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Joan Laporta Replace Josep Bartomeu as Barcelona President

Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta was elected as the head of the Catalan club again on Sunday, taking charge of a team in crisis and facing daunting problems that include a huge debt and the possible departure of its superstar Lionel Messi when his contract finishes at the end of the season.

 

 

“The fact that the best player in the world came to vote today, along with his son, is proof that Leo loves Barca,” Laporta said. ”Together we will convince him to stay.”

Laporta defeated businessman Víctor Font and longtime board member Toni Freixa, the other two candidates who were among the more than 110,000 members eligible to vote. The election was held just days after the club’s last elected president Josep Maria Bartomeu spent a night in jail while Catalan police investigated possible irregularities during his administration. Bartomeu has denied any wrongdoing.

Laporta won with 54% of the votes, with Font coming second with nearly 30% and Freixa on 8%. Turnout was 55,611.

 

 

The club posted a video of Laporta celebrating the victory along with his campaign team, jumping and chanting “Barca, Barca, Barca…”

The election, which was postponed from January because of the coronavirus pandemic, caps a week in which the club made worldwide headlines after a police raid at the team’s headquarters led to arrests and further embarrassment for an institution that has long prided itself as “more than a club.”

 

 

The police investigation was related to the so-called “Barcagate,” which involved allegations that the former executive board hired an internet services company to spread negative messages about its own players and opponents on social media to boost the image of senior club officials.

Laporta, who has a five-year term, was the team’s president between 2003-2010, during Messi’s breakout seasons for the senior team. The 58-year-old Laporta has said all along during his campaign that he was the best candidate to convince the playmaker to stay.

 

 

He has known Messi since not long after the Argentina great joined the Spanish club after leaving his home country with his family. Messi’s professional debut with Barcelona came as a 17-year-old in 2004, with Laporta already in charge.

Messi’s future was a key campaign issue as he can leave the club for free at the end of his contract this summer. He was upset with Bartomeu after the former president denied his request to leave at the end of last season.

 

 

At the start of his first stint as president, Laporta chose the equally inexperienced Frank Rijkaard as his first coach, and brought in Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Deco to team up with in-house talents Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández. Messi quickly moved up through Barcelona’s youth teams and joined the senior squad in 2004. The team took off and won two Spanish league titles and the club’s second European Cup in 2006.

 

 

When that team began to falter, Laporta made another bold move by replacing Rijkaard with the untested Pep Guardiola and selling Ronaldinho. Guardiola retooled the team around Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, sparking the most glorious period in the club’s history.

Laporta tried to unseat Bartomeu in a 2015 election, but Bartomeu won with the team coming off a triple sweep of the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey.

Members, including Messi and other players, voted at the team’s Camp Nou Stadium and other polling stations in northeast Catalonia and neighboring Andorra. Voting by mail also was allowed in certain circumstances.

 

 

The election was called after Bartomeu and his board resigned in October facing a possible no-confidence referendum by club members angry about the team’s trophy-less 2019-20 season – the first since 2007-08. The season ended in a humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.

The club has qualified for the Copa del Rey final and is second in the Spanish league this season. It won 2-0 at Osasuna on Saturday. Barcelona lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League.

 

 

The new president will face problems that include the possible departure of Messi at the end of the season and a debt of more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) brought on in large part by the coronavirus pandemic but also by one of the highest payrolls in soccer.

Of the three candidates, 52-year-old Freixa was the only one who has guaranteed that coach Ronald Koeman would remain in place to see out his contract through the end of next season. The 48-year-old Font, by contrast, had promised to bring back midfield great Xavi in some capacity, either as sports director or as the coach.

 

 

Font was the only outsider among the candidates who had no experience at the club’s administration. He had been calling for renewal at the club.

Freixa was a Barcelona board member from 2010-15. He rejected its portrayal as a club on the brink of collapse and had said he could win as an underdog.

