Pfizer, Ranbaxy win dismissal of lawsuit over generic Lipitor

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd on Friday won dismissal of a US antitrust lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to delay sales of generic versions of the best-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor.

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Sep 13, 2014, 07.10AM IST

Pfizer Inc and India's Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd on Friday won dismissal of a US antitrust lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to delay sales of generic versions of the best-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor.

US district Judge Peter Sheridan in Trenton, New Jersey, ruled that the plaintiffs, retailers and distribution companies that bought Lipitor directly from Pfizer, failed to plead their case with enough detail.

The lawsuit, filed in 2012, stems from a 2008 settlement of a patent lawsuit filed by Pfizer against Ranbaxy over Ranbaxy's plan to make generic Lipitor. Under the deal, Pfizer agreed to drop a claim for damages against Ranbaxy, and Ranbaxy agreed to stay out of the Lipitor market until November 2011.

Retailers and distribution companies claim that the settlement amounted to Pfizer paying Ranbaxy to stay out of the Lipitor market, violating antitrust laws. But Sheridan ruled Friday that their case failed because they did not offer any allegation of the settlement's dollar value.

Sheridan dismissed another version of the lawsuit last September.

A Pfizer spokesman said the company was pleased with the ruling.

"Pfizer has always believed that the procurement and enforcement of its Lipitor patents and the settlement of litigation relating thereto was at all times proper and lawful," the spokesman said in an email. "The company will continue to vigorously protect and defend its intellectual property, which is vital to developing new medicines like Lipitor that save and enhance patient lives."

Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached for comment.

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At least 2 dead, 6 rescued from shipwreck near Malta: Police

ATHENS: A young girl was one of at least two migrants who drowned and six more were rescued when their boat sank on Friday in the Mediterranean Sea, Greek port police said.

"The survivors, including a girl in critical condition, are suffering from hypothermia and were hospitalised in Chania on the island of Crete", a spokesman said on Saturday.

Two cargo ships, one flying the British flag and one from Libya, alerted Greek authorities after pulling seven people and a body from the wreck in the waters near the island of Malta.

A young girl later died from her injuries and the two bodies are still on the boats. Maltese authorities have opened an inquiry into the accident.

This year has seen a surge in the numbers of migrants attempting to make the hazardous crossing from north Africa and the Middle East to Europe.

More than 100,000 have reached Italy since the turn of the year and nearly 2,000 have perished in the attempt, according to the UN refugee body UNHCR.

Athens this month asked Brussels for an extra 63 million euros ($83 million) in EU funds to cope with the "dramatic" rise, which they predict could see migrant numbers triple this year.

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Soldiers defeat Islamic extremists in north Nigeria

MAIDUGURI: Soldiers killed scores of Islamic extremists in a rare victory as the insurgents advanced on a town near the northeast city of Maiduguri, an officer and other witnesses said.

One officer said a feared Boko Haram commander known only as Amir was among some 200 militants killed in a battle yesterday in Konduga town, 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and birthplace of the extremist group.

Also killed was a Boko Haram video journalist and a suicide bomber, he said.

There were no military casualties, according to the officer and a civilian self-defense group that fights alongside the soldiers. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.

Boko Haram in recent weeks has taken a string of towns stretching over 200 miles (320 kilometres) alongside Nigeria's northeast border with Cameroon in a new campaign to create an Islamic caliphate, mimicking the IS group in Syria and Iraq.

The extremists also have attacked a town and villages across the border in Cameroon, but that country's state radio said Cameroonian troops beat them off and forced them back across the border into Nigeria.

The US said last week it is about to launch a major border security program for Nigeria and its neighbors, but gave no details.

Thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes in the latest offensive, joining more than 1.5 million other Nigerians who are refugees within their country or across borders in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, according to UN figures.

Extremists who have taken other towns have told residents that their next target is Maiduguri, the headquarters of the military campaign in the northeast.

Boko Haram has attacked the city several times, with suicide and car bombs that have killed scores. In December they launched a bold attack on an air force base on the outskirts in which they destroyed five aircraft and in February an assault on the main military barracks in the city in which they freed hundreds of detainees. The soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed detainees in the aftermath of that last attack, mostly civilians accused of belonging or supporting the insurgency. Amnesty International put the number of civilians killed by the soldiers at nearly 700.

Nigeria's military is accused of massive human rights abuses in the fight against the extremists, including the deaths of thousands of illegally detained people.

The United States has said it is launching a major border security project for Nigeria.

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Pope Francis may declare Sri Lanka's first Roman Catholic saint

COLOMBO: Pope Francis may make a 17th century priest Sri Lanka's first Roman Catholic saint during his trip next year, making good on his promise to give Asia more saints as models for the faithful, Sri Lankan and Vatican officials said on Saturday.

Francis plans to visit the island nation from January 13-15 and then travel onto the Philippines to meet with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said he hoped that the Vatican would give final approval to the sainthood case of India-born Reverend Joseph Vaz so that Francis himself could celebrate the canonisation Mass at Colombo's Galle Face Green.

"We are hopeful," Ranjith said. Vaz was born in Goa, India, in 1651 but chose to work in Sri Lanka amid persecution of Catholics by Dutch colonial rulers, who were Calvinists.

Vaz is credited with having revived the Catholic faith in the country, using disguises and learning the local Sinhala and Tamil languages to meet secretly with underground Catholics. He died in 1711.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed that the final hurdle, approval of a miracle attributed to Vaz's intercession, was before the Vatican's saint-making office.

