Modi, Shah likely to address rallies in Udupi, Mangaluru, Uttara Kannada ahead of 2018 polls

Kalaburagi, Mar 3: Former Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday in a letter requested Karnataka Assembly Speaker Sri Vishveshvaraya Hegade Kageri that the restricted media coverage in Assembly Budget session was not the right thing and it will be danger of for healthy democracy.

The letter written by Mr. Kharge to the Karnataka Assembly speaker which available to the press said that the fourth pillar of democracy 'Media' ban from covering assembly proceedings was not a healthy move and requested to immediately withdraw the government order in this regards, he said.

Mysuru, Jan 27: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday refused to field questions on the state’s finances, merely saying his budget on March 5 will do the talking. The question came in the wake of Siddaramaiah, leader of the opposition, claiming recently that the state’s coffers were dry and its finances were in the doldrums.

However, Yediyurappa insisted the state’s finances were sound and it will be better once promises made by the business community during his trip to Davos turn into concrete investment.

“I will present the budget for 2020-21 on March 5. People will then know about the state’s financial position,” Yediyurappa said during a visit to Suttur Mutt on Sunday. “I will answer Siddaramaiah’s comments during the forthcoming budget session of the state legislature. The Davos meet I attended will benefit the state immensely. It will bring huge investments that will promote industry and agriculture growth and various job-generation activities.”

Abu Dhabi, Feb 17: NMC Health Plc, a hospital operator targeted by short-seller Muddy Waters, said founder Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty resigned amid investor concern he faced a margin call and misrepresented his stake.

The board asked for Co-Chairman Shetty’s resignation and it takes effect immediately, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. NMC has lost four board members since Friday, including Vice Chairman Khaleefa Butti, whose holdings are also being probed. The stock, the worst performer on the FTSE-100 Index this year, fell as much as 9.2 percent Monday morning and then rebounded.

“The resignation of senior board members should be viewed positively,” said Abdulla Nahlawi, an analyst at Rasmala Investment Bank in Dubai. “The credibility of the current board has been jeopardized with the unfolding of the recent events.”

NMC shares lost almost half their value the first week of February on speculation the company’s main investors faced a margin call, in which banks seize shares pledged as collateral. NMC said Friday that First Abu Dhabi Bank and Al Salam Bank Bahrain obtained 20 million shares in the company from BRS International Holding, an investment vehicle of NMC’s top shareholders. The banks sold more than 8 million of those shares as “enforcement of security,” NMC said.

NMC operates the largest medical network in the United Arab Emirates and in 2012 became the first Abu Dhabi company to list in London. The shares started teetering in mid-December when Muddy Waters alleged that NMC manipulated its balance sheet and inflated the prices of companies it acquired.

Shetty, 77, was born in India and founded NMC in the 1970s after moving to Abu Dhabi. His spokesman said a legal review of the situation is ongoing and declined further comment.

Chief Investment Officer Hani Buttikhi and board member Abdulrahman Basaddiq also stepped down because they were appointees of Shetty and Butti, NMC said, adding that they had no knowledge of the share transfers.

Questions remain over the role of Shetty’s family at the company. His wife and son-in-law both hold roles in senior management.

Almost 10 per cent of NMC’s freely traded shares are shorted, according to Markit Securities data. In mid-December about a third of them were.

Last week GKSD Investment, an investment company backed by hospital investors, said it’s studying a possible offer for NMC. Under U.K. takeover rules, it has until March 9 to make a bid.

NMC has said Muddy Waters’s claims are false and the company hired former FBI Director Louis Freeh to conduct an independent review. The review is due to be completed before the company issues its financial results in March, the person said.

NMC said Mark Tompkins will continue as the company’s sole chairman.