not livestreaming the trial, multiple livestreams are available on YouTube.

Cardi B’s Trial Verdict: Was She Found Guilty?

At the time of publication, only closing arguments have commenced. A verdict has not been reached.

Cardi B’s trial went viral on TikTok after she mouthed off on the stand more than once. Fans especially cackled at the moments when she held nothing back, including profanities, while repeating what she allegedly said to Ellis.

“I said b**ch get the f**k out my face. Why are you in my face?” Cardi said. “Why are you recording me? Ain’t you supposed to be security?”

After being questioned why she felt worried during her argument with Ellis, Cardi claimed it was because “this girl’s about to f**king beat my ass! Hello?”

The Grammy Award winner’s facial expressions and reactions also sparked laughter in the courtroom, as seen in multiple TikTok clips. One of the most viral moments came when she corrected a lawyer who asked why her hair had changed from black to platinum blonde. After chuckling for a moment, Cardi said, “They’re wigs.”

When Is the Cardi B Trial Over?

The trial is expected to end sometime in the second week of September.

This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife

Panic in Majorca as island is in need of rain ‘in next 10 days’ | Travel News | Travel

TRAVEL

Express.co.uk

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September 3, 2025

0

Panic in Majorca as island is in need of rain ‘in next 10 days’ | Travel News | Travel

Majorca has been facing a prolonged water crisis. However, the situation has worsened recently to the point where certain areas are at risk of running out of water in just two weeks.

Palma, the island’s capital, is currently monitoring the water levels at two of Majorca’s main reservoirs. Rural parts of the island have already been hit with restrictions and bans on the use of hosepipes. But now, officials in Soller, a popular and picturesque town, warn that the water supply will only last for two more weeks if there is not enough rain to top up the area’s water sources.

Last Friday (September 29), Soller Town Council made an official announcement, prohibiting non-essential water use and urging the population to take extreme water-saving measures. While yesterday (September 1), the council held another meeting with Joan Calaft, Director General of Water Resources, to analyse the situation reports Majorca Daily Bulletin.

Mayor Miquel Nadal said: “The situation is very worrying and if it does not rain in the next 10 days, more severe restrictions than those currently in force will have to be applied.”

If the council has to impose water cuts, it will be the first time this has happened since September 2000.

According to the Mayor, daily consumption is rising and “higher than what can be extracted from” the two water sources of Ses Fontanelles and Sa Costera.

Soller is also home to two backup springs, s’Olla and s’Ullet. However, they cannot be counted to cover Soller’s water shortfall.

The concerns go beyond the resort town, as reservoirs in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains are also showing worrying figures, likely due to the lack of significant rainfall across Majorca.

Capacities of the Gorg Blau and Cuber reservoirs have fallen to less than a third of their total capacity, highlighting the severity of the case, and it is worse because in the space of a month, the figures have fallen by nearly 8%.

With no significant rainfall forecasted for Majorca in the short term, all water supply zones across the island are on pre-alert except for the southern Tramuntana area.

This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk

French actor Gerard Depardieu to face trial over alleged rape and sexual assault of fellow actor | Ents & Arts News

WORLD

SkyNews

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September 3, 2025

0

French actor Gerard Depardieu to face trial over alleged rape and sexual assault of fellow actor | Ents & Arts News

French actor Gerard Depardieu has been summoned to face trial in Paris over allegations of rape and sexual assault against actress Charlotte Arnould.

“I feel relieved,” Ms Arnould wrote on Instagram after receiving the judge’s indictment order.

“The order restores a form of judicial truth. I think I’m having trouble realising how huge this is.”

Ms Arnould’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, told French outlet Franceinfo she was “extremely satisfied” and said the decision was a “moment of judicial truth in this case”.

In 2018, prosecutors in Paris opened a preliminary investigation after Ms Arnould accused Depardieu of raping her at his home. He has denied wrongdoing.

“The acts of rape and sexual assault have been acknowledged,” Ms Arnould said. “Now, we await the next steps.”

Last year, prosecutors submitted a request for the case to proceed to trial.

Earlier this year, Depardieu was convicted of sexually assaulting two women on a film set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The 76-year-old was convicted of groping a 34-year-old assistant and a 54-year-old woman responsible for decorating the set during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021.

The court ordered his name to be listed in the national sex offender database.

Depardieu, one of the most prominent figures in French cinema for decades, told the court his career includes more than 250 films.

In 1991, he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.

In recent years, Depardieu has been accused of misconduct, either publicly or in formal complaints, by more than 20 women.

So far, only the sexual assault case has proceeded to court, with other cases dropped over a lack of evidence or an expired statute of limitations.

