On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures (April 2) were trading around 1 per cent, or Rs 1,313, lower at Rs 1,51,712, hitting an intraday low at around 10:22 am. Similarly, silver futures (May 5) declined to Rs 2,43,083, down 2 per cent or Rs 5,111.On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)
Oil and gas prices have risen sharply after fresh strikes hit energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including Qatar's main gas facility. Gas prices jumped by about 25% on wholesale markets in the UK and Europe in early trading, before easing slightly
So far in 2026, more than 35,000 job cuts have been reported across over 50 companies, according to layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. HSBC Holdings Plc is evaluating a fresh round of deep job cuts that could impact as many as 20,000 roles over the coming years
GATE Result 2026 declared at gate2026.iitg.ac.in, direct link to check here Published on: Mar 19, 2026 3:06 PM IST By HT Education Desk | Edited by Papri Chanda Prefer HTon Google Quick Read Share via Copy link Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has declared GATE Result 2026
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has said only those who haven’t completed the eKYC process need to act; existing compliant users, especially under the PM Ujjwala Yojana, are not required to update their KYC frequently. LPG consumers may need to complete the Aadhaar-based authentication
Fewer fact-checks, ascent of AI, social media scans for visas: Events that marked digital platforms in 2025
Fewer fact-checks, ascent of AI, social media scans for visas: Events that marked digital platforms in 2025
2025 will be a memorable year for Australian children, as the world watched their government successfully push for a social media ban on users under 16 years of age. The legislation came into force this month and as a result, children across Australia (though not all of them yet) lost access to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and more.
If you are above 16 or reside outside Australia, you might naturally think that your access to everyday platforms was left untouched. In truth, however, your experience as a social media user changed drastically in 2025—whether you realised it or not.
Let's take a look at the top events that shaped digital platforms this year.
As U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House for the second time, tech billionaires moved quickly to curry favour with the temperamental, right-wing president. For his part, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg donated to Trump's inaugural fund and was present at the ceremony itself. That month, he also announced that Meta was replacing its third-party fact-checkers with ‘Community Notes'-style context notes, similar to Elon Musk's X.
Meta further stated that a “number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender” were being removed, citing free speech as the reason for this. Regulators and digital rights advocates reacted with alarm, raising concerns that marginalised or minority users such as people of colour or members of the LGBTQIA+ community would become more vulnerable to hate speech on Facebook and Instagram.
In March, OpenAI upgraded its GPT-4o model. What should have been a standard company development instead triggered an explosion of AI-generated images around the world as users revelled in the beefed up GPT-4o model's ability to generate AI portraits in an animated illustration style closely resembling Studio Ghibli's anime films. The Studio Ghibli AI photos popped up everywhere, from physical flyers and WhatsApp display pictures to dating apps and social media graphics.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted around this time that the ChatGPT-maker added one million users in one hour, even as artists and digital rights advocates pointed out the legal risks of allowing AI chatbots to create images in the style of living artists and art studios, potentially violating copyright law. What's more, the AI Ghibli trend was used to create images that violated Director Hayao Miyazaki's child-friendly, anti-war art. This included AI-generated promotion of the Israeli military, communal violence in India, pornography, and the arrest of migrants in the U.S.
In the days following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 that claimed over 20 lives and India's ensuing Operation Sindoor military action, social media was used to harass a number of figures who called for peace and restraint during a time when many feared a full war between the two nations.
Those targeted by trolls included Himanshi Narwal, the wife of Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was murdered in Pahalgam. Ms. Narwal had called for peace and denounced actions targeting Muslims and Kashmiri people after the terrorist attack.
Much of the abuse took place on Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter), where even India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, was not spared. He was hit with abusive comments after announcing that India and Pakistan had agreed to the cessation of military operations. In addition to this, his daughter was doxxed.
Other journalists, fact-checkers, anti-war activists, and those expressing their opinions against war and militarisation were also systematically attacked and doxxed by far-right social media users.
With the return of Trump to the White House, the U.S. government has doubled down on its anti-immigration rhetoric, along with tightening conditions for the issuance of visas to foreign students and skilled workers. From May, there were communications from U.S. officials to make people believe that social media vetting would be an active part of the visa application process.
