Engineer, Who Lost Job At Twitter Last Year, Now Laid Off By Spotify

Music streaming giant Spotify announced on Monday that it would reduce the number of its employees by around 17 per cent in a bid to cut costs amid "dramatically" slower economic growth. Around 1,500 people will leave the company, the company stated. Amid this, an engineer who was laid off by the company shared his heartbreaking story on X, formerly Twitter. Freddie Carthy had joined the music streaming giant after Elon Musk took over Twitter and conducted mass layoffs. Now, he finds himself unemployed again just before the holiday season.

"Shocked to find out I've been impacted by the Spotify layoffs.. Don't even know what to feel right now. 1 year ago, Twitter shit the bed and I quit, right before the holidays. 1 year later, I find myself unemployed before the holidays yet again...," he wrote on the microblogging platform.

Shocked to find out I've been impacted by the Spotify layoffs.. Don't even know what to feel right now.

1 year ago, Twitter shit the bed and I quit, right before the holidays.

1 year later, I find myself unemployed before the holidays yet again...

— Freddie Carthy ?? (@FreddieCarthy) December 4, 2023

Since being shared, his post has amassed a lot of reaction from social media users.

"Man I'm sorry. This is heavy, especially right before the holidays. I hope you'll find something soon," said a user.

"Same. 7 months pregnant and laid off before the holidays, without my guaranteed maternity leave. Devastated," commented a person.

Another added, "Freddie I am SO sorry. You're such an amazing human and engineer. Going to do my best to help however I can!"

"Hopefully something comes your way, and hopefully that something is you taking your skills and creating something you have ownership in, instead of the corporate whims. Best of luck to you," said a fourth person.

"You will find a better job. The market is much better than a year ago," commented a user.

Meanwhile, the company was the latest in a series of layoffs announced in the tech industry cutting tens of thousands of jobs following a boom during Covid pandemic lockdowns. "I realise that for many, a reduction of this size will feel surprisingly large given the recent positive earnings report and our performance," Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a letter to employees, which was seen by AFP. He said that in 2020 and 2021, the Swedish company "took advantage of the opportunity presented by lower-cost capital and invested significantly in team expansion, content enhancement, marketing and new verticals."

"However, we now find ourselves in a very different environment," noting that "economic growth has slowed dramatically and capital has become more expensive." "Despite our efforts to reduce costs this past year, our cost structure for where we need to be is still too big," he added

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/nZI4hyE

Barclay Family Regains Control Of UK's Telegraph Group After Debt Repaid

The Barclay family, owner of Telegraph Media Group, has repaid a £1.2-billion bank debt, lender Lloyds said Monday, paving the way for a possible sale to an Abu Dhabi-backed fund.

The publisher of The Daily Telegraph newspaper has been controlled by twin brothers Frederick and David Barclay for nearly two decades -- but Lloyds seized control in June over the debt.

"We can confirm the repayment... has now completed," the banking giant said in a brief statement.

RedBird IMI -- a joint venture between US firm RedBird Capital and Abu Dhabi's International Media Investments -- struck a deal earlier this month with the Barclay family to repay the debt in exchange for control of the company.

However, the UK government last week triggered a formal probe on public interest grounds into the proposed sale to the UAE-backed investment firm.

London-based TMG also publishes other right-leaning titles including The Sunday Telegraph newspaper and The Spectator magazine, all of which have traditionally supported the ruling Conservatives.

Under the agreement, RedBird IMI has the option of converting its loans of about £1.2-billion into shares in the media group.

RedBird IMI, which is run by former CNN president Jeff Zucker, has indicated that it will not seek to take control of TMG without gaining regulatory approval and will co-operate fully with the probe.

UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said last Thursday that her department had now written to the Barclay family and RedBird IMI to inform them that she was issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) in relation to the deal.

The decision triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority regulator to report back to Frazer on jurisdictional and competition matters in the deal.

The plans have sparked concern among some Conservative lawmakers, which has long enjoyed a close ideological relationship with the influential Telegraph titles.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/CXs8cxd

Putin To Visit UAE, Saudi Arabia This Week: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week, Russian news outlet Shot reported on Monday, citing Putin's aide Yury Ushakov.

The reported visit comes after the OPEC+ group of oil producers, which includes all three countries, agreed last Thursday to voluntary output cuts totalling about 2.2 million barrels a day.

Markets reacted with scepticism to the deal because of doubts about whether the voluntary cuts would be fully implemented. Oil prices fell 2% last week after the announcement, and declined further on Monday. Brent crude was down nearly 0.6% at $78.45 as of 1709 GMT.

The figure of 2.2 million bpd included an extension of existing Saudi and Russian voluntary cuts of 1.3 million bpd.

Shot quoted Ushakov as saying Putin would go first to UAE and then to Saudi Arabia, where negotiations would take place mainly with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"I hope that these will be very useful negotiations, which we consider extremely important," Ushakov said.

Putin has rarely travelled abroad in recent years, and mostly to states of the former Soviet Union. His last trip beyond those countries was to China in October.

