Reports in Indian media have put Thalapathy Vijay’s pay for the globally released film Jana Nayagan at about Rs 300 crore. The report, published on July 25, 2026, says the payment for the lead role would be a record in Indian cinema if confirmed. The film, directed by H. Vinoth, has also drawn attention for its reported box-office performance after release.

According to the reports, Vijay was paid the amount directly and did not have an agreement to share in the film’s profits. Neither the makers nor Vijay had issued an official statement on the claim. H. Vinoth reportedly received Rs 30 crore, while music composer Anirudh Ravichander was paid about Rs 15 crore. Lead actress Pooja Hegde reportedly received Rs 10 crore and Bobby Deol about Rs 12 crore.

Other reported payments include Rs 7 crore for Prakash Raj and Rs 5 crore each for Priyamani and Gautham Vasudev Menon. Jana Nayagan, described as a political action thriller, is said to have cost about Rs 500 crore to make. Box-office trackers estimated Indian pre-sales near Rs 30 crore and first-day worldwide earnings between Rs 107 crore and Rs 112 crore, but these figures remain unconfirmed officially.

BTS member Jimin’s outfit worn during a World Cup final halftime show has drawn the highest bid in a FIFA and Global Citizen charity auction organised by Christie’s. In the sale, titled “One Goal: An Auction to Benefit the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund,” the outfit had reached $14,000 before bidding closes on July 29. The auction is intended to support education and sports opportunities for disadvantaged children worldwide.

The bid for Jimin’s outfit is about 1.73 million Bangladeshi taka. Lionel Messi’s autographed jersey and gloves used by Madonna during the halftime show had each jointly reached $6,000, or about 741,000 taka. Other lots include the official match ball used in the Spain-Argentina final, Shakira’s halftime-show outfit, Madonna memorabilia, items used by other BTS members, and jerseys signed by players from different national teams.

More than 40 historic World Cup items are included in the auction. Organisers expect the sale to raise about $100 million for the FIFA and Global Citizen Education Fund. The full proceeds are to be used to provide quality education for children in underserved communities and expand access to sports.

Rubaiyat Hossain’s psychological horror film ‘The Difficult Bride’ has been selected for the Orizzonti competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The selection marks the first time a Bangladeshi film has secured a place at the Venice festival, according to the report. The film will have its world premiere during the festival in Venice, Italy, scheduled from September 2 to 12.

The film will compete in the festival’s Horizons section, with the selected titles announced on Thursday. In 2010, Ishtiaq Zico’s short film ‘720 Degrees’ was selected for the Orizzonti section, becoming Bangladesh’s first short film to participate at the festival. Khona Talkies, which produced that short film, is the Bangladeshi co-producer of ‘The Difficult Bride.’

Set around Dhaka’s historic Mayfair beauty parlour, the story follows a young woman named Zaineen as she arrives to prepare for her wedding and becomes drawn into an unsettling world involving beauty, body, belief, memory and fear. Zaineen Chowdhury Karim plays the lead role, with Rikita Nandini Shimu and Sunerah Kamal in supporting roles. Hossain and several cast members will join the festival delegation.

Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, said it attacked an Amazon data center in Bahrain. In a statement broadcast on state television, the IRGC said it targeted and destroyed what it described as an intelligence data center building belonging to the US technology company Amazon. The report was published on July 24, 2026.

According to the IRGC statement, the data center was used to provide information to the US military. The force had also said on Wednesday that it had attacked the facility. Amazon and Bahraini authorities had not commented on Iran’s claim at the time of the report.

Bollywood actors Nora Fatehi and Pankaj Tripathi have expressed solidarity with students protesting alleged question-paper leaks in India’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET. Students and their supporters have been holding continuous demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June 20. Their demands include full transparency and accountability in the examination system, justice for affected students, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and sweeping reforms to the examination process.

In an Instagram message, Fatehi said education is not only about examinations or marks and that students and their families deserve fairness, dignity and trust. She expressed condolences to families of students who died by suicide and praised protesters’ courage and patience. Tripathi supported the movement in an Instagram story, criticized the police’s strict approach, and urged the government to show compassion toward injured young people. The source also says Alia Bhatt and several other prominent actors had previously voiced support for the students’ demands.