"It's possible that the decision of the congregation and that of the pope might come relatively quickly, so that it will be possible to celebrate the canonisation during the Sri Lanka trip," he said.

Ranjith said the miracle under study concerned a Sri Lankan doctor couple who, against medical advice, refused to abort one of their twins and prayed for Vaz's intercession.

St John Paul II beatified Vaz during his 1995 visit to Colombo, the first major step in his sainthood process.

While visiting South Korea last month, Francis beatified 124 Korean martyrs and promised to give Asia more saints, after a young Cambodian complained her country had none.

Francis is particularly keen on raising up as saints martyrs and others who fought Christian persecution, seeing them as models for Catholics on Saturday.

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Truce brings no peace for Donetsk residents

DONETSK (Ukraine): The artillery shell landed after nightfall, blowing out all the windows of a residential building in a district near the airport in Ukraine's rebel-held city of Donetsk.

For people living near the airport - where Ukrainian forces claimed Saturday to have repelled an assault by pro-Russian separatist fighters - there is no peace.

Although the fighting has diminished since Kiev and the rebels signed up to a ceasefire deal over a week ago, there are still reports of shelling each day around Donetsk.

Residents of the Kievskiy district spent Friday clearing up after the night's bombardment, sweeping debris from the streets and fixing shattered windows.

Tatyana Kogalovoshkina, a 52-year-old social worker, said she cannot leave the area because she has elderly parents, so has been sleeping with other residents in her building's basement for more than a month.

"There was a strong blast. When it was calm again we went outside and saw that all the windows... were blown out," she said.

"It was a huge strike, we were in the basement and the plaster fell," she added, showing how residents were barricading their windows using chipboard, furniture and cushions.

Donetsk, the biggest city in the conflict zone in Ukraine's eastern rustbelt, has been in rebel hands for months although government forces have dug in at the airport.

Ukraine's military said it had driven back an attack late Friday on the airport, which has been left largely in ruins since a major battle in May, just a day after the election that brought President Petro Poroshenko to power.

"Many rebels backed by six tanks launched an assault against the airport on Friday which was heroically repelled by the soldiers," the military said, reporting more artillery strikes early Saturday.

Residents say their nerves are shattered by the constant barrage. "Who can we trust now?" says Natalia, 60, as she points to the hole in her yard where an artillery shell landed.

"I can't believe anyone - because people believed (in the ceasefire) and a lot of them came back to Donetsk over the past few days.

"The result - do people have to die here?" Viktor Smolin, a 59-year-old retired miner, pointed to where a mortar shell tore through another residential block.

"What person could feel this without shivering from fear?" he said. "When they bomb, fire at women and elderly civilians, what can we feel? We are being killed here, simply killed."

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KK Paul to be sworn in as Mizoram governor on September 16

AIZAWL: Meghalaya governor Krishan Kant Paul, who was appointed to take additional gubernatorial charge of Mizoram and Manipur, would be sworn in as the governor of Mizoram on September 16 at the Raj Bhavan Durbar Hall in Aizawl.

State protocol officer David L Pachuau said that Paul, who would be arriving Aizawl by helicopter from Imphal, would be accorded a guard of honour at the Thuampui helipad near Aizawl.

The oath of office would be administered by Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, chief justice of the Gauhati high court or his representative.

Paul is going to be the fifth governor of Mizoram since Vakkom Purushothaman, after being transferred to Nagaland, resigned as the Mizoram governor on July 11 last.

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Man hurls acid at two college girls in Tamil Nadu

MADURAI: Two first-year girl students at the Government Arts College in Thirumangalam in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu sustained injuries when an unidentified man threw acid at them on Friday.

They were admitted to Thirumangalam Government Hospital.

Police said the two girls, identified as Meena and Angala Easwari, both aged seventeen years, hailed from Chinnapoolampatti village near Thirumangalam.

READ ALSO: TOI's Readers chip in, acid attack victim needs $40,000 more

They were going to have lunch outside the college campus when the unidentified man hurled acid at them.

It is suspected that the acid was hurled at one of the two girls and that her friend too sustained injuries.

The girls told the police that they could not identify their attacker. They said the attacker was aged around 30 years.

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Railways’ revenue earnings up by 12.53%

PUNE: The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during April 1, 2014 to August 31, 2014 were Rs 61324.64 crore compared to Rs 54496.73 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 12.53 per cent.

A statement issued by the railway ministry states that the total approximate earnings from goods during April 1, 2014 - August 31, 2014 were Rs 40879.09 core compared to Rs 37103.34 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 10.18 per cent.

The total approximate revenue earnings from passengers during April 1, 2014 - August 31, 2014 were Rs 17700.16 crore compared to Rs 14758.01 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.94 per cent.

The approximate revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs 1649.40 crore during April 2014 - August 2014 compared to Rs 1560.66 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 5.69 per cent.

The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during April 2014 - August 2014 were 3508.68 million compared to 3467.60 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 1.18 per cent.

In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the number of passengers booked during April 2014 - August 2014 were 1932.83 million and 1575.85 million compared to 1882.25 million and 1585.35 million registering an increase of 2.69 per cent and a decrease of 0.60 per cent respectively during the same period last year.

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Sohrabuddin's brother asks CBI to get Gujarat cop DG Vanzara's bail cancelled

BHOPAL: Rubabuddin Shaikh, brother of staged-shootout victim Sohrabuddin Shaikh, has asked CBI to oppose former Gujarat IPS officer D G Vanzara's bail and get it cancelled without further delay.

