Atletico Madrid’s Borja Baston has signed with Swansea City. www.o-posts.com
Atletico Madrid’s Borja Baston has signed with Swansea City. www.o-posts.com

Transfer talk: Swansea break the bank on club-record fee for Atletico Madrid’s Borja Baston



• See more: The National's Transfer Talk page

Swansea have agreed a club-record fee with Atletico Madrid to sign striker Borja Baston.

The 23 year old is believed to be due in south Wales for his medical this week as the Premier League club act fast to replace Andre Ayew, who moved to West Ham on Monday.

Baston came through the ranks at the Vicente Calderon but has blossomed out on loan in recent seasons - notably last term, when he scored 18 LaLiga goals for Eibar.

A former Spain Under-19 international, Borja began his time at Atletico as a goalkeeper but was eventually turned into a striker.

He suffered a serious knee injury on his one and only league outing for Atletico and on his recovery he began to find himself moving away on loan.

Spells at lower-league sides Murcia and Huesca were followed by successful loan moves to Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza before his year-long stint at Eibar.

His goalscoring exploits helped the side finished 14th, having flirted with relegation straight back to the Segunda Division the previous season.

Now he looks set to become Swansea’s new record signing, eclipsing the fee the club shelled out for fellow striker Wilfried Bony in 2013.

West Ham United sign Andre Ayew away from Swansea

Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew has joined West Ham United on a club record three-years deal from their Premier League rivals Swansea, the London outfit said on Monday.

The former Marseille winger and son of one-time African player of the year Adebi Pele, joined the Hammers for a fee of £20.5million (24 million euros).

“I am very proud and happy to be at this magnificent Club,” the 26-year-old told West Ham’s website.

“The Club have a lot of ambition and have a great manager. They want to become a bigger Club every year and with the new Stadium and a new training ground, you can feel they are moving onto another level and I want to be part of this project,” he said.

Ayew scored 60 times in over 200 appearances at French outfit Marseille before joining Swansea last season.

Playing a key role in their 2014 World Cup campaign, Ayew has extensive international experience with Ghana.

Dutchman Frank de Boer replaces Roberto Mancini at Inter

Frank de Boer has been officially confirmed as Inter Milan’s new head coach following Roberto Mancini’s departure on Monday.

The 46-year-old Dutchman, who will be unveiled by the Serie A club at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, was approached to become the next Inter boss after Mancini left by mutual consent due to a breakdown in his relationship with the board.

De Boer’s appointment as his successor has now been rubber-stamped, with a statement on Inter’s official website revealing he has signed a three-year contract to guide the Nerazzurri under ambitious new owners Suning Holdings.

In a brief video posted on the club’s Twitter feed on Monday evening the former Holland defender, who left his role as Ajax manager in May, said: “Hello Inter fans, I’m very happy to be here and I hope to see you soon.”

He earlier told reporters waiting for him in the airport: “I hope I can achieve a lot of success here. I’ll see you tomorrow at the press conference!”

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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
UAE%20set%20for%20Scotland%20series
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)

Man of the match Harry Kane

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months

Sting & Shaggy

44/876

(Interscope)

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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
COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The Byblos iftar in numbers

29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month

50 staff members required to prepare an iftar

200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly

160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total

500 litres of soup is served during the holy month

200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes

350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes

5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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