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Several Dead in Lisbon After Funicular Accident
new video loaded: Funicular Accident Leaves Several Dead in Lisbon
By Jamie Leventhal•
According to Portugal’s health ministry, at least 15 people were killed and 18 others were injured after the Elevador da Glória funicular derailed and crashed in Lisbon on Wednesday.
Recent episodes in Europe
Director Quarles of Affirm Holdings sells $1.39 million worth of stock
Affirm holdings director Quarles sells $1.39 million in stock
Shaquille O’Neal Unveils New Cologne Line at JCPenney
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal unveiled a new signature cologne Wednesday named after himself that will be sold exclusively with JCPenney, which is an expansion of his clothing line with the store, per TMZ Sports.
The cologne’s scent is described as a mix of “captivating woody amber blend, opening with a vibrant burst of musk, bergamot, grapefruit, and black pepper,” as well as a “smooth fusion of cardamom, suede, and benzoin, grounded by warm, lasting notes of tonka bean, amber, and musk.”
Shaquille O’Neal Cologne Will Be Priced At $55
The Shaquille O’Neal 4.2 oz black and gold bottle will be priced at $55 and sold exclusively at JCPenney in-store and online for six months before it expands to additional retailers.
“This fragrance is all about presence,” O’Neal said. “It’s strong, smooth, and leaves a mark, just like I aim to do in everything I take on. I wanted something luxurious but still within reach, and this is it.”
“Shaq has been an incredible partner to us through his Shaquille O’Neal XLG big and tall line, which has been a customer favorite for seven years,” said Jo Osborne, the SVP, GMM Beauty, Center Core & Footwear at JCPenney.
“We’re thrilled to grow that partnership by introducing his signature fragrance to our collection, as we continue to deliver affordable luxuries our customers love.”
O’Neal has a diverse investment portfolio that includes brands like Pepsi, Vitamin Water, Reebok, Krispy Kreme, Papa John’s, Taco Bell, and 24 Hour Fitness.
O’Neal Returning For Inside The NBA
It was reported last month that Inside the NBA is scheduled to air in a half-hour timeslot following the first ESPN doubleheader of the 2025-26 season on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The popular sports studio show typically ran for about 50 minutes in recent years, rarely ending prior to the 40-minute mark. The TNT-produced NBA Tip-Off will serve as a pregame show.
The program will also be produced by Warner Bros. Television Studios under the TNT Sports brand.
Of course, O’Neal will be returning as a commentator along with Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson Jr., and Kenny Smith. The 2025-26 season marks the first of ESPN’s 11-year rights extension with the NBA.
Inside the NBA will air for the conference finals, NBA playoffs, all ABC games after Jan. 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the final week of the season, and other marquee live events.
Your Home Could Soon Be Powered by These Bladeless Wind Turbines
The world’s largest wind turbine is expected to start operating in 2026. It will generate 16 MW, enough to power 20,000 homes, and have 387-feet blades while standing 866 feet tall, almost shoulder to shoulder with the French Eiffel Tower. It’s a sign of the potential of offshore wind energy, which is exploring revolutionary designs like this pyramidal turbine we talked about recently. As far as this type of green power is concerned, wind turbines based on blades have unbeatable efficiency. However, these structures are bulky and not very functional in urban spaces, especially for self-consumption. How can this be solved?
Bladeless wind turbines: aeroelastic resonance
One of the ways to achieve more compact wind turbines would be to opt for vertical axis turbines, i.e., turbines that rotate on themselves. However, there are more radical solutions, such as dispensing with any rotating element. A Spanish company has resorted to a concept called aeroelastic resonance to create masts without blades that generate electricity through vibration.
By way of a brief explanation, when air passes through a circular structure, vortices are created along its path, and when their frequency matches the resonance frequency of the structure, the latter begins to absorb energy. This is technically known as vortex shredding.
