Missouri State University Announces Scholarships and Tailor-Made Courses for Indian Students

Missouri State University has announced special scholarships for Indian students. During his visit to India Colonel Stephen Robinette Associate Vice President, International Studies, MSU, USA, made a number of important announcements for Indian Students. Colonel Robinette also discussed some issues viz. US Immigration rules, safety and security of Indian students in Missouri State University.

The University has announced “International Excellence Scholarship” of $5000 each, per year for Indian Students. Students with animating skills and disciplined approach towards learning can avail this scholarship throughout their duration of study in Missouri State University. The “International Excellence Scholarship” will help students to overcome the financial strain while studying in the US. Explaining the same Col. Robinette, Associate Vice President, International Students, MSU said, “MSU has notlimited ‘International Excellence Scholarship’ to any numbers and offers the same scheme to all eligible candidates. We believe that it will be unjustified to restrict scholars in numbers. One, who has merit and is eligible, will keep getting it like earlier.”

Colonel Robinette while addressing the immigration issues of Indian students said, “We have welcomed Indian students for over ten years and will continue to do so with the same zeal and enthusiasm.” Our Sub continent office, based out of the National Capital Region, is continuously in touch with all aspiring students and their parents to give proper and thorough counselling, direct or via the approved education agents. The office provides guidance support in terms of applying for a visa and the interview, thereafter.

Missouri State University is a diverse university which has maintained a global focus for more than 25 years. Missouri State University is predominantly announcing courses which are tailor-made for Indian Students. For instance, MSU has introduced a new course, Master of Science in Computer Science for Indian Students. Post the paper of New Immigration Rule was signed by President Trump Indian students are apprehensive to study in US universities. Thus, the university has announced Computer Science course to ease out situation for Indian Students. Degree in Computer Science and STEM from US University allows students to work 3 years without work Visa in the USA. 

Talking about the safety and security of Indian Students Col. Robinette said,“Our campuses are patrolled 24/7 and there are support groups for students that require extra attention. In view of the recent unfortunate events, we have tightened our security even further. We have a zero tolerance policy for any sort of racism or discrimination. Our students can freely approach the International student services for any sort of support they may require.”

About Missouri State University: Missouri State University, Missouri, USA established in the year 1905, is the second-largest university in Missouri with over 23,000 students currently studying out of which 1,800 are international students representing over 85 countries. The Princeton University reviewed it as ‘The Best in the Midwest distinction’. MSU has a world-class faculty with over 90% faculty holding a terminal degree in their field of study. The university comprises a school of agriculture, a graduate college and six academic colleges namely, College of Arts & Letters, College of Business, College of Health & Human Services, College of Humanities & Public Affair, College of Natural and  Applied Sciences and College of Education. MSU provides state-of-the-art facility for its students which include on-campus residence halls and dining centres, a student union, a world-class library, a brand new recreational centre and dedicated academic facilities. Both on-campus and off-campus housing facilities are available at MSU.

Golden Handshake for Non-Performing Cognizant Employees

Cognizant, a leading software services company with most of its operations in Chennai, may fire 6,000-10,000 people, to reduce redundant and non-performing employees.

The reduction in employee base will be a part of the appraisal process, according to reports, as digitisation and automation are becoming the new normal with Indian IT firms, and Cognizant is not different from Infosys, Wipro and TCS.

The company has not issued any statement on the reduction of the headcount, but sources said that “it is a regular process for IT companies to go through this process, but the number of people are on the higher side.” The source did not want his name to be disclosed.

Cognizant was once the fastest growing IT company, and had overtaken Wipro in 2011. It was known for customer-centricity and would often undercut competition on client pricing, even if it was on the back of lower operating margins. As a result, it added more clients that its competition.

When Infosys had operating margins of 26%, Cognizant was happy with 20%.

That was also because of Cognizant’s upbringing. Cognizant started as a captive of ratings data giant Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), which was spun off in 1996, and got listed on the American bourses in two years later. In a meeting with this journalist a few years ago, Lakshmi Narayanan, then Cognizant’s vice chairman had said that since it had only one client (as a captive) it focussed on technology and providing impeccable service.

