James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ has managed to get a firm footing at the Indian box office. The highly awaited film, which was released in cinemas on Friday, has reportedly crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in just 2 days of its release.The film that remains a key big-screen family entertainer this holiday season has, however, been performing lower than expected for a blockbuster franchise release. As per a report on Sacnilk, the film collected approximately Rs 23.25 crore on its opening day. However, it did register a modest growth of about 15 per cent on Saturday, offering some relief after a comparatively muted start.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ box office collection Day 2

Early box office reports indicate that the film collected an estimated Rs 22.35 crore net on Day 2. The film’s net collections were driven largely by English-language screenings, which contributed around Rs 10.50 crore, followed by the Hindi version with approximately Rs 6.25 crore. The Tamil-dubbed version earned an estimated Rs 3 crore net, while the Telugu version added around Rs 2.50 crore.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ gross collections

In terms of gross collections, the film earned an estimated Rs 26.57 crore on Day 2, with English shows contributing about Rs 12.60 crore, followed by Rs 7.50 crore from Hindi. The Tamil and Telugu versions also posted solid numbers, earning roughly Rs 3.48 crore and Rs 2.88 crore, respectively.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ occupancy

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ recorded an average occupancy of 23.8 per cent on its second day, reflecting wide market penetration across regions with 5,091 shows nationwide.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ vs ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Despite the extensive release and strong brand recall, the film has struggled to match the opening momentum of its predecessor. As per the reports, the film has earned nearly half of what ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ earned on Day 1 in India in 2022. Back then, the film delivered a massive start at the Indian box office, grossing close to Rs 50 crore across all versions on its opening day and amassing around Rs 100 crore within its first two days. In comparison, the box office performance of ‘Fire and Ash’ is now nearly 50 per cent behind at the same point.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ vs ‘Dhurandhar‘

Trade observers suggest that the film’s opening-day potential may have been impacted by the continued blockbuster run of Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’, which remains dominant at the box office even in its third week. The film has been overshadowing all new releases to continue its blockbuster run at the Indian markets. The film, which completed 16 days at the box office, managed to score an impressive Rs 33.50 crore net collection.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ early predictions

While the numbers posted by ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ are still strong for a Hollywood release in India, they are being viewed as underwhelming for a franchise of this scale. The film is expected to continue a steady run and register an estimated Rs 75 crore debut weekend collection. However, ‘Dhurandhar’s continued dominance over the Indian box office may prove difficult in the days ahead.

JAMSHEDPUR: Fog hung low over the road as a young father stepped out of a govt hospital in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa with nothing left to save. Inside a plastic grocery bag pressed close to his chest lay the body of his four-month-old son. No ambulance was ready. No money remained. So he turned towards a public bus and began a 70km journey home.Dimba Chataumba, a villager from Baljori – a remote settlement under Noamundi PS limits in West Singhbhum district of southern Jharkhand – had come to Chaibasa sadar hospital hoping doctors could keep his infant alive. Instead, by Friday evening, he was forced to carry Krishna’s body back himself after the govt-run facility said it could not arrange a vehicle in time.Hospital staff told him to wait more than two hours. Their only working ambulance was far away, near Manoharpur, roughly 80km from Chaibasa, district headquarters of West Singhbhum. Chataumba nodded. Then he disappeared.He returned quietly, bought a thick grocery bag from a nearby shop, placed the 3.6kg body of his son inside and left without informing anyone, choosing a public bus over an uncertain wait.Krishna had been admitted a day earlier, suffering from high fever, loose motion and breathing trouble. Blood tests confirmed malaria. Doctors said the child was anaemic and critically ill, needing ventilator support beyond the hospital’s capacity.“The infant was anaemic and was in a critical condition. He required ventilation support. Thursday evening, we asked the boy’s father to take him to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College & Hospital in Jamshedpur for further treatment,” said district civil surgeon Dr Bharti Gorreti Minz.Jamshedpur, 70km from Chaibasa, has advanced referral facilities. Reaching it, though, costs money Chataumba didn’t have. He pleaded for treatment to continue at sadar hospital. He told doctors he could not afford transport. Oxygen and medicines were given, but by Friday afternoon, Krishna died.Grief quickly turned into urgency. Chataumba asked for a shav vahan, a hearse ambulance, to carry the body home. With only Rs 100 in his pocket, hiring a private vehicle was impossible. Officials asked him to wait. What happened next unfolded without witnesses.“Nobody at the paediatric ward, nor the hospital guard, was informed by the father about carrying his son’s body in the bag. He quietly left the hospital. We all were in the dark,” Minz added.By the time Chataumba reached home, neighbours gathered as he recounted the ordeal, his words spreading shock across the village.An inquiry ordered by the administration later concluded that the father had left hastily. Chaibasa sub-divisional officer Sandeep Anurag Topno’s report said Chataumba could not be contacted when the ambulance eventually arrived because he did not own a cellphone.Scenes like this continue to surface across India, laying bare deep gaps in public healthcare and transport for the poor. In Sept 2024, a Maharashtra couple walked through a muddy forest path with the bodies of their two sons after fever claimed their lives and no vehicle came. In June 2025, a tribal man in Nashik travelled 90km by bus with his newborn’s body in a bag after a civil hospital refused an ambulance.Jharkhand has seen its own share of such moments. This year, HC sought explanations from the state after videos showed a man carrying his sick wife on his shoulder when no ambulance arrived. The memory of Odisha’s Dana Majhi – who walked 12km with his wife’s body in 2016 – still lingers, a case that drew global outrage.Yet, on Friday evening in Chaibasa, those lessons felt distant. Baljori village lies amid forested hills and mining belts near the Odisha border, where public transport is sparse and private vehicles expensive. For families like Chataumba’s, a hospital visit already means debt. A referral to a city hospital can mean surrender.

