Sunday, April 7, 2013

Malala 'Daughter of the United Nations' calls Ban Ki-moon.

Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Secretary-General on Sunday has called Pakistani education activist Malala Yousufzai 'a daughter of the United Nations' when he spoke to her to mark the 1,000-day milestone in the run-up to a Millennium Development Goal to reduce poverty by the end of 2015.

Conversation from Madrid in a Skype where the secretary-general is on a visit, he described the 15-year-old who was attacked by the Taliban for opposing restrictions on going to school as 'a symbol of hope, a daughter of the United Nations', according to a video of the talk released at UN Headquarters in New York, reports The Nation.
Later, Ban formally kicked off the campaign tagged 'MDG Momentum - 1,000 Days of Action', urging countries to ramp up efforts to meet the anti-poverty targets set in 2000.
Ban told Malala that the UN will always support her and people like her.

Malala told Ban that it is an honour for her to be associated with the UN. She said her goal is simple: peace and happiness in this world, adding that the way to see peace is through education. She added that she wants to be a leader and 'to serve this whole world'.

Malala was shot in the head and neck on October 9, 2012, for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education, while she was returning home from school in Swat.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the youngster was 'pro-West', had been promoting Western culture and had been speaking out against them.

Ban told the youngster that he was 'deeply impressed' and looked forward to meeting her. (ANI)

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Supreme Court dismissed Swiss drugmaker Novartis patent case on Glivec.

The Supreme Court dismissed Swiss drugmaker Novartis  attempt to win patent protection for its cancer drug Glivec, a blow to Western pharmaceutical firms targeting India to drive sales and a victory for local makers of cheap generics.
The decision sets a benchmark for intellectual property cases in India, where many patented drugs are unaffordable for most of its 1.2 billion people, and does not bode well for foreign firms engaged in ongoing disputes in India, including Pfizer Inc  and Roche Holding AG , analysts said.

It cements the role of local companies as big suppliers of inexpensive generics to India's rapidly growing $13 billion-a-year drugs market and also across the developing world.

Among the chief beneficiaries of Monday's Supreme Court ruling will be India's Cipla Ltd  and Natco Pharma Ltd , which already sell generic Glivec in India at around one-tenth of the price of the branded drug.

"The multinational companies will have to find new ways of doing business in India," said Deepak Malik, healthcare analyst at brokerage Emkay Global, suggesting they may consider licensing agreements with local firms to offer cheap versions of branded drugs like Glivec.

Ranjit Shahani, managing director of Novartis India Ltd , the firm's locally listed unit, said it would be cautious about investing in India, especially over introducing new drugs, and seek patent protection before launching any new products. It will continue to refrain from research and development activities there.
"The intellectual property ecosystem in India is not very encouraging," Shahani told reporters in Mumbai after the ruling.

Healthcare activists have asked the government to make medicines cheaper in a country where many patented drugs are too costly for most people, 40 percent of whom earn less than $1.25 a day, and where patented drugs account for under 10 percent of total drug sales.

"This appears to be the best outcome for patients in developing countries as fewer patents will be granted on existing medicines," said Leena Menghaney, Medecins Sans Frontieres' Access Campaign manager for India.

Over 16,000 patients in India use Glivec and the vast majority of those get it free of charge, Novartis says. By contrast, generic Glivec is used by more than 300,000 patients, according to industry reports.

The U.S. industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, said the decision reflected a deteriorating environment for innovation in India.

"Protecting intellectual property is fundamental to the discovery of new medicines," the group said in a statement. "To solve the real health challenges of India's patients, it is critically important that India promote a policy environment that supports continued research and development of new medicines."

U.S. pharmaceutical industry analysts said the ruling was in line with lower court decisions and therefore largely expected.

"For other firms, rulings like this, and just the overall environment in India for branded drugs, make it less appealing. However, you are talking about a major geography," said Morningstar analyst Damien Conover.

The Supreme Court's decision comes after a legal battle that began when Novartis was denied a patent for Glivec in 2006.

EXTRA WORK

Novartis had argued it was entitled to a patent for the amended version of Glivec because the original patented compound was never suitable for making into a pill. Developing the final chemically stable form took years of extra work and it was this effort that marked the real breakthrough in developing Glivec as a life-saving cancer medicine, the Swiss company said.

Glivec is used to treat certain forms of leukemia and gastrointestinal cancer, as well as some other rare tumors.

Shares in Novartis' Indian unit ended 1.8 percent lower after falling as much as 6.8 percent after the verdict. Natco Pharma stock ended 5.4 percent higher after earlier gaining nearly 11 percent and Cipla gained 1.3 percent, beating the benchmark index  which ticked up 0.15 percent.

India's domestic drugs market is the 14th-largest globally, but with annual growth of 13 to 14 percent and the world's second-biggest population, international pharmaceutical firms say India has massive potential at a time when traditional developed markets have slowed down.

The ruling may dampen enthusiasm from foreign pharmaceutical firms in the short term, said S. Majumdar, head of law firm S. Majumdar & Co based in the eastern city of Kolkata.

"They will have to get used to it and learn to live with the law," he said.

NOT SO EVERGREEN

Pfizer's cancer drug Sutent and Roche's hepatitis C treatment Pegasys lost their patented status in India last year, decisions the companies are fighting to have reversed. The Supreme Court's latest ruling will make it tougher for them to win back patent protection.

