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Aliko Dangote regrets not buying his favourite club, Arsenal

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has expressed his regrets for not buying Arsenal when his interest lies with owning a football club.

He said he wished he had bought the English side club when the team was valued at around $2 billion.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua in New York, the billionaire business mogul explained that he missed out on buying Arsenal by committing his resources to the refinery project.

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He said, “I think that time has passed. The last time when we had this interview, I told you as soon as I finished with the refinery, I was going to try and buy Arsenal.

“But you know everything has gone up, and the club too is doing very well, Arsenal is doing extremely well right now. That time, Arsenal wasn’t doing well.

“I think I don’t have that kind of excess liquidity to go and buy a club for $4 billion, so to speak and use it as a promotional something.

“But what I will do is to continually be the biggest fan of Arsenal. I watch their games anytime they are playing. So, I will remain a major supporter of Arsenal, but I don’t think it makes sense today to buy Arsenal.’

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When asked if he regretted not buying when Arsenal’s value was lower, he said, “Actually, I regret not buying it before but you know my money was more needed in completing my project (Dangote refinery) than buying Arsenal. I would have bought the club for $2 billion, but you know I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project. So, It was either I finish my project or go and buy Arsenal.”

Dangote had, in 2020, made known his intention to go for the North London club after his refinery project.

The richest man in Africa, who has now rested his ambition to take over at Emirates Stadium, founded the Dangote Group — the largest conglomerate in West Africa — in 1981

[With report by The Punch]

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Trump Announces Pam Bondi For Attorney General after Rep Gaetz Withdrawal

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After Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida abandoned his quest for U.S. attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time in choosing another candidate for the position.

On Thursday evening, Trump announced his decision on social media.

“I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States,” he posted on Twitter. “Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families,” according to him.

“Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl overdose deaths.”

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SAD! 38 Casualties As Gunmen Ambush Shiite Convoys

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No fewer than 38 people, most of them Shiite Muslims, were killed in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday as gunmen ambushed convoys of vehicles that had been under the protection of security forces.

The attack was one of the deadliest in months of sectarian violence in the Kurram region, a scenic mountainous district bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, but Kurram’s population of 800,000 is nearly half Shiite Muslim, contributing to a cauldron of tribal tensions.

Conflicts, often rooted in disputes over land, frequently escalate into deadly sectarian clashes. The violence highlights the government’s persistent struggle to maintain control in the region.

The vehicles had been traveling in opposite directions on the main road connecting Parachinar, a Shiite-majority town in Kurram, to Peshawar, the provincial capital 135 miles away.

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The road, a vital lifeline for the district, had only recently reopened after being closed for three weeks because of an ambush on Oct. 12 that left at least 16 people dead.

During the closure, residents of Parachinar were cut off from essential supplies, including food and fuel, leading to a growing humanitarian crisis.

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One Woman, Girl Killed Every 10 Minutes Globally – UN Women

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On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, November 25, the report Femicides in

UN Women

2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides by UN Women and UNODC reveals that femicide—the most extreme form of violence against women and girls—remains pervasive in the world.

Globally, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023. 60 per cent of these homicides -51,000- were committed by an intimate partner or other family member. 140 women and girls die every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes.

In 2023, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicide, followed by the Americas and then by Oceania. In Europe and the Americas, most women killed in the domestic sphere (64 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively) were victims of intimate partners, while elsewhere, family members were the primary perpetrators.

“Violence against women and girls is not inevitable—it is preventable. We need robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, a zero-tolerance culture, and increased funding for women’s rights organizations and institutional bodies. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, it is time for world leaders to UNiTE and act with urgency, recommit, and channel the resources needed to end this crisis once and for all”, highlighted UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous.

“The new femicide report highlights the urgent need for strong criminal justice systems that hold perpetrators accountable, while ensuring adequate support for survivors, including access to safe and transparent reporting mechanisms,” said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC. “At the same time, we must confront and dismantle the gender biases, power imbalances, and harmful norms that perpetuate violence against women. As this year’s 16 Days of Activism Campaign begins, we must act now to protect women’s lives.”

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The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2025, coupled with the fast-approaching five-year deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, presents a critical opportunity to rally all stakeholders to take decisive and urgent action for women’s rights and gender equality. This includes ending impunity and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls.

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