But, the way IT services are being delivered is changing. Add to that, America’s growing protectionism is making offshore business difficult. Clients want a higher degree of automation, and digital services have already started contributing to 20% of IT services’ revenue.

Cognizant is buying companies to build it digital business and consulting capabilities. In November it bought Mirabeau BV, a digital marketing and customer experience agency, and Japan’s Brilliant Service, which specialises in Android and iOS apps. Earlier, it had bought TriZetto, Frontica Business Solutions and Adaptra.

The decision to fire employees comes at a time, when Cognizant has announced that it will return $3 billion to its shareholders through buy back, and has said that it will focus on improving margins -- up from its traditional 20% to 22%.

Agencies

BitcoinGrowthFund Raises $ 2.5 Million in a Week; Targets $32 Million

BitcoinGrowthFund (BGF) world’s first blockchain based start-up fund for Venture Capital Industry has been successful in raising more than USD 2.5 million as a part of its initial Coin Offering (ICO).

BGF launched the ICO on April 27, 2017 in Bangkok and within 24 hours had received 1.6 million dollars of investment from retail investors globally. ICO is like an ‘IPO’ where investors get coins/tokens instead of shares in a company or fund.

BGF is a blockchain based venture capital fund where regular/small investors invest into the fund by buying tokens named “MCAPS” and the fund collected are invested in the mining of various cryptocurrencies like DASH, Ethereum, Monero, Litecoin, Z-cash, Bitcoin and others. Also, part of the fund is further invested in upcoming ICO’s of interesting blockchain projects based on analysis. Mcap owners are paid dividends monthly based on returns earned from investment in these activities.

Arvind Sehmay, Director – Communications, BitcoinGrowthFund says, “We received an overwhelming response to our ICO and we were able to raise 1.6 million dollars in the first 24 hours itself. BGF is a liquid fund targeting investments in Crypto-currency mining and startup ecosystem. We provide investors (regular/small) opportunity to invest in Crypto currency ecosystem through purchase of our Mcap tokens. Mcap owners are entitled to monthly payouts based on fund’s performance. Token owners can also trade and exchange these token amongst themselves and other users anytime.”

OPPO Unveils Selfie Expert F3 for Mid-Range Market

The camera phone brand OPPO, strengthened the ‘Group Selfie’ trend today by launching another Selfie Expert F3, priced at Rs 19,990 for the mid-range market. The F3 is the second in line dual front camera Selfie Expert targeted towards the Group Selfie generation after the recently launched F3 Plus.

The F3 features a dual front camera - a 16-megapixel Selfie camera for individual selfies and a wide-angle lens for group selfie.

The F3 First Sale begins from May 13^th in 25 cities across India. The pre-order starts from today till May12^th 2017. It will be available online on Flipkart exclusively. Consumers can also pre-order offline through OPPO stores.

On this occasion, OPPO also revealed the Team India jersey in the presence of OPPO India President and BCCI CEO. The brand has always focused on cricket as a platform in its endeavor to connect with the consumers especially the youth. While it is the official partner of ICC starting 2016, it has strengthened the relationship further with the sport by associating with BCCI and becoming the official sponsor of Team India.

“Cricket is a sport full of vigor and passion enjoyed by the youth of India. We believe that we share the same passion and spirit of pursuit of perfection as cricket that makes this association a perfect fit.” Said Mr. Sky Li, OPPO’s Global Vice President and President of OPPO India. “By partnering with the team, OPPO will not only further enhance its connection with the young consumers, but also engage with the country’s youth in its endeavor of providing them with the outstanding selfie-led photography experience.” He added.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Rahul Johri, CEO-BCCI said, “We are excited to have OPPO join the BCCI family. OPPO Mobiles is pursuing perfect photography technology and it shares a common vision with BCCI. I am confident that we will work together to further grow Indian cricket!”

