Seal-maker, sans flame

Ever heard of flameless seal-maker? It is very much here in the state, invented by a teenager who had also been appreciated for her earlier inventions such as a high-tech toilet train.

Meet Masha Nazeem, 16year-old plus-1 student of Vidya Vikas school in Namakkal, who has invented the flameless seal maker.

Masha, who had noticed her father Kaja Nazeemudeen working with seals as sub-treasury officer in Nagercoil, felt it was time government offices gave up the 350 year-old seal making system.

Besides being a long drawn-out process, the system uses inflammable materials such as match box, sealing wax, candle and kerosene lamp.

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Michael Jackson sued by Arab monarch

The son of an Arab monarch took the “King of Pop” to court on Monday, charging that Michael Jackson took $7 million as an advance on an album and an autobiography that he never produced.

Lawyers for Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa say their client paid Jackson expenses as an advance on the book and joint recording project with the sheikh, who is an amateur songwriter. Jackson claims the money was a gift.

Al Khalifa, 33, was due to testify at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday. Jackson’s lawyer Robert Englehart said he was seeking permission to have Jackson testify by video link from Los Angeles.

A lawyer for Al Khalifa said the royal first spoke to Jackson, by telephone while the singer was on trial for his 2003 arrest on child molestation charges.

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Citi to cut 53,000 jobs

Citigroup Inc. is cutting 53,000 more jobs in the coming quarters as the banking giant struggles to steady itself after suffering massive losses from deteriorating debt.

The plans, posted on the company’s website, are being discussed by the CEO, Mr Vikram Pandit, at the company’s town hall meeting in New York on Monday with employees.

The company said total headcount is being reduced by 20 per cent from its peak of 3.75 lakh at the end of 2007, the company had already announced in October that it was eliminating about 22,000 jobs from those levels. The total workforce reductions include thousands of jobs that will be lost when Citigroup completes the sale of Citi Global Services and its German retail banking business.

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Student from Andhra Pradesh shot at

Barely two weeks after an IT professional from Andhra Pradesh was killed in the US, a student from the state was shot at by unidentified persons in the southern American state of Tennessee on Saturday.

Shashank Pulluru, 24, underwent two surgeries and his condition is stated to be out of danger.

He was fired at by an unidentified gang of African-Americans in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Pulluru was returning to his apartment, across the road from the university campus, after attending classes when he was attacked. The victim, a resident of Hanamkonda in Warangal district, is a 2nd year student of MS in management science at the Middle Tennessee State University.

Bleeding profusely, Pulluru managed to run to his apartment. His roommates, also from Andhra Pradesh, alerted the police and shifted him to Nashville Hospital where he was operated upon.

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Telangana state in 100 days: Advani

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr L.K. Advani, promised to declare statehood for Telangana within 100 days if the NDA returned to power at the Centre.

Addressing a public meeting organised as part of the Vijay Sankalp Yatra at Parade Grounds here on Thursday, Mr Advani said BJP was known for its credibility and would fulfil the dreams of the Telangana people.

“As Union home minister, I signed on the files to create Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal. I assure all Telangana people that the creation of separate state is possible only with the NDA,” he said.

Mr Advani said the separate state would have been a realty if the TD had supported the proposal during the NDA regime. He said the Praja Rajyam should also support Telangana state, but remained silent over a tie-up with the party.

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Babus get richer, earn six-digit pay

Top babus of the state had big smiles on their face this month after drawing a six figure salary for the first time.

The Chief Secretary, Mr P. Ramakanth Reddy, and the Director General of Police, Mr S.S.P. Yadav, were among those who drew more than Rs 1 lakh as salary, thanks to the hike given by the Sixth Central Pay Revision Commission.

There was a double bonanza for All India Service officers as they were also paid 40 per cent of the arrears leaving each of them richer by Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakh.

Arrears were paid in cash only to top bureaucrats while that of other employees was adjusted to the Provident Fund. The new payscale is being implemented with retrospective effect since 2006.

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Navy thwarts African pirates

In two separate incidents in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, just half an hour apart, an Indian naval attack helicopter with marine commandos on board repulsed pirates who were attempting to hijack an Indian merchant vessel and a Saudi ship.

The first incident took place at 9.58 am when about five motorboats with pirates aboard, approached a Saudi ship Tihama, which flashed a distress signal. The Indian Navy stealth frigate INS Tabar immediately dispatched a helicopter with marine commandos to its aid.

The pirates fled on noticing the helicopter. At about 10.30 am, the INS Tabar received another distress call, this time from the Indian-owned merchant vessel MV JAG Arnav (which was 25 nautical miles away). Two to three motorboats with pirates were closing in on the Indian ship to hijack it.

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