This story originally appeared on Skynews

Voter registration groups blocked from naturalization events : NPR

US NEWS

NPR

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September 3, 2025

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Voter registration groups blocked from naturalization events : NPR

A sign is posted at a voter registration booth outside a naturalization ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 23, 2019.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Nongovernmental groups are now barred from registering new voters at naturalization ceremonies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced.

The policy, which was issued Friday, says “that only state and local election officials will be permitted to offer voter registration services at the end of administrative naturalization ceremonies.”

Groups like the League of Women Voters criticized the decision. They often partner with local and state election officials or supplement their work to administer registration services — and that includes during naturalization ceremonies.

Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, said in a statement that this new policy “is an attempt to keep new citizens from accessing their full rights.”

A ballot box has a sign that says "insert ballot here" with an arrow pointing to the slot.

“For decades, the League of Women Voters has been a trusted partner of both USCIS and federal courts to register new voters at naturalization ceremonies,” she said. “This work has resulted in hundreds of thousands of new citizens registering to vote with League volunteers across the country.”

USCIS wrote in the policy memo that the use of nongovernmental organizations for voter registration at naturalization ceremonies “was sporadic and varied based upon the location.” USCIS also claimed that ensuring the groups are nonpartisan was a “burden” on the agency.

“Given USCIS does not primarily rely on nongovernment organizations for voter registration services, and the administrative burden on USCIS to ensure that those nongovernmental organizations who provide voter registration services are nonpartisan,” the agency is blocking them from USCIS facilities.

“This change in no way impacts new citizens’ access to information and applications to register to vote,” the agency adds, “as this information will continue to be provided by state or local election officials, or USCIS staff at the end of naturalization ceremonies.”

Poder Latinx canvasser Humberto Orjuela helps Andres Navarro register to vote in a Presidente Supermarket parking lot in Orlando on April 20. New restrictions in Florida have made voter registration work more difficult for Poder Latinx and other third-party groups.

Several Republican-led states have in recent years enacted new laws to crack down on registration drives conducted by third-party groups. Some organizations have shut down their efforts in the face of prohibitively high financial and criminal penalties. Third-party organizations often find more success registering communities of color – particularly immigrant communities — than political parties or government officials.

Steward said that this recent exclusion is simply part of the administration’s larger effort to intimidate immigrants.

“By shutting out the League and other civic partners, USCIS is making it harder for new citizens to register to vote, which is yet another intimidation tactic and attack on the immigrant community,” she said. “Our democracy is stronger with the voices of new citizens.”

This story originally appeared on NPR

‘Godzilla Minus One’ Sequel Is Officially in Production

MOVIES

MovieWeb

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September 3, 2025

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‘Godzilla Minus One’ Sequel Is Officially in Production

Almost two years after becoming the most successful Godzilla film of all time, we now have a monstrous update on the status of the sequel to Godzilla Minus One that’s sure to please fans. Word of another film immediately began bubbling around the industry following the premiere of the Toho giant, which would ultimately go on to earn $116 million at the box office, ripping the crown away from Shin Godzilla as the most successful entry in the franchise. Reports in April of this year confirmed that director Takashi Yamazaki had set Godzilla Minus One 2 as his next film.

Per Godzilla-Movies.com, the Godzilla Minus One sequel has officially begun production, “with many extras being employed for a variety of undisclosed roles.” There’s no word yet on which Japanese stars have been tapped to appear in the sequel, but fans can take comfort in knowing that, yes, it will take place in Japan and not take Godzilla international to perhaps appeal to a broader audience. This one is for the diehards that love the kaiju and have stuck with him over the years despite a few bumps in the road and some less-than-stellar productions.

Of course, major plot details remain under wraps for now, but it’s safe to say that Godzilla Minus One 2 will be even bigger and better than the first, with one or two more monsters thrown in for good measure. After all, what’s a Godzilla sequel without more kaijus? While it’s wishful thinking to hope for King Ghidorah to appear this early on in the series, we’re at least hoping for Hedorah or Biollante to show up.

What Made ‘Godzilla Minus One’ So Good?

Minami Hamabe as Noriko Ōishi in Godzilla Minus One.

Toho

While it’s easy to say that Godzilla Minus One succeeded on the merits of it being the first live-action Toho film in the franchise since Shin Godzilla in 2016, what it ultimately boiled down to was the movie’s excellent storytelling. Yamazaki’s script gave us a way into things by making us feel an emotional connection to the characters straight away, rather than just being excited about seeing the titular beast.

It was a human story, not a monster movie, which is why it became such a hit. We could connect to Kōichi Shikishima’s feelings of guilt and shame because those are things we’ve all felt at one point or another in our lives. As he sought redemption, we cheered for him, while at the same time experiencing the same weight of his decisions that was put upon Noriko Ōishi. Of course, having a killer creature design certainly didn’t hurt the movie, but it was more about the characters than Godzilla.

