US President Donald Trump (AP)

TOI correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump has certifiably changed his mind on regime change. On Tuesday, the MAGA supremo directly encouraged a public uprising in Iran after imposing a blanket 25 per cent tariff on any country that continues to do business with the Islamic Republic in an effort to topple the ruling Islamic government in Teheran.“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price….HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” Trump posted on social media amid reports of a bloodbath in Iran following a crackdown on protests, unapologetically wading into Iran’s internal affairs. Trump’s open backing for the revolt came hours after he said Iranian leadership had reached out to him for talks and the U.S was weighing a choice between military action and negotiations, with some senior aides, including vice-president J.D.Vance, reportedly in favor of the latter course. “There seems to be some people killed who weren’t supposed to be killed. We’re looking at it very seriously; the military’s looking at it. And there’s a couple options,” Trump said on Monday as reports of a bloody crackdown flowed out of Iran. By Tuesday morning, the U.S President appeared to have set his mind on effecting a regime change in yet another country (after similar approach in Venezuela and Cuba), announcing he has “cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,” and pledging “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”While Trump campaigned in the past against regime-change wars, his administration is now openly exploring tools to bring about leadership change in Iran and Cuba, after effecting one in Venezuela. He has reportedly been briefed on options ranging from long-range missile strikes to cyber operations and psychological campaigns in Iran, and even though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” the temptation to pull off a coup in Iran on the back of widespread protests appears irresistible for now for Washington hawks like Senator Lindsay Graham. Analysts point to several reasons behind Trump’s evolution from opposing regime change to actively pursuing it in countries such as Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. The administration views these governments as economically weak and politically brittle, believes coercive leverage can work without large-scale U.S. troop deployments, and increasingly frames them as part of a broader anti-American axis aligned with China and Russia. A more conspiratorial explanation by critics, who have dubbed Trump the “Walt Disney of chaos” is such frenetic activity is designed to distract voters from everyday issues at home. Many MAGA principals remain skeptical of Washington getting into another fracas in the middle-east. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon among others are berating Fox News and Graham for encouraging the latest caper, reminding them of the quagmire the U.S got into in Iraq. While most Democrats have uniformly opposed U.S interference in Iran, even some Republican lawmakers, the “non-interventionist” wing of the party have cautioned about getting into another fracas.“The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Thomas Massie, an anti-Trump Kentucky Republican said while introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block unauthorized hostilities against Iran.

NEW DELHI: Another drones were sighted along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian Army to activate counter-Unmanned Aircraft System measures, ANI sources said on Tuesday.The drones were sighted second time in last 48 hours alonf the international border and LoC. The development comes amid a sharp warning from Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi to Pakistan over active terror camps across the border.ANI sources said the drones were detected in forward areas and were engaged using counter-UAS protocols to prevent any potential threat. Further details are awaited.The sightings come a day after security forces detected suspected Pakistan-origin drones along both the International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts. Officials said the flying objects were seen entering from the Pakistan side, hovering briefly over Indian territory and then returning.Following the sightings, ground search operations were launched across the affected areas. In the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, Army troops opened fire with medium and light machine guns after observing drone movement over Gania-Kalsian village around 6.35 pm, officials said.Another drone was spotted over Khabbar village in the Teryath area of Rajouri district around the same time. In Samba district, a drone-like object with a blinking light was seen hovering for several minutes over Chak Babral village in the Ramgarh sector around 7.15 pm. A similar object was also noticed moving from the direction of Tain towards Topa in the Mankote sector along the LoC in Poonch district.The heightened alert along the border comes as Army chief General Dwivedi said that Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, remains ongoing and warned Islamabad against any future misadventure.“At least 6 terror camps still active across the LoC & 2 across the International Border after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Will act, if any (nefarious) attempts are carried out,” the Army chief said while addressing the annual Army Day press conference.Reflecting on the operation, he said, “Operation Sindoor was conceptualised and executed with precision. Through 22 minutes of initiation on 7th May and an orchestration that lasted 88 hours up to 10th May, the operation reset strategic assumptions by striking deep, dismantling terror infrastructure, and puncturing the longstanding nuclear rhetoric.”General Dwivedi said Indian forces destroyed seven of the nine identified targets and later played a key role in ensuring a calibrated response to Pakistani actions. He also said about 100 Pakistan Army personnel were killed in firing along the LoC and International Border during the period of heightened tensions.“The entire country stands with the Army,” he said, adding that any future response would be resolute and coordinated across services.Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on the intervening nights of May 6 and May 7, destroying terror hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and mainland Pakistan, including facilities linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke. India has said the strikes were aimed solely at terror infrastructure, while subsequent Pakistani missile and drone attempts were intercepted by Indian air defence systems.

