Users in international markets, including India, will soon be able to access premium features of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp thanks to Meta‘s planned introduction of new paid subscription plans.

This is a significant change in how people use its social media platforms.

In order to provide paying members access to sophisticated tools, customisation choices, and improved visibility features that will not be available to regular users, the firm has released “Plus” versions of its applications.

By pushing consumers to spend a monthly charge for premium social media experiences, the action signifies Meta’s increasing emphasis on expanding its revenue sources outside of advertising.

While WhatsApp Plus will cost $2. 99 per month, or about Rs 290, Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus have been priced at $3. 99 per month, which is approximately Rs 387. Nevertheless, the firm has not yet revealed the official pricing for India.

According to a TechCrunch article, Instagram Plus users will have access to a number of premium features, such as the option to create limitless Story audience lists outside of the current Close Friends feature and the ability to see how many people have watched their Stories again.

Additionally, the premium package will let users discreetly see Stories without showing up in the viewer list, extend Stories past the typical 24-hour limit, and highlight one Story per week for more exposure.

In addition to being able to post directly to profiles and Highlights without having those postings visible in their followers’ feeds, subscribers will be able to search through Story viewer lists.

Additionally, Meta is providing cosmetic enhancements for paid users. Subscribers to Instagram Plus will have access to animated “Super Heart” responses, unique fonts for their bios, custom app icons, and additional profile pinning choices.

WhatsApp Plus is more focused on customizing messaging, but Facebook Plus is likely to provide comparable premium tools.

Users of the messaging service will have access to unique chat themes, premium ringtones, premium stickers, extra pinned chats, and sophisticated list customization options.

Naomi Gleit, Meta’s product lead, suggested in an Instagram statement that the firm plans to add “more enjoyable features” for subscribers in the future.

These subscriptions are different from Meta Verified, the company’s current paid verification service that provides identity verification, impersonation protection, and customer service, Meta said.

The company is simultaneously expanding into artificial intelligence services with a new “Meta One” subscription ecosystem that integrates creator-focused tools, AI, and business-focused tools.

The filmmakers of director Venky Atluri‘s eagerly awaited movie, “Vishwanath & Sons,” starring actor Suriya, said on Thursday that the family entertainment will be released globally on August 14 of this year.

The production firm behind the movie, Sithara Entertainments, used its social media timelines to spread the word.

“Dear Anbaana Fans,” it stated, “here’s our short statement to keep the festivities continuing. ” Clear the way for VishwanathAndSons. Arriving to conquer cinemas worldwide on August 14, 2026.

VASonAUG14th. The film, which is directed by well-known filmmaker Venky Atluri and produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi & Sai Soujanya, is anticipated to give viewers total entertainment that is full of humor, emotion, and endearing family situations.

Since the creators dropped a teaser, the movie has garnered a great deal of enthusiasm from viewers.

Sanjay Vishwanath, an international pistol shooter who is still pursuing his ambitions in his 40s, is featured in the teaser. Suriya plays a multilayered part that combines fatherly tenderness with emotional depth. Venky Atluri’s powerful language and his elegant demeanor evoke memories of his classic performances.

Mamitha Baiju brings a lively and alluring vitality to the picture, adding freshness to the story. The teaser teases a surprising love tale with a significant age gap. This aspect is expected to be handled with depth and emotional maturity given Venky Atluri’s storytelling aesthetic.

The posters featuring Suriya with a child in the first glance immediately resonated with family audiences and restored the actor’s classic appeal.

Director Venky Atluri delivers a feel-good emotional entertainer with outstanding family values and fascinating storytelling, following the back-to-back hits of SIR/Vaathi and Lucky Baskhar.

Raveena Tandon and Radhika Sarathkumar are also featured in the movie in prominent parts.

Nimish Ravi did the cinematography, and G. V. Prakash Kumar composed the music for the movie. Editing for the movie is done by Navin Nooli, while Banglan handles the production design.

Think Studios will distribute the movie in Tamil Nadu, guaranteeing a solid theatrical debut throughout the state.

Trading on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE exchanges is halted due to Eid al-Adha, therefore domestic equity markets will be closed on Thursday.

On both exchanges, trading in equities, equity derivatives, securities lending and borrowing (SLB), currency derivatives, and interest rate derivatives will be halted for the day.

After a holiday on May 1st for Maharashtra Day, trading is expected to resume on Friday, May 29th.

