The US has ruled that being a simple computer programmer would no longer qualify as a specialist profession, which is a must for the issue of a H-1B work visa, in a move that could have far-reaching implications for thousands of Indians applying for such a visa.

The ruling reverses the US' more than decades and a half old guidelines, that were issued in the context of addressing the new millennium needs.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has ruled that an entry level computer programmer position would not generally qualify as a position in a “specialty occupation”.

The clarification on what constitutes a “specialty occupation” superseding and rescinding its previous guidelines of December 22,2000 was issued by the USCIS through a new policy memorandum on March 31.

The move could have far reaching implications on thousands of Indians applying for H-1B work visas for the next fiscal beginning October 1, 2017, the process for which started yesterday.

Issued just one business day before the USCIS started accepting H-1Bvisa petitions, the policy memorandum titled 'Rescission of the December 22, 2000 Guidance memo on H1B computer related positions,' has sent shocked waves across the companies and immigration attorneys, as their application was based on the 2000 guidelines on what constitutes a specialty occupation.

“The fact that a person may be employed as a computer programmer and may use information technology skills and knowledge to help an enterprise achieve its goals in the course of his or her job is not sufficient to establish the position as a specialty occupation,” the USCIS Policy Memorandum ruled.

“Thus, a petitioner may not rely solely on the (current version of the) Handbook (that describes specialty occupation) to meet its burden when seeking to sponsor a beneficiary for a computer programmer position. Instead, a petitioner must provide other evidence to establish that the particular position is one in a specialty occupation,” the memorandum said.

According to the USCIS, the December 22, 2000 memorandum entitled 'Guidance memo on H-1B computer related positions' is not an accurate articulation of current agency policy.

“USCIS is rescinding it to prevent inconsistencies in H-1B and H-1B1 adjudications between the three service centers that currently adjudicate H-1B petitions,” it said.

The USCIS argued that the 2000 memorandum was based on 1998-1999 and 2000-01 editions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is now obsolete.

The 2000 memorandum, it said, did not accurately portray essential information from the Handbook that recognised that some computer programmers qualify for these jobs with only “2-year degrees.”

British Finance Minister Philip Hammond will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley on Tuesday to promote trade and investments between the two countries.

Hammond is visiting India to participate in the UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue.

According to the British High Commission, the ninth UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) is hosted by the Indian Finance Minister.

The high-level talks are aimed at deepeningthe UK's economic and trading relationship with India and showcasing Britain as one of the best places in the world to do business, it said.

It added that the EFD will involve a series of events over the two-day period, including discussions on trade, financial services, and infrastructure.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority, Andrew Bailey, will also take part in the dialogue with Jaitley.

Hammond will also visit Mumbai where he would meet Indian FinTech start-ups at Barclays RISE, as well as the Chairman of Mahindra group.

“As we prepare to leave the European Union, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our relationship with India,” he said.

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark said the India-UK Energy for Growth Dialogue will enable both the sides to explore the immense shared economic opportunities lying ahead.

“I look forward to discussing how the UK Government's industrial strategy will increase the prospects for shared trade, investment and energy innovation between our two great countries,” Clark said.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for International Trade, MarkGarnier said that there are huge opportunities for UK businesses as it has the skills, expertise and technology to meet India's demands.

British Finance Minister Philip Hammond will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley on Tuesday to promote trade and investments between the two countries.

Hammond is visiting India to participate in the UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue.

According to the British High Commission, the ninth UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) is hosted by the Indian Finance Minister.

The high-level talks are aimed at deepeningthe UK's economic and trading relationship with India and showcasing Britain as one of the best places in the world to do business, it said.

It added that the EFD will involve a series of events over the two-day period, including discussions on trade, financial services, and infrastructure.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority, Andrew Bailey, will also take part in the dialogue with Jaitley.

Hammond will also visit Mumbai where he would meet Indian FinTech start-ups at Barclays RISE, as well as the Chairman of Mahindra group.

“As we prepare to leave the European Union, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our relationship with India,” he said.

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark said the India-UK Energy for Growth Dialogue will enable both the sides to explore the immense shared economic opportunities lying ahead.