Oprah’s Meghan Interview: Serena Williams Defends Her Friend

 

 

When Serena Williams battled Simona Halep in the women’s final at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019, looking on from center court was Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton seated next to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.

 

 

When not focused on the back-and-forth on the grass, the two were seen smiling and engaged in conversation. The image of the two beaming royals — one a seasoned vet and the other, still navigating her way through the family firm — made international headlines because the outing followed a spate of negative stories accusing Markle of making Duchess Kate cry during a dramatic family rift.

 

 

The match, and those images of a seemingly friendly pair, became a subject of conversation Sunday night during Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell CBS special, Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special. Markle countered the many tabloid claims by saying she ended up in tears after Duchess Kate got upset over dresses for the flower girls at Prince Harry and Markle’s 2018 nuptials.

 

 

“That’s when everything changed,” Markle said, claiming that after the bad press made its way into the world, the Palace’s communications team did nothing to protect her from what she said was a false narrative. “A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something with the flower girl dresses. It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings. In the context of everything going on, it didn’t make sense to not just be doing whatever else was doing was to be supportive.”

 

 

But what about that day at Wimbledon, Winfrey asked? She wanted to know whether Duchess Kate was embracing her or being helpful as she was finding her way in this new royal reality, especially at an event like Wimbledon when Markle was supporting a champion on the court. Though Winfrey didn’t mention Williams by name, she said “your friend” to Markle as it’s widely known that the two are close friends. Williams even attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. Markle said that while everyone welcomed her, “it’s nothing like what it looks like.”

 

 

After the two-hour special aired, Williams took to Instagram to show support for “my selfless friend” Markle. “She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” read the post. “I know firsthand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”

 

 

During her interview, Markle told Winfrey that after experiencing racism, intense tabloid scrutiny and negative headlines, and a lack of protection from the institution’s publicity arm, she was plagued by thoughts of suicide. At her breaking point, Markle told Prince Harry she was having thoughts of self-harm and she hoped to check into a facility but was told that was not possible by Palace officials.

 

 

“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect,” Williams said of Markle, now expecting a baby girl to join the couple’s son Archie. “Keep in your memory the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”

 

 

Williams was not the only celebrity to speak out following the interview which was trending on Twitter and will deliver much discourse in the days to come as it airs in England Monday night. Winfrey is also appearing Monday morning opposite longtime friend Gayle King on CBS This Morning to show new clips that didn’t make Sunday’s final cut.

 

 

Amanda Gorman, the inauguration poet who became an overnight sensation, also shared words with her 1.5 million followers on Twitter. “Meghan was living the life Diana should have, if only those around her had been as brave as she was,” Gorman said, in reference to Prince Harry’s late mother. “Meghan isn’t living a life without pain, but a life without prison. This isn’t Meghan’s princess ‘happy’ ending. But sometimes change, the decisions that bring us the most hurt, aren’t about happiness but healing.”

Jeff Bezos’ Ex-Wife MacKenzie Scott Remarries Teacher

MacKenzie Scott, one of the richest women in the world, is off the market. The very private billionaire, who divorced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage, has quietly wed Seattle teacher Dan Jewett, according to a blog post from the groom.

It’s unclear when the newlyweds tied the knot; Scott could not be reached for comment. The news trickled out Saturday after Jewett posted on Scott’s Giving Pledge page, and was first reported in the Wall Street Journal.

“I have been a teacher for the majority of my life, as well as a grateful student of the generosity of those around me,” he wrote. “This has meant doing my best to follow their example by passing on resources of all kinds — from time, to energy, to material possessions — when I have had them to give. And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others.”

Scott, 50, received $36 billion when her divorce was finalized two years ago. The fortune has grown to an estimated $53 billion, most of which the novelist and philanthropist has pledged to give away. Scott’s personal wealth has grown significantly during the pandemic, along with Amazon’s share price. “This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” she wrote in a Medium post in December. “Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”

She apparently met Jewett through Seattle’s Lakeside School, where her children attend classes and Jewett taught high school science. The elite private school for grades 5-12 boasts Bill Gates as an alumni.

