💻 Alibaba's Qwen3.8 runs big AI locally on laptop

Alibaba released Qwen3.8-27B, an open-source 27-billion-parameter model, on Hugging Face under an Apache 2.0 license. This model supports image/video understanding and has a 262,144-token context window, running locally on high-end consumer machines. Third-party testing showed it scored 52 on Artificial Analysis' Intelligence Index, matching OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Luna. Developers are hyped because this capability is moving off expensive cloud APIs onto local hardware. However, the model tends to overthink, making it significantly slower when reasoning is heavily enabled. 🤯

🔥 Awarapan 2 crosses 90 crore mark on day 4

Emraan Hashmi and Disha Patani's 'Awarapan 2' is holding strong at the box office. The film, directed by Nitin Kakkar, earned a total net collection of Rs 91 crore as of Monday. It opened with Rs 22 crore on Friday and saw its collections jump to Rs 33.75 crore on Saturday. The movie has surpassed 'Batwara 1947' and is considered a hit given its Rs 45 crore budget. If momentum continues, it might hit Rs 100 crore by the end of day 5.

🚨 Vessel hit in Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran tension

A vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile on Tuesday, leading to engine room damage and one crew casualty. The incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, with the Omani Coast Guard assisting the remaining crew members. This development comes amidst escalating US-Iran tensions and ongoing regional conflicts. Meanwhile, the UKMTO reported the event, adding to the current geopolitical instability in the Middle East. Diplomats and military leaders are currently involved in managing the fallout from these high-stakes confrontations. 🚢

🕊️ Erdogan pushes Trump for US-Iran talks 🤝

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged US President Donald Trump during a recent phone call to pursue talks with Iran to lower tensions between the two nations. This call happened as the US-Iran conflict continues, with Erdogan offering Ankara's support for diplomacy. The US Navy recently awarded RTX a $23 billion contract for over 7,000 Tomahawk missiles, while Trump reiterated his stance on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army, has repeatedly called for an end to the war. The Turkish presidency stated they hope talks will continue and that Turkey will keep supporting peace efforts.

🕸️ Sony's big move for Spider-Man in India

Sony has launched an extensive marketing campaign for Spider-Man in India. The campaign is being executed by Sony in the Indian market to boost the character's presence. The investment has already crossed the Rs 500 crore mark and is reportedly increasing. This massive push is part of Sony's strategy to dominate the superhero segment in the region. The company plans to continue scaling up these promotional activities in the coming months.

🔬 Immune Cells Can Actually Feel Things

Scientists have discovered that immune cells possess a form of 'sense of touch.' This ability allows them to interact physically with their environment in complex ways. The research details how these cells detect and respond to various stimuli in the body. This finding significantly advances our understanding of the immune system's sophisticated functions. Future studies will explore how this tactile sensing impacts disease defense mechanisms.

🎬 Horror flick 'Obsession' nears Toy Story milestone

The horror film Obsession is close to surpassing the 4th biggest Toy Story movie worldwide. The film, directed by Curry Barker, achieved a domestic total of $263.4 million in North America. As of its May 15 release, its worldwide gross reached $495.7 million. This puts it less than $3 million away from beating Toy Story 2's $497.4 million haul. This success highlights the impact of the horror genre against major family franchises. 🎬

🇨🇦 Canada immigration application update drops

IRCC released new data on application throughput for various residency and citizenship files on August 18, 2026. The figures, accurate as of June 30, 2026, show 2,011,375 applications were finalized in the first six months of 2026. The department currently has 1,539,785 applications in inventory, which is up by 22,015 from May. Permanent residence applications stand at 712,795, while temporary residence has 401,280 pending. Moving forward, applicants can check their eligibility status through the official IRCC system. 🇨🇦

🎬 The Odyssey hits big in Indian box office

Christopher Nolan's film, The Odyssey, has proven to be a huge success at the Indian box office. The movie, starring Matt Damon and Tom Holland, was released in India with significant buzz. Over 32 days, it has earned a net total of 175.95 crore, achieving a nearly 11x opening day multiplier. The film maintained strong audience interest even past its initial two weeks, showing consistent performance. It is projected to finish its lifetime collection between 180-185 crore net. 🤩

🎬 The Odyssey hits Universal's top 5 worldwide

The Odyssey has achieved major box office milestones, entering Universal’s all-time top 5 highest-grossing films. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie surpassed The Fate of the Furious worldwide to reach this spot. In its 5th weekend, it earned $23.6 million domestically and $104 million internationally. The mythological epic is currently aiming to beat Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom for a higher ranking. The film, released on July 17, is projected to earn between $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion globally. 🚀

💰 Aamir Khan's production hits 1000 Cr mark

Batwara 1947 is pushing Aamir Khan's production total past the 1000 crore net mark. This is part of his 14 films produced by Aamir Khan Productions in Indian cinema. Across 13 films, the production house has a total budget of 544 crore and a cumulative collection of 970.43 crore. While his overall ROI is 78.39%, the post-COVID period has seen a slump with several flops. The fate of Batwara 1947 will determine the final box office picture. 🎬