“I look forward to discussing how the UK Government's industrial strategy will increase the prospects for shared trade, investment and energy innovation between our two great countries,” Clark said.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for International Trade, MarkGarnier said that there are huge opportunities for UK businesses as it has the skills, expertise and technology to meet India's demands.

A third-tier Spanish football team was shaken on Monday by allegations that several of its players had been involved in alleged match-fixing that led to an astonishing 12-0 rout.

Club Deportivo Eldense based in the southeastern town here decided to temporarily suspend all sporting activities and terminate its contract with a foreign investment group as a result of the suspicious score.

"It could be that the Italian investment group was behind this," said Eldense's president David Aguilar, during an interview on Onda Cero radio station in which he called on the police and La Liga to investigate the case.

"I saw weird things: lack of intensity, only one card, players who didn't go in for a tackle," he added.

Saturday saw Eldense suffered this humiliating defeat against FC Barcelona B — the Catalan powerhouse's youth team — which mathematically relegated it to the fourth-tier league following a catastrophic season that was full of upheaval.

Seven coaches, 52 players employed and three presidents in only one season indicate that the club was in the throes of a downward spiral.

Before the allegedly fixed game, the club would have had to win all remaining six matches of the season and score a large number of goals to avoid relegation.

Now it languishes at the bottom of the league, shrouded under a dark cloud cast by the suspicion of criminality.

Just 30 minutes into the game, Barca B was up by 7-0, amazingly, Eldense refused to make a single substitution throughout the entire match.

One of Eldense's players, Cheikh Saad claimed he knew which players had allegedly been bribed and threatened to reveal their names during a radio interview with RAC 1.

"There are four players who are implicated in the match-fixing. I don't care what happens, but whenever I can, I will provide their names," Saad said. 

Saad added that he almost got into a fistfight with his teammates in the locker room.

"Half an hour prior to the match I was on the starting team, but right before the game some of us were told we wouldn't be starting," Saad claimed.

According to Saad, the coach later asked him to enter the pitch, but he refused after overhearing that the match had been fixed for betting purposes.

"I told him I didn't want to, and I also told my teammates on the bench to not go into the field if they didn't want their names to become tarnished," he added.

Only two of the players who started the season with Eldense remain at the club; during the winter transfer window, scores of players from 12 different countries arrived, mainly Italians.

Eldense won three out of the 26 matches it has played this season, with four ties and 19 defeats, as well as an astronomically high number of goals against: 56.

With six more games left in the season, it needed to win all of the 18 points in play to avoid relegation, but Saturday's thrashing ended all hope of an improbable comeback.

Match-fixing in Spanish football is not without precedent. Players and club executives alike were brought to trial in February 2017 for the alleged fixing of a game between Betis and Osasuna, two first-division teams, at the end of the 2013-2014 season.

The judge charged three Betis players with sporting corruption after they allegedly accepted €650,000 ($693,000) each in bribes from top Osasuna executives in exchange for manipulating the season's last two games.

They allegedly received €400,000 from that amount as an incentive to win the next-to-last match against Valladolid, Osasuna's direct rival at the time in the race to avoid relegation, which ended in a 4-3 win for Betis.

The three are also accused of accepting €250,000 as a bonus for throwing the game against Osasuna, who won 2-1 but was unable to stay in La Liga's top division as it ended the season in 18th place.

A third-tier Spanish football team was shaken on Monday by allegations that several of its players had been involved in alleged match-fixing that led to an astonishing 12-0 rout.

Club Deportivo Eldense based in the southeastern town here decided to temporarily suspend all sporting activities and terminate its contract with a foreign investment group as a result of the suspicious score.

"It could be that the Italian investment group was behind this," said Eldense's president David Aguilar, during an interview on Onda Cero radio station in which he called on the police and La Liga to investigate the case.

"I saw weird things: lack of intensity, only one card, players who didn't go in for a tackle," he added.

Saturday saw Eldense suffered this humiliating defeat against FC Barcelona B — the Catalan powerhouse's youth team — which mathematically relegated it to the fourth-tier league following a catastrophic season that was full of upheaval.

Seven coaches, 52 players employed and three presidents in only one season indicate that the club was in the throes of a downward spiral.

Before the allegedly fixed game, the club would have had to win all remaining six matches of the season and score a large number of goals to avoid relegation.

