Malnad Ultra Marathon 2018 flags off in Chikmagalur
Chikmagalur, Oct 13: The two-day Coffee Day Malnad Ultra Marathon 2018 flagged off successfully from Lalbaug Estate in Chikmagalur in the early hours Saturday.
811 runners from 13 countries and 22 states from across India gathered at the start line for the flag off of the ultra marathon. There were as many as 43 international runners from UK, Poland, France, USA, Maldives, Germany, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Singapore, Colombia, Japan, and Malaysia who participated in the run with USA having the highest representation of 7 endurance runners.
The endurance run also had an incredible number of 143 female runners and also saw participation from people up to 75 years of age.
Coffee Day Malnad Ultra is split into three categories - 50 km, 80 km and 110 km.
The 80 km and 110 km run flagged off at 6:30 am while the 50 km run begun at 7:00 am. 496 participants (111 females) registered for the 50 km run, 96 participants (17 females) registered for the 80 km run and 229 participants (15 females) registered for the challenging 110 km run.
The ultra marathon course will take the runners through the hilly and enchanting terrain of the Western Ghats while offering scenic views of the coffee plantations.
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Veteran US Judge Alvin Hellerstein oversees high-stakes case against Venezuelan Prez Nicolas Maduro
New York: At 92, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, one of the longest-serving judges on the federal bench, is once again at the centre of a case with global implications, as he presides over the criminal proceedings against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before Judge Hellerstein in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, where they entered pleas of not guilty to charges including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. The case traces back to a 2020 indictment and forms part of a broader investigation that has unfolded over nearly 15 years, already resulting in the conviction of Venezuela’s former intelligence chief, Hugo Armando Carvajal.
Hellerstein’s involvement adds considerable weight to the proceedings. Appointed to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1998 after being nominated by then president Bill Clinton, he has built a reputation for handling complex and politically sensitive cases. A Columbia University Law School graduate, he began his legal career serving in the US Army between 1957 and 1960 before moving into private practice.
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Over the decades, the judge has overseen a wide range of landmark cases. He has ruled on several civil lawsuits arising from the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks, and has repeatedly been involved in matters touching the highest levels of US politics. At times, this brought him into direct conflict with US President Donald Trump, including when he rejected an attempt to move Trump’s New York hush money case to federal court. More recently, he blocked efforts by the Trump administration to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without granting them court hearings.
Hellerstein has also been a key figure in major financial and corporate fraud cases. In September, he sentenced tech entrepreneur Charlie Javice to over seven years in prison for defrauding JPMorgan Chase in a $175 million deal. He later handed down an 18-year sentence to Bill Hwang, founder of investment firm Archegos Capital Management, in another high-profile fraud conviction. Last year, he presided over a jury trial that found BNP Paribas’s activities in Sudan had supported the regime of former ruler Omar al-Bashir, awarding damages of $20.75 million to Sudanese plaintiffs.
Beyond criminal and financial cases, the judge has also delivered rulings with lasting human rights implications. In 2015, he ordered the US government to release photographs documenting the abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, a decision that drew international attention.