The new bladeless wind turbines consist of a fixed vertical cylinder on an elastic rod attached to the ground. The cylinder oscillates in a specific wind speed range and then transforms the mechanical energy into electricity utilizing an alternator. Technically, it is not a turbine, as there is no rotating element.
Everyday materials such as fiberglass or carbon fiber are used, which facilitates their construction. The fact that there are no rotating parts reduces maintenance and component wear.
Every material with the ability to vibrate has a particular resonance frequency. This means that a standard fiberglass mast only resonates when the wind blows with a certain intensity. However, the distinctive feature of these new wind turbines is that they use a patented mechanism with magnets that modify the stiffness of the cylinder depending on its oscillation amplitude and the degree of core flexing. The stronger the wind, the greater the amplitude of oscillation. The inventors of the technology call it a “tuning system.”
The prototype they have developed has been named Tacoma -in honor of the mythical bridge that went into resonance and jumped into the air- and has a height of about three meters, a weight of fifteen kilos, and an electrical generation capacity of 100 watts. They are also studying the creation of smaller models of sixty centimeters in height that would be used to charge sensors in remote areas.
The main model, on the other hand, is designed for installation on urban rooftops, as it is very quiet and can operate in turbulent winds. In addition, it does not require a specific orientation to generate energy, and unlike wind turbines with blades, several units can be installed next to each other without interfering with each other.
The company has so far carried out several installations in universities and town halls in the province of Ávila, but a commercial model is yet to reach the market. By the end of 2022, they will test the feasibility of a wind turbine between nine and ten meters high. Who knows if, combined with solar farms on rooftops and solar glass, they will become an ally for greener and more sustainable cities.
Hybrid wind turbines: when sun and wind go hand in hand
Innovation in the wind energy sector is not only limited to new designs or anchoring technologies in the case of floating offshore wind power but is also aimed at improving the functionalities of existing wind turbines. One of the most exciting avenues of research in recent times is the addition of solar panels to windmill masts.
Thanks to this initiative, carried out at the Breña wind farm in Albacete, the wind turbines have electricity to supply the turbine’s internal systems, even without wind. In addition, flexible and fully recyclable organic solar panels have been used, reinforcing the project’s sustainability.
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The Strength of China’s Military: An Overview
Beijing stages its largest military parade ever with dozens of world leaders in attendance.
On the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, President Xi Jinping told the world, China does not fear violence, and showed them its weapons: Sophisticated military hardware, ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons filled Tiananmen Square, along with thousands of soldiers.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also took centre stage.
So, was Xi showing there is an alternative to a US-led world order?
If so, how was this message received? And what does it mean for global politics?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
- Richard Weitz – Senior non-resident associate fellow the NATO Defense College
- Andy Mok – Senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing
- Fraser Howie – Writer and commentator and co-author of Red Capitalism and Privatizing China
Published On 3 Sep 2025
McDonald’s CEO faces challenges of a ‘two-tier economy’ while reducing prices on value meals
McDonald’s is banking on burgers and fries to tell a bigger story about the American economy. Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski is slimming down the cost of the fast-food giant’s value meals as he grapples with what he calls a “two-tier economy”—a widening divide between consumers who are still spending freely and those who are pulling back.
For years, dating back to the 2022 inflation wave, McDonald’s and its fast-food rivals have contended with shopper frustration over rising menu prices, with combo meals increasingly breaking into double digits. Customers at the higher end of the income spectrum continue to order premium products and use delivery apps at healthy rates. Lower-income diners, however, are cutting back, Kempczinski argued in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” treating fast food less as a daily convenience and more as an occasional splurge. He told the anchors that McDonald’s has been on a “value journey” over the last year or so.
“Particularly with middle and lower-income consumers, they’re feeling under a lot of pressure right now,” Kempczinski told the CNBC anchors. ”There’s a lot of commentary around, ‘What’s the state of the economy, how’s it doing right now?’ And what we see is, it’s really kind of a two-tier economy. If you’re upper-income, earning over $100,000, things are good … what we see with middle and lower-income consumers, it’s actually a different story.” He cited traffic for these demographics being down double digits and they’re skipping breakfast or eating at home.