There are 16 stock market holidays in 2026, and eight of them have already occurred. There are still seven trading holidays left for the remainder of the year after Thursday’s close.

June 26, when Muharram will cause trading to be suspended, is the next market holiday.

According to its holiday schedule, the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will be closed in the morning session but will reopen for trading in the evening session in the commodities market.

Furthermore, the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) will not be open for either morning or evening sessions on the day.

Due to the geopolitical concerns surrounding the US-Iran situation, which kept investors on edge, headline indices concluded flat on Wednesday.

Nifty concluded at 23,907. 15, down 6. 55 points or 0. 03%, while the 30-share index lost over 100 points or 0. 19% to settle at 75,867. 80. According to provisional data from the NSE, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers during the session, acquiring shares worth Rs 16,893. 10 crore versus sales of Rs 13,072. 10 crore, resulting in a net inflow of Rs 3,821 crore.

On the other hand, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) became net sellers, selling shares worth Rs 12,461. 35 crore and purchasing shares worth Rs 11,418. 65 crore, resulting in a net outflow of Rs 1,042. 70 crore.

The contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) industry in India is experiencing a quick reorientation of employment towards AI-enabled capabilities, with a 178 percent increase in AI-linked skill demand over the previous two years.

The HR solutions company CIEL HR stated in its research that although the total sectoral hiring increased by 52% between 2023 and 2025, the demand connected to AI surged from 6. 2% to 17. 2% in 2025.

At over 38%, the digital and technology positions had the greatest AI demand. Demand for skills led by AI is expanding into essential roles like quality, analytics, and research and development outside of standard technological positions.

Due to growing complexity in outsourced pharmaceutical programs and sustained capacity growth, overall recruiting saw a shift in momentum from manufacturing to capability-intensive positions.

According to the study, manufacturing and operations will continue to be the largest segment in 2025, accounting for 1,820 positions. At around 8% year-over-year, these roles had the lowest growth among all role families, though.

More and more, hiring is moving away from labor intensity and toward automation, accuracy in planning, and predictability in quality.

Especially in high-value scientific jobs, the analysis noted a growing execution difference between demand and available talent.

The current supply of talent with AI abilities in these jobs is still under 1% despite the increase in demand for AI skills in research and development positions to 24%, which poses a major execution limitation.

The CDMO industry is approaching a stage where the capacity to incorporate intelligence into each level of operations will be the foundation of competitive advantage. “AI is becoming essential to how research is hastened, manufacturing is optimized, and client obligations are met,” stated Aditya Narayana Mishra, CIEL HR’s MD and CEO.

Out of almost 1,44,000 manufacturing experts, the survey found that only roughly 0. 8% possess AI abilities. Nearly 0. 1 percent of the almost 1,19,000 professionals in commercial positions have AI ability. Approximately 15% of the data and analytics positions had AI skill penetration.

Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, after Jofra Archer ripped through the top order following one of the best innings in IPL knockout history by teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

With this victory, the Rajasthan Royals moved on to Qualifier 2, where they will play the Gujarat Titans.

Sooryavanshi led RR to 243 for 8 with an astounding 97 runs off only 28 balls. SRH launched a bold counterattack in their pursuit, but the score was too high for them. Suresh Raina’s record for the quickest half-century in an IPL playoff was matched by the 15-year-old, who scored 50 runs in 16 balls.

He also exceeded Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a T20 event. He top-edged Praful Hinge to deep third man while on 97, missing out on Gayle’s record for the quickest IPL century by three runs, but he had completely thrown SRH’s bowling strategy off.

Sooryavanshi’s attack, however, caused Power-play to become total mayhem despite Pat Cummins’ initial defensive field positions and heavy yorkers.

In only eight overs, RR reached 125 for 1 after racing to 63 without losing a wicket in four overs. One of the most peculiar supporting acts in T20 cricket occurred while Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to 29 from 29 balls.

Sooryavanshi’s departure did not significantly decelerate the momentum. RR reached 192 for 3 in 13. 5 overs after Dhruv Jurel destroyed Cummins with scoops, pulls, and straight hits to score a 20-ball fifty.

Even if Nitish Kumar Reddy made a disciplined finish, Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira’s late efforts helped RR go over 240, while Riyan Parag added 26.

SRH had a rocky start while chasing 244. With a fierce short delivery, Archer blasted on the second ball of the innings, compelling Abhishek Sharma (0) to glove the ball to the keeper. SRH, however, didn’t give up readily.