From the summer, it was seen that the U.S. Department of State's ‘Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application' (DS-160) form included a sub-section listing various social media platforms that applicants were asked to select, in order to share their personal identifiers for scrutiny .
More recently, a new proposal suggested that international tourists from multiple countries such as the UK, France, and even Japan might have to provide five years of their social media history, even if they are allowed to visit the U.S. for 90 days without a visa.
On October 20, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) failure caused by a DNS error brought down thousands of platforms and services, including Canva, Perplexity, Amazon, Roblox, Snapchat, Signal, and ChatGPT.
On November 18, a Cloudflare outage caused by a change to database system permissions caused the database to output multiple entries into a “feature file” used by Cloudflare's Bot Management system. A larger-than-usual feature file triggered software failures. This brought down services including X, OpenAI, LinkedIn, Zoom, and Spotify.
What is the takeaway from these two separate events? Your online life may be a rich experience made up of a diverse selection of social media platforms, entertainment channels, hobby blogs, and news websites. However, large sections of the web rely on service providers such as Cloudflare and AWS, in order to route internet traffic and help users access the services they need. When these platforms see outages, no matter how short, we are reminded as to how huge sections of the web depend on a small number of service providers in order to remain functional.
Published - December 30, 2025 11:43 am IST
technology (general)
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: Aishwarya Khare Recalls Most Memorable Moment From Eight killed in US military strikes on 3 ‘narco-trafficking’ vessels │Watch Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir’s Heated Dressing-Room Chat Goes Viral - Watch Hema Malini Shares Unseen ‘Memorable Moments’ With Dharmendra Sanju Samson Breaks Silence On Losing Opening Spot To Shubman Gill - WATCH TNT's Kenny Albert wraps up a memorable 9-month stretch with the Stanley Cup Finals Dhoti-Kurta Cricket Tournament With Sanskrit Commentary Goes Viral - WATCH Five most memorable moments from the classic Malaysia to ban social media for children under 16 next year Fee for children's Aadhaar biometric updates waived off for a year
For Gudi Padwa 2026, actress Isha Koppikar has shared that she is focusing on teaching her daughter, Rianna, the core values behind the festival rather than just the rituals. New Delhi: As the country celebrates Gudi Padwa today, actress Isha Koppikar reflected on how she marks the festival
1 days ago
IMD issued a widespread alert for rain and thunderstorms across Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, and Central India starting today, March 18, 2026. Heavy snowfall is predicted for Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. A much-needed respite from the rising March temperatures is on the horizon
1 days ago
Ishan Kishan has been appointed stand-in captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2026, with opener Abhishek Sharma named his deputy. The India wicketkeeper-batter will lead the side in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, who is currently recovering from a back injury that also ruled him
1 days ago
rajresults-nic-in, Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 10th Results 2026 Date And Time Live: The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) is expected to declare the results for the class 10th board examination soon. According to media reports, the results could be released on March 20, 2026
1 days ago
Chhattisgarh tables anti-conversion bill, life term for mass conversionsChhattisgarh govt tables anti-conversion Bill with life term for mass conversion, defines allurement, coercion, and mandates prior declaration Published on: Mar 19, 2026 5:51 PM IST By Ritesh Mishra
1 days ago
Dhurandhar The Revenge actor Danish Iqbal says he didn’t know he was Bade Sahab: ‘Aditya Dhar was so secretive’Danish Iqbal, who plays Bade Sahab in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, revealed that he was initially unaware of his character's identity. Mar 19, 2026
1 days ago
The funding aims to provide direct price support to cotton farmers across the country. New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved minimum support price (MSP) funding of Rs 1,718
1 days ago
Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag stated Sanju Samson's departure cannot be filled. Parag, now captain, emphasized better planning and finishing close games for the upcoming season. He thanked the franchise for their support. Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara backed Parag
1 days ago
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has declared assets exceeding one crore rupees. His nomination papers reveal movable and immovable properties. His wife also declared significant assets. Vijayan faces six cases, including one under the Prevention of Corruption Act and an Enforcement
1 days ago
