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Microsoft to axe 18,000 jobs globally; India impact minimal
New York: In the first major realignment of workforce since India-born Satya Nadella took over as CEO, Microsoft has announced slashing of up to 18,000 jobs worldwide by next year as the software giant attempts to sharpen focus on cloud and mobile offerings.
The move, however, will have "minimal" impact in India, which is an important geography for the US-based giant.
One of the largest job cuts in the Redmond-headquartered firm's almost four decade-history, the move will see about 12,500 jobs being reduced from Nokia Devices and Services, comprising both professional and factory workers.
As of June 30, 2013, Microsoft had about 99,000 people on a full-time basis, 58,000 in the US and 41,000 worldwide.
This, however, does not include the employees moving in post the Nokia-deal.
Earlier this year, Microsoft completed the acquisition of Nokia's handset division for which it paid over USD 7.2 billion.
In a letter to employees, Nadella said: "The first step to building the right organisation for our ambitions is to realign our workforce. With this in mind, we will begin to reduce the size of our overall workforce by up to 18,000 jobs in the next year." Earlier this week too, Nadella had written a similar letter to the employees suggesting structural changes as the firm moves towards a "cloud first, mobile first strategy." "Of that total, our work toward synergies and strategic alignment on Nokia Devices and Services is expected to account for about 12,500 jobs, comprising both professional and factory workers.
"We are moving now to start reducing the first 13,000 positions, and the vast majority of employees whose jobs will be eliminated will be notified over the next six months," he added.
When asked on the restructuring impact on India, a Microsoft India spokesperson told PTI: "We have about 6,500 employees in India, which also includes employees from Nokia.
The impact will be minimal. It will be very very small." PTI
Pakistan distances itself from Vaidik-Saeed meeting
Islamabad:
Pakistan today distanced itself from the controversy over the meeting between Indian journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed saying it had no role in the private interaction.
The foreign ministry only takes care of request for official meetings and not private interactions, Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said at a weekly briefing.
"If there is a request for a call on the Prime Minister or the Advisor to the Prime Minister, it would go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But we don't arrange meetings of individuals with private citizens in Pakistan," she said to a query about Vaidik's meeting with Saeed in Lahore.
Opposition parties in India have alleged that the meeting between the scribe and Saeed could not have been held without the ISI's green signal.
Vaidik had met Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), said to be the parent organisation of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, in Lahore on July 2 while touring Pakistan along with a group of journalists and politicians invited by a think tank here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he looked forward to charting a "new course" in bilateral relations with Pakistan in an atmosphere "free from confrontation and violence".
"Any articulation of policy that India wants to settle all issues, including the outstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue resonates with us as it has been our policy," Aslam said.
She said Pakistan's policy, all along, has been that all outstanding disputes, particularly the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir should be resolved through dialogue.
India has insisted that completion of the trial of the Mumbai attacks accused in Pakistan was essential for taking forward the dialogue process.
"But you cannot have dialogue and at the same time impose pre-conditions. The trial of the accused in Mumbai case is proceeding. It's not held up," she said.
Aslam also accused India of holding up the trial of the accused in the Samjhauta Express bombing in which Pakistanis were the victims.
"We do expect that Pakistanis who have been victims of terrorists would also get justice," she said. PTI
Punjab CM Badal threatens to quit over Haryana SGPC
issue
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is reported to have threatened to quit if the
Central government did
not intervene in the controversial issue of setting up of a separate committee in Haryana to manage gurdwaras there,
Shiromani Akali Dal sources said. The party also plans to launch a jail bharo campaign in Delhi today.
Badal rushed to New Delhi on Wednesday, and even missed the annual
Budget announcements of his government in the state Assembly here, to meet
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the Haryana SGPC issue.
Badal is reported to have told the Central ministers that if the Union
Government did not stop the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government in Haryana from setting up a separate SGPC for the state, he was ready to sacrifice his job to protect the
interests of the Sikh community and the Amritsar-based SGPC.
Sources said Badal was told that the matter would be discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes back after attending the BRICS summit in Brazil.
The Akali Dal is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The Akali Dal and the BJP have an alliance government in Punjab since 2007.
The Haryana Assembly on Friday passed a Bill under which a new Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) would be
set up to manage gurdwaras (Sikh shrines) in Haryana.
The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Bill, 2014, got the assent of the Haryana
Governor Monday.
The Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is a mini-parliament of Sikh religious affairs which
controls gurdwaras across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
There are 72 gurdwaras in Haryana under the SGPC and they contribute over Rs.300 million
(Rs 30 crore) to the SGPC kitty.
The SGPC controls majority of the gurdwaras in Punjab, including the holiest of all Sikh shrines, Harmandar Sahib, popularly
known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar. — IANS
Rajnath rubbishes AAP charge on horse-trading
NEW DELHI: Rubbishing AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's allegation against
the BJP of indulging in horse-trading for government formation in Delhi, former BJP chief and Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said his party doesn't indulge in such practices.
"The BJP has never indulged in horse-trading. I can confidently say that BJP doesn't indulge in horse-trading," he told reporters here.
On Kejriwal's charge, Singh said his party will never indulge in such a
practice.
Asked if some Congress MLAs were supporting the BJP to form government in Delhi, he said that he does not have any knowledge about it.
Kejriwal had yesterday charged the BJP with trying to buy Congress MLAs after failing to lure AAP legislators.
"After failing to buy any AAP MLA, BJP is now trying to buy 6 Cong MLAs. Price - Rs 20 crore each, 2 ministers and 4 chairmen (sic)," the AAP convener had said in a tweet.
The BJP had emerged the single largest party after last year's Assembly polls with 32 seats, including one of
the Akali Dal, in the 70-member Assembly.