World Economic Forum 2026

US President Donald Trump will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos later this month, accompanied by at least five Cabinet members, as global leaders gather against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The five-day summit will begin on January 18 in the Swiss ski resort town, organisers announced on Tuesday.As per news agency PTI, at least 64 heads of state or government are expected to attend the annual meeting, with six of the seven G7 nations represented by their top leadership. China and Pakistan will also send large delegations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among the leaders expected to be present, with the forum set to focus closely on the situation in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and developments in Latin America, including Venezuela.WEF President and CEO Borge Brende said the meeting comes at a time of extraordinary global strain, describing the current geopolitical situation as the most complex since 1945. Dialogue is not a luxury in times of uncertainty, but an urgent necessity today, he said, underlining the forum’s theme of fostering a spirit of dialogue.“At a critical juncture for international cooperation – marked by profound geoeconomic and technological transformation – this year’s Annual Meeting will be one of our most consequential. With historic levels of participation, it will provide a space for an unparalleled mix of global leaders and innovators to work through and look beyond divisions, gain insight into a fast-shifting global landscape, and advance solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s biggest and most pressing challenges,” he added.Trump is expected to lead the largest-ever US delegation to Davos. According to PTI, those accompanying him include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. As per news agency AFP, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East and Ukraine, will also attend. Trump had addressed Davos via video last year, but his in-person participation this time follows a year marked by aggressive tariff measures that reshaped global trade dynamics.India will also feature prominently at the summit with a strong political and corporate presence. As per PTI, at least four Union ministers — Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi and K Ram Mohan Naidu — are expected, along with six chief ministers, including Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Telangana’s A Revanth Reddy and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar is also likely to attend.More than 100 Indian CEOs are expected in Davos, including Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, Bajaj Group’s Sanjiv Bajaj, Bharti Group’s Sunil Bharti Mittal and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, according to PTI. Indian leaders will take part in panel discussions, including one examining whether India can become the world’s third-largest economy, besides holding bilateral meetings and attending India-focused events on the sidelines.Overall, the WEF expects more than 3,000 participants from over 130 countries, including over 1,700 business leaders and a record number of political leaders, along with representatives from civil society, global financial institutions and technology companies, reinforcing Davos’s role as a key platform for global dialogue.