Vanzara was released on bail in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case by the Bombay high court on Thursday. He will, however, remain in jail for charges in other cases, including the killing of student Ishrat Jahan.

Rubabuddin has on Friday shot a letter to the CBI SP (Mumbai) Sandeep Tamgadge—key investigator in the three fake killings—to file an application in the court for cancellation of his bail application.

"Investigations on fake encounter killing cases of Kauserbi and Tulsiram Prajapati are still pending. Vanzara can influence the probe," Rubabuddin told TOI on phone from his native Jharania village of Madhya Pradesh.

"Last month BJP president Amit Shah got exemption from personal appearance in the court in two alleged fake encounter cases and now Vanzara has got bail. This can only demoralise a complainant," he said adding, "I would move Supreme Court for cancellation of Vanzara's bail if required.

Vanzara, an accused in the fake encounter killing case was been in jail for seven years, had made several attempts to secure a bail for himself. He was arrested on April 24, 2007, along with two other IPS officers Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh MN, by then investigator Rajnish Rai for killing Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi in November 2005.

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Kedarnath yatra resumes, over 150 pilgrims pay obeisance

DEHRADUN: More than 150 pilgrims paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at Kedarnath on Friday as the yatra to the Himalayan shrine resumed after a five-day suspension.

With the weather clearing up in the higher reaches of Kedar Valley and the trek route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath repaired, the yatra was resumed this morning, Rudraprayag district magistrate Raghav Langar said.

With the improvement in weather, a total of 155 pilgrims, 90 horses and 10 NDRF jawans left Gaurikund for the shrine this morning and reached there by afternoon, he said.

The yatra had been suspended on September 7 when the trek route to the famed temple breached at Chchodi, about 1.5km from Gaurikund, following heavy rains, he said.

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Bangalore cops to set up centralised complaint registration system

BANGALORE: The Bangalore police will set up a centralised complaint registering system to register first information reports (FIRs) which will act as an inter-connected gateway or all police stations from where all complaints will be transferred to respective police station, said city police commissioner MN Reddi on Thursday.

Interacting with the media he said this will pave way for citizens to liberally register cases in various police station without personally visiting police stations. "We will have a meeting soon with senior police officers in attendance to work out the modalities for the new system. The FIR centre will forward all complaints it receives to various police station that has jurisdiction over the crimes," he said. The city police will also try to bring in system for more community involved policing with the close coordination with an NGO Janagraha to bring in a people-friendly policing in the city, he added. This will be brought into place in a phased manner, he said.

"We will be focusing more in the basics while making investigation depended on technology driven one by taking the benefits of already existing facilities like automated finger printing, DNA and crime mapping. He said nearly 20 more people who has criminal background will brought under Goonda Act among the growing number of over 10,000 rowdy and anti-social elements, who will be dealth with iron hands in a bid to curb illegal activities like land disputes and private financiers charging exorbitant interest from innocent citizens who go for loans in the city.

On the traffic front he said that a strict adherence to lane discipline will be brought in with lanes dedicated to slow and fast moving vehicles on the city roads. "I wish there is paid parking system in the city to end the haphazard parking in areas with populated business centres. A traffic sensing mechanism to optimize the timings at traffic signals but the city police require the cooperation of various civic agencies for all these projects to make smooth driving on city roads. I know there is no proper traffic flow management and signal synchronization and this will be introduced soon," he said. He said he urge to citizens to form public opinion in this regard. "I am of the opinion that more and more people should depend on public transport to avoid traffic bottlenecks as the roads have become congested with more private vehicles on the road with a vehicular population over 50 lakh in the city.

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Gujarat govt gives tax exemption to Bollywood movie 'Mary Kom'

AHMEDABAD: Government of Gujarat has decided to give 100% tax exemption to the women's inspirational Bollywood movie 'Mary Kom', which has been manuscripted on women empowerment.

The first woman chief minister of the state Anandiben Patel took this decision to showcase her real commitment to empower the women in Gujarat. The film 'Mary Kom' would encourage girls and women to excel in sports, which is an another objective of the chief minister to give tax exemption to it.

The movie has the storyline of real-life drama of Mary Kom who had won the bronze medal in women boxing in Olympics. Mary also holds consecutive five times' champion title in non-professional boxing competition at world level.

This Manipuri woman boxer has brighten India's glory at the world's sports map.

The Bollywood movie depicts Mary Kom's life's struggles for success and achieving it. The film has been produced by Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd and Bhansali Productions Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. It has been exempted of the tax-free under the Gujarat Entertainment Tax Act 1977.

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J&K floods: Hundreds of stranded people driven to Leh then flown to Delhi

NEW DELHI: The opening of Srinagar-Leh road, while the highway to Delhi remains closed, is proving to be a lifeline for stranded people in the valley. The Leh access enabled airlifting of hundreds of stranded people-including students- to Delhi on Thursday. The students are being flown in free of charge.

"Air India Thursday operated a special flight to Leh to evacuate stranded people as roads from Srinagar to Delhi are closed for traffic but are open to Leh. We operated a special flight to bring people who were able to reach Leh from Srinagar and take the air route out of Kashmir. The flight operated with an Airbus 319 aircraft and brought back a full compliment of 122 passengers including 44 National Institute Technology (NIT) student from Andhra Pradesh.

This was in addition to the scheduled Delhi-Leh-Delhi flight," an Air India statement said.

