Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus signed a surprise contract extension with the Bundesliga club until 2019 on Tuesday, ending persistent speculation about a move Spain or England at the end of the season.
Reus, who had an injury-plagued 2014 when he also missed the World Cup which Germany won, looked to be on his way out after Bayern Munich revealed he had a buyout clause in his contract, angering Dortmund.
“We never let ourselves be influenced by all the transfer rumours and we always saw a good chance that this exceptional player could consciously decide in favour of Dortmund,” CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.
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– The National’s Transfer Talk page
“Marco can mark a whole era in Dortmund, just like Uwe Seeler did it in Hamburg or Steven Gerrard did it in Liverpool. The fact that he chose to stay in Dortmund right in the middle of a crisis shows a high level of identification that makes us proud.”
Dortmund did not reveal details of the deal but it reportedly does not include a buyout clause.
Dortmund, German champions in 2011 and 2012, are struggling this season, lying in the relegation play-off spot and the news of the deal will further boost their confidence after their first win of the year on Saturday against Freiburg.
The 25-year-old Germany international Reus, who was born and raised in Dortmund, played for their youth teams for 10 years before returning in 2012 from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Considered among the fastest and most talented wingers of his generation, Reus has only just come back from an ankle injury suffered late last year.
“Dortmund is my hometown and Borussia my club,” Reus said. “I look forward to a successful future with this team and these fans backing me. There’s lots to do and I am ready to do my bit.”
He has scored 70 goals in 169 Bundesliga matches and has netted seven times in 23 Germany appearances.
Dortmund face Juventus in the Champions League round of 16 this month.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
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The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