All of that blended together to create what is undoubtedly the best film in the franchise, Japanese or otherwise. We’re expecting big things from the sequel, and while we’re always apprehensive about follow-ups to successful movies, with Yamazaki back to steer the ship, we have complete confidence that it will be just as good, if not better, than the first. We’ll have more news on Godzilla Minus One 2 as it becomes available, but in the meantime, the phenomenal 2023 movie is available to stream on Netflix.

Godzilla Minus One

4
/5

Release Date: November 3, 2023
Runtime: 124 minutes
Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Ryunosuke Kamiki

Koichi Shikishima
Minami Hamabe

Noriko Oishi

This story originally appeared on Movieweb

A Twisted Take On The John Wick Formula

MOVIES

ScreenRant

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September 3, 2025

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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Caught Stealing!

Caught Stealing plays with several tropes that have been popularized by one of the most successful action franchises in Hollywood. Ever since establishing himself as a leading man with 2022’s Elvis, Austin Butler has been on a hot streak, and that continues with Caught Stealing, his newest movie, which is directed by Darren Aronofsky.

In the film, which is based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 novel of the same name, Butler’s Hank Thompson is a bartender who gets pulled into New York City’s crime underworld and is forced to fight for his life. Ever since its release, reviews for Caught Stealing have been great, and critics and fans have specifically noted how exceptional Butler is in the leading role.

There are many twists and turns from the beginning to the end of Caught Stealing, easily making it one of the most entertaining and unpredictable movies of the year. The film also proves that Butler should continue to explore the action genre moving forward. Aronofsky’s movie is definitely not a traditional action film, but Caught Stealing does steal some tropes from a major action franchise.

Caught Stealing Flips Many Aspects Of The John Wick Franchise On Its Head

Without a doubt, the John Wick movies make up one of the most influential action franchises of this century. Ever since the release of the first film in 2014, fans have loved watching Keanu Reeves’ now-iconic assassin of few words seek revenge for the death of his dog and wage war against the High Table.

The death of his dog is the inciting incident for John Wick movie, and the relationship between man and animal is important throughout. To some surprise, in Caught Stealing, it’s a cat that sets the stage for Hank’s action-packed journey, flipping the trope on its head somewhat.

Unbeknownst to Hank, Russ hid a key in his cat’s litter box that opens up a storage locker, which just so happens to contain millions of dollars that a lot of criminals are after. Since Russ is gone, the criminals choose to instead target Hank in Caught Stealing.

Thankfully, the cat doesn’t die in Caught Stealing, and actually comes with Hank as he tries to outsmart some of New York City’s most dangerous criminals.

However, Hank’s love interest, Yvonne, is murdered near the beginning of the film. It’s surprising to see Zoë Kravitz’s Yvonne die so early in Caught Stealing, but her death creates another similarity between Butler’s character and Reeves’ assassin.

Hank grieves the loss of Yvonne, while John Wick’s revenge mission allows him to let out pent-up emotions that he is feeling following his wife’s death. Therefore, both Hank and John Wick are intriguing protagonists with a specific set of skills who lose loved ones and enter the world of crime because of a pet.

Caught Stealing Gives Hank The Ending John Wick Might Never Get

Austin Butler sitting against a wall in Caught Stealing.

In both Caught Stealing and the John Wick movies, it is consistently pointed out that the protagonists are trapped in the criminal underworld. At several points in Caught Stealing, it seems like Hank will end up either dead or in jail. Meanwhile, it seems like John Wick will never truly escape the world he walked back into for revenge.

For John Wick, this is probably true. Even though Reeves’ character took out many enemies across four movies, he seemingly died at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. Hank, on the other hand, gets a happier ending in Caught Stealing. At the end of the film, Hank manages to take out all his enemies and flees New York with millions of dollars.

He sends half of the money to his mother in California and goes to Mexico with the rest. Laura Dern’s cameo at the end of Caught Stealing suggests that there may be a sequel. After all, Huston wrote two follow-up novels which continue Hank Thompson’s story. However, for now, Hank has escaped the world of crime and is living a peaceful life in Mexico.

John Wick will likely never get a happy ending like this. Even though there are clues that he is actually still alive, the confirmation of John Wick 5 suggests that any peace he may have found won’t last for long.

Time will tell whether Hank will get pulled back into the world of crime in a sequel to Caught Stealing, but for now, he received a much happier ending than John Wick.

Caught Stealing

7/10

Release Date

August 29, 2025

Director

Darren Aronofsky

Writers

Charlie Huston

Producers

Ari Handel, Jeremy Dawson
Created by

Derek Kolstad

First Film

John Wick

Latest Film

John Wick: Chapter 4

Upcoming Films

Ballerina

First TV Show

The Continental

Latest TV Show

The Continental

“John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of assassins.