In an exciting exchange, Ishan Kishan let loose 33 off 11 while Travis Head joined the early assault, helping SRH reach 51 for 1 in 2. 4 overs.

Archer, however, completely transformed the game. Kishan (33) edged a catch to cover while attempting another aggressive shot, and Ravichandran Smaran (1) was bowled by Nandre Burger with a hard-length delivery shortly after.

Then, with a 150 km/h delivery that struck the top of the off stump, Archer bowled Head (17). With Archer again making a major impression at a pivotal point in the competition, SRH slumped to 57 for 4 in 4. 4 overs.

Even if Heinrich Klaasen (18) momentarily raised expectations by smashing a brilliant six off legspinner Yash Raj Punja, RR successfully appealed his lbw after he missed a reverse sweep. RR kept claiming wickets, but SRH kept attacking with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Impact Player Salil Arora, who scored a 50-run partnership in only 19 balls.

Archer made a fantastic catch at the boundary to dismiss Reddy for 38 off 20 deliveries by restricting his mobility, and Pat Cummins (1) fell while attempting to clear long-on.

SRH’s loss of wickets persisted as RR sailed to a 47-run victory even if Arora persisted in his comeback, adding 24 runs with Shivang Kumar, who then contributed an additional 24 with Eshan Malinga.

Jofra Archer concluded with unbelievable stats of 4-0-58-3, which appear costly, especially since Shivang Kumar also challenged him in a 17th over that saw 16 runs scored, but the statistics barely reflected his influence on the Eliminator.

In the second ball of the chase, Archer hit Abhishek Sharma, then came back to get rid of the dangerous Ishan Kishan and exploded through Travis Head with a 150kph thunderbolt.

Ultimately, Rajasthan Royals’ favor was significantly shifted by those three top-order wickets. Sushant, Burger, and Jadeja all claimed two wickets.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 243/8 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 97, Dhruv Jurel 50; Praful Hinge 3-54, Shivang Kumar 1-19)
Sunrisers Hyderabad 196 all out in 19.2 overs (Ishan Kishan 38, Nitish Kumar Reddy 35; Jofra Archer 3-58, Ravindra Jadeja 3-21)

In an appeal to companies from both nations to deepen engagement as New Delhi pressed for stronger economic collaboration with Ottawa, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday referred to India and Canada as reliable democratic partners.

Together with Canadian Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, Goyal spoke at the opening Ministerial Plenary Session in Toronto, “From Political Reset to Commercial Delivery,” where he said that India and Canada have “tremendous complementarity” and great prospects for future growth.

“We observe excellent complementarity between our two economies. “We perceive enormous potential in elevating this connection to the next level,” Goyal stated.

According to the minister, India dispatched its “largest ever delegation to leave the shores of India” to Toronto in order to show New Delhi’s determination to resume economic growth with Canada.

In his speech, Goyal highlighted diversity as the defining characteristic of the bilateral relationship by beginning with greetings in numerous Indian languages.

“Diversity is the foundation of the relationship between Canada and India,” he stated, adding that the relationship demonstrated how “the people of these two very significant and vital economies and enterprises, vibrant democracies, trust one another, believe in one another, and want to engage with one another. ”

The alliance was based on democratic institutions and mutual trust among people, businesses, and governments, he added.

He stated that “the strong roots in our two democracies, where we believe very powerful institutions uphold the rule of law,” continue to be the relationship’s fundamental strength.

Using a personal analogy, Goyal emphasized the necessity for long-term engagement and trust-building, alluding to the recent strains in bilateral ties.

“Even if there are a few misunderstandings and disagreements, marriages last forever. “Relationships, friendships, partnerships, and marriages should all be fostered,” he stated.

“A message of mutual respect, trust, and friendship” should be conveyed through the two-day commercial event, according to Goyal.

He emphasized that the Indian delegation was broadly representative, stating that it included participants from “different industries, chambers, and regions of India. ”

In order to draw a comparison between the two countries’ top business centers, Goyal said, “I come from Mumbai. It’s arguably like Toronto, the financial and commercial center of India.

Following the conference, Goyal wrote in an X post that he had urged Canadian enterprises and industry leaders to become “active participants in India’s growth story. ” He added that the suggested Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would be a “key catalyst” in increasing bilateral trade and investment connections.