GoAir brought 151 students of NIT free of charge to Delhi from Leh after they managed to reach the capital of Ladakh from Srinagar. "The flight G8-192 carrying these children left Leh at 8:55 am. It was co-ordinated by DGCA and the Leh District Administration. Students were carried free of any charge. The students expressed relief on reaching Delhi. They hoped to be reunited with their families soon," said a GoAir spokesman.

GoAir has temporarily implemented a waiver procedure for excess baggage to and from Jammu & Kashmir for those carrying relief material to support the local community. The budget carrier is offering free cargo services to various relief organisations working on the Kashmir situation.

Air India has so far carried 27 tons of relief material to Srinagar. "All evacuees and relief material have been carried by Air India totally free of cost and no money has been charged from any one for the carriage. Air India has always lived up to its obligation as a national carrier, in fulfilling the social responsibility during calamities and natural disasters," an AI official said.

SpiceJet has fixed special low fares on flights out of Srinagar. Flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Jammu will cost Rs 2,803, Rs 4,848 and Rs 1,948, respectively. Flights to Chandigarh, Bangalore and Ahmedabad will cost Rs 1,999, Rs 5,400 and Rs 4,707, respectively. "All relief supplies for Srinagar will be carried free of cost. We have already transported over 10 tons of relief material absolutely free of cost and are continuously supporting by transferring more and more relief material," said a SpiceJet statement.

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Six naxals surrender; one arrested in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Six Maoists including a woman on Thursday surrendered and another was arrested from separate locations in insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, police said.

Four cadres who were handling separate tasks under Malangir Area Committee of outlawed CPI (Maoist) turned themselves in before police in Dantewada district of Southern Bastar, Dantewada Superintendent of Police, Kamlochan Kashyap told PTI.

Of the surrendered, Laxman was heading Dandakarnya Adivasi Majdoor Sangthan- a frontal outfit of MaoistS and the woman--Hungi was the chief of another rebels' backed upfront named Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangthan in Cholnar area, the SP said, adding two others-Raju and Kosa- were working as Janmilitia members.

"Large number of local villagers accompanied the ultras during their surrender," the SP said.

The rebels cited brutal murder of villagers, extortion, preventing children from attending schools and thwarting development works (by Maoists) as reasons of their surrender, he said.

In another incident, two ultras surrendered at the CPPF's 212 battalion camp in Kondagaon district.

Those surrendered were identified as Nagru (40) and Bajnu (24), a senior police official said.

Meanwhile, a naxal who was carrying a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head was apprehended from Bijapur district.

Bali alias Boti (34) was nabbed by a joint squad of Central Reserve Police Force and district force from Jangla police station forests.

Active in the banned movement since past 8 years, Boti has been involved in several incidents of crime including loot, arson, murder, attacks on police party and others, the official said.

The interrogation of arrested cadre was on, he added.

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15 infants dead in Malda Medical College and Hospital

MALDA (WB): The spectre of crib deaths returned to Malda Medical College and Hospital with 15 infants dying there in the past three days.

The institution's medical superintendent and vice-principal M A Rashid said five infants died on the first day, seven on the second day and three in the past 24 hours.

The age of all the 15 deceased infants was between one day and three months, he said.

The newborns, brought from different primary health centres of Malda district in critical condition, suffered from low weight, breathing problems and malnutrition, CMOH (Malda) Dilip Kumar Mondal said.

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Strong earthquake hits off eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA: A strong earthquake hit off the coast of Sulawesi island in eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and authorities said there was no threat of a tsunami.

The magnitude-6.5 quake struck at a depth of 22.5 kilometers (13 miles) and was centered about 122 kilometers (76 miles) southeast of Mondayang, a town in northern Sulawesi, according to the US Geological Survey.

Indonesian authorities did not issue a tsunami warning following the quake, and the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a widespread tsunami.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in northern Sumatra's Aceh province.

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Fiji says Syria insurgents to release peacekeepers

SUVA: Fiji's military chief said on Wednesday that Syrian insurgents have agreed to release 45 United Nations peacekeepers later this week without conditions.

Brig. Gen. Mosese Tikoitoga said Fiji had received word from UN headquarters in New York that the Nusra Front would release the men in the coming days without any conditions or demands. He didn't give a precise timetable or specifics of how the handover would take place.

The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front had earlier listed three demands for releasing the Fijian peacekeepers it took captive August 28.

The group had demanded to be taken off the UN terrorist list, wanted humanitarian aid delivered to parts of the Syrian capital Damascus, and wanted compensation for three of its fighters it says were killed in a shootout with UN officers.

Tikoitoga said friendships that Fiji had built through peacekeeping over the years had contributed to the positive outcome, and "have not gone unnoticed by the Syrian people."

He said three senior Fijian Army officers, led by Land Force Commander Liutenant-Colonel Jone Kalouniwai, had left today for Syria.

The Fijian peacekeepers had been stationed in the Golan Heights between Syria and Israel. There has been heavy fighting in the area since Syrian rebels captured a border crossing near the abandoned town of Quneitra last month.

Fighters from al-Qaida's Syria branch abducted the Fijian peacekeepers and surrounded two Filipino contingents serving as peacekeepers the following day. The Filipino troops later escaped.

The UN force, known as UNDOF, was established in May 1974 following intensified firing on the Israel-Syria border after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, and Syria has campaigned for decades for return of the land.

For nearly four decades, the UN monitors helped enforce a stable truce between Israel and Syria but the Golan Heights has increasingly become a battlefield in the more than three-year-old Syrian conflict.

