Earthquake of 5.4 magnitude recorded in Andaman Sea: Seismology centre
Port Blair (PTI): An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude was recorded in the Andaman Sea on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology said.
The tremors were felt in parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but there was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, an official said.
The earthquake took place at 12.06 pm, and the depth of the tremor was 90 km, the seismology centre said.
However, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chief Secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar said, "An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude occurred on November 9 around 12.08 pm. Tremors were felt at Mayabunder, Rangat and its adjoining areas in North and Middle Andaman. We have alerted all the agencies concerned, and standard protocols are in place."
Several teams in the region are actively monitoring the seismic activity, he said.
"As precautionary measures, we have advised tourists and fishermen not to venture into the sea," he said.
According to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) in Port Blair, the epicentre of the tremor was located at a depth of 96 kilometres north of Barren Island in the sea.
Barren Island, known for being the only active volcano in India, is nearly 140 km away from Port Blair by sea. This uninhabited island lies at the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
The Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt extending up to the Andaman-Nicobar island region is known to be one of the seismically active belts in the world, and earthquakes frequently hit the archipelago.
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Oracle lays off around 12,000 employees in India, another round likely within a month
New Delhi (PTI): US-based IT firm Oracle is believed to have laid off approximately 12,000 staff in India, with another round of layoffs expected within a month, impacted employees said on Tuesday.
Globally, the company has fired around 30,000 employees.
"In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month," said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company's human resource department.
The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.
Oracle declined to comment on the development.
Oracle, in an email sent to staff, said the employees were informed about certain organisational changes and "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant".
The company has offered 15 days' salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India, in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and pay for a one-month notice period.
Oracle has also offered a two-month salary as a top-up.
However, the severance package is available for those who voluntarily and amicably resign from the company.
An ex-employee of Oracle, Merugu Sridhar, said that he was laid off in September for protesting against the 16-hour work shift that the company has in India.
"I contacted my friends and those who are in human resources. They shared that most of the Indians working in the US with the company have been impacted because the local laws there are very strict when it comes to the retrenchment of their citizens," Sridhar said.
