Lingaa script case: Madurai court summons actor Rajinikanth -

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Madurai: A court in Madurai has issued summons to superstar Rajinikanth and others asking them to appear before it on March 8 in connection with a suit filed against his film “Lingaa” on the charge that its storyline had been stolen from another script writer.

The Additional District Munsiff Court Judge also summoned K R Ravirathinam (plaintiff), film producer Rockline Venkatesh, B Ponkumar, Director K S Ravikumar and the General Secretary of South Indian Film Writers Association directing them to appear.

The Judge said the Madras High Court had last month directed him to complete the trial in the case within April 30 next and hence asked them to appear before his court Wednesday.

Passing orders on a petition by the film producer seeking transfer of the case to another court on grounds on prolonged delay in the trial, Justice V M Velumani of the high court had directed the Munsiff court to conclude the case within April 30.

The matter pertains to an allegation by plaintiff Ravi Rathinam of Madurai that his script was stolen by the makers of ‘Lingaa’.

He had moved the High Court which in December, 2014 ordered the producer to deposit a sum of Rs 5 crore by demand draft and another Rs 5 crore by way of bank guarantee before releasing the movie.

The producer complied with the court order as he needed to release the movie immediately and appealed against it in the Supreme Court which on March 20, 2015, directed him to furnish only Rs one crore as bank guarantee and also ordered the trial court to dispose the suit within six months.

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P. Jayarajan sent to CBI custody

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Kochi: The District and Sessions Court at Thalassery Tuesday sent CPI (M) Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan, who is an accused in the Kathiroor Manoj murder case, to CBI custody for three days.

Principal sessions Judge V.G Anil Kumar allowed the CBI to interrogate him either in jail or in hospital.

The CBI in its plea had argued that the accused be given in their custody for questioning as his health condition was found to be normal as per the latest medical report from the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST) Thiruvananthapuram.

On January 21, CPI(M) district secretary P.Jayarajan was arraigned by the CBI as the 25th accused in the case and charged with offences including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

42-year-old Manoj, a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death in the politically-volatile Kathiroor in Kannur district on September 1, 2014 allegedly by a group of CPI-M workers.

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Jaitley withdraws provident fund tax proposal

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the government was withdrawing one of the much-resisted budget proposals to partially tax withdrawals from the employees' provident fund accounts.

"A number of representations have been received from various sections of the society, including members of parliament, suggesting that this change will force people to invest in anuity products even if they are not willing to do so," Jaitley told the Lok Sabha.

"The main argument is that employees should have the choice of where to invest. Theoretically, such freedom is desirable, but it is important for the government to achieve policy objectives by instrumentality of taxation," he said.

"In the present reform, the policy objective is not to get more revenues but to encourage to join the pension scheme," Jaitley said, adding the proposal he listed in paragraph 138 and 139 of his budget speech was being "withdrawn" to enable a "comprehensive" review.

"The proposal for giving 40 percent exemption given to NPS (National Pension Scheme) subscribers at the time of withdrawal remains."

Para 138 of his speech said: "In case of superannuation funds and recognised provident funds, including EPF, the same norm of 40 percent of corpus to be tax free will apply in respect of corpus created out of contributions made after April 1, 2016."

Para 139 said: "Further, the annuity fund which goes to the legal heir after the death of pensioner will not be taxable in all three cases. Also, we are proposing a monetary limit for contribution of employer in recognized provident and superannuation Fund of Rs.1.5 lakh per annum for taking tax benefit."

Failed drugs test at Australian Open: Sharapova

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New York:Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova on Monday admitted to failing a drug test at the Australian Open in January, an act that will get her suspended from tennis, BBC reported .

Sharapova, in a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday, said she had been taking the drug, meldonium, ever since 2006 and didn't realise that it became a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at the start of 2016.

The International Tennis Federation, about an hour after her admission, said on its website that the 28-year-old would be provisionally banned from March 12. The usual ban for first-time offenders is two years.

The failed drug test came on January 26 -- after Sharapova lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals -- and she was charged with an anti-doping violation on March 2, the governing body additionally said.

"A few days ago I received a letter from the (International Tennis Federation) that I failed a drug test at the Australian Open," Sharapova, who has long been the world's richest female athlete, said in the press conference.

"I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it. For the past 10 years I have been given a medicine called mildronate by my doctor, my family doctor, and a few days ago after I received the ITF letter I found out that it also has another name, meldonium, which I did not know.

"It's very important for you to understand for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA's banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine for the past 10 years. But on January 1 the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance, which I had not known," the five-time grand slam winner said.

Sharapova said she began taking the medication, which can be used to treat heart issues, after irregular EKGs and being deficient in magnesium. Her family also has a history of diabetes, she added.

WADA stated in September that the anti-ischemic drug would be added to the prohibited list and Sharapova blamed herself for not taking note of the new list.

Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA women's tour, was "saddened" by the development but said it was down to Sharapova to make sure she knew the rules, the BBC report said.

"I am very saddened to hear this news about Maria," he said in a statement. "Maria is a leader and I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity. Nevertheless, as Maria acknowledged, it is every player's responsibility to know what they put in their body and to know if it is permissible.

"This matter is now in the hands of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program and its standard procedures. The WTA will support the decisions reached through this process."

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Former US first lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94

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Washington: Former US first lady Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94 in her Los Angeles home on Sunday, her office said.

A statement issued by her office said the former first lady died of congestive heart failure, and she would be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died in June, 2004.

"Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the library," Xinhua quoted the statement.

The White House, in a statement in the wake of Nancy's death, praised her on Sunday for her role in advancing Alzheimer's research.

After her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, Nancy Reagan became an advocate for Alzheimer's research.

Born in New York City, Nancy Reagan came to fame in the 1940s and 1950s during her acting career in Hollywood. 

During Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1989, the former first lady was well-known for her clout with her husband and for bringing a lavish lifestyle to the White House in a time of recession, making her one of the most influential and controversial first ladies in the US history.

During her White House years, Reagan's most famous initiative was a major anti-drug campaign known as "Just say no"

Molestation case: Andhra minister's son grilled, sent to judicial custody

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Hyderabad: Ravela Susheel, son of Andhra Pradesh Social and Tribal Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, was extensively grilled by police on Sunday after he surrendered in a molestation case. A court later sent him to 14 days judicial custody.

Susheel appeared at Banjara Hills police station and surrendered after his lawyer failed to get him bail.

Police also arrested Susheel's driver M. Ramesh alias Appa Rao. Deputy Commissioner of Police Venkateswar Rao told reporters that both Susheel and his driver were questioned with regard to the complaint lodged by a woman.

Venkateswar Rao said police were also examining the CCTV footage of the car in which Susheel was travelling. He also asserted that the government was taking all steps for protection of women. "There is no question of shielding anybody involved in a crime, no matter how powerful he may be."

The accused were later taken to the government-run Osmania Hospital for examination. They were later produced before a magistrate at his residence in the evening and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The accused were shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail here.

Police on Saturday issued notice to Susheel, asking him to appear before them within 48 hours.

Both Susheel and Ramesh were booked on Saturday under the Nirbhaya Act for stalking a woman and trying to pull her into their car.

The incident occurred in the posh Banjara Hills neighbourhood on Thursday when the woman, a teacher, was walking down the road. She alleged that the duo passed lewd comments and tried to drag her in by grabbing her hand.

Citing the victim's complaint, the two were booked for harassment and misbehaving but no arrests were made.

On Friday, some television channels reported how police tried to hush up the case.

Susheel clarified through a social media post on Sunday that he spotted a puppy on the road and got down from car to pick it up but the woman without any reason started shouting and abusing him.

"The crowd joined hands with the unknown people whose only intention was political vengeance," he said.

However, the CCTV footage beamed on some news channels showed the car slowing down near the burqa-clad woman. Perturbed by this, the woman started walking faster but the car continued following her.

Meanwhile, minister Ravela Kishore Babu said on Sunday that his son is innocent. Stating that Susheel has done nothing wrong, he claimed that the CCTV footage has been morphed.

The minister also targeted YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, alleging that the opposition leader is trying to implicate his son in a false case to defame him.

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Death for three Keralites in Kuwait

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Kuwait City: A court in Kuwait on Monday awarded the death sentence to three people from Kerala in a drug trafficking case.

Mustafa Shahul Hameed, Aboobacker Sidheeque and Faisal, all of them hailing from Malappuram in Kerala, were sentenced to death by Judge Mutaib Al Areebi.

A Sri Lankan native was also awarded the death sentence in the case.

The court allowed them one-month time to file an appeal against the verdict.

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JNU row: Delhi govt serves legal notice to TV channels for airing doctored videos

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New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed CPI(M) and JD(U) leaders that legal notices have been served to media houses which allegedly aired doctored videos of JNU students raising anti-national slogans on the night of February 9.

The delegation of CPI(M)-JD(U) leaders Monday called on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and asked him to take action against organisations which had allegedly used doctored videos “to create frenzy of anti-nationals” at JNU.

A forensic probe ordered by Delhi government on certain footages of the February 9 JNU event, in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, found that two of the videos were “manipulated” where voices of persons not present in the clips were added.

The delegation thanked Kejriwal for the probe and sought action against the organisations concerned based on the findings of enquiry into the clips, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

“We went to thank him for organising magisterial enquiry which has clearly shown the tapes were doctored. Secondly, on the basis of his (Kejriwal’s) own enquiry that the tapes were doctored, they should now proceed for action against the organisations that used these doctored tapes to create this sort of a frenzy of anti-national against JNU as a whole and against the students,” Yechury said after the meeting.

