MRPL eyes Mallya's Mangalore Fertilizers stake

[email protected] (Times of India)
May 8, 2012

mcfMumbai, May 8: Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL), majority owned by state-owned ONGC, has expressed interest to acquire promoter's stake in Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers (MCF), said a source directly involved with the matter.

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's UB Group holds little over 30% stake in MCF, a non-core investment that may be sold to fund its bleeding Kingfisher Airlines. MRPL managing director Uttam Kumar Basu has written a letter to Mallya last month expressing interest to takeover MCF and seeking permission to start a due diligence. U K Basu declined to offer any comments while ONGC chairman Sudhir Vasudeva, who is in Kuwait to attend an international oil and gas conference, could not be immediately reached for his comments.

Recent media reports said Zuari Industries and Chambal Chemicals & Fertilizers have evinced interest to buy Mallya's fertilizer unit. The ONGC subsidiary finds MCF a strategic fit, which is in close vicinity and the refinery by-products naphtha and fuel oil may be used as feed stock to operate the fertilizer plant.

MRPL MD U K Basu term is coming to an end in June and MRPL director technical P P Upadhya is likely to take over new MD from July. "Yes, MRPL is interested in that asset but it's too premature to comment anything at this point of time," said the source briefed about the matter, adding that we are yet to hear anything from UB group. MCF shares closed at Rs 40, valuing the firm close to Rs 500 crore. But the deal is likely to be done at a premium considering the over 200 acres land bank of the company can be used for further expansion.

"I don't think UB Group is interested in keeping this fertilizer business under its fold and it would be a good move if they sell it to MRPL because of the synergies it draws. With this sale, UB Group will get some breathing space as it struggles to keep afloat the debt laden kingfisher airlines," said investment advisor S P Tulsian.




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coastaldigest.com web desk
May 22,2020

Newsroom, May 22: Countless netizens including Indians have hailed the action taken by Jazan University of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against a high-ranking Indian expatriate who had posted called Indian Muslims as radicals.  

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook flooded with appreciation after the University announced on Twitter that the professor, who had posted objectionable messsages, had been fired. The university, however, did not disclose the name of the professor. 

On its Twitter account, Jazan University wrote, “Based on what was monitored by the university about the publication of a contracted faculty member for offensive posts and tweets, his registration has already been folded. #JazanUniversity affirms that it resolutely addresses any perverted or extremist ideas that affect the constants or violate the directions of good leadership.”

After the university’s announcement, many on Twitter posted screenshots of the communal tweets claiming that the professor is Neeraj Bedi and made it clear that the dismissed professor is an Indian.

Bedi has been working as full time Professor in Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in Jazan University for years.

In his Twitter account, which does not currently exist, he was praising PM Modi and spewing poison against Islam and holding Muslims responsible for the spread of Coronavirus. It is believed that the account was deleted after the protests became severe.

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News Network
March 1,2020

Mangaluru, Mar 1: Noted Konkani writer and theater personality Richard John Pais died on Sunday after a brief illness, family sources said.

He was 51. He is survived by wife and two children.

Known in literary circles as ‘RJP’, his short stories, satirical writings, and poems were very popular.

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News Network
January 20,2020

Varanasi, Jan 20: An FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons for a controversial hoarding near the Varanasi railway station. It is worth mentioning here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is the MP of Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

The hoarding near the Englishiya Line crossing read, "Hindu dharma mein ghar vapasi karo... CAA, NRC se chhutkara pao (Get rid of CAA, NRC by converting to Hinduism)".

Inspector Ashutosh Ojha said that the FIR under section 295 A and 505 of IPC has been lodged.

"Investigation has been launched in the case and those involved in putting up the hoarding would be identified soon," he added.

According to sources, a lesser known outfit, Hindu Samaj Party, had placed the hoarding on the busy road.

The outfit's state Vice President Roshan Pandey had made a video viral on social media with his message in which he claimed to have put up the hoarding in response to the protest being staged at Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi.

The hoarding, which also has photographs of some Muslim women wearing saffron pagdi, was removed by the police late Saturday evening.

It came up at a time when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Smriti Irani and other leaders were in Varanasi to address a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.

Pandey, along with his supporters, had also tried to stage a sit-in at Lanka to give a call for marching to Shaheen Bagh in Delhi but was prevented by the police.

They were taken in custody and were later released following initial interrogation, said inspector Lanka, Bharat Bhushan.

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