Now it languishes at the bottom of the league, shrouded under a dark cloud cast by the suspicion of criminality.

Just 30 minutes into the game, Barca B was up by 7-0, amazingly, Eldense refused to make a single substitution throughout the entire match.

One of Eldense's players, Cheikh Saad claimed he knew which players had allegedly been bribed and threatened to reveal their names during a radio interview with RAC 1.

"There are four players who are implicated in the match-fixing. I don't care what happens, but whenever I can, I will provide their names," Saad said. 

Saad added that he almost got into a fistfight with his teammates in the locker room.

"Half an hour prior to the match I was on the starting team, but right before the game some of us were told we wouldn't be starting," Saad claimed.

According to Saad, the coach later asked him to enter the pitch, but he refused after overhearing that the match had been fixed for betting purposes.

"I told him I didn't want to, and I also told my teammates on the bench to not go into the field if they didn't want their names to become tarnished," he added.

Only two of the players who started the season with Eldense remain at the club; during the winter transfer window, scores of players from 12 different countries arrived, mainly Italians.

Eldense won three out of the 26 matches it has played this season, with four ties and 19 defeats, as well as an astronomically high number of goals against: 56.

With six more games left in the season, it needed to win all of the 18 points in play to avoid relegation, but Saturday's thrashing ended all hope of an improbable comeback.

Match-fixing in Spanish football is not without precedent. Players and club executives alike were brought to trial in February 2017 for the alleged fixing of a game between Betis and Osasuna, two first-division teams, at the end of the 2013-2014 season.

The judge charged three Betis players with sporting corruption after they allegedly accepted €650,000 ($693,000) each in bribes from top Osasuna executives in exchange for manipulating the season's last two games.

They allegedly received €400,000 from that amount as an incentive to win the next-to-last match against Valladolid, Osasuna's direct rival at the time in the race to avoid relegation, which ended in a 4-3 win for Betis.

The three are also accused of accepting €250,000 as a bonus for throwing the game against Osasuna, who won 2-1 but was unable to stay in La Liga's top division as it ended the season in 18th place.

Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra, who has lent her voice for a song in her upcoming film Meri Pyaari Bindu, says though actors are going behind the mic to sing more often, they cannot replace playback singers.

"I think playback singers cannot be replaced. They are professional and technically trained. If we actors are passionate about singing, we can sing, but that does not mean we are here to replace them."

"When we dance in a film, no one asks why we are dancing though there are professional dancers… Then why in singing," Parineeti said at the trailer launch of Meri Pyaari Bindu on Monday.

The actress was accompanied by the film's lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana, and director Akshay Roy.

Seconding her thoughts, Ayushmann, who is a popular singer too, said: "It becomes easier for actors to emote the song better on screen."

Parineeti's song Maana ke hum yaar nahin released recently and it has been appreciated. Her cousin Priyanka Chopra commented "proud of you baby", leaving Parineeti happy.

"She was really touched. Since Mimi didi's (Priyanka Chopra) father and my dad used to sing together as Chopra brothers, it was my responsibility to sing my songs really well. She (Priyanka) did it earlier and then it was my turn. So I am thankful to everyone that I got the right song that suited my voice and people loved the song," she said.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, Meri Pyaari Bindu is releasing on May 12.

Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra, who has lent her voice for a song in her upcoming film Meri Pyaari Bindu, says though actors are going behind the mic to sing more often, they cannot replace playback singers.

"I think playback singers cannot be replaced. They are professional and technically trained. If we actors are passionate about singing, we can sing, but that does not mean we are here to replace them."

"When we dance in a film, no one asks why we are dancing though there are professional dancers… Then why in singing," Parineeti said at the trailer launch of Meri Pyaari Bindu on Monday.

The actress was accompanied by the film's lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana, and director Akshay Roy.

Seconding her thoughts, Ayushmann, who is a popular singer too, said: "It becomes easier for actors to emote the song better on screen."

Parineeti's song Maana ke hum yaar nahin released recently and it has been appreciated. Her cousin Priyanka Chopra commented "proud of you baby", leaving Parineeti happy.

