WORLD

There's no stopping Ponniyin Selvan 1! The film recently touched the Rs 400-crore mark on Day 12. Now, according to trade analyst Ramesh Bala, the film is expected to earn about Rs 410 (worldwide collection) crore by the end of its thirteenth day at the box office. The film is set to continue its box-office domination till Diwali.

"It will have a good run till Diwali, and even after the new releases, it will be running in a good number of theatres. Currently, it is doing really well across Tamil Nadu and in overseas marker," Ramesh said. When asked about the approximate lifetime collection of the film, he says, "I expect the film to earn more than Rs 500 crore (worldwide collection) by the end of its theatrical run. However, it is an immensely profitable venture. It is said that the film has earned more than the budget of both parts combined. So, the second part is a profitable venture even before its release."

Israel has been providing Ukraine with "basic intelligence" on the Iranian drones used by Russia in its invasion, The New York Times said on Wednesday.

A senior Israeli official reportedly told the Times about the intelligence sharing, and that a private Israeli firm was also giving Ukraine satellite imagery of Russian troop positions. 

Russian forces have been using several variants of Iranian drones in its Ukraine campaign since at least August, Ukrainian, American and UK officials have confirmed in separate intelligence reports.

In particular, Moscow has been using the Shahed-136 suicide drone. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has seen limited success.

During the G7 crisis meeting held on Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, no definitive stand was taken on the Russian oil price cap imposition issue. The G7, especially the US and its European members, are recovering from the effects of diplomatic tussle between the US and Saudi Arabia, as the latter entertained Russia’s request to reduce production to boost prices.

The US and its European allies have been mulling the move to impose a cap on Russian fuel prices which they believe helps Russian president Vladimir Putin fund the war on Ukraine.

The plan is expected to come into force from December 5 onwards. A cap was promised first when G7 finance ministers met on September 2.

France says it will reinforce its military presence on NATO's eastern flank in the coming weeks with additional troops, tanks and weapons.

It comes as Russia escalated its war in Ukraine this week with massive missile strikes across the country, and follows an announcement by President Macron last week of a €100 million arms fund for Ukraine.

"In view of the situation on the eastern flank of NATO, in view of the violence of the fighting in Ukraine, in this war led by the Russian Federation, the President of the Republic has decided to raise our defensive posture on the eastern flank of Europe," French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told a hearing of the Senate Defence Committee.

A female pilot of the United States based Southwest Airlines is suing the airline after her company allegedly failed to act against her ex-colleague over an indecent incident inside the cockpit. As per a report on Aerotime, a male captain of the said airline stripped inside the cockpit of the plane mid-air, while the female pilot was also present inside. The female pilot Christine Janning alleges that after she reported the behaviour of her co-pilot, Michael Haak, to the company and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the airline grounded her, while Haak continued to work despite an alleged history of sexual misconduct, according to AP News.  

The incident took place in August 2020, during a passenger flight from Philadelphia (PHL) to Florida (MCO).  As per Janning, Haak told her it was his final flight and he wanted to do something before retirement.