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Madras HC dispenses with murder accused Lankan minister's court appearance

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Tuesday allowed Douglas Devananda, a Sri Lankan minister wanted in connection with a murder case in Chennai and was declared as a proclaimed offender in 1994, to attend the murder trial against him through video-conferencing.

Justice C T Selvam of the Madras high court also recalled the summons issued against the Lankan minister.

Devananda and his men have been charged with the murder of one Thirunavukkarasu at Choolaimedu here in 1986. According to the Chennai police, the then Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) cadres opened fire at local residents on Diwali eve and killed Thirunavukkarasu. Though all the accused had been arrested and remanded in judicial custody, they absconded after being released on bail.

In 1994, the trial court issued a non-bailable warrant against Devananda and proclaimed him as an absconding accused.

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Konkan Railway to plant 30,000 saplings this monsoon

MANGALORE: In an effort to preserve environment, Konkan Railway is planting about 30,000 saplings along its route during this monsoon. Renowned as a railway with a scenic view, Konkan Railway is adding more green cover along its route by sapling and shrub plantation on the embankment, level crossings, cuttings etc along its route

In the past three years, Konkan Railway has planted over one lakh saplings of various fruit and flowering trees along its route. This includes various ornamental trees like Bougainvillea, Bahava, Gulmohar, and Peltophorum ; fruit bearing trees like Jambul, Sitaphal, Chikoo, Cherry, Guava, Jamun; Shade providing trees like Badam, Acasia, Suru, Satvin, Amla ; Medicinal trees like Kanchan, Neem, Ashoka; Wood providing trees like Silver Oak, Teak, Mahogany, and other trees like Babul, Auster, Casurina, Buguri, etc.

Pomendi cutting, which was once categorized as a vulnerable cutting and was made safe with extensive geo-safety works, is now being beautified. Konkan Railway has planted 1,000 saplings of Mango and Cashew nut trees. The saplings have grown now to about 2m in height and are likely to start bearing fruits in a year or two.

In the current monsoon, plantation is planned to be undertaken mainly at identified yards and cuttings along the railway line.

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Dutch national arrested on rape charges in Bangalore

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Airport police on Wednesday arrested a Dutch national Peter Bruianj, a resident of Sadarahalli near Yelahanka, after a 30-year-old woman from Haryana filed a cheating and rape case against him. In her statement, the victim, who is five-month pregnant, told the police that Peter approached her through Facebook during 2011 end, gradually both became good friends and he cheated her on the pretext of marrying him.

The accused works with a Dutch-based education institution Nuffic-Nesco having its office in Kasthurinagar, Benniganahalli. "He told me that he is a divorcee and is looking for an Indian woman to marry. After some time, he sent me a marriage proposal and I accepted it," victim said.

According to the victim, she visited him many times at his Sadarahalli residence between 2012 and 2014. "Promising to marry me, he developed physical relationship many times and I conceived. When I told him about the news, he forced me to abort and gradually started avoiding me," she said.

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4th American with Ebola to be flown to US for care

ATLANTA: A fourth American who contracted Ebola in West Africa was expected to arrive in the US for care on Tuesday and will be treated at an Atlanta hospital where two other aid workers successfully recovered from the disease, the hospital said on Monday.

Air Force spokesman Lt Col James Wilson said the patient, as in past cases, would be flown into Dobbins Air Reserve Base outside Atlanta. Emory University Hospital said in a news release that the patient would be treated there but cited confidentiality in not releasing more information about the person.

The World Health Organization, however, said one of its doctors who has been working in an Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone has tested positive for the disease. It said the doctor was in stable condition on Monday in Freetown and will be evacuated. The state department said the doctor was from the US.

Last month, two aid workers who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia were treated successfully at Emory. A third patient, an American doctor, who is being treated in Nebraska, appeared to be better tolerating his experimental treatments on Monday, but his recovery remains uncertain.

The family of Dr Rick Sacra said he was able to eat breakfast on Monday for the first time since arriving on Friday at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The 51-year-old remains in stable condition. But his wife, Debbie, said Sacra is more alert and that they had a half-hour conversation by video conference on Sunday.

"He hasn't been able to eat much since he got here, but he had some toast and apple sauce," Debbie Sacra said. "He also tolerated the research drug well _ better than he had the previous doses he was given."

Rick Sacra, a doctor from Worcester, Massachusetts, spent 15 years working at the Liberia hospital where he fell ill. He was practicing family medicine in Liberia with the North Carolina-based charity SIM.

Authorities say roughly 2,100 people have died during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, but Ebola hasn't been confirmed as the cause of all those deaths.

Sacra is being treated with an experimental drug that is different than the one given to the two Americans treated for Ebola at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Nancy Writebol, who also worked for the SIM mission, and Dr Kent Brantly, who worked for another missionary group, Samaritan's Purse, in Liberia, have recovered.

Sacra came to Omaha instead of Atlanta because federal officials asked the medical center to treat him in order to prepare other isolation units to take more Ebola patients if needed.

Sacra's doctors have refused to name the drug they are using, but they say they've been consulting with experts on Ebola on his treatment.

Dr Aneesh Mehta of Emory University said on Monday that it was impossible to know if the experimental ZMapp they received worked.

But Mehta said Emory doctors have been advising other physicians that some particular types of supportive care did seem to help. Those included switching between different types of IV fluids to meet each patient's specific electrolyte needs at the time. And giving high-quality liquid nutrition to boost their levels of protein and other nutrients "to help build back that immune system that was under attack."