Important economic interests in areas such as critical minerals, agriculture, education, technology, and energy are shared by the two nations. Before slowing in the middle of the diplomatic dispute, conversations about a larger trade deal, which included CEPA, had advanced through numerous rounds.

The board meeting of Tata Sons ended on Tuesday, with worries about the conglomerate’s financial performance of multiple group businesses and its leadership becoming more pressing.

The gathering began at the company headquarters, Bombay House, in the morning and ended late in the afternoon, with Noel Tata and other directors present.

While leaving the headquarters in South Mumbai, N Chandrasekaran made no statement regarding the talks or any decisions made at the meeting.

Amid rising controversy within the Tata Group over losses in some of its newer ventures and ongoing discussions about leadership continuity, the conference was convened.

It was said that it was doubtful that Chandrasekaran’s reappointment as chairman would be brought up for discussion during Tuesday’s meeting.

According to rumors, Chandrasekaran and Noel Tata met during the weekend to talk about the financial strain on several unlisted firms, especially the performance of group companies.

Estimates indicate that the combined losses of Tata Group’s unlisted businesses in FY25 were around Rs 10,905 crore, and the figure may increase to around Rs 29,000 crore, according to reports.

Concerns within Tata Trusts, which controls around two-thirds of Tata Sons, are reported to have been raised by the losses.

According to rumors, Noel Tata has voiced worries about the financial success of Air India, electronics companies, and Tata Digital, among other newer enterprises that were established or expanded during Chandrasekaran’s term. The group acquired Air India from the government.

There have also been a number of governance-related changes in the Tata Group and Tata Trusts in recent weeks.

Earlier, the Maharashtra State Charity Commissioner had instructed Tata Trusts to postpone a crucial board meeting in response to allegations of irregularities in the composition of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust’s (SRTT) board of trustees.

The order, according to Tata Trusts, was ex parte and only relevant to SRTT; the Charity Commissioner’s directions were also being investigated.

Legal and governance-related discussions led to the postponement of the May 8 meetings of the SRTT and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) until May 16.

Among the topics anticipated to be addressed at those discussions regarding Tata Sons were Chandrasekaran’s extended term as chairman, the potential listing of the company, and the role of certain nominee directors.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru played a strong all-around game to defeat the Gujarat Titans by 92 runs and clinch their spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final at Dharamshala’s Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.

With this triumph, the defending champions qualified for their second straight IPL final.

Gujarat Titans never recovered from losing wickets on a regular basis after setting a huge goal of 255. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, and Krunal Pandya each claimed two wickets, while pacer Jacob Duffy led the bowling assault brilliantly with three crucial scalps.

Gujarat began well, with Jacob Duffy being attacked by Sai Sudharsan in the third over. But, in a bizarre occurrence, Sudharsan’s bat fell out of his grip as he attempted to strike, and it flew back onto the stumps, ending his innings for 14 runs in nine balls.

Shubman Gill, the skipper of Gujarat, was then dismissed for only two runs by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Josh Hazlewood responded right away by cleaning up the dangerous batter after Jos Buttler attempted to counterattack and slammed boundaries and sixes at him. Only 11 balls were required for Buttler to score a rapid 29 runs.

When Rasikh Salam Dar eliminated Nishant Sandhu and Jason Holder in the same over, RCB increased their hold in the last over of the Power-play. Gujarat ended the Power-play with a score of 51/5 while pursuing the massive goal.

Duffy dismissed Sundar for eight runs after Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia attempted to restart the innings. Shortly after, the New Zealand pacer struck again by knocking out Rashid Khan, dropping Gujarat to 87/7 in 11 overs. Kagiso Rabada was caught by Virat Kohli at long-on, which made things worse for Gujarat.

Rahul Tewatia of the Gujarat Titans battled alone as the game seemed to be slipping away. The left-handed batter scored a 33-ball half-century, which was an exciting innings. Prior to Bhuvneshwar’s slower ball dismissing him, he had scored 68 runs off 43 balls, including eight fours and four sixes.

The Gujarat Titans were bowled out in 19. 3 overs with 162 runs, and Krunal Pandya completed the innings by capturing the final wicket.

Earlier, Skipper Rajat Patidar‘s undefeated 93 had helped RCB set a record score of 254/5. With stats of 3/39, Jacob Duffy was Bengaluru’s top bowler.

RCB got off to a good start after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, with Venkatesh Iyer hitting 19 runs off just seven balls, including three fours and a six, before being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada.