"She was really touched. Since Mimi didi's (Priyanka Chopra) father and my dad used to sing together as Chopra brothers, it was my responsibility to sing my songs really well. She (Priyanka) did it earlier and then it was my turn. So I am thankful to everyone that I got the right song that suited my voice and people loved the song," she said.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, Meri Pyaari Bindu is releasing on May 12.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed deep sadness over the loss of lives in the blasts at St. Petersburg metro.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the blasts at St. Petersburg metro. Heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,” he tweeted.
At least 10 people were killed and 50 were injured today in the explosions in St Petersburg.

President Vladimir Putin, who was visiting the city on an unrelated trip, said investigators were looking into whether the explosion was a terror attack or if there might have been some other cause.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said an unidentified explosive device went off on a train that was traveling between two stations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the bombing in St Petersburg subway, which killed at least 10 people, saying that those responsible for the attack should be held accountable.

"The Secretary-General condemns the bombing in the St Petersburg metro," Xinhua news agency qoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying on Monday.

"He extends his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and the people of the Russian Federation," Dujarric said. "Those responsible for this appalling act must be held accountable."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump also denounced the attack.

"Terrible. Terrible thing. Happening all over the world. Absolutely a terrible thing," Efe news quoted Trump as saying.

Expressing full solidarity with the Russian people and government in such hard times, Egypt offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished speedy recovery for the wounded.

"We express our most sincere condolences to the Russian society over the bomb blast in subway in St. Petersburg, in which innocent people were killed," a Polish ministry statement said. 

President Vladimir Putin, who was in the city on Monday to meet the Belarusian President, said that all possible causes would be considered.

The blast took place on a subway train in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Monday afternoon, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 50 others, a report said. 

The bomb, a homemade device filled with shrapnel, exploded in the third car just after the front of the train had entered the tunnel, the report said. 

British police has said that they had charged seven people over a suspected hate-crime attack against a 17-year-old Kurdish-Iranian asylum seeker in London.

Between 20 and 30 people were involved in the attack on the teenager while he was at a bus stop with two friends outside a pub in Croydon, south London, on Friday night.

“It is understood that the suspects asked the victim where he was from and when they established that he was an asylum seeker, they chased him and launched a brutal attack,” police investigator Gary Castle said on Monday.

“He sustained serious head and facial injuries as a result of this attack, which included repeated blows to the head by a large group of attackers,” he said.

Castle condemned violence against “those who have come to London to seek refuge and a place of safety.”

Speaking at the scene yesterday, police detective Jane Corrigan said the teenager's condition was not thought to be life-threatening.
“Thankfully we anticipate that he will recover from injuries but this horrific incident will no doubt have a lasting impact on him,” she said, appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The seven people charged are aged 17 to 24 and live locally, while police anticipate making further arrests.

A Croydon resident, 36-year-old Poshtivan Rahim, told the Guardian he had seen the victim in the area at least two or three times.
“He had just come to the UK, it's not even been a year, I believe. He was quiet, he used to take a stroll in this area and have tea,” Rahim told the newspaper.

The attack has been widely condemned, with local MP Gavin Barwell describing the attackers as “scum”.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said hate crime “has no place in London, Britain or anywhere else,” and the Refugee Council charity said it was “disgusted” by the attack.

An online fundraising page set up to support the victim has so far raised more than 17,000 ($21,200, 19,900 euros).

The Daily Mail tabloid called the assailants “SAVAGES” in a front-page headline and compared the attack to the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager set upon by a gang of white youths in 1993 in another part of south London.

There were more than 62,000 hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales last year compared with some 52,500 the previous year — an increase of nearly a fifth.

Severe thunderstorms shortened the first official practice session for the 81st Masters, but the outlook brightened for Australia's Jason Day ahead of the 2017's first major.

World number three Day played nine holes at Augusta National, his fourth consecutive day on the fabled course, before it was closed in the early afternoon when the area fell under a tornado warning.

Day withdrew from the World Golf Championships Match-Play event two weeks ago to be with his mother, Dening, as she faced cancer surgery. Her uncertain prognosis through chemotherapy kept his status in doubt for the Masters.

But Day said Monday that his mother is improving and she might even be at the course on the weekend to watch him compete for the green jacket.

"She's good," Day said. "She had the left quarter of her lung taken out… I was with her pretty much every day back home. She is in a fair amount of pain but hopefully things are looking up."