Mehta and other experts were discussing Ebola at the American Society for Microbiology meeting on Monday.

Pharmaceutical companies are developing vaccines for Ebola and drugs to help treat the virus, but they're not fully tested or readily available yet.

Dr Gary Kobinger of the Public Health Agency of Canada helped pioneer the research that led to ZMapp, and he said the US manufacturer appears to be on track for a Phase 1 safety study early next year, perhaps as early as January, although no drug is available currently.

On the vaccine front, Kobinger said a Canadian-made candidate should be starting Phase 1 trials within weeks.

WHO has suggested turning to the blood of Ebola survivors as an experimental treatment, and Sacra's doctors have said they are considering that.

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Bus driver killed, 15 injured in accident in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: Driver of a state-run bus was killed and 15 passengers travelling in it sustained injuries after it collided with a van at Boinpally area here on Tuesday.

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus was going to Armoor in Nizamabad district from Hyderabad when the van hit its front portion at Boinpally in the early hours, police said.

Flames erupted in the bus, as the van appeared to have hit its diesel tank, they said.

The driver of the bus could not come out and he lost his life due to the blaze. Many passengers managed to jump out of the bus.

Police personnel on patrolling duty saw the bus and reached out to the passengers. The driver, however, could not be taken out as he was stuck.

Police said 15 injured passengers were rushed to different hospitals. All the passengers are safe and some of them have been discharged.

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Obama to host security council session September 24

UNITED NATIONS: President Barack Obama will lead a UN security council session on the threat of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria on September 24, a US official said on Monday.

Initially scheduled for the day after, the meeting will see the council debate a resolution to address the growing problem of foreign fighters.

It will coincide with the annual United Nations General Assembly. "The date has changed," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The resolution will impose new binding obligations on countries to take action against foreign fighters, to prevent the facilitation of travel by foreign fighters and stop suspects."

Initial reaction to the proposed resolution had been positive, and there were "no fundamental objections" from council members, the official added.

A senior US intelligence official estimated last week that more than 12,000 foreign fighters had traveled to Syria to battle President Bashar al-Assad's regime, including more than 1,000 Europeans and more than 100 Americans.

It will be the second time Obama chairs a meeting of the top world body. In 2009, he presided over a meeting on nuclear non-proliferation.

The United States currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member council.

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CPM to form all India dalit front in November

AGARTALA: The CPM will form an All India Dalit Exploitation Liberation Manch (AIDELM) Nov 27 in New Delhi, a party politburo member has said.

"A national convention of Dalit leaders would be held in New Delhi. The AIDELM would be formed at the convention," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) politburo member K. Vardha Rajan said Monday night.

"Through the proposed organisation (AIDELM) the Dalits across the country would come together and end injustice done to them," he said here while addressing a seminar on "relevance of Dalit movement and organisation in the present Indian politics".

The seminar was organised by the Tripura Scheduled Castes Coordination Committee (TSCCC), a frontal organisation of the ruling CPM. Scheduled caste leader and former minister Anil Sarkar is the TSCCC president.

Vardha Rajan said one of the main tasks of the Left leaders is to fight against social exploitation and caste-based denial to the Dalits.

"It is important for the communists to organise the Dalits and intensify their struggle for social justice as the right-wing BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has been trying to legitimise caste oppression in the name of Hindutva," said the CPM leader.

Tripura unit of the CPM is the pioneer in organising the Dalits and tribal people against such injustice, he said.

Vardha Rajan said that even after 67 years of India's independence, caste oppression has been continuing against the Dalits in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Such practices are common in the society in the name of religion, he said.

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Sexual harassment at workplace to be redefined: Union minister Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: Rules are being "amended" to "widen the definition of sexual harassment at workplace", minister of state in PMO Jitendra Singh said here on Tuesday.

"Rules are being amended to widen the definition of 'sexual harassment' and 'workplace' in law and to make work environment more conducive for women," Singh told the media at the National Media Centre.

Singh, who is also the minister of state for personnel and public grievances, said the order that a person can attest a document himself and need not get a document attested by a gazetted officer will be a boon for unemployed youth.

" ... It (self-attestation) is going to be a boon for unemployed youth. As India goes into the 21st century, everyone would recognize the stakes involved in false attestation," said Singh.

The minister also said that long pending grievances in issuing OBC certificates have been addressed by the government.

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Haryana Roadways employees call off strike

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Roadways employees on Monday called off their strike against the government's move to grant route permits to private bus operators, after their talks with state transport minister Aftab Ahmed on Monday morning.

"We have decided to call off the strike and suspend our stir. The Government has agreed to suspend granting 3,510 route permits to private bus operators. In our meeting today, it has been decided to leave the matter for the next government," Haryana Roadways Workers Union (HRWU) President Sarbat Singh Punia said.

The workers were on an indefinite strike since two days, crippling the bus services and causing inconvenience to passengers across the state.

The employees were protesting the state government's move to grant 3,510 route permits to private bus operators.

Aftab Ahmed, who was in Delhi, was not immediately available for his comment.

Punia said that Haryana Roadways bus services would normalise soon as they were conveying the decision arrived at today's meeting to the concerned employees.

Yesterday, the talks between Aftab Ahmed and union leaders held at Karnal had failed to bear fruit.

A large number of passengers had remained stranded across the State as the state transport buses remained off route during the strike period as the Haryana Roadways employees had given a call of indefinite "chakkka jam' on Saturday.

