Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer apologizes for email outage

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer apologizes for email outage

SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer posted an apology late on Friday for a "frustrating week" experienced by millions of its email service users.

"This has been a very frustrating week for our users and we are very sorry," Mayer said in a message at Yahoo-owned blog platform Tumblr.

"For many of us, Yahoo Mail is a lifeline to our friends, family members and customers," she continued.

"This week, we experienced a major outage that not only interrupted that connection, but caused many of you a massive inconvenience."

A hardware problem in a data centre late on Monday knocked out a storage system serving about 1% of Yahoo Mail users, according to Mayer. Yahoo Mail is reported to have more than 280 million users, putting the number of people affected at nearly three million.

Furious users vented rage and frustration on Twitter, Facebook and other social media venues. Many people said they couldn't retrieve emails from their inboxes or complained that emails were not being delivered. Ranks of Yahoo Mail users vowed to switch to rival services such as Gmail, but it remained to be seen whether they will follow-up with action.

"The problem was a particularly rare one, and the resolution for the affected accounts was nuanced since different users were impacted in different ways," Mayer said.

Some people trying to access their Yahoo Mail accounts got incorrect messages that "scheduled maintenance" was being done. Email sent to Yahoo accounts was not delivered.

Mayer said that as of late Friday, access was restored to nearly all Yahoo Mail users and backlogged messages were delivered. The company was still working on getting the free web-based email service completely back in order.

The Yahoo Mail disruption marks a stumble for Mayer, who has made focusing on people's "daily habits" such as email part of her plan to revive the faded internet pioneer.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Cancel jammed or stuck Print Job queue in Windows

How many times has it happened with you that you want to cancel a print job, but when you right-click on the print job to end the stuck print job, it just does nothing. Moreover, you are also unable to print anything. In short your print queue gets jammed – neither can you print anything nor cancel the pending print jobs.

Cancel stuck Print Job queue

If you face this issue of a stuck print job and want to cancel it, but cannot, you have these options.

1) Reboot your Windows computer. You may have noticed that this usually solves the problem, and most usually do this. But this is not an options anyone would like.

2) Manually flush the print queue. To do this, type services.msc in Windows search and hit Enter to open Services Manager. Navigate down to Print Spooler. Right-click on this services and ‘Stop’ this service.

Next navigate to the following folder and delete all the CONTENTS of this folder.

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

Now right-click again on the Print Spooler service and restart it.

Refresh the print queue. Your problem should have been solved.

3) Use this BAT file. Copy-paste the following in Notepad and save it as a .bat file:

@echo off
 echo Stopping print spooler.
 echo.
 net stop spooler
 echo Erasing Temporary Junk Printer Documents
 echo.
 del /Q /F /S “%systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers\*.*
 echo Starting print spooler.
 echo.
 net start spooler

4) Use a nifty tool called Print Flush. This utility is basically a simple batch filethat takes all the steps necessary to un-jam a printer queue and more. Go get it here.



5) The Print spooler Clenup Diagnostic from Microsoft, removes non-Microsoft print processors and monitors. Additionally, it collects basic information about the print spooler and the computer, such as information about print drivers, printers, basic networking, and failover clustering and offers various modes of cleanups.




Proposal for Preferential Treatment to BSNL and MTNL Services





Government had constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) on 17.04.2013 to recommend short term, medium term and long term measures for revival and revitalization of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). Department of Telecommunications has circulated a draft Note for inter-ministerial consultations on 30.10.2013 proposing preferential treatment to BSNL and MTNL services in Central Government Ministries/Central Government Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and Autonomous Bodies to enhance the revenues earned by BSNL and MTNL. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said that the proposal is not contrary to economic policy as it is limited to Government employees for whom reimbursement facility from Government is provided and limited to the extent of the reimbursement and to Government departments & PSUs for official use. The matter is presently under consultation and no decision has been arrived at.





AIRF decision on Strike Ballot.





AIRF has directed its members to go ahead with the Strike Ballot which is scheduled on 20th & 21st December 2013. As the Railways have not considered its 35 demands. 

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

CLICK HERE FOR DEMANDS





Time Limit for Repayment of Educational Loans






GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 428

ANSWERED ON 06.12.2013

TIME LIMIT FOR REPAYMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LOANS

428 . Shri R. THAMARAISELVAN

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:-

(a) the existing time limit fixed by the Government/Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for repayment of educational loanstaken by students to pursue higher studies abroad;
(b) whether the Government proposes to expand the said time limit; and
(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?


ANSWER


(MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE) (SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA) 

(a) : As per revised Model Education Loan Scheme of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the students are allowed repayment period of 10 years for education loans upto Rs 7.50 lakh and 15 years for loans above Rs 7.50 lakh.



Students are allowed repayment holiday/moratorium during course period plus 1 year or 6 months after getting the job which ever is earlier.



(b) & (c) : No such proposal is under consideration of the Government at present.


Source: Lok Sabha









IMPORTANT STAFF RULING REGARDING POSTING OF OA IN DIVISIONAL OFFICE





Dte's no-SPB/ 20-14/50 dated new delhi, the 31st March, 1950 communicated vide CO(WB) letter no- SFA /R-771 dated calcutta, the 10th April, 1950.