BENGALURU: Orbital Paradigm, the firm whose re-entry capsule Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator or KID was among the payloads on the failed PSLV-C62 mission, Tuesday said it has begun analysing data the capsule sent after separating from the launch vehicle.“Our KID capsule, against all odds, separated from PSLV-C62, switched on, and transmitted data over 3+ minutes. We’re reconstructing [the] trajectory. We survived peak heat and peak g-load (~28g recorded)…Full report will come,” the firm said.Isro, would have also begun analysing data it had obtained up to the time the third stage (PS3) of the launch vehicle suffered a glitch. Aside from KID and India’s own strategic satellite Anvesha or EOS-N1 by DRDO, the mission carried a satellite (Munal) for Nepal through the ministry of external affairs (MEA), a technology demonstrator (AyulSat) from startup OrbitAID aimed at cracking on-orbit refuelling, along with 12 other payloads.On Monday, the 44.4-metre-tall PSLV, flying its fifth mission in the DL (dual strap-on) configuration, lifted off from SDSC’s first launch pad at 10.18am, about 1.30 minutes after scheduled time. About 8.40 minutes later, after the third-stage shutoff and fourth-stage (PS4) ignition was announced — command was initiated but there was no confirmation if PS4 ignited — the atmosphere in mission control turned tense. Narayanan eventually announced that the mission had failed. The failure came only nine months after a glitch in PSLV-C61’s PS3 prevented EOS-09, another strategic satellite, from reaching orbit on May 18, 2025, marking a second consecutive failure of PSLV. Not only has PSLV never failed back-to-back in the past, it has also not seen the same rocket stage falter more than once — until now.“…Close to the end of the third stage [PS3] we saw little more disturbance in the vehicle roll rates and subsequently there was a deviation in the flight path. We are analysing the data and we shall come back at the earliest,” Isro chairman V Narayanan said on Monday.

Makar Sankranti is one of the biggest and most auspicious festivals celebrated in India. Unlike many festivals that follow the lunar calendar, Makar Sankranti is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated as the Sun moves into the Capricorn or Makara zodiac. This cosmic movement ushers in Uttarayan-the northward journey of the Sun, associated traditionally with lengthening days, growing warmth, plenty, and spiritual development. Celebrated across the country by different names like Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu, and Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti binds people in joy, thanksgiving, and hope.One of the most charming traditions connected with this festival is exchanging warm wishes, messages, and blessings. Whether one does it in person, over the telephone, or through social media, such words are full of warmth and positivism. To inspire you to word your emotions and to spread celebrations, here is a carefully collated list of Top 50 Happy Makar Sankranti 2026 wishes, messages, and quotes, apt for sharing with family, friends, colleagues, and near-dear ones.

Image Credit: Canva

The occasion of Makar Sankranti represents change, from darkness to light, from cold to warmth, and from stagnation to growth. The act of exchanging greetings and wishes during this occasion is a sign of change and gratitude. The practice of using deseeded sesame and jaggery in preparations during this occasion is a sign that one should be sweet and warm towards each other despite the hardships faced in life. A genuine message can make relationships stronger and take a positive start into a new year.Here are some top Makar Sankranti wishes you can share with your loved ones:

Traditional Makar Sankranti wishes

May the holy Sun bless your life with warmth, happiness, and prosperity. Happy Makar Sankranti 2026.As the Sun begins its northward journey, may your life move toward success and peace.Wishing you a harvest of joy, health, and abundance this Makar Sankranti.May this auspicious festival bring positivity and new opportunities into your life.Let the sweetness of til and jaggery fill your days with love and harmony, Happy Makar Sankranti.May your home be blessed with prosperity and your heart with contentment.On this sacred day, may all negativity melt away and hope rise anew.Sending warm wishes for a joyful and blessed Makar Sankranti 2026.May the divine light of the Sun guide you toward a brighter future.Wishing you peace, happiness, and success on this festival of new beginnings.

Image Credit: Canva

Heartfelt wishes for family

This Makar Sankranti, I pray for our family’s health, happiness, and togetherness.May this festival strengthen our bonds and fill our home with joy.Grateful to celebrate another Sankranti with you, may our love always grow.As the seasons change, may our family continue to prosper and thrive.Wishing you warmth, comfort, and endless blessings this Sankranti.May the harvest season bring fulfillment and harmony to our lives.Thankful for the love and support we share – Happy Makar Sankranti 2026.Let us welcome this festival with gratitude and hope in our hearts.May our family moments be as sweet as tilgul this Sankranti.Sending my love and best wishes to you on this beautiful occasion.