Ukraine’s embassy in Delhi on Thursday expressed concern about the arrest of six Ukrainians in the country under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, claiming that the circumstances in the case suggest that it may be “orchestrated and politically motivated”
1 days ago
Manchester United's fans won't have a chance to see JJ Gabriel in Premier League action at Old Trafford this season, so a good proportion of the 2,516 who saw him feature in the 3-2 FA Youth Cup win over Sunderland made sure they got their selfies
1 days ago
For the first time since the league's inception in 2008, Kohli enters the IPL as a one format international player. Batting maestro Virat Kohli has arrived in Bengaluru to join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp, marking the beginning of a unique chapter in his storied career
1 days ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam released its list of candidates on Thursday for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. The party has fielded Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from the Jalukbari seat, which he has represented since 2001. Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi
1 days ago
With seven medals, including five golds, at the recent Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi, it is hard to believe Kurian Jacob took up swimming seriously at 70. “I might have started swimming before I started walking,” says Kurian who competed in the 75-79 years old category.With seven medals
1 days ago
The liver is a remarkably resilient organ. It absorbs stress quietly, adapts silently, and continues to function, even when damage has already begun. This is precisely why liver diseases are often detected late. Sometimes, liver care doctors come across patients whose blood tests look normal
1 days ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its second list of 39 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly Elections. With this, the party has so far announced the names of a total of 86 candidates. The party has fielded former state BJP president and former Mizoram governor Kummanam
1 days ago
Chaitra Navratri 2026 day 2 wishes: Share these heartfelt wishes, messages, images, and quotes with your loved ones on the second day of Chaitra Navratri. Om Brahmacharinyai Namah! Chaitra Navratri 2026 day 2 wishes: The second day of Chaitra Navratri is dedicated to Maa Brahmacharini
1 days ago
If there’s one thing Indian television never shies away from, it’s going all in—on drama, imagination, and moments that blur the line between the unexpected and the unforgettable. And now, a scene from Naagin 7 has taken that reputation to a whole new level
1 days ago
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed alarm over the "arbitrary removal of more than 50 senior officials" in the poll-bound state, calling it "political interference of the highest order." She alleged the Election Commission's actions amounted to "systematic politicisation of
1 days ago
The decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title is "abject" and "we have to denounce it", a senior figure at African football's governing body has said. Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January's final but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) overturned the result on Tuesday
1 days ago
Most factories in Morbi, India's ceramics hub in the western state of Gujarat, have shut down for nearly a month due to gas shortages triggered by the Iran war, according to the local manufacturers' association. Morbi produces about 80% of India's ceramics - mainly tiles and sanitaryware - and
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Best oven toaster grills for Indian homes: Top 7 OTG picks for baking, grilling, toasting and moreOven toaster grills are a versatile kitchen appliance that can be used for baking
1 days ago
Delhi Capitals revealed their new jersey for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The design reflects the team's tiger spirit. For the first time, both men's and women's team captains are featured together. The franchise also appointed John Mooney as its new fielding coach
1 days ago
AFCON final controversy: CAF chief defends Morocco title decision amid Senegal corruption probe call Published on: Mar 19, 2026 6:10 PM IST Written by Neelav Chakravarti Share via Copy link CAF President Patrice Motsepe stands next to Senegal's Sadio Mane with the Man of the Competition award after
1 days ago
Why Did Share Market Fall Today? Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty fell sharply by over 3 percent on Thursday, snapping a three-day rally, as rising crude oil prices and weak global cues weighed on sentiment. The Sensex dropped 2,496.89 points, or 3.26 percent, to close at 74,207.24
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Ceiling fans for home: Top 7 options that fit different room needsPlanning to upgrade cooling this summer 2026? These ceiling fans for the home offer steady airflow, lower power use
1 days ago
US President Donald Trump has threatened to blow up a major gas field in Iran if it attacks the US's Gulf Arab ally Qatar again. Trump's threat came after a day in which Israel hit Iran's South Pars - part of the world's largest natural gas field
1 days ago