KOLKATA: PM Narendra Modi used a fog-forced virtual rally in Bengal Saturday to pursue two parallel damage-control efforts – shoring up support among Matua voters unsettled by an electoral roll revision and repairing political fallout from his recent “Bankim da” reference in Parliament.PM Modi was to address a public meeting at Taherpur in Nadia district but his helicopter could not land because of heavy fog. He returned to Kolkata airport and spoke virtually for 18 minutes.The Matua community – electorally crucial in Nadia and North 24 Parganas – has shown signs of unease over EC’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls. At the same time, Trinamool Congress has targeted Modi and BJP over his Lok Sabha reference to Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay as “Bankim da”, calling it proof that the party was culturally alien to Bengal. Calling Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay “Rishi Bankim babu”, Modi praised the author of ‘Anandamath’ and creator of ‘Vande Mataram‘, saying Bengal and Bangla had enriched Indian history and culture. “Vande Mataram was one such contribution and the entire nation is celebrating its 150th anniversary,” he said. “Bengal was blessed with a sage like Rishi Bankim babu, who sowed seeds of emancipation in British-ruled India.”He paid tribute to Matua icons Harichand Thakur, Guruchand Thakur and Baroma, praising the community for “taking their philosophy of social development forward” and crediting Harichand Thakur with teaching “the virtue of karma”. He also invoked Sri Chaitanya, describing him as an icon of love and compassion.Modi linked SIR to infiltration, an emotive subject in border districts adjoining Bangladesh, including Nadia and North 24 Parganas. “I can see them shouting ‘go back Modi’ slogans,” he said, referring to TMC supporters. “But they are tight-lipped when it comes to saying ‘go back’ to infiltrators. The infiltrators, who are trying to control Bengal, are close to Trinamool’s heart. That is why they are trying to save infiltrators and opposing SIR.“The speech did not directly address Matua fears linked to SIR. In Nadia, more than 2.7 lakh voters – over 6% of the electorate – have been flagged as “unmapped”, unable to establish linkage with the 2002 voters’ list. In North 24 Parganas, over 7 lakh voters – about 8.8% – fall in that category. Matua elders say a substantial share of those numbers belongs to their community.BJP functionaries acknowledged Matua support played a major role in the party’s strong performance in 2021 assembly polls and 2024 general elections, and have issued assurances to calm anxieties. Some senior members privately expressed surprise that Modi did not directly engage with the issue.Modi also pitched BJP as the sole alternative for Bengal’s development after virtually inaugurating construction of a four-lane highway. He contrasted NDA’s landslide victory in Bihar with what he called “mahajangalraj” in Bengal, blaming Trinamool for stalled growth.

Elon Musk became the first person in history to reach a net worth of more than $700 billion following a court ruling that reinstated a massive compensation package tied to his role at electric‑vehicle maker Tesla, reports news agency Reuters.Last week, the Delaware Supreme Court restored stock options from Musk’s 2018 pay package that had been voided by a lower court, leading to a surge in his estimated wealth to about $749 billion. The options are now valued at roughly $139 billion, far more than the original $56 billion figure when the deal was first approved.The high court said the earlier decision to cancel Musk’s pay package was unfair and wrong. This reversed a 2024 ruling that had called the deal “unfathomable.” With the package restored, Musk’s wealth increased significantly and made him the richest person in the world by an absurd margin.Earlier this week, Musk’s wealth passed $600 billion for the first time, following reports that his space company SpaceX might go public, which could increase his fortune even more.In November, Tesla shareholders approved a new pay plan for Musk worth $1 trillion, the largest ever for a corporate executive. The step showed strong support from investors for his plans to make Tesla a leader not in electric cars and also in artificial intelligence, robotics.Musk’s expensive ventures extends beyond Tesla, where he owns a hefty share of stock. He is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer and space transport company behind reusable rockets and the Starlink satellite internet network. In addition to Tesla and SpaceX, Musk’s ventures include Neuralink, a neurotechnology firm developing brain‑computer interfaces, and The Boring Company, which focuses on tunnel construction and innovative transport systems. He also oversees X Corp., the parent of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and xAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) research company.Musk’s wealth now far exceeds that of his nearest rival, Google co‑founder Larry Page, by nearly $500 billion on the Forbes list.The billionaire also briefly worked with the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, under US President Donald Trump in the White House. DOGE was set up by executive order to cut government waste and make federal operations more efficient, and Musk served as a special government employee and senior adviser on the initiative without a salary, providing guidance on cost‑cutting measures and restructuring efforts.

