iWorld
Nithari returns to the dock as new doc digs into truth, lies and terror
MUMBAI: Some stories refuse to stay buried, and in Nithari’s case, the ghosts are walking again. Nearly twenty years after a Noida lane became synonymous with national horror, Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder, a gripping three-hour investigative docuseries by Warner Bros. Discovery and Trinetra drags the case back into the light with unsettling new access, including Moninder Singh Pandher’s first on-camera version of events.
The timing is no coincidence. The Supreme Court’s 11 November verdict overturning Surinder Koli’s last remaining conviction has reignited a case many believed was firmly closed. With both men, once sentenced to death, now free, the docuseries becomes not just retrospective viewing but a live question mark hovering over India’s criminal justice system.
Warner Bros. Discovery head of factual entertainment, lifestyle & kids for South Asia Sai Abishek says the series aims to strip away assumptions. “The Nithari case is unsettling, complex, and still shrouded in unanswered questions. The recent Supreme Court decision shows how relevant this story remains. What sets this apart is unprecedented access to voices like Pandher, allowing us to re-examine the investigation through new evidence and perspective.”
Premiering on discovery+ on 20 November, the series reopens one of India’s darkest chapters with a rare mix of forensic rigour and emotional depth. It retraces the 2006 nightmare that began with missing children and spiralled into a discovery that shocked the country and left behind a trail of contradictions, conspiracy theories, and confusion.
Director Deepak Chaturvedi calls the project the result of “years of meticulous research, access to unseen material, and conversations with those who lived through the tragedy.” The goal, he says, was not to sensationalise horror but to parse truth from speculation: “This is about context, accountability, and clarity about revisiting Nithari with compassion, not spectacle.”
The series doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable questions. Were Pandher and Koli the true perpetrators, or pawns in something far murkier? Were investigative lapses and systemic failures conveniently ignored? And why, after nearly two decades, does the case still feel unfinished?
Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder threads together voices of investigators, journalists, forensic experts and grieving families who have carried unanswered questions for nineteen years. It features never-before-seen footage, access to unedited police diaries and confession tapes, and the chilling reconstruction of events that unfolded behind the now-infamous bungalow’s walls.
In doing so, it exposes what slipped through the cracks and what was buried in them. It is an unflinching look at power versus vulnerability, justice versus convenience, and the disturbing ease with which horror hid in plain sight.
As India continues to grapple with lingering doubts, the docuseries becomes both mirror and magnifying glass. Not simply recounting what happened, but asking why clarity has remained elusive for so long.
Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder streams exclusively on discovery+ on 20 November 2025.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
