Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today to participate in a key meeting aimed at appointing the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to sources familiar with the matter.

The high-level selection committee, which convenes for such appointments, includes the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The CBI director is appointed for a fixed term of two years, though the tenure can be extended up to five years, as per established procedures.

Current director Praveen Sood’s term ends on May 25

The tenure of the present CBI Director, Praveen Sood, is set to end on May 25. Sood, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 1986 Karnataka cadre, took charge of the investigative agency in May 2023. He had succeeded Subodh Kumar Jaiswal in the post.

The meeting held at the PMO is expected to finalise the name of the next CBI chief, a decision that carries significant implications for the agency’s leadership and direction in the coming years.

After over 20 years of shaping global digital communication, Skype is officially shutting down on May 5, 2025. Microsoft, the platform’s parent company, has announced that Skype will be replaced by Microsoft Teams, ushering in a new chapter for its users.

Transition plan for users

Microsoft confirmed that both free and paid users of Skype will be impacted by this transition. Skype for Business users are being migrated to Microsoft Teams, which inherits many of Skype’s core functionalities, such as video calling and chat, along with enhanced features tailored for collaboration.

Users can log into Microsoft Teams using their existing Skype credentials, and their contact lists and chat history will be automatically accessible. For those choosing not to make the shift, Microsoft is offering an option to export data, including conversations and files.

Users have until January 2026 to either move to Teams or download their Skype data. If they log into Teams Free by that deadline, their old call logs and messages will remain available. However, users who take no action will lose their data permanently post the January 2026 deadline.

How to export Skype data

To retain a personal backup:

1. Visit the Skype Export page and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Choose whether to download conversations, files, or both.
3. Submit the request and confirm.
4. After processing, click on ‘Download’ to retrieve your data.
   

Why is Skype shutting down?

Once a pioneer in internet communication, Skype saw a gradual decline in relevance. While Microsoft had ambitious plans to take the platform to 1 billion users, interface overhauls and laggy updates made it less appealing over time. The rapid adoption of platforms like Zoom, Slack, Discord, and Webex during the COVID-19 pandemic further overshadowed Skype’s utility.

From a peak of 150 million monthly active users in 2011, Skype dwindled to just 23 million by 2025, sealing its fate. Despite once boasting over 400 million registered users, Skype’s final days reflect a broader shift in how people choose to connect online.

Google appears to be working on a new desktop-style experience for Android phones, with fresh indications found in the latest Android 16 beta update. The move is expected to bring the functionality of desktop platforms like Samsung’s DeX to Pixel devices, enhancing multitasking and productivity when phones are connected to external displays.

Floating window support in Android 16

According to findings in the Android 16 Beta 4 developer options, a new toggle named “Enable desktop experience features” has surfaced on the Pixel 8 Pro. Once activated and connected to a larger display such as a monitor or laptop, the device transforms its interface into a desktop-like setup — featuring a taskbar, status bar, and traditional three-button navigation controls.

This taskbar includes frequently used apps like Phone, Messages, Camera, and Chrome, along with access to the full app drawer. It can also show recently used apps for quick access. One of the major upgrades this mode brings is the ability to open multiple apps in floating windows, similar to how multitasking works on Windows.

Users can reportedly drag, resize, and move these windows freely, offering a desktop-grade experience. It also supports drag-and-drop functionality for easier file management between apps.

Evolving from tablet to phone displays

This potential new feature appears to build upon earlier developments seen in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, which added basic windowing capabilities to Pixel tablets. While the older feature was restricted to the device’s own screen, the latest enhancement seems designed to extend this capability to external displays, broadening its usability for smartphones.

Although the feature is not yet officially available, developers were able to manually activate it, suggesting Google is testing this internally and may introduce it widely in a future release.

As smartphone users increasingly demand more PC-like flexibility, this evolution signals Google’s intention to compete with established desktop interface solutions and improve cross-device continuity.