Dual Selfie Camera

“One for Selfie, One for Group selfie “The Double View Group Selfie Camera gives a larger field-of-view, twice larger view than a normal selfie camera. The 6P lens maintains a high-level of professional image quality with minimal image distortion. This ensures that you click perfect Group Selfies!

For your individual selfies, switch to the other front camera which utilizes 16 MP resolution, 1/3-inch sensor and a large f/2.0 aperture. It sports high dynamic range, vivid depth and minimized noise. Comparing to previous F1s, OPPO made further improvements and optimization to its performance. Under a strongly-lit background, the selfie will not be over-exposed, and the overall image is more real. When shooting in a poorly-lit place or at night, the noise granularity is also significantly reduced to make the selfie more vivid and clearer.

With the built-in Smart Facial Recognition, the F3 will notify users to switch to ‘Group Selfie’ mode if there are more than three people in the frame. Users can snap their Group Selfie at ease, without compromising image stability when taking selfie with one hand.

The OPPO F3 is also equipped with a 13 MP rear camera that has a 1/3-inch sensor. It is able to maximize light sensitivity, making for wonderful night time performance. PDAF technology makes for a snappy and fluid shooting experience. Even with moving subjects, the F3 focuses without a hitch. Capturing great shots at key moments has never been easier.

“One for Selfie, One for Group selfie “The Double View Group Selfie Camera gives a larger field-of-view, twice larger view than a normal selfie camera. The 6P lens maintains a high-level of professional image quality with minimal image distortion. This ensures that you click perfect Group Selfies!

For your individual selfies, switch to the other front camera which utilizes 16 MP resolution, 1/3-inch sensor and a large f/2.0 aperture. It sports high dynamic range, vivid depth and minimized noise. Comparing to previous F1s, OPPO made further improvements and optimization to its performance. Under a strongly-lit background, the selfie will not be over-exposed, and the overall image is more real. When shooting in a poorly-lit place or at night, the noise granularity is also significantly reduced to make the selfie more vivid and clearer.

With the built-in Smart Facial Recognition, the F3 will notify users to switch to ‘Group Selfie’ mode if there are more than three people in the frame. Users can snap their Group Selfie at ease, without compromising image stability when taking selfie with one hand.

OPPO’s pioneering beautification editing software, Beautify 4.0 is available for both - two selfie front cameras and rear camera. It will allow users to choose from various beautification modes, ensuring images are captured with favorable effects.

There are several other fun features to make your Selfie taking experience enhanced like Palm shutter allows you to take shake free photos by activating an automatic selfie countdown when you wave your hand in front of the camera.

Perfect for All the Functionality You Need

The F3 is equipped with an octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM backed by the ColorOS 3.0, assuring a seamless and snappy performance. The embedded triple-slot card tray allows two nano-SIM cards and a microSD card to work simultaneously.

The F3 gets a higher energy density 3200mAh battery which gives your even longer endurance. In our real use simulation test, it lasted for more than 15 hours! That means, it can save you the inconvenience of bringing the heavy power-bank or look for chargers again and again on your trip. 

Privacy protection and security is also a top priority. The F3 uses an advanced solid-state fingerprint reader, so that only a slight touch is enough to unlock the device. Equipped with a hydrophobic membrane the fingerprint reader has an enhanced success rate even when a user’s fingers are moist. 

Stunning Design and Exquisite Craftsmanship

With a lighter and thinner 5.5-inch body, the F3 contributes to a matchlessly comfortable grip. The smooth texture of the lustrous metal back panel repels dust and is a pleasure to hold. Every detail of the F3 comes together to give an impression of mercurial grace and beauty. Equipped with in-cell technology, the FHD in-cell display of F3 decreases 1/4 of the normal screen thickness, thus giving the whole screen a high rate of penetration and a bright image. So, what you see will be noticeably more brilliant and vibrant even in the sunlight.

Amazing Colors & Competitive Pricing

The F3 comes in Gold and Rose Gold. Priced at Rs 19,990, the Gold variant of the F3 will be available from May 13^, 2017 both online and offline. The pre-order of F3 Gold version starts from today till May 12^, 2017. It will be available online on Flipkart exclusively. Consumers can also pre-order offline through OPPO stores. The brand will also have a lucky draw through the pre-order entries, and three lucky winners will get a chance to see the ICC finals live in London.