Scott shared the happy news on her author bio on Amazon’s website: “She lives in Seattle with her four children and her husband, Dan.”

In a gracious note, Bezos (who also owns The Washington Post) seems genuinely thrilled for his ex-wife: “Dan is such a great guy, and I’m happy and excited for the both of them,” he said in a statement.

It also appears that Jewett’s days in the classroom are over. In his posting, Jewett said he and Scott “are united in that understanding and in our excitement for all we have to learn from so many people working in service of others. With that as a foundation, I join with the kindest and most thoughtful person I know in making this pledge, grateful for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared.”

Nigerian-Dutch Centre Partners FMARD, CBN to Host Dairy Devt. Webinar

The Centre for Nigerian Dutch Dairy Development (CNDDD) has announced that it will host a webinar in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on topics that will enable a sustainable national dairy sector and value chain in Nigeria.

 

The CNDDD webinar titled “Harnessing the Great Unpolished Diamond of Africa” slated for Wednesday March 10 at 10.00am will have pressmen in virtual attendance. Speakers at the webinar would include the Chief Operating Officer of URUS, Mr. Keith Heikes, Head of Animal Science, Nasarawa State University, Prof. Mohammed Maikano Ari and Corporate Director, Dairy Development, Royal FrieslandCampina, Mr. Jeroen Elfers.

 

The webinar would highlight the key building blocks required for a sustainable dairy sector in Nigeria and provide insights into best practices around cattle breeding and the importance of good animal nutrition. Please click to join: https://tinyurl.com/CNDDDWebinar

 

The Center for Nigerian Dutch Dairy Development is Nigeria’s first national expertise Centre for Dairy Development and it is committed to unlocking and developing dairy expertise for all stakeholders in the Nigerian dairy sector. The Centre seeks to drive a homegrown model for the entire dairy value chain in Nigeria as it partners with stakeholders including the government, universities and dairy value chain professionals.

FIRSTBANK PROMOTES DIASPORA REMITANCES, REWARDS CUSTOMERS WITH EXTRA N5 FOR EVERY DOLLAR RECEIVED

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s leading financial inclusion services provider is rewarding customers with N5 for every dollar received through foreign remittances. This N5 for a dollar incentive is paid to FirstBank’s customers regardless of their preference to collect the USD as cash across the counter in any of the Bank’s over 750 branches nationwide or as transfer into the customers domiciliary accounts.

 

 

The reward to customers is in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ‘Naira 4 Dollar scheme’, driven to promote diaspora remittances into the country. For example, a customer that receives 10,000 USD, gets N50,000.00 as reward. The scheme runs from Monday, 8 March – Saturday, 8 May 2021.

 

Speaking on the initiative, FirstBank’s CEO, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan said “at FirstBank, we are pleased to participate in the CBN’s ‘Naira 4 Dollar scheme’ as it will contribute to deepening financial inclusion in Nigeria. Indeed, it’s an activity we are pleased to lead, whilst promoting access to funds across the nooks and crannies of the country in almost 127 years of our existence.

 

We are delighted to be a gateway to promoting dollar remittances into the country and we encourage our customers, their loved ones and friends to use our international money transfer services which would enable them to enjoy the rewards of this promo, sustaining the increase in inflows of diaspora remittances into Nigeria consequently help in poverty reduction, income redistribution and enhancement of economic growth” he concluded.

 

FirstBank pioneered international funds transfer and remittances over 25 years ago and has been at the forefront of promoting cross border payments in the country, having started the journey with Western Union Money Transfer. The Bank’s wealth of experience and operation in over 750 locations nationwide gives it the edge in the market.

 

Only recently, the Bank launched the First Global Transfer (FGT) product to promote international transfer of funds across its subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Bank’s subsidiaries in Africa include FBNBank DRC, FBNBank Ghana, FBNBank Gambia, FBNBank Guinea, FBNBank Sierra-Leone, FBNBank Senegal.

