Siemens to cut 15,000 jobs

Berlin: In a bid to reduce costs and become more competitive, industrial giant Siemens AG plans to cut 15,000 jobs by October 2014 , company officials have revealed. No job cuts have been made and the company plans to cut headcount via voluntary departures.

The company has already negotiated severance packages for the affected workers with union leaders, German business daily the Handelsblatt. The layoffs at one plant may not occur because many workers will be offered positions in other areas, Siemens spokesmen said.

About 5,000 job cuts will take place in Germany, targeting the engineering giant's industrial, energy and infrastructure units.Siemens expects to reduce costs by more than 6 billion euros (over $8 billion), press reports said.

The conglomerate, which was founded in 1847, had not finalised its job-cut plans, but analysts expected at least 10,000 positions to be eliminated. Joe Kaeser took over as president and CEO of Siemens Aug 1, replacing Peter Löscher.

Siemens to cut 15,000 jobs

Berlin: In a bid to reduce costs and become more competitive, industrial giant Siemens AG plans to cut 15,000 jobs by October 2014 , company officials have revealed. No job cuts have been made and the company plans to cut headcount via voluntary departures.

The company has already negotiated severance packages for the affected workers with union leaders, German business daily the Handelsblatt. The layoffs at one plant may not occur because many workers will be offered positions in other areas, Siemens spokesmen said.

About 5,000 job cuts will take place in Germany, targeting the engineering giant's industrial, energy and infrastructure units.Siemens expects to reduce costs by more than 6 billion euros (over $8 billion), press reports said.

The conglomerate, which was founded in 1847, had not finalised its job-cut plans, but analysts expected at least 10,000 positions to be eliminated. Joe Kaeser took over as president and CEO of Siemens Aug 1, replacing Peter Löscher.

Centre committed to development of Kerala, says Sonia

NEYYAR DAM:  The UPA government and the Kerala Government are committed for the comprehensive development of the state, said UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Inaugurating the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Development Studies, she said the state has immense potential to undergo development. Sonia said development should reach all levels of society. Development will be complete only when all sections of people is able to feel it.
 
Basic facilities are necessary for the development of the state.  A situation had been there where people have been discriminated in the name of caste, creed and gender. The centre is focusing to bring a section of the society being marginalized to the main stream.   Millions of people have been saved from poverty under a team led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The centre has been able to implement many welfare programmes. A big change has been created in the social sector from among the programmes executed so far. This institution in the name of Rajiv Gandhi will play an important role in the development of the state.

Centre committed to development of Kerala, says Sonia

NEYYAR DAM:  The UPA government and the Kerala Government are committed for the comprehensive development of the state, said UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Inaugurating the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Development Studies, she said the state has immense potential to undergo development. Sonia said development should reach all levels of society. Development will be complete only when all sections of people is able to feel it.
 
Basic facilities are necessary for the development of the state.  A situation had been there where people have been discriminated in the name of caste, creed and gender. The centre is focusing to bring a section of the society being marginalized to the main stream.   Millions of people have been saved from poverty under a team led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The centre has been able to implement many welfare programmes. A big change has been created in the social sector from among the programmes executed so far. This institution in the name of Rajiv Gandhi will play an important role in the development of the state.

50 students feared killed as militants attack college in Nigeria

POTISKUM: A college provost says suspected Islamic militants gunned down students as they slept and killed as many as 50 in an early-morning attack in northeast Nigeria. Molima Idi Mato of the Yobe state College of Agriculture told The Associated Press that the gunmen also torched classrooms in the attack at about 1am on Sunday in rural Gujba. The college is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.

He said security forces are still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact death toll. He said about 1,000 students have fled. Northeast Nigeria is in a military state of emergency against an Islamic uprising prosecuted by Boko Haram militants who have killed hundreds of civilians in their quest for an Islamic state.

50 students feared killed as militants attack college in Nigeria

POTISKUM: A college provost says suspected Islamic militants gunned down students as they slept and killed as many as 50 in an early-morning attack in northeast Nigeria. Molima Idi Mato of the Yobe state College of Agriculture told The Associated Press that the gunmen also torched classrooms in the attack at about 1am on Sunday in rural Gujba. The college is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.

He said security forces are still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact death toll. He said about 1,000 students have fled. Northeast Nigeria is in a military state of emergency against an Islamic uprising prosecuted by Boko Haram militants who have killed hundreds of civilians in their quest for an Islamic state.

29 killed in Peshawar car bomb blast

PESHAWAR: At least 29 people were killed and over 70 injured in a car bomb blast here in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Sunday, the third bombing since last week. The blast occurred in Qissa Khawani bazaar near a police station here. Media reports say the blast took place in a car, parked near the police station. They said explosion was detonated with a remote device. Rescue officials have reached the blast site and taken the injured to Lady Reading Hospital where an emergency was declared.