Following that, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli maintained their assault. As RCB achieved their highest powerplay score of the season, 76/1, Kohli made several elegant strokes while Padikkal consistently hit boundaries.

With two fast wickets, Jason Holder helped the Gujarat Titans get back into the game. Padikkal left with 30 runs off 19 deliveries, and Kohli was bowled for 43 runs off 25 balls.

Krunal and Patidar Before making a spectacular counterattack in the middle overs, Pandya rebuilt the innings. Krunal scored 43 runs off 28 deliveries with five fours and two sixes.

Gujarat fielders dropped Patidar twice, and he made them pay a heavy price. In just 21 balls, he scored a half-century after taking on every bowler.

Additionally, Gujarat had trouble on the field, giving up additional runs with misfields and no-balls.

Patidar maintained his superb striking right up to the finish, finishing undefeated on 93 off just 39 balls with five fours and nine sixes. Jitesh Sharma scored 15 runs towards the end of the innings.

The highest score ever in IPL playoff history was 254/5 for RCB.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 254/5 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 93, Virat Kohli 43, Krunal Pandya 43; Jason Holder 2-39, Kagiso Rabada 2-54)
Gujarat Titans 162 all out in 19.3 overs (Rahul Tewatia 68, Jos Buttler 29; Jacob Duffy 3-39, Krunal Pandya 2-16, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-28)

President Droupadi Murmu gave Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, the Padma Shri on Monday in honor of her leadership in leading the Women in Blue to significant international triumphs, such as a World Cup victory in India, and for her contribution to Indian cricket.

Along with India men’s captain Rohit Sharma, she was one of the chosen athletes honored this year, making them the only two cricketers to get the honor in the 2026 list.

At the inaugural Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu gave out Padma prizes in various categories, including Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. A total of 131 Padma Awards have been authorized for 2026, with more winners set to be recognized in a future round.

The event saw Harmanpreet donning a traditional attire in cream as she was awarded the esteemed civilian award.

Her recognition follows a distinguished global career in which she captained India in numerous ICC competitions and ultimately led the team to a historic ODI World Cup triumph in 2025, when India won their first title by defeating South Africa in the championship match. Her fifth World Cup performance saw her win a decisive victory, bringing an end to years of close calls on the world stage.

Earlier, when the list of award recipients was revealed, Harmanpreet said in a video that was shared by her Women’s Premier League (WPL) team Mumbai Indians that the occasion was very important to her family.

“I received a phone call from President House. I’m going to receive the Padma Shri Award this year. For me, I believe this is a significant turning point. And I’m glad that my parents were able to get to know me before me.

Harmanpreet Kaur stated in a video posted by the franchise.

She also welcomed Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the honors list, saying, “Many many congratulations to [Rohit] also. ” We’ve seen him put in a lot of effort, and I believe this is a fantastic moment for him.

The Tata Sons board meeting started on Tuesday with an increased emphasis on the leadership and financial results of a number of group firms that were incurring losses.

Prior to the meeting, Tata Sons board members were seen arriving at Bombay House.

The conversation will probably focus on the conglomerate’s unprofitable operations, its future plan, and its performance.

Additionally, each firm will give a presentation on the current state of its business and future plans.

At a time when there are increasing conflicts inside the Tata group about the financial success of some of its newer businesses, the meeting takes place.

The performance of group firms was discussed at a weekend meeting between Noel Tata, chairman of the Tata Trusts and candidate director on the Tata Sons board, and N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons.

Just a few days after the Maharashtra State Charity Commissioner ordered Tata Trusts to postpone a crucial board meeting in response to complaints of infractions in the makeup of the board of trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), the board meeting took place.

The injunction only applied to SRTT and was ex parte, according to Tata Trusts. According to the trust, the Charity Commissioner’s instructions were being reviewed.

Because of governance discussions and legal challenges, the initial meetings of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and SRTT, which were originally planned for May 8, were postponed to May 16.

The meetings were anticipated to address topics pertaining to Tata Sons, such as the potential listing of the firm, the reelection of Chairman N Chandrasekaran, and the function of some nominee directors.

The potential of listing Tata Sons had sparked a larger internal discussion inside the Trusts about governance and board representation, according to accounts of statements made by Tata Trusts vice-chairmen Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan.

The complaint claims that SRTT now has six trustees, with Noel Naval Tata, Jimmy Naval Tata, and Jehangir HC Jehangir serving as lifetime trustees, making up half of the board’s membership.