Apart from cooperation in OPEC+, Putin is keen to cultivate the Gulf states as part of his drive to build global alliances with non-Western countries in order to demonstrate what he says is the failure of the United States and its allies to isolate Russia with sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Putin's scope to travel abroad was limited in March when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, a war crime. Russia denied the charge and called the move outrageous, but said it was legally void in any case because Russia is not a member of the ICC.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE is a member of the court either, so Putin can travel to both countries without fear of being arrested under the ICC warrant.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/vDI5Nsc

NDTV Sports-Cricket

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday granted no-objection certificates to pacers Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and leg-spinner Usama Mir for the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League. PCB released an official statement to announce the approval for NOC to the players which read, "The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued no-objection certificates (NOC) to fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and leg-spinner Usama Mir for the Big Bash League 2023-24. The board has issued the NOCs considering the workload of players and the future tours programme of the national men's team." Rauf and Mir have been allowed to play five matches while Zaman will only feature in just four matches. The matches will be played from December 7 to 28. Rauf and Mir will represent the Melbourne Stars, while Zaman is with Sydney Thunder.

"The PCB understands that this decision is in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved while balancing the importance of game time with workload management. Haris and Usama have been granted NOCs for a total of five matches whereas Zaman has been granted NOC for four matches. All these games are set to take place from 7 to 28 December," the statement further added.

Rauf isn't a part of Pakistan's three-match Test series against Australia which will begin on December 14. Pakistan chief selector Wahab Riaz attacked speedster Haris Rauf for backing out from the forthcoming Australia Tests and said that it would hurt the 'Men in Green'.

While announcing the 18-member squad of Pakistan for their tour of Australia, the chief selector revealed that Rauf agreed to play Test cricket but later changed his mind.

"We spoke to Haris Rauf for this tour. When we spoke to him two days ago, he gave his consent to play Test cricket for Pakistan. But last night he changed his mind, and now he doesn't want to be part of this Test series. I'm revealing this because we should be honest with officials, teammates, and the public. We spoke to Haris and he was worried about his body and fitness, as well as his workload. Mohammad Hafeez and I sat with him and tried to facilitate him in every way. We told him even if he didn't perform well there, we would accept it," Wahab said earlier.

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/yjoFIP4

NDTV Sports-Cricket

Amid backlash over former captain Salman Butt's appointment as a consultant to newly-appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the decision to remove the former player his role with immediate effect. Butt was one of three former players, along with Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar, hired by the board to assist Riaz. The uproar was over Butt's involvement in a match-fixing scandal in 2010 which saw the player being banned from cricket for 10 years by the ICC.

After serving his ban, Butt featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the domestic circuit, before working as a cricket analyst for various media houses across the country.

While the PCB clarified that Butt would not be directly involved in the selection matter, Riaz announced the decision to sack him from three-member consultant panel.

"People were talking all sorts of stuff about me and Salman Butt. Therefore, I am reverting the decision and I have already spoken to Salman Butt and I have told him that he cannot be part of my team. Some media houses and people are resorting to propaganda. Since we're working under the chairmanship of Zaka Ashraf in a transparent manner, I am thankful to the board for allowing me to choose the people I want to work with," Riaz told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

Citing the exampls of former India cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, who were slapped with a five-match ban by the BCCI back in 2000 for their alleged connection in a match-fixing scandal, Riaz explained how world cricket has moved on from the incident that took place in the past.

"In India, we have examples of Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. They are working in cricket now and there is no fuss. Azharuddin is president of one of the cricket associations and Jadeja was Afghanistan's batting consultant in the World Cup," he added.

Notably, Azharuddin is currently serving as the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association while Jadeja was the batting consultant of Afghanistan during the recently-concluded World Cup.

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/sFHMzql

Russia Boosts Armed Forces By 170,000 Troops Due To "Growing Threats"

As Russia continues to invade Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country's military to increase the maximum number of troops by nearly 1,70,000 people, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Putin's decree was released by the Kremlin on Friday and came into force immediately.

As Moscow increases the number of troops, it brings the strength of the armed forces to 1.32 million service personnel and increases the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million.

The Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement, saying, "The increase in the full-time strength of the armed forces is due to the growing threats to our country associated with the special military operation and the ongoing expansion of NATO."

However, it also stated that the order does not imply any "significant expansion of conscription", and that the increase would happen gradually by recruiting more volunteers, Al Jazeera reported.

Former Russian President and current deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, said that over 452,000 people were recruited to the military under contract from January 1 to December 1, 2023.

NATO's "joint armed forces are being built up near Russia's borders and additional air defence systems and strike weapons are being deployed. The potential of NATO's tactical nuclear forces is being increased," the statement added.

According to the statement, boosting Russian troops was an appropriate response to "the aggressive activities of the NATO bloc."

Moreover, this is the second time Russia has expanded its army since 2018. Previously in 2022, Putin ordered to boost 137,000 troops, which put the military's numbers at about two million personnel and about 1.15 million troops, reported Al Jazeera.

However, last December, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that the country needed a force of 1.5 million "to guarantee the fulfilment of tasks to ensure Russia's security".