Principal secretary-cum-financial commissioner (transport) R R Jowel had earlier said that Haryana Roadways has a fleet of nearly 4,000 buses against a demand of 30,000 buses and it was not sufficient to meet the growing rush of commuters.

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Maoist blow up railway track in Jharkhand, train derails

RANCHI: Suspected Maoists blasted a railway track on CIC section of Dhanbad division under South Eastern Railway around 2am in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday after which several bogies of a goods train derailed disrupting railway services on the crucial railway route. Around one meter railway track was blown up between Latehar and Bendi railway stations where Maoists also dropped posters.

Latehar SP Michael Raj confirmed: "Several bogies of a good train have derailed after the railway track was blown up by Maoists. Forces have been rushed to the spot." The content of the posters are not known yet because forces, rushed to the site, could not be contacted, he added.

Some of the bogies of the goods train have fallen on the second railway line thus stopping movement of all trains on the crucial railway route. It is the route for several Delhi and north bound trains from Ranchi thus several trains have been stranded.

A spokesperson for Dhanbad railway division said railway officials have reached the site. Ranchi DRM Deepak Kashyap said north bound trains would be routed via Bokaro and not Barkakana-Latehar route.

Sources in police said a group of Maoists arrived at the site enveloped in thick forest and possibly used an IED to blast the track. After the blast they dropped posters and escaped.

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33 fall sick in ammonia gas leak at China chemical plant

BEIJING: At least 33 people fell sick after an ammonia gas leak at a chemical plant in northwest China.

The accident took place on Saturday in the Jiemeifengyou Chemical Plant in Ningdong Energy and Chemical production base located in Yichuan provincial capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Most of the victims showed minor poisoning symptoms. Four people who were seriously poisoned are out of danger after overnight emergency medical treatment.

Witnesses say ammonia gas and highly concentrated ammonia liquids spurted out from a flare piping in the southeast corner of the plant.

The company kept spraying water in the polluted areas to dilute the gas in the air.

Currently, the air quality around the periphery of the plant has met the safety standards, the report said.

Once inhaled by human beings, ammonia damages the oxygen carrying capacity of blood cells and causes soar throat, tear-shedding, coughs, chest distress, difficult breathing and even the life-threatening cardiac arrest.

The cause of the accident is under investigated.

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Islamic State launches gunboat attack on river-side town north of Baghdad

BAGHDAD: Islamic State fighters attacked a riverside town north of Baghdad on Monday with gunboats and a car bomb, killing 17 people and wounding 54, a security source said.

The source said the attack on Dhuluiya, around 70 km (45 miles) from the capital, was carried out before dawn and continued for two hours before the militants were pushed back.

Among the dead in the attack, the largest of its kind in the area, were civilians and Iraqi forces. Most of the casualties were caused by the car bomb, which struck a market, the source said.

Dhuluiya is part of a belt of Sunni Muslim towns north of Baghdad where the hardline Sunni Muslim Islamic State has managed to wrestle some control, often aligning with local militia who distrust the Shi'ite-led government.

Islamic State fighters took advantage of the chaos in Iraq to muscle in and become the dominant force among Sunnis.

US President Barack Obama ordered air strikes in northern Iraq last month as Kurdish-controlled territory fell to the Islamic State and the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan looked in danger. These have since spread to central Iraq.

A tribal source near the Kurdish city of Kirkuk said Iraqi Air Force jets bombed two areas near the town of Hawijah, killing 14 civilians in Islamic State-controlled territory.

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Land-grabbing case: Madras high court dismisses Alagiri's plea

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Monday dismissed former Union minister M K Alagiri's petition that sought to quash an FIR against him in a land grabbing case. Alagiri had allegedly grabbed a piece of land belonging to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department.

Dismissing the former Union minister's petition, Justice N Kirubakaran said the investigation in the case was in a preliminary stage and hence the FIR could not be quashed.

The state's HR&CE department lodged a complaint with the district crime branch (DCB) which in turn filed the case against Alagiri, the eldest son of former chief minister and the DMK chief M Karunanidhi, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) read with 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Alagiri claimed that a trust he manages had purchased a piece of land measuring about 44 cents in Sivarakootai village near Thirumangalam from one Sampath. Alagiri's side informed the court that he was ready to surrender the land if it belonged to the HR&CE department.

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NSG trains commandos to handle hostage crisis situations

NEW DELHI: For the first time in its three decade-old history, the country's elite counter-terror force NSG has begun training its commandos in undertaking precision hostage rescue missions in jungles keeping in view emerging Naxalite tactics aimed at capturing high-value targets.

The federal contingency force, which trains everyday to counter any terrorist act emerging in urban areas, has brought together a team of its chosen 'black cat' commandos to test their nerves and hone skills in this domain which has largely been an operations ground for central paramilitary and state police forces.

Strategic security planners said Naxal violence incidents in the past like the 2013 Darbha Ghati killings of political leaders in Chhattisgarh and abduction of key government officials like Malkangiri (Odisha) Collector Vineel Krishna and his Sukma counterpart Alex Paul Menon has brought to the fore an urgent requirement to prepare a 'Special Squad' of commandos who can undertake hostile missions to secure the captured and end the crisis perpetrated by the Maoists.

In order to achieve these objectives, the National Security Guard (NSG) under its new Director General J N Choudhury has prepared a blueprint to train a special forces team in this task.

The Force Commanders of the elite force who have earlier in their careers operated in such non-urban areas have been tasked with the training of the new squad.

