📉 Parliament's low productivity, but 11 bills passed

The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on August 13, 2026, amid various disruptions. The Lok Sabha saw a low productivity of 15%, matching its lowest in 2016, while the Rajya Sabha hit 33%. Despite this, a total of 11 Bills were managed to pass during the session. Many of these bills were passed without any substantial debate by MPs in the Lok Sabha. Moving forward, the session's low Question Hour efficiency suggests areas needing significant legislative improvement.

📈 Vivo T5 Pro sees massive price hike up to ₹7,000

The Vivo T5 Pro has undergone its largest price increase, jumping by up to ₹7,000 across variants. This affects the 8GB + 128GB model now priced at ₹41,999 and the 8GB + 256GB at ₹46,999. This is the third price revision since the phone initially launched in April. The jump is attributed to rising DRAM and NAND memory costs driven by AI data centers. The phone now sits in a higher segment without any corresponding hardware upgrades. 💸

🍄 Mushroom killer's appeal: hotel mix-up questioned

Erin Patterson's conviction is being appealed after a 'catastrophic' hotel mix-up during the trial. This incident occurred in Melbourne, Victoria, where jurors stayed with prosecutors and a key witness. The conviction was for killing three relatives in 2023, and Patterson is serving a life sentence. Her lawyers argue this undermined the verdict, while the DPP is also appealing the 33-year parole period. The judges are expected to reserve their decision for several weeks.

🎬 Paresh Rawal's son debuts in Awarapan 2

Anirrudh, son of Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat, made his big-screen debut in Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2. He plays the autistic character Sikander in the film, which is a Rs 100 crore blockbuster. The movie was released after Anirrudh previously acted in the Netflix show Scoop (2023). He has been mentored by film veteran Naseeruddin Shah since before his debut. The film cemented Emraan Hashmi's star power after minting Rs 100 crore net in five days. 🎬

🚗 Hyundai reinvents best-selling Tucson with bold new look

Hyundai has completely redesigned its best-selling Tucson crossover for its fifth generation. This new model was revealed overnight in Korea, featuring a bolder and more robust design compared to the current SUV. The car measures 4700mm long, making it larger and moving it into the D-segment market. Its updated silhouette and features aim to compete directly with rivals like the Skoda Kodiaq and Honda CR-V. Hyundai has not yet specified the powertrains available for this revamped Tucson. 🤩

⚕️ West Africa boosts health response to epidemics

Two hundred eighty-two experts gathered in Abidjan to reaffirm commitment to stronger epidemic responses across West Africa. Representatives and partners attended a four-day workshop focused on validating the third Regional Strategic Plan for Epidemic Preparedness. The new framework aims to bolster sub-region health security for the years 2027-2031. Health threats like yellow fever and cholera persist, complicated by climate change risks. ECOWAS members are also increasing surveillance due to the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda.

🧠 10yo inventor wins big with AI 'electronic nose'

Ten-year-old Hsu Ting-wei won the top prize at the Silicon Valley International Festival in California for his invention. He represents Kang Chiao International School and developed an AI-powered 'Novel Artificial Electronic Nose.' The invention combines air sampling, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and AI odor recognition technology. Hsu hopes his device can stop diseases like African swine fever and intercept drugs like fentanyl. This win contributes to Taiwan's record 24 gold medals at the festival. 🏆

💰 Barça sets strict price tag for Fort's exit

Barcelona's plan to offload defender Hector Fort has become complicated after initial talks with Borussia Dortmund. The Catalan giants have now set clear financial conditions for the player's departure. They are demanding €20 million for 100% of his rights, or €8-€10 million for 50% of the rights. Real Sociedad's late interest has added another serious contender to the transfer race. Any interested club meeting these demands can move forward with the transfer process.

😟 UAE cuts economic ties with Iran amid missile claims

The UAE has indefinitely suspended all economic ties with Iran following allegations that Tehran fired ballistic missiles toward its territory. The UAE, a major commercial partner, announced the halt in trade and financial transactions due to escalating regional tensions. These measures will remain in place until further notice, as stated by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite the cut-offs, the UAE reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue and regional stability. Iran has officially denied any targeting of the UAE using its missile capabilities. 😟

🤖 Claude can now reply to your Gmail messages 🤖

Anthropic has upgraded Claude to actively manage Gmail messages on behalf of users. This new feature integrates with Google Workspace, allowing Claude to draft and send replies after user approval. Users can now ask Claude to search, summarize long threads, and pull info from multiple emails. This moves AI assistants from just answering questions to completing actual tasks. Availability is rolling out to Claude users who connect their Gmail account to the service.

🚨 I&B Officer Caught Taking 10 Lakh Bribe

An Indian Bureau (I&B) officer was caught red-handed while demanding a bribe of Rs 10 lakh to process a file. The CBI successfully apprehended the officer at the scene of the alleged corruption. This incident was reported in the context of ongoing anti-corruption drives across the region. The officer's actions highlight systemic issues within certain bureaucratic processes. Authorities are currently investigating the matter to take further legal action against him.