He said Kejriwal assured the delegation of action into the matter.

“He (Kejriwal) said notices have already been served to some media houses which have done this mischief,” Yechury said.

Besides Yechury, JD(U) MP K C Tyagi was part of the delegation that met Kejriwal.

Tribunal bars Mallya from accessing $75 mn from Diageo deal

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Bengaluru: In a major setback for liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) Monday barred him from accessing USD 75 million (Rs 515 crore) exit payment from Diageo till the loan default case with State Bank of India is settled.
   
DRT, allowing SBI plea, restrained Diageo from disbursing the money for now and set March 28 as the next date of hearing.
   
SBI had sought DRT's intervention in seeking the lenders' first right on the USD 75-million payout from Diageo to Mallya as part of deal last month.
   
Under the deal Mallya was to step down as chairman of India's top spirits company United Spirits Ltd in a settlement with its new owner, Britain's Diageo. Mallya was to settle down in London after the deal.
   
SBI had filed three other applications, including one seeking Mallya's arrest and impounding of his passport, it approached DRT seeking action against him for defaulting on loans.
   
DRT in its order restraining Diageo from disbursing USD 75 billion, said the amount has been attached pending disposal of original application.
   
It directed Mallya and the companies concerned to disclose the details of the terminal agreement.
   
The order came hours after Mallya said he was in talks with banks for a one-time settlement of debt that his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes.
   
In a statement late last night, he had also stated that he had no plans to run away from his creditors.
   
SBI, which leads the consortium of 17 banks that lent money to the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, had moved DRT against the airline's chairman Mallya in its bid to recover Rs 7,800 crore. SBI had an exposure of over Rs 1,600 crore to the now defunct airline. Since January 2012, the loan was not serviced.
   
Other lenders include Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Federal Bank, Uco Bank and Dena Bank among others.
   
Last year, SBI declared Mallya as wilful defaulter while PNB had followed suit last month to declare him, his group holding company United Breweries Holdings and Kingfisher Airlines as wilful defaulters.
   
Diageo was to pay Mallya USD 40 million immediately and the balance in equal installments over the next five years.

The deal also absolved Mallya of all liabilities over alleged financial lapses at the company founded by his family.

17 killed, including four nuns, in gun attack on Aden care home

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ADEN // Seventeen people, including four Catholic nuns, were killed in Aden on Friday morning when armed men attacked a care home for the elderly run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

Six Ethiopians, a Yemeni cook and Yemeni guards were also killed, said Khaled Haidar, whose brother Radwan was among the dead. He said his family was the first to arrive at the home in Aden’s Al Sheikh Othman district following the attack.
It was not yet clear who was responsible for the killings, but ISIL and Al Qaeda have carried out a string of attacks in the southern Yemeni city in recent months.
An Aden security official told The National that four extremist militants had knocked on the door of the home and told the guard that they wanted to visit their mother who was a resident.
“When the guard opened the door [the militants] burst in and killed the guard ... [before] ... firing on the elderly [residents] and Indian nuns at random,” the official said.
He said one Indian nun had survived by hiding inside a cold room used to store medicines.
Mr Haidar said he had spoken to the nun, who was crying and shaking. His family handed her over to resistance fighters responsible for security in Al Sheikh Othman district, he added.
The dead and injured were taken to the city’s state-run Republican hospital and a health centre run by Medecins Sans Frontieres.
A doctor at the Republican hospital told The National that some of the dead had arrived with their hands tied behind their backs. Most had been shot in the head.
Paramedics said they expected the death toll to rise as some of the wounded had serious injuries.
Officials and medics were unable to provide a figure for the number of people injured in the attack.
There were about 80 elderly residents at the home, which was established in 2000 by Missionaries of Charity, a religious order set up by Mother Teresa.
Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the order in the Indian city of Kolkata, said its members were “absolutely stunned” at the killing.
“The sisters were to come back but they opted to stay on to serve people” in Yemen, she said.
She said that two of the nuns killed were from Rwanda and the other two were from India and Kenya.
Missionaries of Charity, which also runs homes for the elderly in Taez, Hodeidah and Sanaa, is the only organisation to provide such a service in Yemen.
Friday’s attack was not the first on the order in Yemen. In 1998, three of its nuns were shot dead in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah by a psychiatric patient who had volunteered to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims in 1992 before returning to Yemen.
Local religious leader Sheikh Mohammed Mahboob blamed the Aden attack on ISIL, which considers Christians to be heretics.
“The Islamic State fighters have a wrong understanding of Islam,” he said.
ISIL and Al Qaeda have been gaining ground in Aden in recent months and are now active in several neighbourhoods. Previous extremist attacks in the city have tended to target government officials and the security forces, however.
With Sanaa still in the hands of Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their allies, who seized the city in September 2014, president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi has declared Aden to be the country’s temporary capital.