Bangladeshi tourists in Kolkata are experiencing tension and anxiety due to fresh violence in their home country, prompting some to consider cutting short their medical trips

KOLKATA: Tension and anxiety gripped many Bangladeshi tourists staying in central Kolkata following a fresh outbreak of violence in Dhaka and other cities. This has prompted several visitors to closely monitor developments back home and consider cutting short their stay.Most of the tourists are in the city on medical visas and are lodged in hotels and guest houses in and around Marquis Street, Free School Street, and Collin Street — an area informally known as ‘Mini Bangladesh’ because of its concentration of hotels, guest houses, eateries, and travel agencies. On Friday, many said they were worried that the situation in their home country could deteriorate further, affecting both their families’ safety and bilateral movement between India and Bangladesh.

“The situation in Dhaka was tense for the past few days, and this fresh spell of violence is deeply concerning,” said Mujibur Rahman, who arrived in Kolkata early Friday for the medical treatment of a family member. Several tourists were seen consulting travel agents about rescheduling or advancing return tickets. Others gathered in small groups outside hotels and tea stalls, discussing reports from home and staying in contact with family members. “I am praying the situation stabilises in the next couple of days,” said Suman Mondal, another visitor from Bangladesh. Tourist inflow from Bangladesh showed signs of recovery since Oct after a prolonged slump of nearly 15 months. In July, political unrest and economic stress in Bangladesh sharply curtailed travel, leaving businesses in Mini Bangladesh struggling to survive. Hotels, guest houses, money exchange counters, and transport operators only recently began to see improved occupancy and footfall, largely driven by medical tourism.For families travelling with children, the uncertainty has added to their anxiety. Amin Islam, a resident of Khulna who is visiting Kolkata with his wife and two daughters, said safety concerns were paramount. The renewed violence has also raised fears among traders and hotel owners that the fragile recovery in business could be disrupted once again. Many said cancellations or early departures would directly impact business that depends heavily on Bangladeshi visitors. “We have reassured our guests that they are safe in Kolkata and that there is no reason for panic here,” said the owner of a guest house on Collin Street. “But uncertainty back home naturally affects their plans and our business.”

TOI correspondent from Washington: The US justice department released an initial trove of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday evening, marking a partial fulfillment of a congressional mandate but sparking immediate backlash over extensive redactions and incomplete disclosure. The files, comprising thousands of pages and hundreds of images, were made public just before a statutory deadline, yet officials acknowledged that not all materials would be unsealed immediately, citing the need to protect victims’ privacy and ongoing reviews. The partial release came amid widespread suspicions of a cover-up by the Trump administration on grounds that the President, a flamboyant businessman from the 1980s when he was friends with Epstein, is implicated.

Among the newly released images are previously unseen photographs of Epstein with associates, including former President Bill Clinton in casual settings, such as on Epstein’s private island. One photograph shows Clinton seated in a jacuzzi and another shows him with the late entertainer Michael Jackson. The context is limited by redactions. References to Trump appear comparatively sparse in the initial batch, with documents noting his cooperation in earlier inquiries and containing no new allegations. Names of other alleged associates and accomplices are frequently obscured. In some cases, entire documents – including lengthy grand jury transcripts – are fully blacked out. Commentators, even those on the right, fumed at the selective disclosure they said will simply extend the suspense and lead to more political posturing and gaslighting. “People are raging and walking away,” said Marjorie Taylor-Greene, a one-time Trump acolyte turned MAGA dissenter who fell out with the President, describing it as a “heavily redacted Epstein files” that was potentially shielding elites. Analysts also argued that the prominence of materials referencing Clinton risked turning the release into a partisan exercise while failing to resolve broader questions about Epstein’s network. Images of fully blacked-out pages circulated widely on social media as symbols of public frustration. “All the Epstein files have been released! Here’s every page available…” one commentator snarkily noted, alongside images of fully blacked-out pages. In all, more than 550 pages were released as solid black boxes. The release created a rare moment of alignment between Democrats and a few Republicans lawmakers who have stood up to Trump. California Democrat Ro Khanna and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, primary architects of the Transparency Act which mandated the release, condemned the selective offering, saying the it “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.” Khanna said the law explicitly forbids redactions based on “political sensitivity” or “reputational harm,” yet the release appears to shield specific names while highlighting others.Victim advocacy groups offered a more measured response. Representatives for survivors welcomed efforts to protect identifying information but urged fuller disclosure of non-sensitive material. “Safeguarding victims is essential,” said a spokesperson for the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, “but so is accountability.”In a statement posted to an Epstein-specific page on the DOJ’s website, the department said it had made “all reasonable efforts” to comply with the congressional mandate while protecting the privacy of victims and ensuring legal review. Officials characterized the disclosure as the first installment of a rolling release, with additional materials expected in the coming weeks.The release stems from a bipartisan law – arising from the Khanna-Massie bill – signed by President Trump in November after initial attempts by Trump minions to stall it. The law required the DOJ to declassify and publish records from the Epstein investigation by December 19. Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, has long been at the center of sex-trafficking allegations involving a network of powerful figures from politics, business, and entertainment.