Makar Sankranti messages for friends

May this Makar Sankranti inspire you to rise higher and dream bigger.Wishing you success, confidence, and clarity as the new season begins.May your hard work be rewarded with happiness and prosperity.Let this festival fill your life with fresh energy and optimism.Happy Sankranti, may brighter days and better opportunities lie ahead.May positivity surround you and guide you toward your goals.Wishing you balance, growth, and peace this Makar Sankranti 2026.As the Sun changes its path, may your life take a positive turn.May this festival bring motivation and renewed determination.Sending best wishes for a joyful and successful year ahead.

Image Credit: Canva

Professional wishes for Makar Sankranti

Wishing you progress, prosperity, and success this Makar Sankranti.May this festival bring new ideas and opportunities to your professional journey.Let the spirit of Sankranti inspire teamwork and positive growth.May your efforts lead to rewarding outcomes in the coming year.Wishing you clarity, focus and achievement this festive season.Happy Makar Sankranti, may your work and aspirations shine bright.May this new phase bring success and satisfaction in your career.Sending warm wishes for growth and excellence ahead.May this festival mark the beginning of productive and fulfilling days.Best wishes for a prosperous and harmonious Sankranti.

Short quotes for Makar Sankranti

“Makar Sankranti teaches us to move toward light and positivity.”“A festival that celebrates change, hope, and gratitude.”“Let your life rise as the Sun begins its northward journey.”“Harvest joy, spread kindness, and welcome new beginnings.”“Makar Sankranti reminds us that every season brings renewal.”“Sweetness shared is happiness multiplied.”“From longer days come brighter hopes.”“Let warmth fill your heart and peace guide your path.”“Celebrate the Sun, celebrate life.”“New season, new light, new possibilities – Happy Sankranti 2026”Makar Sankranti is an occasion that effortlessly merges traditions, nature, and hopes. It is an occasion that reminds us that change is always an ongoing process and always has something new to offer. When wishes, messages, and quotes are shared on this occasion, it only has a positive impact and further helps in developing a strong bond between loved ones. No matter what it is, be it a prayer, a message, or a quote, your words will surely spread love and joy in another person’s life. Wishing this Makar Sankranti brings light, prosperity, and joy in your life. Happy Makar Sankranti!

It looked like just another harmless plane in the Caribbean sky — white paint, clean lines, no visible weapons until and unless it attacked. The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to resemble a civilian plane in its first attack on a boat that the Trump administration said was smuggling drugs, killing 11 people last September, according to officials briefed on the matter. The aircraft also carried its munitions inside the fuselage, rather than visibly under its wings, the officials said.

The nonmilitary appearance was significant, according to legal specialists, because the administration argued its lethal boat attacks were lawful, not murders, because President Donald Trump “determined” the United States was in an armed conflict with drug cartels, New York Times reported.Did Trump administration committed war crime?The laws of armed conflict prohibited combatants from feigning civilian status to fool adversaries into dropping their guard, then attacking and killing them, a war crime called “perfidy.”Retired Maj Gen Steven J Lepper, a former deputy judge advocate general for the United States Air Force, said that if the aircraft was painted in a way that disguised its military nature and got close enough for the people on the boat to see it, tricking them into failing to realise they should take evasive action or surrender to survive, that was a war crime under armed-conflict standards.“Shielding your identity is an element of perfidy,” he said. “If the aircraft flying above is not identifiable as a combatant aircraft, it should not be engaged in combatant activity.”The aircraft swooped in low enough for the people aboard the boat to see it, according to officials who saw or were briefed on surveillance video from the attack. The boat turned back towards Venezuela, apparently after seeing the plane, before the first strike.Two survivors of the initial attack later appeared to wave at the aircraft after clambering aboard an overturned piece of the hull, before the military killed them in a follow-up strike that also sank the wreckage. It was not clear whether the initial survivors knew that the explosion on their vessel was caused by a missile attack.The military later switched to using recognisably military aircraft for boat strikes, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, although it was not clear whether those aircraft got low enough to be seen. In a boat attack in October, two survivors of an initial strike swam away from the wreckage and avoided being killed by a follow-up strike on the remnants of their vessel. The military rescued them and returned them to their home countries, Colombia and Ecuador.US military manuals about the law of war discussed perfidy at length, saying it included when a combatant feigned civilian status so the adversary “neglects to take precautions which are otherwise necessary.” A US Navy handbook said lawful combatants at sea used offensive force “within the bounds of military honor, particularly without resort to perfidy,” and stressed that commanders had a “duty” to “distinguish their own forces from the civilian population.”The Pentagon said in a statement that its arsenal underwent legal review for compliance with the laws of armed conflict.“The U.S. military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard aircraft depending on mission requirements,” Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, said in response to questions from The New York Times. “Prior to the fielding and employment of each aircraft, they go through a rigorous procurement process to ensure compliance with domestic law, department policies and regulations, and applicable international standards, including the law of armed conflict.“It was not clear what the aircraft was. While multiple officials confirmed that it was not painted in a classic military style, they declined to specify exactly what it looked like.Amateur plane-spotting enthusiasts posted pictures on Reddit in early September of what appeared to be one of the military’s modified 737s, painted white with a blue stripe and with no military markings, at the St. Croix airport in the US Virgin Islands.The administration argued that the strikes were lawful and the people on the boats were “combatants” because Trump decided the situation was a so-called noninternational armed conflict, meaning a war against a nonstate actor, between the United States and a secret list of 24 criminal gangs and drug cartels he deemed terrorists.