Kempczinski was pressed on some political issues by the CNBC anchors, including whether McDonald’s fits with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s MAHA, or “Make America Healthy Again,” and the policy around no taxes on tips. Kempczinski said he personally supported the no taxes on tips issue but clarified that it didn’t help McDonald’s much, as it doesn’t allow tips. A tips restaurant requires a minimum wage of just $2.13 per hour, he added, which hasn’t been changed since 1991, calling this an “uneven playing field” as “you’re essentially getting the customer to pay for your labor,” plus the tax-free benefit. He called for one federal minimum wage for all kinds of restaurants and then said McDonald’s was “open” to raising the federal minimum wage beyond that, adding that the company was “in dialogue” with the White House about several issues including this one.
The current federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour, a rate that has been unchanged since July 24, 2009. This long-standing rate marks over 16 years without a federal increase, making it the longest period in U.S. history without an update to the minimum wage. However, many states and localities have adopted higher minimum wage rates, some reaching as high as $18 per hour in the District of Columbia.
In 2025, significant new legislation called the Raise the Wage Act of 2025 was introduced in Congress. This proposed law would incrementally increase the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour by the year 2030, phasing out subminimum wage rates for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers. Additionally, a Senate bill was proposed to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour starting January 1 of the first year after its passage. These legislative efforts indicate active momentum at the federal level to increase the minimum wage after more than a decade of stagnation.
Different from the Great Recession
Kempczinski added that this isn’t like what McDonald’s saw during the Great Recession, “when everyone traded down.” And so McDonald’s has to be creative to play both sides of the issue. Increased accessibility for lower-income consumers now comes in the form of a revamped $5 meal bundle, along with more aggressive price promotions in flagship markets. Advertising campaigns are leaning heavily on the theme of value, a message designed to resonate with cost-conscious families forced to make sharper trade-offs in their daily spending.
The strategy underscores a balancing act for McDonald’s. As one of the few global chains with the size and procurement power to cut prices without immediately crippling profitability, the company can play offense where smaller rivals cannot. Still, franchisees—who operate most U.S. locations—are wary that thinner price points could turn into margin squeezes just as wages, rent, and insurance remain high. Still, Kempczinski told the CNBC anchors that the move toward more value was “almost unanimous” among franchisees, to a surprised reaction.
The broader retail picture
McDonald’s dual-track strategy echoes a broader split visible across much of the U.S. economy. Big-box retailers like Walmart and Target report a similar trend that Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos put his finger on in March: “Many of our customers report that only have enough money for basic essentials.” Delta Air Lines, a proxy for demand among the affluent consumer cohort, has largely gone from strength to strength as America’s most profitable airline, although it has lowered guidance during 2025, owing to uncertainty from the Trump tariff regime.
The trends recall an economic pattern established during the pandemic: the “K-shaped” economy. As Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, explained to Fortune in 2023, this means that middle and lower-income consumers are one leg of the “K,” pointing down and to the right, while the upper-income cohort is doing better and better.
McDonald’s, though, has to master the “K” to get the most out of its consumers. That means fighting to maintain its decades-old position as the go-to spot for an affordable meal, even as it courts higher-margin opportunities to keep shareholders satisfied. Whether that balancing act proves sustainable may depend on just how long America’s two-track consumer economy sticks around.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
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Three people killed in Lisbon historic funicular railway accident
At least three people have been killed and 20 others injured after Lisbon’s famous Gloria funicular derailed and crashed, emergency services said.
The head of Portugal’s Civil Protection Authority said that several people remained trapped at the scene and nine people were in a serious condition.
Footage shared widely on social media showed the yellow tram-like structure overturned and almost entirely destroyed. People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as what appears to be smoke filled the air.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has issued a statement expressing his “sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy”.
It is unclear how many people were on board at the time of the cable railway crash, which occurred near the Avenida da Liberdade around 18:05 on Wednesday evening.