Environmentalists and space experts have warned that proposed orbital data centers backed by major technology companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, could pose severe risks to Earth’s atmosphere. A petition has been filed with the US Federal Communications Commission seeking an independent review of the potential harm and calling for a pause on licenses for new space data-center projects, according to a report published on July 24, 2026.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Earthjustice and DarkSky International jointly submitted the petition. They say emissions from satellite launches and atmospheric re-entry, including black carbon, rare metals, aluminum oxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and chlorine gas, could accumulate in the stratosphere. Scientists fear this pollution could damage the ozone layer, increase exposure to ultraviolet radiation and worsen the global climate crisis. The report says the number of active satellites has risen from about 1,400 in 2015 to about 15,000 currently, while companies have not presented a satisfactory plan to address combined pollution, collisions and debris.

Bangladesh is set to host the National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR (Bangladesh Emerging Advanced Research) Summit on July 25 and 26 in Dhaka. The event will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on Saturday morning at the Novo Theatre. The announcement was made by Science and Technology Secretary Anwar Hossain at a press briefing in Gulshan Club, Dhaka. The two-day summit is jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Semiconductor Industry Association (BSIA), and the Silicon River Bangladesh program.

According to the organizers, the summit aims to position Bangladesh as a globally connected hub for semiconductor and deep-tech innovation. Policymakers, global semiconductor executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, university representatives, investors, and expatriate Bangladeshi experts will participate to help formulate the country’s long-term semiconductor and deep-tech strategy. The event will feature 11 plenary sessions and exhibitions showcasing biotechnology, engineering, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

The Science and Technology Ministry emphasized that technology-driven economies are key to prosperity and reaffirmed its commitment to building Bangladesh into a high-tech capable nation and promoting the commercialization of research.

Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has expressed her support for the ongoing student protests in Delhi against exam paper leaks and irregularities. In an emotional message shared on social media on July 23, 2026, she praised the students’ courage and determination in demanding a fair and transparent education system. Bhatt said the recent days had been both painful and inspiring, acknowledging the sacrifices and dreams behind each protesting student.

She emphasized that the movement for accountability reminds society to listen to the voices of the younger generation. Bhatt described the students’ resilience as a mirror reflecting a question to all—whether the nation truly hears those shaping its future. Her message concluded with the sentiment that the future belongs to the students themselves.

Earlier, actor Salman Khan had also expressed solidarity with the protesters but voiced sorrow that the initially peaceful demonstrations had turned violent. He called the exam paper leak a serious issue and extended sympathy to affected students and their families.

WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) – The United States has accused China's Moonshot AI of stealing technology from Anthropic's advanced large language model, Fable, to develop its latest K3 model. Michael Kratsios, a top Trump administration technology official, said Moonshot engaged in large-scale industrial distillation to extract proprietary U.S. technology. He added that the company had also obtained Nvidia GB300 chips and used them in Thailand to train its models. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was considering adding Moonshot AI to a trade blacklist and imposing sanctions.

The accusations come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence and technology security. A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington dismissed the claims as unfounded, asserting that China respects intellectual property rights. Anthropic’s public policy executive Sarah Heck warned that such alleged theft poses serious national security risks for the United States.

The dispute follows earlier reports that several Chinese AI firms, including Moonshot, used Anthropic’s Claude model through fake accounts to enhance their own systems. Moonshot recently launched its Kimi K3 model, claiming it is the world’s largest open-weight AI system, rivaling Anthropic’s Fable.

Star Cineplex will release four internationally notable big‑budget films simultaneously in Dhaka starting July 24, offering a diverse cinematic lineup for local audiences. The slate includes the sixth installment of the Evil Dead franchise, the psychological horror Passenger, the animated sci‑fi family adventure Time Hoppers: The Silk Road, and a 3D concert film featuring Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour’s Manchester show.

Evil Dead Burn, directed by Sebastian Venichek and produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, follows a young woman who seeks solace with relatives after her husband’s sudden death. Passenger, directed by André Øvredal and starring Jacob Sipio, Lu Lobel and Melissa Leo, centres on a young couple whose van‑life road trip turns terrifying after a supernatural presence follows them. Time Hoppers is a Star‑Kinekor animated family film about four students who travel to 9th‑century Baghdad, while the Billie Eilish concert film is produced by James Cameron and Paramount Pictures.

Audiences can expect a genre‑wide offering from horror to family animation and concert cinema when the four films open together on July 24 at Star Cineplex in Dhaka.