File photo (Picture credit: AP)

Recent political and military developments in Venezuela are unlikely to have any meaningful impact on global crude oil prices in the near term, or on Indian companies, as the country plays a relatively small role in global oil supply, Crisil Ratings said on Tuesday.In a note, Crisil said that even if the situation in Venezuela worsens and disrupts oil production, the effect on international crude prices would be limited, according to news agency PTI.

Venezuela accounts for only about 1.5 per cent of global crude oil supply, which reduces its ability to significantly influence prices.The assessment comes after a US military operation in early January led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on drug-related charges, triggering uncertainty in the oil-rich Latin American nation. Despite holding some of the world’s largest proven crude reserves, Venezuela’s current contribution to global supply remains modest.Crisil pointed out that crude prices have stayed largely steady in recent days, with Brent crude hovering just above $60 a barrel. It added that the developments in Venezuela are not expected to have any material impact on India’s global trade position or the credit quality of Indian companies.India’s direct trade exposure to Venezuela is limited. Imports from the South American country account for less than 0.25 per cent of India’s total imports. Of these, crude oil makes up more than 90 per cent of the roughly Rs 14,000 crore worth of imports recorded in the 2025 financial year, according to PTI. Venezuela supplies about 1 per cent of India’s overall crude oil requirement.While India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil needs and remains sensitive to global price movements, Crisil said the current situation in Venezuela is unlikely to affect oil prices in the near term. However, it flagged a possible longer-term impact if investments flow into Venezuela’s oil sector.“While we do not anticipate any material near-term impact of the Venezuela situation on crude oil prices, investments for increasing crude oil production in Venezuela, which has vast untapped reserves, could boost oil supply globally and lead to softening of crude oil prices over the medium to long term, which could be a positive for India Inc,” Crisil said, as quoted by PTI.India’s exports to Venezuela are also small, standing at below Rs 2,000 crore in fiscal 2025, or less than 0.1 per cent of total exports. These shipments are spread across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, ceramics, textiles and two-wheelers. Pharmaceutical exports were around Rs 900 crore, accounting for less than 0.5 per cent of India’s total pharma exports, while other sectors recorded exports of Rs 80–120 crore each.Crisil said it does not expect any material impact on the credit profiles of Indian companies dealing with Venezuelan customers due to the limited scale of trade, but added that it will continue to closely monitor developments.Meanwhile, the US has indicated that it is actively engaging with Venezuela’s new leadership, with President Donald Trump recently saying that Washington was working “along really well” with Caracas and highlighting ongoing oil shipments to the US.