It is not known whether those killed are Portuguese nationals or foreigners.
Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway’s route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.
Sixty-two emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles are at the scene, according to the civil protection website.
The Gloria Funicular is one of the most famous sights and tourist attractions in Lisbon. It was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.
The iconic yellow trams are a crucial part of a city as hilly as Lisbon. They snake their way up many of the cobbled streets.
This particular tram that crashed travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the middle of Lisbon, up to the picturesque, cobbled streets of an area called Bairro Alto – or high neighbourhood – taking just three minutes to make the journey.
It, and the other funiculars, are used by Lisbon residents but they are also extremely popular with tourists – and at the end of the summer, the Portuguese capital is very busy indeed.
The Lisbon authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of this incident – and how many people were caught up in it.
In 2025, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’ sets new Spotify record for single-day streams by a female artist
Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, has broken the record for the most-streamed album on Spotify in a single day by a female artist this year.
The achievement was announced by Spotify on its social media pages on Tuesday (September 2).
Commenting on the achievement in a post on social media platform X, Carpenter wrote: “I can’t believe this :’) thank you so much for listening.”
Man’s Best Friend, which dropped on Friday (August 29), spent 11 weeks on Spotify’s Countdown Page ahead of its release.
“I can’t believe this. thank you so much for listening.”
Sabrina Carpenter
The record includes Manchild, which marks Carpenter’s first debut at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, her second No.1 US hit overall (after Please Please Please) and her fourth Hot 100 Top 10.
The new record follows Short n’ Sweet, her sixth studio album in 2024 that produced hits like Espresso and Please Please Please, which both topped the Billboard Global 200 chart.
Short n’ Sweet received eight nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. It won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance for Espresso.
The former Disney star worked again with producers Jack Antonoff and John Ryan in Man’s Best Friend, blending disco-pop, funk, R&B and synth-rock elements.
The record draws inspiration from 1907s artists including Donna Summer, ABBA and Dolly Parton, Carpenter revealed during an Instagram Live in June.
Music Business Worldwide
A Close Look at China’s Newest Missiles, Drones, and Submarines
At its military parade on Wednesday, China showcased hypersonic missiles to sink ships, drones that serve as wingmen and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that can strike the continental United States.
The jets that screamed across the sky and the columns of missiles and armored vehicles that rolled past Tiananmen Square in Beijing provided a rare look at China’s new weapons.
All military hardware paraded
The massive military parade, presided over by China’s leader Xi Jinping, was a warning to his country’s prospective foes.
The anti-ship missiles seemed tailor-made to menace American forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Long-range rocket launchers magnified Beijing’s threat to Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy. The armored vehicles that can be dropped from planes appeared to extend China’s ability to defend its growing global interests.
If one theme stood out, analysts said, it was that the People’s Liberation Army is betting on unmanned systems to gain a potential edge in battle.
New Missile Threats to U.S. Navy Ships
One of the parade’s strongest warnings to U.S. forces was in four new models of anti-ship missiles, three of which were hypersonic, according to state media, meaning they travel at least five times the speed of sound and can maneuver to evade defenses.
“Beijing’s decision to showcase these weapons sends a not-so-subtle message to Taiwan and Washington that China has the ability to threaten American warships,” said Timothy R. Heath, a senior researcher at the global policy institute RAND who studies the Chinese military.
For China, having more advanced hypersonic missiles bearing down at different speeds and angles on enemy warships may make it harder for an enemy navy to avoid or counter attacks.
The most notable of the anti-ship missiles might be the YJ-19, a cruise missile that appears to use a “scramjet,” which burns its fuel in an airflow moving at supersonic speed, a design that helps give the missile its high speed.