Many of the injured are in critical condition. A fire erupted soon after the explosion and at least eight shops were also damaged. All that was left was mangled remains of the bikes, cars and burnt shops. The explosion occurred at a time when the shops were just opening. This is the third blast since last Sunday when over 80 people were killed when twin suicide bombers struck at a historic church here. On Friday, 19 people were killed when a bomb blast took place inside a bus carrying government employees.

29 killed in Peshawar car bomb blast

PESHAWAR: At least 29 people were killed and over 70 injured in a car bomb blast here in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Sunday, the third bombing since last week. The blast occurred in Qissa Khawani bazaar near a police station here. Media reports say the blast took place in a car, parked near the police station. They said explosion was detonated with a remote device. Rescue officials have reached the blast site and taken the injured to Lady Reading Hospital where an emergency was declared.

Many of the injured are in critical condition. A fire erupted soon after the explosion and at least eight shops were also damaged. All that was left was mangled remains of the bikes, cars and burnt shops. The explosion occurred at a time when the shops were just opening. This is the third blast since last Sunday when over 80 people were killed when twin suicide bombers struck at a historic church here. On Friday, 19 people were killed when a bomb blast took place inside a bus carrying government employees.

Indian-origin scientist develops 'brain' for robots

WASHINGTON: Robot brain! An Indian-origin scientist in US has developed a new feedback system that allows robots to operate with minimal supervision and could eventually lead to autonomous machines. The system may lead to robots that think for themselves, learn, adapt and use active critique to work unsupervised. Developed by Dr Jagannathan Sarangapani, from Missouri University of Science and Technology, the system makes use of current formation moving robots and introduces a fault-tolerant control design to improve the probability of completing a set task. The new feedback system will allow a "follower" robot to take over as the "leader" robot if the original leader has a system or mechanical failure. In a leader/follower formation, the lead robot is controlled through a nonholonomic system, meaning that the trajectory is set in advance, and the followers are tracing the same pattern that the leader takes by using sonar.

When a problem occurs and roles need to change to continue, the fault tolerant control system comes into use. 
It uses reinforcement learning and active critique, both inspired by behaviourist psychology to show how machines act in environments to maximise work rate, to help the new, unmanned robot to estimate its new course. Without this, the follower wouldn't have a path to follow and the task would fail. "Imagine you have one operator in an office controlling 10 bulldozers remotely," said Sarangapani, the William A Rutledge - Emerson Electric Co Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering at S&T. "In the event that the lead one suffers a mechanical problem, this hardware allows the work to continue," said Sarangapani. The innovative research can be applied to robotic security surveillance, mining and even aerial manoeuvring.

Sarangapani believes that the research is most important for aerial vehicles. When a helicopter is in flight, faults can now be detected and accommodated. This means that instead of a catastrophic failure resulting in a potentially fatal crash, the system can allow for a better chance for an emergency landing instead. The fault tolerance would notice a problem and essentially shut down that malfunctioning part while maintaining slight control of the overall vehicle. "The end goal is to push robotics to the next level," said Sarangapani. "I want robots to think for themselves, to learn, adapt and use active critique to work unsupervised. A self-aware robot will eventually be here, it is just a matter of time, he said.

Indian-origin scientist develops 'brain' for robots

WASHINGTON: Robot brain! An Indian-origin scientist in US has developed a new feedback system that allows robots to operate with minimal supervision and could eventually lead to autonomous machines. The system may lead to robots that think for themselves, learn, adapt and use active critique to work unsupervised. Developed by Dr Jagannathan Sarangapani, from Missouri University of Science and Technology, the system makes use of current formation moving robots and introduces a fault-tolerant control design to improve the probability of completing a set task. The new feedback system will allow a "follower" robot to take over as the "leader" robot if the original leader has a system or mechanical failure. In a leader/follower formation, the lead robot is controlled through a nonholonomic system, meaning that the trajectory is set in advance, and the followers are tracing the same pattern that the leader takes by using sonar.

When a problem occurs and roles need to change to continue, the fault tolerant control system comes into use. 
It uses reinforcement learning and active critique, both inspired by behaviourist psychology to show how machines act in environments to maximise work rate, to help the new, unmanned robot to estimate its new course. Without this, the follower wouldn't have a path to follow and the task would fail. "Imagine you have one operator in an office controlling 10 bulldozers remotely," said Sarangapani, the William A Rutledge - Emerson Electric Co Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering at S&T. "In the event that the lead one suffers a mechanical problem, this hardware allows the work to continue," said Sarangapani. The innovative research can be applied to robotic security surveillance, mining and even aerial manoeuvring.

Sarangapani believes that the research is most important for aerial vehicles. When a helicopter is in flight, faults can now be detected and accommodated. This means that instead of a catastrophic failure resulting in a potentially fatal crash, the system can allow for a better chance for an emergency landing instead. The fault tolerance would notice a problem and essentially shut down that malfunctioning part while maintaining slight control of the overall vehicle. "The end goal is to push robotics to the next level," said Sarangapani. "I want robots to think for themselves, to learn, adapt and use active critique to work unsupervised. A self-aware robot will eventually be here, it is just a matter of time, he said.