Dangote renews bid to acquire Arsenal

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has again renewed his bid to acquire English Premier League side Arsenal when he is done with his present projects.

Dangote, who was speaking in a chat on David Rubenstein Show on Bloomberg, said he intended to take Arsenal to the next level.

The billionaire, who is presently constructing a refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, is aiming to buy the North London side in 2011.

“It is a team that, yes, I would like to buy someday, but what I keep saying is we have $20bn worth of projects and that’s what I really want to concentrate on,” Dangote said.

“I’m trying to finish building the company and then after we finish, maybe sometime in 2021 we can.

“I’m not buying Arsenal right now; I’m buying Arsenal when I finish all these projects because I’m trying to take the company to the next level.”

Dangote had first declared his intention to buy Arsenal in 2015.

Arsenal is presently owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke.( Punch)

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Updated: Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid on penalties to win Spanish Super Cup

Thibaut Courtois proved the hero on Sunday as Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in a penalty shoot-out in Saudi Arabia to win their 11th Spanish Super Cup.

Courtois and Jan Oblak were both imperious during a goalless final in Jeddah but the Belgian came up trumps, saving Thomas Partey’s penalty after Saul Niguez had already hit the post.

Sergio Ramos tucked away the winning spot-kick to ensure Real Madrid clinched their first trophy of the season, with La Liga and the Champions League next in their sights.

“I went through their takers on the bench,” said Courtois. “Saul’s surprised me but Thomas’ I read, and he’s got a very hard shot.”

Atletico might have won it in extra-time when Alvaro Morata went through one-on-one but Real’s Federico Valverde took a red card in exchange for cynically fouling the striker from behind.

“I have won many things as a player and now as a coach,” said Zidane. “But I congratulate the players. You can achieve anything if you work hard enough.”

– Venue controversy –

The focus before the tournament was more on the decision of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to move this year’s Super Cup — a four-team competition rather than a straight final — away from Spain and to Saudi Arabia, despite the country’s long-criticised treatment of women and record on human rights.

Before the final, RFEF president Luis Rubiales said he was “very happy” with how the format had panned out. “We have to improve things because it is a country that has just started organising these sorts of events,” he added.

For all the controversy off the pitch, on the pitch, the tournament has delivered.

Real Madrid played brilliantly to beat Valencia on Wednesday while a pulsating 3-2 win for Atletico on Thursday has put Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde on the brink of the sack.

And although the final lacked goals and quality finishing, there was drama until the end and joy on the faces of Real Madrid’s players as Ramos hoisted another trophy under the fireworks.

Ramos had been guilty of sloppiness early on and Atletico should have capitalised.

The defender played a pass straight to Joao Felix on the edge of the area but Felix dragged wide and then Ferland Mendy gave the ball away, only for Morata to look for contact from Courtois and a penalty when there was neither.

– Courtois saves the day –

Both teams had good chances to win it late on, with Luka Jovic’s deflected cross finding Valverde free five yards out but the midfielder’s header hit his own knee before drifting harmlessly over.

Then Atletico might have nicked it as Kieran Trippier clipped an excellent pass over the top for Morata, who opted for accuracy rather than power and Courtois was able to push away.

Into extra-time and, with 105 minutes on the clock, Courtois did well to flash out a leg and block Morata’s acrobatic effort while Oblak twice denied Real, first a curling shot from Luka Modric and then a follow-up from Mariano Diaz.

Yet the most dramatic moment was still to come as Saul sent Morata clean through, with only Courtois to beat, before the chasing Valverde scythed him down from behind.

The red card was inevitable but Atletico only had a free-kick and, for four minutes, a one-man advantage. Trippier hit the free-kick into the wall and Real held on for penalties.

Carvajal found the corner but Saul struck the post, despite sending Courtois the wrong way. Rodrygo coolly put Real two ahead and Thomas missed, this time Courtois diving right and palming clear.

Modric swept into the corner before Trippier did the same. It was left to Ramos to hit the winning shot. (Vanguard)

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How to brand your image

When you walk through the door in any gathering, instantly we can tell a number of things about you.

Believe it or not up to 11 assumptions are made regarding your economic level, education level, social position, exposure level and many more.

It takes seconds to form a good first impression; it may take a life time to get rid of a bad one.