Hypersonic anti-ship missile
The missile’s features suggest that it could have both a highly unpredictable flight path and the ability to fly its last leg at a lower altitude than ballistic missiles, albeit at a slower speed, said Eric Heginbotham, a principal research scientist in the security studies program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It was unclear whether the YJ-19 and other new missiles were already in service. The potential impact on U.S. Navy ships’ vulnerability will depend on how many of the missiles China can make and deploy, Mr. Heginbotham said.
“Not all of what they will show will be operational,” he said of the parade. “That’s been true in the past, and it remains true now.”
New Weapons for Ground Troops
The parade showcased new armored ground vehicles that could be dropped from transport planes. The vehicles had what appeared to be periscope-like viewers to allow troops to observe their surroundings from inside the vehicles.
New airborne combat vehicles
The new vehicles showed that China was investing in possible rapid deployment to Taiwan or even far beyond China, said Joshua Arostegui, the research director of the China Landpower Studies Center at the U.S. Army War College.
“Adding such advanced armor to the airborne corps will give these light infantry forces much more firepower and protection when they are dropped behind enemy lines or rapidly responding to dangerous situations abroad,” he said.
Also featured were remote-controlled armored buggies that can clear mines and pick up wounded soldiers. “The biggest issue with these systems is going to be cost and repair,” Mr. Arostegui noted.
A Glimpse of Future Sea and Air Combat
Two sleek submersible drones made their debut, signaling China’s ambitions to compete with the United States beneath the waves using “extra-large uncrewed undersea vehicles.”
One was a 60-foot, torpedo-shaped vessel with a smooth hull, while the other had small masts that could be used for communications.
Little is publicly known about China’s new undersea vehicles, or how they stack up against similar vehicles being developed by the United States, Russia and other naval powers. What stands out is the sheer number of undersea vehicles that China is developing, said Jennifer Parker, a former anti-submarine warfare officer in the Australian Navy.
“The range of types indicates they may be more advanced in this endeavor than other countries,” said Ms. Parker, now an expert at the National Security College of Australian National University.
China may also be looking to arm some of its models, Ms. Parker suggested, pointing to the features of the AJX002 model shown at the parade. “Given the lack of masts and its size, it looks like it’s weaponized,” she said. “Could be some sort of self-propelled mine or torpedo-like capability.”
Jet fighters, bombers and other air force planes also roared through the sky, while on the ground, trucks carried large drones that looked like small fighter jets. It was a sign of China’s plans to pair manned and unmanned aircraft in future wars.
China and other powers are betting that artificial intelligence will make it possible for piloted jets to fly alongside such so-called “loyal wingmen” drones, which may help surveil and attack enemy aircraft and block missiles from hitting the manned fighters.
The number of large drones and unmanned planes in the parade showed that China is heavily committed to this new field, said Andreas Rupprecht, an expert on Chinese military aviation who is based in Germany. “In many technological areas, it is in the fast lane — sometimes on par with, or even ahead of, leading powers,” he said.
None of the unmanned planes were shown in flight, though. They may still be a work in progress.
Nuclear Expansion
Among the most closely watched weapons were China’s nuclear forces. That included the missiles labeled “DF-31BJ” that rumbled past Tiananmen Square, hinting at the country’s plans to expand its intercontinental force, which could strike the United States.
The label indicated that the missile may be a version of China’s road-mobile DF-31 intercontinental nuclear missile, adapted for silo launch, said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of “The New Nuclear Age.”
China displayed nuclear-capable missiles for submarines and aircraft at the parade, but it does not disclose how many nuclear weapons it has. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that China has about 600 warheads. China has also upgraded the missiles, submarines and bombers that can carry the warheads.
In recent years, China built three missile silo fields in its northern deserts, and the appearance of the DF-31BJ missile at the parade seemed to bolster U.S. military assessments that the missile would be installed in at least some of the 320 or so silos, Mr. Panda said.
About 10 of the silos in each field may have already been loaded with missiles, the Federation of American Scientists said in a recent report. But the Chinese government has said little in public about the silo fields.
“For now, parading the DF-31BJ is likely the closest we’ll come to China acknowledging new silos,” Mr. Panda said.