This Ramadan, donating gets easier as Sharjah launches new app / AI Generated Image

As the crescent moon for Ramadan 2026 approaches, Sharjah is already lighting the way for a season of immense kindness. Sharjah Charity International (SCI) has officially pulled back the curtain on its most ambitious seasonal drive yet, titled the “Joud” campaign. With a staggering goal of AED 130 million, this initiative is designed to ensure that no one, whether in the UAE or across the globe, feels forgotten during the Holy Month.

Sharjah Charity unveils Ramadan 2026 ‘Jood’

The campaign was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Chairman of SCI, marking a significant milestone in Sharjah’s humanitarian journey. The word “Joud” translates to “Generosity,” and the 2026 campaign lives up to its name by targeting a massive audience. The board of directors emphasized that this year is about more than just numbers; it is about reaching the most vulnerable communities with speed and dignity. By planning months in advance, the charity ensures that logistics are set to deliver aid to remote areas globally exactly when the first fast begins.

Ramadan 2026 goals

The Jood 2026 campaign is designed to make a meaningful impact both inside the United Arab Emirates and internationally. With a Dh150 million target, the funds will support initiatives that reflect the spirit of Ramadan, feeding the hungry, helping the needy, and uplifting families.According to SCI Executive Director Abdullah Sultan bin Khadem, key allocations include:

With these distributions, SCI expects the campaign to reach more than two million beneficiaries during this Ramadan season.

New digital donation app

A highlight of the campaign launch was the unveiling of a new smart digital application available on both the Apple Store and Google Play. The app is part of SCI’s broader digital transformation initiative to make donation processes easier and more accessible for contributors.The application has been developed in-house by the charity’s digital team and includes advanced features such as an AI-powered smart assistant named “Ahmed” designed to simplify the donation experience and help users quickly choose categories of giving.According to SCI board member Saeed Ghanem Al Suwaidi, the app’s design focuses on user friendliness and saving time for donors by enabling them to complete their charitable contributions in just a few steps. He also called on the public to download the app and join the campaign in supporting SCI’s various initiatives. The launch of Jood 2026 comes at a time when Ramadan initiatives are taking centre stage across the UAE, reflecting the emirates’ commitment to community support and global humanitarian outreach. Beyond Sharjah Charity’s efforts, other major Ramadan campaigns, such as the UAE Food Bank’s ‘United in Giving’ initiative, which delivered meals to millions last year, show how widespread and coordinated charity work has become during the holy month.

Meta is reportedly planning significant job cuts, around 10%, within its Reality Labs division, responsible for VR products like Meta Quest. This strategic shift prioritizes artificial intelligence development, potentially impacting CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-term metaverse vision. Investors have expressed concerns over substantial VR spending with slower-than-expected consumer adoption.

Facebook-parent Meta is planning to cut 10% of its workforce in Reality Labs Division which is behind the Meta Quest headsets, Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the virtual reality social network known as the Metaverse. Quoting people familiar with the development, a Bloomberg report says that the job cuts come as the company shifts priorities to build next-generation artificial intelligence (AI). It states that the latest job cuts may put breaks on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s long-chased vision of building virtual reality for the metaverse which started in 2014 with the acquisition of virtual reality start-up Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion. Another step in this direction came in 2021, when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta.

Meta layoffs may be announced soon

Meta’s Reality Labs Division roughly has 15,000 employees. According to the Bloomberg report, Meta may announce the cuts to Reality Labs as soon as January 13, 2025. Sources told the publication that layoffs are said to disproportionately affect those in the metaverse unit who work on virtual reality (VR) headsets and a VR-based social network. As per a memo sent by the company to employees last week, Meta’s chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth, who also heads Reality Labs, has called for a ‘most important’ meeting on Wednesday – January 14, asking staff to attend in person.Last year, Zuckerberg asked top executives to make cuts to their 2026 budgets while he pours money into A.I. research. As Meta faces competition from companies like OpenAI and Google, Mr. Zuckerberg has increased the budget for TBD Lab, the skunk works unit at Meta that aims to build superintelligence, a godlike AI system.As reported by Bloomberg, the company also plans to reallocate some of the money from virtual reality products to increase the budget for its wearables division, which builds smart glasses and wristband computing devices.