Everybody is unique with their own style; the way you present yourself creates your image and that of your business. People will do business with you based on what they see.

Do you look authoritative, approachable or aloof? You are a brand how you package yourself makes a big difference.

Attractive packaging will set you apart from competition. Essentially the way you look and carry yourself is your very own Personal Brand.

Believe it or not your self-brand is directly affected by your level of etiquette savvy.

Identifying, recognizing and enhancing your personal brand is key today for career and professional 

Putting it all into perspective you can consider yourself as a package that is boxed, labelled and priced both consciously and unconsciously by all.

How do you set yourself apart for distinction, that package that stands tall among the rest.

You want to dawn with seven C’s including character, charisma, charm, class competence, credibility and clout. These will help you build and sustain both your self and professional image.

Let me leave you with 8 success strategies for becoming a prized package.

8 Success Strategies for branding your image

1. Define who you are:

How would you feel if you discovered that someone has the same name as you? Almost like a case of stolen identity.

A friend of mine, a medical doctor had her identity stolen from her by someone who had been using her name for 8 years before she found out.

The medical board could not and would not change her name on her qualification by virtue of their strict policy.

Her medical career was ruined because that person had a stream of criminal records.

Brand your unique name it should have clarity, consistency and constancy.

Be clear and know who you are and what you stand for. If you are a banker; act like a banker at all times in the business and social settings.

Be consistent in the way you communicate your brand when writing or talking or even through emails, text messages or on social media. Ensure that to all who need to see you, you are constantly visible.

•What are your unique attributes

•What makes you tick

•What motivates you

No matter how different we appear to be we all have unique characteristics.

Are you determined, dedicated, devoted, (what is most important to you?)

2. Create and complete a SWOT Analysis:

This is quite a familiar term so take time out to :

– Identify your internal characteristics that accentuate your strengths

– Know your internal weaknesses that you must improve upon

– What does the environment offer you in terms of opportunities?

– Do not overlook the underlying threats that could also arise.

Take a moment to honestly assess yourself and find out your swot analysis.

3. Identify your Grooming Style and Dress Sense

Be careful to pay attention to detail when it comes to good grooming as nothing goes unnoticed.

If you cannot take care of yourself well; in the business world we look at that as one who will not pay attention to projects, assignments and duties.

Simple things like wearing a signature fragrance, properly applied makeup (if a lady), wearing clothes that fit the body you have now and not the one you want or wish you had or praying to have. When you wear clothes ask yourself-

Do they fit your profession, age and status

• Have you considered color coordination

• Do you look respectful, reliable and representative of your organization.

4. Watch your Posture

Your posture shows signs of body language saying a lot without saying a single word.

It makes all the difference when you do not carry yourself well. Our first impression of you is tied to what we see. 55% of the time, we look at your appearance, body language as well as attitude.

Imagine being well dressed at a conference, slouching in your chair and picking your nose.

It is about being conversant with the way you sit, stand and walk. Always sit upright, stand erect and walk with a purpose.

if you are the boss the worst thing that could happen is if a client were to enter your office and walk right passed you looking for the boss.

5. Your Vocals

Your voice commands audience. I always tell my trainees that to project your voice well you will need to be standing.

Monitor your choice of words with maturity, how you deliver your words in the pitch, pace and speed of your voice. Your voice can give you away, speak with confidence.

When I say vocals I also mean spoken and unspoken. If you are still using abbreviation text messages in a business setting you are indeed killing your image

6. Master your Business Etiquette Savvy Skills

Business etiquette savvy is very important for your business. This is the secret that will grow your business and put you on the success ladder.

• How do you introduce yourself? First name only or first and surname.

• How do you introduce others you know to each other?

• How do you present your business card (Vanguard)

……..to be continued

The Truth

Iran’s only female Olympic medalist quits country

Iran’s only female Olympic medalist has said on social media she had left her homeland.

Taekwondo champion Kimia Alizadeh said this was because she had had enough of being used by Iranian authorities as a propaganda tool.

She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Alizadeh implied in an Instagram post that she had now moved to Europe.

She wrote on an account she has used for some time, but it was not immediately possible to verify her location.

“No one has invited me to Europe and I haven’t been given a tempting offer.

“But I accept the pain and hardship of homesickness because I didn’t want to be part of hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery,” she said.

