Entering the messaging services space, Elon Musk has announced the launch of a new platform called XChat. The new service is said to offer features like end-to-end encryption and file-sharing capabilities, similar to Meta-owned WhatsApp.

Currently in its beta testing phase, XChat could emerge as a potential challenger to Mark Zuckerberg’s WhatsApp.

In a post on his X account, Musk stated that the messaging platform will also support audio and video calling. He further revealed that XChat is built on a new Rust-based architecture and incorporates Bitcoin-like encryption for added security.

Although the company has not announced an official launch date, XChat is expected to be made publicly available once beta testing concludes.

For the first time in more than five decades, the image of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, has been removed from new banknotes. The redesigned notes, released on Sunday (June 1), now feature motifs of Hindu and Buddhist temples, traditional landmarks, and celebrated national artwork — signalling a significant symbolic shift in the country’s political and cultural narrative.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, had appeared on every banknote since the nation’s birth in 1971. However, with the ouster of his daughter and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year, the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus had announced a phased revamp of the country’s currency, aimed at removing political iconography.

Canara Bank has announced the removal of charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance across all types of Savings Bank (SB) accounts, including regular, salary, and NRI accounts.

Effective June 1, 2025, the move makes Canara Bank the first major public sector bank to implement a blanket waiver on minimum balance penalties for all SB account categories.

Previously, account holders were required to maintain a specified Average Monthly Balance (AMB) or face penalties. With this policy change, such fees will no longer apply, offering more flexibility and financial relief to customers.

The bank confirmed the development in an official release.

PayPal Payments Pvt Ltd (PayPal), the Indian subsidiary of PayPal Holdings Inc, has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment AggregatorCross BorderExports (PA-CB-E).

This marks a key milestone in PayPal's operations in India and its continued support for Indian small businesses, enabling secure cross-border payments to approximately 200 markets, the company said in a statement.

The approval comes as India's exports reached USD 73.8 billion in April 2025, underscoring the increasing momentum in cross-border trade.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is planning to strengthen liquidity stress tests of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) by developing a cash flow analysis process to ensure they remain resilient during episodes of stress.

The cash flow analysis process would evaluate the potential impact of extreme but plausible scenarios on a bank’s liquidity position, ensuring it can meet obligations even during crises, according to the central bank’s latest annual report.

This would provide forward-looking perspective and assess the stability of banks’ liquidity positions under adverse conditions.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday said that 98.26 per cent of the ₹2,000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, had been returned by May 31, 2025, with the remaining notes in circulation continuing to be legal tender.

The Central bank, in its update on withdrawal of ₹2,000 denomination banknotes, underscored that the total value of ₹2,000 banknotes in circulation amounted to ₹3.56 lakh crore as at the close of business on May 19, 2023 when their withdrawal was announced, has declined to ₹6,181 crore at the close of business.

The facility for exchange of the ₹2,000 banknotes is available at RBI’s 19 Issue Offices since May 19, 2023, per a Central bank statement.

The government targets to bring in all schemes under various ministries of the Centre as well as States related to investment in the agriculture sector under one single window -- the Krishi Nivesh portal. The agriculture ministry on May 29 had shared a note on the “concept, scope and features” of the Krishi Nivesh portal which was launched in September, 2024.

State governments are yet to join the portal. Currently, schemes related to seven ministries -- Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development, New and Renewable Energy, Jal Shakti, Chemicals & Fertilisers, and Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying have been included on the portal. Other ministries which are to join the portal include Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Cooperation, Panchayati Raj, Commerce and Development of North Eastern Regions Department.

When we think of the word “victim”, usually a picture of woman suffering harassment, or a man being under mental pressure comes to our mind. We rarely think and believe that children can be victims too, that they can also go through horror and fall prey to evils of the society. Every year, the world observes the International Day Of Innocent Children Victims Of Aggression on 4 June. The day commemorates the pain suffered by children across the globe, who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day highlights the United Nations’ commitment to the protection of the rights of children. It also serves as a reminder that as a society what we can do to uphold the rights of children and make this world a better place for them.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, unveiled ‘BharatGen,’ India’s first indigenously developed, government-funded, multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) designed for Indian languages, at the BharatGen Summit on Monday. Held as India’s largest Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and LLM summit and hackathon, the event marked a milestone in India’s journey toward inclusive and ethical AI innovation.

Developed under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and led by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay, BharatGen integrates text, speech, and image modalities to deliver AI solutions in 22 Indian languages. Supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the initiative collaborates with leading academic institutions and innovators to create AI that is “ethical, inclusive, multilingual, and deeply rooted in Indian values and ethos,” as described by Dr. Singh.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru is set to hold a victory parade in Bengaluru on Wednesday following its maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title triumph.

The parade will begin at 3:30 PM IST from Vidhana Soudha and culminate at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the team’s home ground.

RCB beat Punjab Kings by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to lift the IPL trophy for the very first time.