New Delhi: Former Chief Minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee She faced heavy sloganeering in the Calcutta High Court on Thursday when she appeared as a lawyer in a public interest litigation (PIL) related to alleged post-poll violence following the recently concluded assembly elections in the state.Wearing the traditional black advocate jacket and white collar-band over her signature white saree with blue border, Banerjee appeared before a division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen to argue the case.The PIL was filed by Sirsanya Banerjee, son of a high court lawyer and senior advocate and four-time advocate Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee. Sirsanya Banerjee recently contested the assembly elections from Uttarpara in Hooghly district on a Trinamool Congress ticket, but she lost to BJP candidate and former NSG commandant Dipanjan Chakraborty by over 10,000 votes.As Banerjee walked through the court complex dressed in lawyers’ attire, slogans were raised against her amid heightened political tension following the assembly election results in which the Trinamool Congress lost power. Bharatiya Janata Party.During the hearing, Banerjee reportedly presented photographs before the bench and alleged that “even children and women are not spared”. He also submitted a list of ten people who were allegedly killed in the post-poll violence.He said before the court, “My humble request is that please protect the people of Bengal. This is not a bulldozer state.”He further alleged that houses and offices were being occupied and looted in front of the police and claimed that the authorities had failed to intervene. “Everything is being done in the presence of police,” he said. He said people are entitled to have their voices heard, even if you are demolishing an unauthorized structure.Banerjee urged law enforcement agencies to step up action against those involved in the violence, arguing, “Once something happens, they won’t investigate? There is no police.”Reacting to her court appearance, the Trinamool Congress, in a post on Twitter, said Banerjee had “once again shown what really sets her apart”.“She never abandons the people of Bengal in their time of need. She never stops fighting for truth, justice and constitutional values. And time and again, she rises above the politics of hate with unparalleled compassion, courage and conviction,” the party said.The party further said, “Whether confronting the injustice of SIR or standing strong against the uncontrolled conduct of the BJP, she continues to prove that there is no leader like her in the country today.”Earlier this year, Banerjee had also appeared in the Supreme Court during the hearing related to the Special Intensive Review (SIR) case in West Bengal, where she briefly addressed the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, although she did not appear as a lawyer in that case.In the recently concluded assembly elections, Banerjee was defeated by current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari from Bhawanipur assembly constituency by a margin of over 15,000 votes. Following the defeat, Governor RN Ravi dissolved the previous assembly, thereby ending the Banerjee-led cabinet.

actor-director RJ Balaji Got emotional after ‘Karuppu’ could not be released as per plan on Thursday morning. The much-awaited Suriya starrer was scheduled to be released in theaters in Tamil Nadu and other states with a special 9 am show. But many morning shows were suddenly canceled due to last-minute financial and release issues. Fans who came all the way and even bought tickets for the first day of release were left disappointed. In this period of chaos and despair, RJ Balaji posted an emotional video message from his car, in which he personally tearfully apologized to his fans and viewers. His emotional reaction quickly went viral on social media and attracted sympathy from film lovers and Suriya fans.

RJ Balaji’s emotional video statement goes viral

In the emotional video, RJ Balaji said that he never thought that the situation would become so difficult. Struggling to control his emotions, he apologized to the audience who had come to the theaters early in the morning in hopes of celebrating the film’s release. He said emotionally, “Watching movies is usually a way for people to escape from their personal problems and stress. But instead, we have now created more frustration and pressure for fans.” He also said, “I sincerely apologize to all the people who came to watch the film from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra and all places.” The actor-director further revealed that many people were working continuously behind the scenes to resolve the issue and release the film as soon as possible.

Debate broke out on RJ Balaji’s allegations!

RJ Balaji also talked about the struggles faced by the team during the production and release of the film. He said that he strongly believed that May 14 would become a memorable day for the film. He shared, “I was confident that this film would achieve great success. Now my eyes are filled with tears because of this pain.” One line from his speech in particular caught the attention of fans online. “I used to say ‘Karuppu varan, vazhi viduven,’ but many people are still blocking the way,” he said emotionally. He also praised Suriya for standing by the team during this difficult moment and said that the actor was personally making great efforts to resolve the issue quickly.

‘Karuppu’ team hopes for a smooth release soon

‘Karuppu’ stars Suriya in the lead role and Trisha Krishnan plays the female lead. RJ Balaji plays an important negative role in the film, while the music is composed by Sai Abhyankar. The film has been promoted as a mass commercial entertainer with action, emotions and social themes. Although there was a feeling of disappointment among his fans due to the delay in the release of the film, they still extended their support to him through social media platforms. In his emotionally packed video, he concluded by saying that all the efforts will be worthwhile once ‘Karuppu’ is released.

FIFA confirmed on Thursday that global music icons Madonna, Shakira and K-pop supergroup BTS will lead the first halftime show during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Finals at MetLife Stadium on July 19.