The director general has decided that only those clerks who have put in at least five years service as such and are suitable should be selected for working in Offices of Suptd of Post Offices and RMS. This condition of five years service limit may be relaxed only in the case of a time scale clerk who is to be employed as a typist in the Divisional Office.







sd-

A.R.Chatterjee

ADDG(SP)






Feedback on the meeting held today with the Member Staff, Railway Board on Staff Grievances - AIRF




Feedback on the meeting held today with the Member Staff, Railway Board on Staff Grievances - AIRF 




All India Railwaymen's Federation



No.AIRF/24(C) 

Dated: December 13, 2013

The General Secretaries,

All Affiliated Unions,



Dear Coms.,

Sub: Feedback on the meeting held today with the Member Staff, Railway Board on Staff Grievances 

Ref: Strike Ballot



The Member Staff, Railway Board, invited us called me for an meeting today at 15:00 hrs. on the above-noted subject.



During course of meeting, I explained him all the circumstances under which AIRF was forced to take the decision of Strike Ballot.




I also explained him that, due to non-redressal of genuine long-pending demands of the Railwaymen, like removal of anomalies (Running Staff grievances, merger of Technician II with Technician I, GP Rs.4800 to all the Supervisory Staff, abolition of GP Rs.2000 for the purpose of MACP Scheme), non-implementation of unanimously agreed decisions of the Railway Board - unanimous recommendations of Jt. Committee on Trackmen, regularization of railway accommodation in favour of wards of railway employees recruited under LARSGESS, extension of LARSGESS to the staff working TRD, Bridge and Power departments, cadre restructuring without matching savings, absorption of quasi-administrative offices staff in the Railways, parity in the case of Stenographers working In the field as well as Zonal Railways and Production Units, creation of additional posts in commensurate with increase in the number of trains and work load, stopping of outsourcing of perennial nature jobs, violating the provision of Contract Labour, etc. etc, 



Similarly, judgements of various courts, in regard to MACP in hierarchical grade. Accounts Staff and Stenographers, reckoning of 100% Casual Labour Service rendered as Qualifying Service for seniority and pensionary benefits, have not being implemented. On the one hand, Railways are said to be the second line of defence, but the Ministry of Railways have not done any effort to pursue the matter with the Government of India to bring all the Railwaymen in Old Pension Scheme, as has been done by the Home Ministry in regard to Defence Staff.



I explained to the MS, AM (S) and ED(IR), Railway Board, present in the meeting, that though we had all along advised the Railway Board, right from top to bottom, every decision of the General Council as wel as 88th Annual Convention of the AIRF, and also in between no positive steps have been taken by the Railway Board in regard to Resolution of Charter of Demands submitted by the AIRF to the Railway Board, and that is the reason, our Patna 89th Convention of AIRF also put its seal on Strike Ballot (20-21 December, 2013) decision of the General Council of the AIRF as well as & 8th Annual Convention of the AIRF.



Though the Member Staff requested for deferment of date of strike ballot, I told him very clearly that now it is too late, and until there are sorne visible action from the Ministry of Railways and Government of India is taken, we would not be able to defer our strike balot decision, decided by our General Council and Annual Convention.



In regard to continuation of dialogue, I explained that I would inform the Railway Board about the date, only 

after consulting the President/AlRF.



In the meeting issue of brutal killing of Late Sh.Sanjeeva Rao/TTE/SCR was also raised. I stressed upon the Member Staff to extend all resources so that relief to the bereaved family could be given at the earliest. I also apprised the MS about the anguish and concern of Railwaymen about this incident. Further emphasis was given to provide security for staff to avoid recurrence of such sorrow and painful incidents.



Corn. Mukesh Galav, General Secretary/WCREU and AGS/AIRF was also present during the course of meeting.



The above is for your information, and the latest update on the subject.



All of you are requested to take strike ballot as seriously as had been taken in the General Council and Annual Convention of the AIRF and motivate the Rawayrnen that, why we have been forced to go for strike ballot.



sd/-

(Shiv Gopal Sharma)

General Secretary



Source: AIRF

via : http://90paisa.blogspot.in





Employment News - Latest vacancy position in Railways - Report on Zonal wise as on 1.4.2013




Employment News - Latest vacancy position in Railways - Report on Zonal wise as on 1.4.2013 - Total vacancies 1,311,959



The Minister of State for Railways Shri.Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in a statement in the Parliament on 13th December 2013 that the filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and there is always a lag between occurrence of vacancies and processing the same for filling up which involves issue of notification, holding examination, finalization of select panels and issue of appointment letters.




The total number of employees as on 1.4.2013 is 1311959*, of which SC employees is 219682*, ST employees is 94,879* and Persons with disability is 8814*.

(*Provisional)



The number of fresh face substitutes engaged directly by the General Managers in various Railway Zones in last 3 years is 1784.  General Managers on Zonal Railways have been authorized by the Ministry of Railways to engage Substitutes in exigencies of services against vacancies to the extent of 10% in Safety Category and 2% in Other Categories, in order to avoid Railway Services getting adversely affected.



The total number of vacancies in Railways, zone-wise as on 1.4.2013 is given as under:-




RAILWAYS

VACANCY


Central

19,945


Eastern

24,052


East Central

21,175


East Coast

11,457


Northern

28,958


North Central

16,577


Northeast Frontier

11,150


North Eastern

9,449


North Western

11,690


Southern

13,962


South Central

20,667


South East Central

11,332


South Eastern

16,702


South Western

6,336


West Central

10,375


Western

18,109


Total

2,51,936