NSG commanders, according to a blueprint prepared in this context, are now training the 'black cats' to intervene in such a situation by various methods like air insertion through helicopters, silent landing of commando teams on para-gliders or storming of a hideout in dense jungles by camouflaged land movements aided by precise intelligence of the geography and inhabitants of the area.

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10 people killed in Istanbul elevator accident

ISTANBUL: An elevator has plunged 32 stories at a construction site in Istanbul, killing ten people.

Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, said eight people have been detained and that an investigation has been launched into the incident that occurred on Saturday.

Mutlu said: "The laws are clear. If anyone is not abiding by these laws, they will be held accountable."

Labour unions were organising a demonstration in Istanbul today to protest problems with worker safety in the country.

The workplace accident comes four months after 301 miners were killed following an explosion and a fire at a coal mine in western Turkey.

Turkey's worst mining disaster set off protests against what was perceived as official laxity and corruption and raised questions over the implementation of safety standards.

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Chicago-Delhi Air India flight diverted to Toronto

NEW DELHI: An Air India Chicago-Delhi flight, carrying 342 passengers, was diverted to Toronto this morning after the pilot suspected oil leakage in one of its engines, officials said.

After flying for two and a half hours from Chicago, the AI 126 Chicago-Delhi-Hyderabad flight turned to Toronto Pearson Airport, airline officials said here.

It landed at the Toronto airport under emergency conditions after disposing of its fuel onboard.

The twin-engine aircraft landed safely around 0700 hours IST, they said.

Ground engineers were inspecting the port engine of the Boeing 777 ER (Extended Range).

A decision on bringing the passengers to Delhi and Hyderabad will be taken after the inspection is over, they said.

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Kerala BJP seeks discontinuation of Ranganath report on dalits

NEW DELHI: Kerala BJP on Sunday sought discontinuation of the Ranganath Mishra Commission report which has recommended inclusion of convert dalit Christians and dalit Muslims in the list of Scheduled Castes.

Kerala BJP chief V Muraleedharan expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will take part in the 152nd birth anniversary celebrations of Kerala dalit icon Ayyankali here tomorrow, would articulate the government's view on the report.

He said that any move to implement the Ranganatha Mishra Commission report would "jeopardise the interests of Scheduled Castes".

"Ranganatha Mishra Commission report should discontinue.That view (of BJP) is well known. I hope on this occasion, Prime Minister may make some reference on this aspect," Muraleedharan said, amid demands from a significant section of the society that the converted dalits should be granted reservation under SC quota.

Noting that Scheduled Caste status in the country was decided on the basis of untouchability which prevailed only in the Hindu society, he said no religious follower other than a Hindu should be granted any reservation as Scheduled Castes in the community.

"We are not demanding that their (convert dalit Christians and dalit Muslims) backward status should not be considered.If at all there is backwardness still existing after embracing other faiths, let them be given some other reservations. Not as part of the existing SC reservation," he said.

BJP has said that educational level of Scheduled Castes children remains much lower than that of convert dalit Christians and Muslims and if they are granted reservation under SC Quota, the children of converts would grab major share of reservation in government jobs.

The party also says that the convert dalit Christians and Muslims would become eligible to contest election on seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, if the Ranganatha Mishra Commission report is implemented.

The Kerala BJP also fears that implementation of report would encourage conversion and destroy the fabric of Indian society.

Ayyankali's birth anniversary celebrations are being jointly organised by the National Scheduled Caste Morcha of BJP and Kerala Pulayar Mahasabha, a dalit organisation once close to CPM in Kerala.

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Palestinian teen shot by Israel forces dies of wounds

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian teenager died on Sunday from injuries sustained when he was shot last week by Israeli border police in east Jerusalem, his family and a hospital said.

Mohammed Sinokrot, 16, was wounded by gunfire in the Wadi Joz neighbourhood on August 31.

Police said he was shot in the leg with a foam pellet while rioting, but his family said he was shot in the head on his way to the mosque.

"There were no clashes in the area, he went for night prayers at the mosque and was bringing bread back home," his uncle Muhtadi Sinokrot told AFP.

"Whatever they call the bullet -- it caused Mohammed's death, it broke his skull and caused internal bleeding," he said.

"This is an assassination." Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP the border police had identified Sinokrot as being "involved in rioting" and he was "shot in the leg" with what he described as a "foam-coated pellet".

Such pellets are sometimes used by police forces as alternatives to other non-lethal projectiles such as rubber bullets.

Despite being shot, Sinokrot attempted to flee but he "fell and then was transferred to Maqased hospital," Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said Sinokrot must have hit his head when he fell. He said the justice ministry's internal affairs unit was looking into the incident, in what he described as "standard procedure" for such cases.

After initial treatment in Maqased hospital in east Jerusalem, he was transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem in west Jerusalem where he was pronounced dead on Sunday.

A hospital spokeswoman told AFP his body was being transferred to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for an autopsy.

But Sami Sinokrot, another uncle of the teenager, said the family do not want a post-mortem.

"We don't want an autopsy, we know why he was killed," he told AFP, saying police had shot him "point blank" at a time when there were no clashes in the area.

There have been almost nightly clashes in east Jerusalem since July 2 when a Palestinian teenager was kidnapped and burnt alive by Jewish extremists in a revenge killing for the abduction and murder of three Israel teens in the West Bank in June.

Since then, police have arrested more than 600 Palestinians on charges of disturbing public order in east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War and subsequently annexed in a move not recognized by the international community.

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