Vanessa Bryant (Image Via: Getty Images)

The late Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant’s widow, Venessa Bryant, is the executor of the vast financial legacy built during Kobe Bryant’s iconic NBA career. In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash. After Bryant’s passing in 2020, Vanessa Bryant inherited most of his money, including what he earned from basketball, endorsements, etc. Most of this wealth comes from his NBA salary, his investments, such as BodyArmor and their company, Bryant Stibel. Vanessa now manages these finances and makes important decisions about the family’s money. One major gain came from the sale of BodyArmor to Coca-Cola, which brought in a large amount of money for the family.

What is Vanessa Bryant’s net worth as of 2025?

As of 2025, Vanessa Bryant’s net worth is estimated to be around $600 million as per Celebrity Net Worth. After Kobe Bryant’s sudden passing in 2020, Vanessa Bryant became the manager of his financial empire that he built, meaning she makes key decisions about how money and investments are handled. She continues to handle holdings in companies like BodyArmor, whose sale to Coca-Cola brought huge financial gains to the Bryant family. Vanessa also manages real estate and other assets inherited from Kobe. In 2023, Vanessa Bryant won a nearly $29 million lawsuit settlement against Los Angeles County over privacy violations after the crash. She chose to donate the money to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

How Vanessa Bryant is turning loss into leadership and lasting impact, honouring late husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant?

After Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in 2020, Vanessa Bryant became the sole person responsible for managing his financial legacy. She handles and manages income earned from his NBA career, endorsements, and business ventures. A large part of the family’s wealth comes from his investments, including BodyArmor and Bryant Stibel, with the BodyArmor sale proving especially significant.Additionally, one of Vanessa Bryant’s key roles is serving as the President and CEO of Granity Studios, the multimedia company Kobe Bryant founded. Under her leadership, the company keeps producing books, shows, and creative content inspired by Kobe’s vision. She also launched Mambacita clothing in 2021, a project honoring her late daughter Gianna Bryant. All profits from the clothing business support her foundation’s programs for young athletes. Vanessa Bryant continues to lead the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that supports underserved youth athletes, along with managing ongoing brand partnerships with Nike and other key collaborators.Also Read: Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant shares a quiet Instagram glimpse of her new princess with 15.6 million followers

As the Silicon Valley ‘AI talent war’ escalates into a multi-billion dollar bidding power struggle, Google has successfully deployed a ‘boomerang’ strategy to bring its top minds back to the company. While rivals like Meta and OpenAI are offering astronomical signing bonuses as mush as $100 million, Google is winning back its former staffers with a different kind of currency: Robust computational infrastructure.Citing data, CNBC reported that approximately 20% of AI software engineers hired by Google in 2025 were former employees. This suggests that for the world’s elite engineers, the ability to build is becoming more valuable than a massive immediate paychecks.

Google has deep pockets and computational infrastructure

The report also said that during a recent internal meeting, Google’s head of compensation, John Casey, addressed the trend directly, noting that AI researchers are increasingly drawn back to Google’s “deep pockets” and its unparalleled “hefty computational infrastructure.”Google is uniquely positioned as an “all-in-one” provider with its own Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), a Cloud to host AI models, and even products to help it infuse its AI services, giving it an edge that cash alone cannot buy.“We’re energized by our momentum, compute and talent. Engineers want to work here to keep building groundbreaking products,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying.Apart from salary and infrastructure, Google has spent months in eliminating over one-third of middle-management roles to speed up product shipping. Co-founder Sergey Brin came out of retirement to personally call and recruit top-tier candidates. More recently, the success of Gemini 3 has provided the company an edge after a rocky start in 2022.Recently, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, who is the co-founder of DeepMind, also acknowledged the shortage of AI talent, saying that this has led to a constant “rotation” of experts between the “Big Five” tech firms.