Currently the BJP, along with ally Akali Dal's lone MLA, has 29 legislators and will require the support of five more MLAs to prove majority in the Assembly. Three of its MLAs had been elected to the Lok Sabha.
The party fell short of four seats to bag a simple majority and had refused to form government in December, saying it did not have the numbers and will not resort to any "unfair means" to take the reins.
— PTI
AAP calls MLAs' meet
NEW DELHI: Amid reports that the BJP is trying to form government in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has called a meeting of its MLAs today to discuss future course of action.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is expected to discuss its future plan if
the BJP forms the government in the national Capital.
At present, the AAP has 27 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi Legislative Assembly. It had earlier expelled its Laxmi Nagar MLA Vinod Kumar Binny for indulging in anti-party activities.
AAP sources said Kejriwal has sought an appointment with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, but a confirmation is being awaited.
On July 3, AAP MLAs, led by Kejriwal, had met President Pranab Mukherjee. They demanded dissolution of
the Delhi Assembly and fresh poll in the Capital.
The party, in a memorandum to the President, had alleged that the BJP had approached 15 of its MLAs for support.
"They have been luring them with ministerial berths, properties and cash ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 20 crore. When this did not work out, our MLA from Shalimar Bagh Bandana Kumari was given a life threat. She has already filed a police complaint in this regard," Kejriwal had said in the memorandum.
After last December's Assembly poll, the AAP had formed the government in Delhi with Congress support, but the Kejriwal-led dispensation resigned after just 49 days for failing to pass its pet Jan Laokpal Bill.
— PTI
Strike disrupts normal life in Kashmir Valley
SRINAGAR: Normal life was disrupted in the Kashmir Valley today due to a strike called by
the hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani to protest killings in Gaza and to mourn the death of seven persons in an accident involving an
Army vehicle.
Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps here were closed, while government offices and banks received thin attendance,
the police said.
They said public transport was off the roads while private cars, cabs and auto rickshaws were seen plying.
Similar reports were received from all major towns across the Valley, they said.
School and colleges in the Valley are closed on account of summer vacations.
Geelani yesterday called for the strike against Gaza killings and to mourn death of seven persons, including a pregnant woman, in a head-on collision between an
Army vehicle and a private cab on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway on the outskirts of the city here.
The collision triggered protests by the locals.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Geelani alleged that the armed forces do not follow traffic rules and usually cause accidents.
— PTI
Six-year-old allegedly raped in Bangalore
school, parents protest
Bangalore: A six-year-old girl student was allegedly raped by “unknown persons” at a prominent school here, leading to angry protests by parents who besieged the institution on Thursday, demanding action from the management.
“A six-year-old girl student was allegedly raped by unknown persons at Vibgyor High School under Varthur Police Station limits, which came to light on July 15,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order-East) K V Sharat Chandra told PTI here.
The girl was sent for medical examination and the Forensic Science Laboratory report is awaited, he said.
Chandra said investigation is underway and there have been no arrests so far. Parents allege that the accused were school staffers, he said.
Enraged over the incident, hundreds of parents swarmed the school demanding answers from the management whom they accused of being “insensitive” and not forthcoming with information, as they suspected involvement of some staffers.
Demanding action against the staffers over their alleged involvement, the irate parents tried to force their way into the building as
the police tried to pacify them. Window glasses were broken in the melee.
Addressing the agitating parents, Rustom Kerawala, spokesperson for the management said, “If somebody is found guilty of raping, let him be hanged.”
He said the school management was co-operating with the investigating authorities. “We are waiting for the final conclusion from authorities.”
Kerawala sought to pacify the parents, saying that security would be stepped up and “safety of the child is paramount.” — PTI
Monsoon revives, covers entire India
NEW DELHI: India's monsoon has covered the entire country, the Met Department
said on Thursday, two days behind the normal schedule in a year that is forecast to bring below-average
rain.
The revival of monsoon rain in the grain bowl of north-west and central regions should help speed up sowing of main summer crops such as rice, corn, soybean and cotton.
Poor rain since the start of the June-September season had raised concerns of a first drought in five years.
Monsoon rain is vital to India's farm sector, which accounts for about
14 per cent of the country's nearly $2 trillion economy. Two-thirds of its 1.2 billion population live in rural areas.
Last year, monsoon rains covered the country almost a month ahead of schedule, helping grain output hit a record level. — Reuters
Hamas agrees on five-hour humanitarian ceasefire
GAZA: The Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian militant groups agreed late Wednesday to a UN appeal of a five-hour
humanitarian ceasefire with Israel Thursday, a Hamas official said.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions agreed to halt rocket firing into Israel for five hours Thursday in response to a
proposal by the UN, Xinhua quoted the official as saying on condition of anonymity. He added that the movement "will respond
to any Israeli attacks on Gaza during the pause".
Earlier on Wednesday night, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it will enable a humanitarian window in Gaza between 10 am to 3
pm on Thursday, as a result of a dialogue with the UN. But it also added that if Hamas fires rockets at Israel during the
humanitarian window, the IDF will respond with force.
It's the first pause of fighting since Israel and Hamas fighters have engaged in fierce cross-border attacks since last
Tuesday when Israel started an all-out operation to halt Gaza rocket fire. The operation has claimed 223 Palestinian lives so
far.
Before the agreement on the five-hour ceasefire, Hamas officially rejected an Egyptian initiative of ceasefire between Gaza
militants and Israel earlier on Wednesday. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Israel would
expand and increase" its campaign against Hamas and other militant organisations in the Gaza Strip until the rocket fire from
Gaza comes to an end. — IANS
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