Cab Passengers Can Now Update Pick Up Location after Booking a Ride on Uber

Uber, the ridesharing app that connects riders with drivers to provide convenient, reliable and affordable rides at the push of a button, today announced that riders can now update their pick up location after they’ve requested a ride, if they happened to request from the wrong place. With this cool new feature, riders can now conveniently redirect their driver partner to correct location through the app, even when the driver is en-route.

 “Pick-ups are one of the hardest parts of the experience to get right, and they’re especially difficult when riders accidentally request a pickup from the wrong place. It often begins with a phone call and ends with a cancelled ride. A small miscue can lead to a frustrating situation where riders aren’t riding, and drivers aren’t earning,” said Ryan Yu, Software Engineer and Rachel Holt, Regional General Manager, US and Canada at Uber in a blog post.

Starting today, riders in India, on iOS and android, can update their pickup location after they’ve booked a ride. This feature has been piloted in a handful of cities and it was found that it led to less stress and fewer cancellations -- saving time and headaches for everyone involved. This feature will be made available to all riders across the India in the coming weeks.

Here’s how it works:

●        Once your driver is en route, tap “edit” next to your pickup location

●        Enter your new pickup address, and tap “confirm”

Once a rider updates their pickup location, drivers will:

 ●        Be notified of the new location and have their route updated, though the experience will vary slightly for in-app and out-of-app navigation.

The pickup is a core part of the Uber experience and we’re always thinking about ways for it to be as painless as possible for both riders and drivers. This simple fix gives riders more control over their pickup experience, and saves everyone time and avoidable headaches.

'Underpenetrated' in India But Optimistic About Future', Says Apple CEO

Acknowledging that Apple is "underpenetrated" in India, CEO Tim Cook has said the US tech giant is strengthening its local presence in the country and is optimistic about its future given the fast-growing economy and improving 4G network infrastructure in the country. "We set a new March quarter record for India, where revenue grew by strong double digits. We continue to strengthen our local presence across the entire ecosystem, and we're very optimistic about our future in this remarkable country with its very large, young, and tech-savvy population, fast-growing economy, and improving 4G network infrastructure," Cook said in the second quarter results earnings call yesterday.

Cook was asked that the California-based company is underpenetrated in India and whether the company will need to work with the country's government to have Apple-owned stores or production given the great opportunity in the country. "We think it's a great opportunity too, and so we're bringing all the things that we brought to bear in other markets that we've eventually done well in, and that's from channel to stores to our ecosystem and so forth,” Cook said. Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller was in India opening a developer centre last quarter.

"And so there are a ton of things going on there (India). And we agree that we are underpenetrated there. Our growth rates are good, really good by most people's expectations, maybe not mine as much,” Cook said. He said the iPhone maker is putting a "lot of energy" in India, just like Apple has in other geographies that eventually wound up producing more. "So I'm very excited about it,” he said.

Cook emphasised that the 4G network investment began rolling in in a significant way toward the last quarter of last year in India, which is the third largest smartphone market in the world today behind China and the US. "But they are moving fast. They're moving at a speed that I have not seen in any other country in the world once they were started, and it is truly impressive,” he said. Apple has been "investing quite a bit" in India and has a "ton of energy" going into the country on a number of fronts. Cook sounded a bullish tone for the future of Apple in India as the 4G network infrastructure grows in the country.

"And so we believe, particularly now that the 4G infrastructure is going in the country and is continuing to be expanded, that there is a huge opportunity for Apple there. And so that and the demographics of the country is why we're putting so much energy there," he said. Apple's Senior Vice president and Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said the company achieved double-digit growth in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Russia and Mexico.

Apple’s growth rates were even higher, over 20 per cent in many other markets, including Brazil, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, India, Korea and Thailand,Maestrisaid. Apple posted revenue of USD 52.9 billion for its fiscal 2017 second quarter ended April 1, 2017, up from USD 50.6 billion in the year-ago quarter.