"Henceforth, multinational pharma companies are likely to want that their patents are first recognized in India before launch of a patented product," said Ameet Hariani, managing partner at Mumbai-based law firm Hariani & Co.

India has refused protection for Glivec on the grounds that it is not a new medicine, but an amended version of a known compound. By contrast, the newer form of Glivec has been patented in nearly 40 countries including the United States, Russia and China.
Indian law bans firms from extending patents on their products by making slight changes to a compound, a practice known as "evergreening". The Supreme Court said Glivec does not satisfy a patent's "novelty" requirement, Pravin Anand, lawyer for Novartis, told reporters.

Novartis can file a review petition within 90 days.

Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma called the ruling "a historic judgment" that reaffirmed legal provisions mandating the need for substantial innovation before new patents are issued on medicines.

Source - Reuters

Monday, April 1, 2013

Delhi Gang-rape: Judge warn Defence lawyers for punctuality.

The Delhi gang-rape case hearing in a fast track court here was Monday delayed by over half hour due to absence of some defence lawyers who were warned by the judge to be punctual.

Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna expressed displeasure after he had to wait for more than half hour for accused Vinay Sharma's counsel A.K. Singh and accused Pawan Gupta's counsel Vivek Sharma to appear in court. The hearing finally started at 2 p.m.

"Where are the counsel? I have been waiting for them for so long. They know the court's timing and still they are not here... I am going to write a letter to director Delhi legal aid authority to provide new counsel... They are taking it for granted," the judge said earlier.

When advocate M.L. Sharma, appearing for accused Mukesh, told the court to allow him to call the lawyers of accused Sharma and Gupta, the judge said: "No need to telephone... if (they are) not serious. They should realise their duty and responsibilities."

When the counsel reached the court around 2.40 p.m., the judge asked them to be punctual and not delay the matter.

"Is this the time to come? Come on time. I can't keep waiting," said the court.
The court order said: "The matter was listed for 2 p.m. but counsel appeared late. Counsel are requested to appear in time."

Source Yahoo

South Korea warns fast response to North Korea.

North Korea says the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of United Nations sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korean military drills that have included a rare U.S. show of aerial power.
The North, whose economy is smaller than it was 20 years ago, appeared to move on Monday to addressing its pressing need for investment by appointing a reformer to the country's ceremonial prime minister's job, although the move mostly cemented a power grab by the ruling Kim clan.

North Korea had said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in response to what it termed the "hostile" military drills being staged in the South. But there have been no signs of unusual activity in the North's military to suggest an imminent aggression, a South Korean defence ministry official said last week.
"If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," President Park Geun-hye told the defence minister and senior officials at a meeting on Monday.

The South has changed its rules of engagement to allow local units to respond immediately to attacks, rather than waiting for permission from Seoul.

Source Yahoo News

Thursday, March 28, 2013

North Korea Nuclear threats to USA.


North Korea stepped up its aggressive rhetoric on Tuesday, ordering its rocket and long-range artillery units to be combat ready and on the "highest alert" and issuing new threats against U.S. bases on Hawaii, Guam and mainland America.

Pyongyang warned that U.S. facilities would be "reduced to ashes and flames the moment the first attack is unleashed," according to a military order issued by the pariah state’s military "supreme command."

It was announced that North Korea has now ordered rockets and long-range artillery units to be targeted towards U.S. military bases on Guam, Hawaii and the mainland. Analysts believe the threats are only to bolster the appearance of power for new leader Kim Jong Un.

The U.S. and South Korea have signed a military agreement to combine forces in the event of an attack from North Korea. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.


It comes in response to joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces which began in the area early this month and which have seen U.S. bombers flying sorties threatening the North.
 
 
South Korea's defense ministry said it saw no sign of imminent military action by North Korea Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"They need to stop threatening peace on the peninsula," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters on Tuesday of North Korea's latest threat. "That doesn't help anyone ... and we stand ready to respond to any contingency,

By Staff writer, NBC News

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Electric car e2o at Rs.5.96 lakh by Mahindra & Mahindra.

 Electric car e2o at Rs.5.96 lakh by Mahindra & Mahindra is powered by next generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3 phase induction electric motor; the Mahindra e2o is fully automatic and designed for city driving. With just 5 hours required for fully charging, the Mahindra e2o can be driven over 100 kms.

The Mahindra e2o comes with a 15.5 cms (6.2 in.) touch screen, with factory fitted GPS navigation system, radio, DVD, Blue tooth and I-pod connectivity. Locating a place or directions to the nearest charging point is now at your finger tips.





In the rare event of running low on charge, you can use the app on the smart phone to remotely activate the  reserve energy that can get you going again.






The e2o has enough interior space to accommodate four adults and a driving range of 100 kms per charge
Customers can now literally plug in their Mahindra e2o’s to charge, like they would their cell phones, laptops or tablets.


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Largest shopping mall of India opens in Kochi, Kerala

One of Asia’s biggest shopping malls, the Lulu Shopping Mall was opened to public on 10th March. Built at a cost of over Rs.1600 crore, the mall is spread over 2.5 million square feet of space and is owned by EMKE group of United Arab Emirates (UAE) businessman M.A. Yousuf Ali, who hails from Kerala. The mall has nine theatres, 16 pairs of escalators, elevators and travelators. There is a 3,500-seat multi-cuisine food court and parking for 3,000 cars.




 

Link

Online MarketingAdd blog to our blog directory