In a reaction, Mahin Farhadizadeh, a deputy Iranian sports minister, said: “I have not read Kimia’s post.

“But as far as I know she always wanted to continue her studies in physiotherapy,” the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Alizadeh said the Islamic Republic’s authorities had attributed her success to their management and the fact that she wore the Islamic veil, which is obligatory in Iran.

Ugh “I am one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran whom they’ve been playing for years… I wore whatever they told me and repeated whatever they ordered. Every sentence they ordered I repeated,” she wrote.

None of us matter for them, we are just tools.”

She said that while the government exploited her medals politically, officials would humiliate her with remarks such as “It is not virtuous for a woman to stretch her legs!”

Alizadeh said at the time of her medal in the 57kg category that it had made her happy for Iranian girls.

On Sunday she appeared torn by her decision.

“Should I start with hello, goodbye or condolences? Hello oppressed people of Iran, goodbye noble people of Iran, my condolences to you people who are always mourning,” she wrote.

In the past week, 176 people, many Iranians with dual citizenship, were killed when the Iranian military mistakenly shot a Ukrainian airliner down.

Also, at least 56 died in a stampede at the funeral for an Iranian military commander killed by a U.S. airstrike.

Alizadeh is the third top Iranian sports person to stop representing the country in recent months.

In December, Iran’s Chess Federation said top-rated chess champion Alireza Firouzja had decided not to play for Iran over its informal ban on competing against Israeli players.

Three months earlier, the International Judo Federation said Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei had refused to return home over fears for his safety.

This was after he ignored orders from his national federation to pull out of fights to avoid a potential final meeting with an Israeli (Vanguard)

The Truth

Australia’s largest “megablaze” under control

Exhausted firefighters said they had finally brought Australia’s largest “megablaze” under control Monday, as wet weather promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by bushfires.

New South Wales firefighters said they finally had the upper hand in the fight against the vast Gospers Mountain fire on Sydney’s northwestern outskirts, which has been burning for almost three months.

Visiting the area on Monday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there was a “small area of burning still to complete” but the “containment prognosis looks promising”.

The fire seared an area of national park three times the size of Greater London and lit several connected blazes totalling over 800,000 hectares.

As residents and authorities continued to come to grips with the sheer scale of the devastation, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast some firegrounds areas could get up to 50 millimetres (two inches) of rain in the next week, a relief after a prolonged drought.

If that forecast bears out, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said it would be “all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed.

Dozens of other fires are yet to be controlled.

– Alice Cooper –

The climate-change-fuelled fires have prompted an international outpouring and donations from around the world to help communities and animal populations.

Australia’s unique flora and fauna has taken a catastrophic hit, with an estimated one billion animals killed, and countless trees and shrubs burned away.

The country’s environment minister Sussan Ley has warned that in some areas, koalas may have to be reclassified as endangered.

The government has earmarked an initial $50 million (US$35 million) to spend on helping with the wildlife recovery.

“This has been an ecological disaster, a disaster that is still unfolding,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announcing the emergency fund.

This weekend, Sydney will host a charity gig to benefit fire services, the Red Cross and animal welfare organisations.

Headliners include Alice Cooper, Olivia Newton-John and Queen.

– Bushfire backlash –

The political impact of the bushfires is also coming into sharper relief.

A poll released Monday showed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s approval ratings have nosedived in the face of widespread anger over his handling of the deadly crisis.

The Newspoll survey showed 59 per cent of Australian voters are dissatisfied with the conservative leader’s performance overall, and only 37 per cent were satisfied, an abrupt reversal since his shock election win last May.

Morrison has been criticised heavily for his response to the months-long crisis — which included going on holiday to Hawaii, making a series of gaffes and misleading statements about his government’s actions, and forcing angry victims to shake his hand.

Morrison began the crisis insisting local authorities had enough resources to handle the fires and exhausted volunteers firefighters “want to be there”.

He also repeatedly stated that Australia was doing more than enough to meet its emission reduction targets, prompting a series of large-scale street protests.

Seeing a backlash, Morrison has since deployed the military, launched the largest peacetime call up of reserves, pledged billions of dollars in aid, increased payments to firefighters, and suggested more work may need to be done on emissions. (Vanguard)

The Truth

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