#GiveHerBetaHealth: GTBank Champions Access to Health Insurance for Women on International Women’s Day.

As the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD21) calls on people and organisations to #choosetochallenge for a better world for women, Guaranty Trust Bank plc (GTBank) has launched an initiative, tagged #GiveHerBetaHealth, to draw attention to the need for universal essential healthcare coverage, especially for women in the informal sector. Through the initiative, the leading African financial institution is providing 1000 self-employed women with BetaHealth for a year, at no cost.

 

 

Launched in 2020, BetaHealth is a low-cost healthcare package that provides coverage for essential health services such as malaria treatments, pre and postnatal care, accidents and medical emergencies as well as life insurance, all at a subscription fee of N500 per month. Offered through more than 1000 hospitals and pharmacies nationwide, BetaHealth also provides a telemedicine service that allows the user to speak with a Doctor over the phone anytime, anywhere.

 

With the #GiveHerBetaHealth campaign, the Bank is calling on the general public to nominate 1000 women who will be given free BetaHealth coverage for a year. To nominate a woman, visit

giveherbetahealth.gtbank.com.

 

 

#GiveHerBetaHealth is the latest in a long line of GTBank initiatives that reflects the Bank’s commitment to extending access to critical services for everyone, irrespective of their social or economic background. The campaign focuses on empowering self-employed women in the informal sector, many of who have limited or no access to financial services and health insurance. With this campaign, the Bank is putting a spotlight on the need for universal access to essential healthcare services that is affordable for every working Nigerian, and accessible across the country.

 

BetaHealth is available for everyone. To buy BetaHealth for yourself or someone else, simply dial *737*52*500*50# from your mobile phone.

Ecobank To Pay Customers N5 For Every Dollar Received

Ecobank is implementing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s scheme which offers N5 for every Dollar received into domiciliary accounts or as cash over the counter.  Korede Demola-Adeniyi; Head, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, who announced this in Lagos stated that the decision is in line with the CBN’s directive and fully aligns with efforts to encourage the inflow of diaspora remittances into the country. She noted that the “CBN Naira 4 Dollar scheme” is an unprecedented incentive for senders and recipients of international money transfers.

 

 

Korede Demola-Adeniyi said that the scheme takes effect from 8th March and will run till 8th May, 2021. “Ecobank will pay N5 on every Dollar so beneficiaries will not only get the foreign currency sent from their family and friends abroad, they will also get extra Naira”, she stated.

 

Only recently, Ecobank had a first of its kind virtual Diaspora Summit to discuss opportunities for Nigerians living abroad and the various platforms available to assist them with their investment decisions and remittance needs. The event had major players in the remittance space, diaspora audience, government officials and notable stakeholders in attendance.

 

 

Further, the Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan has disclosed that apart from consistent engagement with Nigerians in the diaspora, Ecobank is leveraging its digital technology to make remittances to Nigeria and Africa easy, convenient and affordable.

 

Mr. Akinwuntan stated that growing evidence has shown a positive relationship between diaspora remittances and economic growth. “Ecobank will continue to pursue its mandate of helping to enhance the economic development and integration of Africa, through the 33 countries where the bank operates on the continent. Ecobank’s Rapidtransfer and mobile app (Ecobank Mobile) enable Africans, wherever they are, to easily and instantly send money to bank accounts, mobile wallets and agent locations across 33 African countries”, he stated.

 

 

Ecobank Nigeria, a member of the Pan African Banking Group is committed to supporting Africans in the diaspora by providing advisory services, remittance solutions, investment options and financial planning schemes. The bank also offers mortgages, treasury bills, capital market instruments, among others.

Nigerian Kickboxer Israel Adesanya Loose bid to 2-division Champion in Unanimous Decision

Israel Adesanya’s meteoric rise to UFC superstardom hit a rather large obstacle Saturday night. Jan Blachowicz beat the previously undefeated Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45) to retain his light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 259.

Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, was attempting to become just the fifth fighter in UFC history to hold two titles concurrently.

 

 

The story of the fight leading in was that Blachowicz would have a significant size advantage. Adesanya weighed 200.5 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in, 4.5 pounds under the 205-pound limit for a light heavyweight title fight. Blachowicz weighed 205 pounds and said he planned on competing Saturday at 220 pounds. Adesanya, who typically competes in the 185-pound division, likely didn’t gain much weight from weigh-ins, meaning Blachowicz would be about 20 pounds heavier in the Octagon.

 

 

That size paid dividends for Blachowicz. The Polish fighter took over the fight late with big takedowns in the fourth and fifth rounds. Adesanya seemed to be building some momentum in the fourth when Blachowicz exploded in for a double-leg takedown. Both times, Adesanya could not get up. While Blachowicz didn’t do a ton of damage on the mat, he held Adesanya there very effectively and sprinkled in some punches.

As the clock was expiring to end the fight, Blachowicz finally landed some hard hammerfists and advanced into full mount. The final flurry all but sealed the bout.

 

 

Coming in, ESPN had Adesanya ranked the No. 4 pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. Adesanya is ranked No. 1 at middleweight, while Blachowicz is ranked No. 2 at light heavyweight, behind only all-time great Jon Jones, who is currently moving up to heavyweight.

UFC 259 took place with COVID-19 protocols in place inside the UFC Apex, a facility across the street from the promotion’s corporate campus.

 

 

Blachowicz (28-8) has won five in a row. The Poland native won the vacant UFC light heavyweight title by beating Dominick Reyes by second-round TKO at UFC 253 last September. Blachowicz, 38, has won nine of 10 fights overall and has had a pretty incredible late-career surge. He has been a pro since 2007 and was the light heavyweight champion of his home country’s KSW promotion in 2011.

 

 

Adesanya (20-1), a former champion kickboxer, won his first nine fights in the UFC before Saturday. The Nigeria-born New Zealand resident is coming off a second-round TKO over Paulo Costa at UFC 253, in the headlining fight of the card in which Blachowicz won the light heavyweight title. The flashy Adesanya, 31, has 15 knockouts in 20 career wins and has been UFC middleweight champion since October 2019.

Blachowicz cashed as a plus-210 underdog and him winning by decision was plus-700, per Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.

Is Dubai’s Princess Latifa still Alive? – UN ask UAE

The UN says it has not received any evidence from the United Arab Emirates that Dubai’s Princess Latifa is still alive, a fortnight after seeking proof. The United Nations Human Rights Office asked for evidence that the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum was still alive after a video shot by the princess was broadcast by the BBC.

“We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at the time.

“We have asked for a proof of life – we have asked for further information.”

 

 

In the video, Princess Latifa, now 35-years-old, said she was being held captive in a “villa jail” in Dubai and that she feared for her life.

A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville said: ”We’ve held discussions with representatives of the UAE government here in Geneva, but I don’t have any particular progress to report.”

He said that proof of life of the princess had “not yet” been received.

 

 

In February, a statement sent by the United Arab Emirates embassy in London from Princess Latifa’s family insisted she was “being cared for at home.”

Also in February, a handwritten letter from 2019, which was only given to police by the princesses friends last month, was revealed.

In the letter, Princess Latifa urged British police to reinvestigate the disappearance of her sister, Shamsa, who was was kidnapped on the orders of their father after fleeing the family’s estate in Surrey over two decades ago.

 

 

The letter, which was received by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: “All I ask of you is to please give attention on her case because it could get her freedom … your help and attention on her case could free her. She has strong links to England … she really loves England, all of her fondest memories are of her time there.”

It is understood Shamsa fled the family’s Longcross Estate in Surrey. Shamsa was forcibly taken, flown by helicopter to France and by private jet back to Dubai.

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