A severe thunderstorm closed the course for more than an hour and forced evacuation of the course even before the tornado warning shut down the course the remainder of the day.

Heavy rains and strong thunderstorms are expected again on Wednesday on the eve of the opening round, which could soften the greens and lead to more showers for early starters Thursday.

After that, the forecast is for dry conditions at Augusta National, where weather has not suspended play since the third round in 2008 and not postponed a round since the opening round in 2003.

Even if greens and fairways are more receptive, it's likely the lightning-fast trademark putting surfaces will be back at full speed for Sunday's final round.

"You've got to hit the shots in the right spots," warns world number one Dustin Johnson.

Among the newcomers hoping to become the first Masters debutante to take a green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 is Spain's Jon Rahm, who won his first PGA crown in January at Torrey Pines.

"A guy like Jon Rahm, obviously he has been playing great golf. I don't see any reason why he can't go and play well or be in contention this week and have a chance to win," said eighth-ranked Rickie Fowler.

"It's not a golf course that you have to be any certain type of player. He's shown that he can play and compete with the best. He has already won. So it will just be him going out and learning this golf course for himself."

One of the crucial areas to master is Amen Corner — the noted par-4 11th, par-3 12th and par-5 13th holes. Jordan Spieth was on his way to defending his title in Sunday's final round last year only to find a watery grave twice into Rae's Creek and take a quadruple bogey at 12, helping England's Danny Willett take the title.

"Yeah, it's a really good stretch of golf especially with the way the forecast is looking for Thursday and Friday," said 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker.

"The winds look like they're going to pretty gnarly, and that's a section of the course that gets really tough, especially if the wind swirls. You get through there even par, you're doing really well against the field.

Seventh-ranked Justin Thomas says level par through the three-hole stretch is his goal too.

"If I went through those even each day, I probably wouldn't be complaining too much," he said. 

Apple is developing its own graphics technology for iPhones, iPads and watches and will soon stop using PowerVR graphics processors made by British chip designer Imagination Technologies, Apple's largest customer.

In a statement issued late on Monday, Imagination said that Apple has notified them that it will no longer use the Group's intellectual property in its new products in 15 months to two years time.

The development led to shares in Imagination Tech crashing more than 70 per cent. The company was valued at more than $2.5 billion in 2012.

Apple has used Imagination's technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) in Apple's phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches.

"Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination's technology," the British firm said in a statement.

The development is bad news for Imagination, which gets about half of its revenue from Apple. It will stop receiving royalties on iPhone and iPad devices soon, media reports said.

"Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination's technology, without violating Imagination's patents, intellectual property and confidential information. This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it," the statement further added.

Imagination thinks it would be extremely challenging to design a brand new GPU architecture from basics without infringing its intellectual property rights, accordingly Imagination does not accept Apple's assertions.

"Apple's notification has led Imagination to discuss with Apple potential alternative commercial arrangements for the current license and royalty agreement," the company said.

Apple is developing its own graphics technology for iPhones, iPads and watches and will soon stop using PowerVR graphics processors made by British chip designer Imagination Technologies, Apple's largest customer.

In a statement issued late on Monday, Imagination said that Apple has notified them that it will no longer use the Group's intellectual property in its new products in 15 months to two years time.

The development led to shares in Imagination Tech crashing more than 70 per cent. The company was valued at more than $2.5 billion in 2012.

Apple has used Imagination's technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) in Apple's phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches.

"Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination's technology," the British firm said in a statement.

The development is bad news for Imagination, which gets about half of its revenue from Apple. It will stop receiving royalties on iPhone and iPad devices soon, media reports said.

"Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination's technology, without violating Imagination's patents, intellectual property and confidential information. This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it," the statement further added.

Imagination thinks it would be extremely challenging to design a brand new GPU architecture from basics without infringing its intellectual property rights, accordingly Imagination does not accept Apple's assertions.

"Apple's notification has led Imagination to discuss with Apple potential alternative commercial arrangements for the current license and royalty agreement," the company said.

In a yet another blow for the struggling micro-blogging website Twitter, its head of Asia-Pacific business Aliza Knox has decided to move on after a near-five year stint.