The historic show, curated by Chris Martin, marks a significant change in the presentation of FIFA’s showpiece event, bringing the World Cup final closer to the entertainment spectacle associated with the Super Bowl in the United States.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the line-up via social media, saying that the performance would unite “music, football and a shared commitment to improving the lives of children around the world”.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final halftime show will be a truly special moment,” Infantino said, confirming that the event will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to expand access to education and football for children around the world.

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19 and will feature 48 teams for the first time. FIFA expanded the tournament to 104 matches from the previous 64, while introducing an additional knockout round.

The inclusion of a halftime concert during the final may also extend the traditional 15-minute interval, although FIFA has not yet confirmed the exact duration of the break.

Halftime entertainment has long been a staple of major American sporting events, especially the Super Bowl. Madonna previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012, while Shakira performed with Jennifer Lopez in 2020.

FIFA already used the concept during last year’s Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, where Chelsea won over Paris Saint-Germain with performances from Doja Cat, J Balvin and Thames.

The 2026 edition is expected to be the biggest World Cup in history, with matches spread across venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico before culminating in the final in New Jersey.

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At age 22, most people are still trying to finish university, secure their first steady job, or decide what they really want to do in life. This is why the story of Surya Midha has attracted so much global attention. The Indian-origin entrepreneur based in San Francisco, California reportedly became one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires after the rapid growth of his artificial intelligence startup Mercor, reports Forbes. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Midha became a billionaire at an even younger age than Mark Zuckerberg. His journey from college dropout to tech billionaire has quickly become one of the most talked-about startup success stories of 2026, especially as the AI ​​industry is expanding at an extraordinary pace.

How Surya Midha’s Mercor AI recruitment turned into a billion dollar opportunity

Mercor was founded in 2023 by Surya Midha along with his friends Brendan Foody and Adarsh ​​Hiremath. The trio reportedly shared an interest in technology, debating, and entrepreneurship before deciding to start their own company during the growing artificial intelligence boom.The platform helps companies find employees who can contribute to artificial intelligence research, AI model training, technological development, and related projects. What made the startup stand out was its heavy use of artificial intelligence during the recruitment process. According to reports, the platform uses AI systems to conduct interviews, assess skills, evaluate candidates, and match people with companies more efficiently than traditional recruiting methods. Mercor has reportedly positioned itself as a fast and scalable solution for companies struggling to quickly hire qualified talent.

How Mercor went from startup to tech giant in just a few months by 2025

Mercor’s growth during 2025 reportedly surprised even seasoned investors in the technology sector. The company’s annual revenue grew from about $100 million at the beginning of the year to nearly $500 million within a few months, Forbes reports. The growing demand for AI services encouraged major investors to invest significant money in the company. By the end of 2025, Merker is reportedly set to reach a valuation of around $10 billion. That valuation instantly turned all three founders into billionaires, while they were still only 22 years old.Surya Midha currently serves as the company’s president after reportedly transitioning from his previous role as chief operating officer. Reports show that each co-founder owns about 22% of Mercor, giving them massive individual wealth as the company continues to grow. According to recent estimates, Midha’s real-time net worth is believed to be around $2.2 billion as per Forbes report on 14 May 2026.

Surya becomes a billionaire at a younger age than Midha Zuckerberg

One of the reasons why Surya Midha’s success story has gone viral online is because of the comparisons with Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg became a billionaire at the age of 23 following the explosive rise of Facebook, now known as Meta. Reportedly, Midha crossed this milestone at the age of just 22.The comparison highlights how quickly the AI ​​industry is generating enormous wealth for young entrepreneurs. During the social media era, companies like Facebook transformed the Internet. Today, artificial intelligence seems to be creating a new generation of ultra-young tech billionaires even faster.

How Surya Midha went from being a student to a startup founder during the AI ​​boom

Midha reportedly studied at Georgetown University before deciding to drop out of college and focus entirely on the startup. Leaving university is always a big gamble, especially in a competitive industry like technology. For many young entrepreneurs, especially students interested in artificial intelligence, Midha’s story represents the growing belief that age no longer limits success in the startup world. Technology, AI tools, and access to global investment networks have reportedly made it possible for young founders to scale companies faster than ever before.

From May 15 to June 15, 2026, the Sun will enter Taurus from Aries. This changes the mood immediately. Aries are sharp, direct, impatient, and action-driven. Taurus is slow, steady, and more concerned with money, comfort, security, food, family values, and long-term stability. So this one month period is not about rushing into everything. It’s about asking a very practical question: What is really stable in my life, and what only looks stable from the outside?Why is the Sun isolated in Taurus in 2026?This year, Sun is not moving alone in Taurus. Uranus is already in Taurus, so this transit brings unexpected changes around money, comfort, routine, relationships, and personal values. Taurus generally likes predictability, but Uranus doesn’t let things stay too stable. Saturn in Pisces also casts its third aspect to Taurus, adding pressure, discipline, and reality checks. For about half of this transit, Mercury also joins Taurus, so money talks, business decisions, negotiations, documents, and practical interactions become more important. Venus, the lord of Taurus, will also be in conjunction with Jupiter during this period, which brings love, finance, comfort, luxury and assistance in relationship development. Therefore, this month brings both opportunities and improvements.