International sales accounted for 65 per cent of the quarter’s revenue. It reported net income of USD 11 billion for the second quarter as compared to USD 10 billion a year ago. The company said that the number of iPhones sold globally fell 1 per cent in the first calendar quarter, compared with the same period a year ago. It sold 50.76 million iPhones in its fiscal second quarter ended April 1, down from 51.19 million a year earlier.

Agencies          

Tata Teleservices Sacks 600 Workers to Tide Over Difficult Times

Tata Teleservices has fired between 500 and 600 employees to tide over difficult times in the hyper-competitive telecom market.

As many as 500-600 employees have been impacted by the lay offs in sales and other related functions, two people familiar with the matter said.

The lay-offs are across locations, they said, adding that the severance package being offered to the employees impacted by the decision is one month’s salary for every year of service.

An e-mail sent to Tata Teleservices did not elicit a response. Sources in the company said that these are challenging times for the telecom industry.

“What most of the operators including Tata Teleservices are doing is workforce rationalisation, to stay competitive in line with the needs of the market,” they added. The lay-offs comes at a time when the telecom industry has been witnessing an intense tariff war triggered by the entry of Reliance Jio, whose disruptive positioning in the market has left most of the telcos bleeding. The telecom operators are facing tremendous pressure on revenue and profitability even as the industry’s debt has soared to nearly Rs 4.6 lakh crore.

Tata Teleservices spearheads Tata Group’s presence in the Indian telecom market. The company, along with the listed arm Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) has presence in 19 telecom circles in the country. It offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers across wireline and wireless networks on platforms like GSM, CDMA and 3G.

As per the data of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Tata’s mobile subscriber base stood at 51.2 million as on February 28, 2017. The company has nearly 4.4% market share in the country’s total mobile subscriber base of more than 1.16 billion.

Tata Power to buy 11.82 cr shares in TTSL

Meanwhile, Tata Power is set to acquire 11.82 crore shares in Tata Teleservices following the approval by the Delhi High Court to the consent terms between Tata Sons and NTT Docomo, with respect to the London Court of International Arbitration Award (LCIA) dated June 22, 2016, DHNS reports from Mumbai.

In terms of the inter-se agreement dated March 25, 2009, Tata Power is to acquire 11,82,22,767 equity shares of Tata Teleservices (TTSL). As on date of the arbitration award, which is June 22, 2016, $1.17 billion was payable by Tata Power for the same, Tata Power said.

Tata Power has remitted Rs 790 crore to Tata Sons on August 9, 2016, and this will be appropriately adjusted against the amount that will be governed by the terms and conditions similar to those stipulated by the Delhi High Court of April 28, 2017, the company said.

As per the order, Tata Sons shall take necessary permissions from the Competition Commission of India and tax authorities to remit the amount in lieu of shares to be transferred to Tata Sons as per the consent terms, the company added.

Japan’s NTT DOCOMO had acquired a 26.5% stake in Tata Teleservices for nearly Rs 12,700 crore (nearly $2.5 billion) in 2009. As per the agreement, DOCOMO was to be paid 50% of the acquisition price if it exits within five years. DOCOMO exercised on July 7, 2014, its right (option) to request that a suitable buyer be found to purchase its TTSL shares for 50% of the acquired price, amounting to Rs 7,250 crore, or a fair market price, whichever is higher. But the Tatas offered DOCOMO only Rs 23.34 per share according to Reserve Bank guidelines, following which the Japanese telecom major invoked arbitration.

The Japanese telecom major won the arbitration proceedings, following which the Tatas deposited $1.17 billion with the Delhi High Court. Tata Sons had agreed to pay $1.18 billion in damages to NTT DOCOMO on February 28, 2017, paving the way for the settlement between the two parties. The Delhi High Court, on April 28, 2017, allowed Tata Sons to pay NTT DOCOMO the amount paving the way for the battle between the two companies to end.

Agencies