Meta investors raises concerns

Despite the company spending tens of billions of dollars on developing virtual reality headset, the consumer response has been slower than expected. Investors have grown wary of Meta’s spending.In December last year, a company spokeswoman said Meta was “shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward A.I. glasses,” and was not planning “any broader changes.”

General Upendra Dwivedi (ANI photo)

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday reflected on Operation Sindoor, describing the counterterror military action as “ongoing” and warning Pakistan, that any “future misadventure will be resolutely responded.”General Dwivedi issued a direct warning to Islamabad, saying, “At least 6 terror camps still active across the LoC & 2 across the International Border after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Will act, if any (nefarious) attempts are carried out.”Addressing the annual Army Day press conference, General Dwivedi said a “clear decision to respond decisively was taken at the highest level.” He added, “Operation Sindoor was conceptualised and executed with precision. Through 22 minutes of initiation on 7th May and an orchestration that lasted 88 hours up to 10th May, the operation reset strategic assumptions by striking deep, dismantling terror infrastructure, and puncturing the longstanding nuclear rhetoric. The Army successfully destroyed seven out of the nine targets and thereafter played a pivotal role in ensuring a calibrated response to Pak actions.”Upendra Dwivedi highlighted the heavy losses suffered by the Pakistan Army, saying that about 100 of their personnel were killed in firing along the LoC and IB during heightened military tensions.The Army chief stressed that the counterterror operation, launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, remains “ongoing,” and reiterated the warning of a “resolute response” to any future misadventures. He also acknowledged the coordinated national effort behind the operation, saying, “I must acknowledge the proactive role of all stakeholders at the national level, including CAPFs, Intelligences, civic bodies, state administration and other ministries, whether it’s MHA, Railways and many more…”Also read: Project-75I; How India’s $8 billion submarine upgrade reshapes the Pakistan, China equationCalling the mission a benchmark in joint operations, General Dwivedi said, “Operation Sindoor was the best example of tri-service synergy under clear-cut political directive and full freedom to act or respond.”He also added that military responses in future will be a combined action and reflected on PM Modi’s vision, General Dwivedi said, “Now the battle of the future will not be won by a single arm or even a single service. It will be a national level enterprise. The Prime Minister captured this vision through the mantra of ‘Jai’ where jointness integrates our effort, Atmanirbharta empowers our capability and accelerated innovation drives ideas into action. So, based on the lessons drawn during Operation Sindoor and in line with the Indian Army‘s belief that change must come at the velocity of relevance. We prefix the verb acceleration to all our nouns, that is initiatives.”Commenting on the broader security situation in the North, the Army chief said, “The situation along the Northern Front remains stable, but needs constant vigil. Apex-level interactions, renewed contact, and confidence-building measures are contributing to the gradual normalisation of the situation that has also enabled grazing, hydrotherapy camps, and other activities along the Northern Borders.” On India-China border, he said “With our continued strategic orientation on this front, our deployment along the Line of Actual Control remains balanced and robust. Concurrently, capability development and infrastructure enhancement are progressing through a whole-of-government approach.”The Army chief also responded to and rejected China’s repeated claims on Jammu and Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley, reiterating India’s position: “India considers the 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China on Shaksgam Valley.”In the intervening nights of May 6 and May 7, Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, destroying nine major terror hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and mainland Pakistan. The strikes targeted headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke.Following the operation, India clarified that the strikes were aimed solely at terror infrastructure and not Pakistan’s state machinery. However, Islamabad attempted retaliatory missile and drone attacks, all of which were intercepted and neutralised by India’s air defence systems, preventing any loss of life or property.India then launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistan’s military installations, destroying key airbases, including Rahim Yar Khan and the Nur Khan airbase.