Earlier, the Kremlin considered the size of its military as sufficient, but the calculus changed after hopes for a quick victory over Ukraine.

According to Al Jazeera, Russia has undertaken various efforts to give a boost to its army, including drafting conscripts, mobilising reservists, forming volunteer battalions and running campaigns to attract more men to enlist.

Some media reports and rights groups say the Russian authorities have also offered amnesty to some prisoners in exchange for a tour of military duty.

Furthermore, all Russian men from age 18 to 27 (or age 18-30 starting on January 1, 2024) must serve one year in the military.

However, a lot of these men avoid the draft for health reasons or deferments granted to university students, according to Al Jazeera.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/aqQAKZL

NDTV Sports-Cricket

Shreyas Iyer's refined fifty combined well with fine death overs performance by inexperienced pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar as India pipped Australia by six runs in a thrilling encounter to record a comprehensive 4-1 series win. Iyer's 53 off 37 balls was the force behind India's 160 for 8 on a tacky pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ben McDermott's bellicose half-century (54, 36b, 5x6) nearly trumped Iyer's effort, but the Aussies crumbled in the final lap to end up with 154 for eight. Needing only 10 off last over, Arshdeep held his nerve and gave away only three runs, repeatedly hitting the ideal block-hole length with consummate ease.

No praise is enough for Mukesh (3/32), who bowled a game-changing 17th over, where effected back-to-back dismissals and gave away only five runs when the target was a gettable 37 runs in 24 balls with five wickets in hand.

The batting was not an easy proposition on a rather unusually spongy pitch here, but McDermott used his raw power to take on Indian bowlers, who at times strayed with their line and length.

Axar Patel (1/14 in 4 overs) was once again brilliant with liberal help from a tacky track where he would value his 31 off 21 balls way more in terms of challenging conditions. Ravi Bishnoi (2/29 in 4 overs) was equally effective as 3/43 off 8 overs also was one of the big reasons for the victory.

Among Aussie batters, McDermott was only happy to exploit the opportunities presented to him, and the right-hander's carve over square leg for a six off left-arm pacer Arshdeep was quite noteworthy during his innings.

The 28-year-old also brought up his fifty, second in T20Is, in grand style lifting the same bowler for a maximum straight over the sight screen, and then celebrated the mark with a square cut off the very next ball that sped to the fence.

Mcdermott, son of former Australian pacer Craig, realised 47 runs for the fourth wicket with Tim David, who made a run-a-ball 17 as he struggled to unfurl his big shots on a slow surface.

However, Arshdeep had the last laugh on the night as he had McDermott caught near mid-off by Rinku Singh. David was soon gobbled up by left-arm spinner and man-of-the-match Axar.

But the Indian bowlers, particularly leg-spinner and 'Player of the Series' Ravi Bishnoi, had caught the Australian batters in tangles in the early phase of their chase.

Opener Travis Head went off the blocks like a train making 28 off 18 balls that contained five fours and a six.

However, Bishnoi had his measure with a delivery that hissed past his prodding bat off the pitch like a cobra, and he later added the wicket of Aaron Hardie to the final column.

McDemott gave them some tense moments but the Indians kept their nerves to defend 10 runs off the last over, and the Aussie batters also played a couple of mindless shots to hasten the fall.

Earlier, India fought through a well-tuned fifty by Iyer but the Australian bowlers exploited a tacky pitch to the hilt to restrict the hosts to a modest total.

From the outset, it was clear that the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch was not the familiar shirtfront where batters can make merry.

But Iyer showed the way, mixing well-judged singles and twos with those occasional big hits to the fence.

His pick-up shot off left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis over mid-off for a six was really astonishing but other batsmen could not emulate him except Axar with whom he milked 46 valuable runs for the sixth wicket.

Iyer completed his fifty off 36 balls with a massive six over mid-wicket off pacer Nathan Ellis to give some energy to the crowd.

However, it was not really sufficient to nullify Australia's excellent outing with the ball.

The Aussie pacers read the pitch's nature quite well and took the pace off the ball immediately. Yashasvi Jaiswal was their first scalp.

The Indian opener made a customary bright beginning slamming pacers Jason Behrendorff and Aaron Hardie for a six each.

But left-arm pacer Behrendorff made a ball to climb on to the body of Jaiswal from the length and the lack of space to free hands robbed his pull of timing as Ellis completed a fine running catch near square leg.

The in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad's effort to clear the ring off Dwarshuis ended in the hands of Behrendorff as India lost their openers within the Power Play segment itself.

It appeared the night of Suryakumar Yadav once a sideways flying McDermott could not hold onto his uppish square cut off Dwarshuis. The Indian captain was on naught then.

However, that wasn't so. Suryakumar fell to Dwarshuis as his attempt for another square cut off the pacer was snaffled by McDermott at point.

The in-flow Rinku could not negate the weary surface. The left-hander had to drag the shot from outside the off-stump off leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and David at long-on had little trouble in completing the catch.

Jitesh Sharma (24 off 16 balls) helped Shreyas to raise 42 runs for the fifth wicket as India reached a total that they defended with tigerish zeal. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/NqkiOlr