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Insta, FB users able to pay for blue tick

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Instagram and Facebook users will now be able to pay for a blue tick verification, parent company Meta has announced.

Meta Verified will cost $11.99 (£9.96) a month on web, or $14.99 for iPhone users.

It will be available in Australia and New Zealand this week.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta chief executive, said the move will improve security and authenticity on the social media apps.

The move comes after Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, implemented the premium Twitter Blue subscription in November 2022.

Meta’s paid subscription service is not yet available for businesses, but any individual can pay for verification.

Badges – or “blue ticks”- have been used as verification tools for high-profile accounts to signify their authenticity.

The subscription would give paying users a blue badge, increased visibility of their posts, protection from impersonators and easier access to customer service, Meta said in a post on their website.

The company told the BBC the change would not affect previously verified accounts, but noted there would be an increase in visibility for some smaller users who become verified thanks to the paid feature.

Allowing paying users access to a blue tick has previously caused trouble for other social media platforms.

Twitter’s pay-for verification feature was paused last November when people started impersonating big brands and celebrities by paying for the badge.

Meta said Instagram and Facebook usernames will have to match a government supplied ID document to be granted verification, and users will have to have a profile picture that includes their face.

Other websites like Reddit, YouTube and Discord similarly use subscription-based models.

Meta has not yet specified when the feature will be rolled out to other countries, although Mr Zuckerberg said in a post it would be “soon”.

In November, the company announced 11,000 job losses as a result of over-investment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the time, Mr Zuckerberg said he had predicted an increase in Meta’s growth based on the rise it had over the pandemic, but that ultimately did not happen.

“Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration,” he wrote, “I did too, so I made the decision to significantly increase our investments.”

Instead he said “macroeconomic downturn” and “increased competition” caused revenue to be much lower than expected.

“I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that,” he said at the time.

(BBC News)

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1st stock of imported coconut milk to undergo clearance, lab testing today

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The first consignment of imported coconut milk under the Government’s raw material importation programme is scheduled to undergo clearance and laboratory testing today (31), as part of a coordinated initiative by the Plantation Industries Ministry.

This initiative, approved by the Cabinet, aims to supply essential raw materials to industries linked to the coconut sector, aiming to reduce domestic coconut prices and support local manufacturers. The consignment currently under clearance includes products equivalent to 200 million coconuts. They are in the forms of frozen coconut milk, coconut milk powder and chunked coconut with testa (non-copra), imported as part of the programme initiated in March 2025. The stock will be used primarily in the coconut milk powder industry, which has been facing raw material shortages. The Plantation Industries Ministry expects this move to reduce the pressure on local coconut supplies and contribute to a drop in retail coconut prices.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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BoC employees to strike over unpaid incentives

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Employees of all Bank of Ceylon (BoC) branches have decided to walk out of service at 12.30 pm today (May 29).

The decision has been taken over the current management not taking the initiative to provide them with the 06-month incentive package approved by the Board of Directors, according to the Bank Employees’ Union.

Central Committee member of the Bank Employees’ Union – Najith Wijeratne, stated that they will initiate a token strike if this issue is not resolved by June 06.

BoC employees have also held lunchtime protests yesterday (May 28) in front of 22 branches in major cities islandwide.

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Imported salt released to market

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The National Salt Ltd. says that 2,800 MT of salt imported from India have been released to the market.

It says the food-grade salt stock, which arrived on May 23, is being distributed to the market through local salt sales agents for consumer sale.

The Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development states that Lanka Salt Ltd. is importing 10,000 MT of salt, while over 100 importers, including those from Pettah, are bringing in an additional 100,000 MT.

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