The United States has reported a sharp rise in Iranian cyberattacks targeting its networks and infrastructure. In response, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) jointly issued a nationwide alert to government and private organizations connected to the internet. The advisory warns of Iran-backed cyber operations affecting various connected devices and urges heightened vigilance across sectors.

Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, stated that Iranian cyber groups continue to target critical US infrastructure. He emphasized the FBI’s commitment to identifying those responsible, stopping their malicious activities, and ensuring accountability. The new joint directive aims to help cybersecurity professionals detect harmful online activity more quickly, strengthen defense systems, and reduce the risk of disruptions to essential services.

The agencies expect that improved detection and coordination will limit the impact of Iranian cyber operations on US citizens’ daily services and national infrastructure resilience.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has expressed solidarity with students participating in the ongoing protests against exam paper leaks in India. In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, he urged demonstrators to continue their movement peacefully, describing paper leaks as a serious issue that should not be politically hijacked. Khan praised the courage and awareness of the young generation, saying their commitment to education would make India proud.

He emphasized that the problem of paper leaks concerns students and the education system alone, and credited the movement’s success solely to the students. Khan also expressed hope that the government would fully support the students and strengthen the education system for the benefit of all. He concluded by calling for education to become a positive national trend that could attract international students to study in India.

Several other Bollywood figures, including Omi Vaidya, Zeenat Aman, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Abhay Deol, Sonakshi Sinha, and Riteish Deshmukh, have also voiced support for the peaceful protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in New Delhi.

Bangladesh’s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology and Science and Technology, Fakir Mahbub Anam, presented a three-point proposal to reduce digital inequality at the World Internet Conference held at the International Convention Center in Xi’an, China. His proposals focused on establishing a multilateral cyber governance framework, ensuring access to technology and knowledge, and eliminating digital disparities. The minister highlighted Bangladesh’s progress in mobile connectivity, digital financial services, and e-governance initiatives such as the national portal and e-filing system.

He emphasized that digital transformation involves not only physical infrastructure but also artificial intelligence and intellectual development. Bangladesh is investing in AI research, fintech innovation, and large-scale data center infrastructure. The country is also applying machine learning for flood forecasting and using drones for precision agriculture. Anam described the “Digital Silk Road” as an economic lifeline linking Bangladesh’s digital economy with China’s technological expertise and ASEAN’s production networks through high-speed submarine cable connectivity.

The two-day conference on July 21–22 brought together around 800 participants from 52 countries and regions to discuss AI, digital trade, e-commerce, cultural heritage preservation, smart healthcare, and global digital cooperation.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has said that the world stands at the end of one civilization and the dawn of another. Speaking on July 16 at the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, he argued that the current civilization has failed in its fundamental responsibilities. He identified environmental destruction and growing wealth concentration as the two main causes of this decline.

Dr. Yunus challenged the belief that new technologies will solve these problems, warning instead that artificial intelligence could accelerate wealth concentration and deepen inequality. He said the real issue is not job loss but a system that reduces people to job seekers, stressing that humans are inherently creative and not born to follow orders. Calling today’s youth the most powerful generation in human history, he urged them to define the world they wish to build.

The assembly brought together Nobel laureates, former heads of state, religious leaders, and youth delegates. Participants signed a joint declaration warning that the combined development of AI and nuclear weapons poses an unprecedented threat to humanity’s future.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering new measures that could effectively ban or restrict the use of advanced Chinese artificial intelligence models in the United States. According to sources cited by Axios, internal discussions have resurfaced following the rapid rise of the Chinese open-source model Kimi. The Commerce Department, National Security Agency, and White House cyber offices previously explored actions such as adding Chinese AI labs to the Entity List, issuing advisories, or requiring U.S. companies to assume liability for hosting Chinese models. Although earlier efforts were halted to avoid stifling innovation, renewed momentum is building among national security officials.

The administration’s current approach appears to favor indirect pressure rather than an outright ban. Sources described strategies including procurement rules, public warnings about security risks, and campaigns to encourage reliance on domestic AI ecosystems. Pro-competition advocates, including outside adviser David Sacks, have warned that such measures could entrench dominant U.S. firms like OpenAI and Anthropic while undermining open-source innovation.

The debate reflects a broader struggle between national security priorities and market competition as Chinese AI capabilities advance and U.S. policymakers weigh how to respond.