Knox built out Twitter's presence in Asia with an office in Singapore that currently spans nine locations with over 100 people on payroll, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday.

"She pioneered Twitter's Asia Pacific business (outside of Japan), championed our expansion into new markets and businesses such as Indonesia and China export advertising, set up our Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, and led our diversity initiatives across the region," Twitter said in a statement.

Her exit comes on the back of the loss of a number of high-profile Asia-based executives in 2016, including Managing Director for Southeast Asia, India, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region Parminder Singh, India head Rishi Jaitly, China head Kathy Chen and Australia country boss Karen Stocks.

Jaitly drove strategic partnerships with the news, government, entertainment, sports, TV industries, and others in the mass and emerging media landscape.

Jaitly was the vice-president of Twitter's Asia Pacific and Middle East business.

After Jaitly, Singh announced that he has quit the company.

Following this, the micro-blogging website appointed Maya Hari as its new Managing Director for South East Asia and India who was reporting to Knox.

In a bid to realign its future goals and cut costs, Twitter had reduced nine per cent of its workforce (nearly 350 people) globally.

In 2016, Twitter cut 300 jobs after Jack Dorsey took over as CEO full-time.

In a yet another blow for the struggling micro-blogging website Twitter, its head of Asia-Pacific business Aliza Knox has decided to move on after a near-five year stint.

Knox built out Twitter's presence in Asia with an office in Singapore that currently spans nine locations with over 100 people on payroll, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday.

"She pioneered Twitter's Asia Pacific business (outside of Japan), championed our expansion into new markets and businesses such as Indonesia and China export advertising, set up our Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, and led our diversity initiatives across the region," Twitter said in a statement.

Her exit comes on the back of the loss of a number of high-profile Asia-based executives in 2016, including Managing Director for Southeast Asia, India, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region Parminder Singh, India head Rishi Jaitly, China head Kathy Chen and Australia country boss Karen Stocks.

Jaitly drove strategic partnerships with the news, government, entertainment, sports, TV industries, and others in the mass and emerging media landscape.

Jaitly was the vice-president of Twitter's Asia Pacific and Middle East business.

After Jaitly, Singh announced that he has quit the company.

Following this, the micro-blogging website appointed Maya Hari as its new Managing Director for South East Asia and India who was reporting to Knox.

In a bid to realign its future goals and cut costs, Twitter had reduced nine per cent of its workforce (nearly 350 people) globally.

In 2016, Twitter cut 300 jobs after Jack Dorsey took over as CEO full-time.

The US is concerned about the state of India-Pakistan relations and President Donald Trump himself may get involved in a peace process between the two South Asian antagonists, Nikki Haley, the US Permanent Representative to the UN said on Monday.

"This administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward," Haley, who holds a cabinet rank in the Trump administration, said. 

"I would expect that the administration going to be in talks and try and find its place to be part of that (process)."

She added, "And also wouldn't be surprised if the President participates as well."

India has opposed external involvement in bilateral issues with Pakistan.

During his campaign in 2016, Trump had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, but was careful to add that it was only if the two nations wanted him to.

In an interview to The Hindustan Times he said that he "would be honoured" to be a moderator. "I think if they wanted me to, I would love to be the mediator or arbitrator."

Haley was answering a question from a reporter at her news conference on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of April. 

The reporter pointed out that India does not want an interlocutor for talks with Pakistan, while Islamabad wanted the US or another country to facilitate talks between them and asked if the US would get the leaders of the two countries to talk.

With Secretary of State Rex Tillerson keeping a low public profile and generally avoiding the media, Haley is emerging as the public face of US diplomacy making her presence felt in the media aided by her cabinet status.

Her statement about India-Pakistan relations, therefore, assume importance and it is the first high-level Trump administration statement on India's relations with Pakistan.

While it is not clear what steps the US could take, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Trump in Washington in May when the two could discuss it.

Former President Barack Obama also had said during his 2008 campaign that the US should mediate the Kashmir dispute. The offer met with strong opposition in India and he did not actively follow it up when he became President.

"We don't think we should wait until something happens" Haley said. "We very much think we should be pro-active in what we are seeing, tensions rise and conflicts seem to bubble up and so want to see if we can be a part of that."

"So, that will be something you will see, that is something that members of the National Security Council participate in," she said.