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Zim’s Attorney-General responds to British Court’s £125m ruling on Border Timbers

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Attorney-General Mrs Virginia Mabiza

HARARE – Zimbabwe is not trying to evade payment of US$125 million granted in a unilateral arbitration to Border Timbers, but has put in a challenge over the registration of that award at the Commercial Court of England and Wales and has been granted leave to appeal, so the case is still open, Attorney-General Mrs Virginia Mabiza has said.

Dismissing allegations by an online media outlet that Zimbabwe had made an unsuccessful attempt to evade payment of US$125 million to Border Timbers Ltd, she described the report in an interview as “misrepresentation of the facts”.

“From what I read it seems to suggest we were being evasive and we were trying to avoid payment and responsibility and that is not accurate.

“However, this application in London was simply meant to challenge the registration of an award in the commercial court of England and Wales,” she said.

Zimbabwe’s case was that Border Timbers Ltd had not fully disclosed that they were still on Zimbabwean land and had not given notice that they were applying for registration.

“This is what Border Timbers had done without notice to us so it was this registration that we sought to have set aside and more so on the basis that this company had not fully disclosed that they were still on our land.”

She said Zimbabwe was still considering whether to appeal the award, as it been granted the right to launch an appeal.

“They did not make that disclosure to indicate they were on our land and the court was not privy to that fact. So we sought to have it set aside, but unfortunately while they agreed with us that they had not made a full disclosure, the court also made a finding that while this was not done it was however not deliberate.

“Having said that the court still went on to grant us leave to appeal, something which we are still considering because we were still within time to appeal with that so there is no victory to record. Saying so is a misrepresentation of the facts,” she said.

An online media outlet had been falsely alleging that Zimbabwe was evading payment, and that the “High Court in London has rejected the Zimbabwean Government’s attempt to evade paying a US$125 million arbitral award for grabbing land belonging to Border Timbers Ltd and Hangani Development Ltd.”

The two companies were awarded US$124 million plus interest and a further US$1 million in moral damages and costs in 2015 arbitration award by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The false report said that with the registration of that award with the British courts, Zimbabwe would have to pay.

Attorney-General Mabiza pointed out that there were still legal options open to Zimbabwe, based on the fact that Border Timbers had not given all the facts in the previous hearings and that leave to appeal had been granted.

Source: The Herald

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Meet World’s Richest Family Who live In $478m House, Own 700 Cars

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Meet World’s Richest Family Who live In $478m House, Own 700 Cars

According to The Jerusalem Post, the Nahyan royal family of the United Arab Emirates is a dominant corporate and political force in the Gulf area, as well as one of the world’s wealthiest families.

Their net worth is greater than the combined wealth of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the head of the Nahyan family, is the UAE’s President and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

He has 18 brothers, 11 sisters, nine children, and eighteen grandchildren. All of the family members reside together in the “Qasr Al-Watan,” a massive edifice spanning 380,000 square meters and valued at $478 million.

The family’s real estate holdings comprises opulent houses and developments both in the UAE and abroad.

They own eight aircraft, including one Airbus A320-200 and three Boeing 787-9s. Sheikh Mohammed’s personal collection includes a $478 million Boeing 747 and a $176 million Boeing 787.

In addition, they have three of the world’s largest yachts.

Their car collection is nothing short of astounding. According to reports, their vehicles are split out over four museums in the UAE and Morocco. The family owns more than 700 cars, including Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

The family owns 81% of the City Football Group, which includes football clubs like Manchester City, Mumbai City, Melbourne City, and New York City.

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Want to work at Meta? Average salary package in Mark Zuckerberg’s company is…

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Want to work at Meta. Average salary package in Mark Zuckerberg's company is

Big companies often get highlighted for the huge compensations that they offer and the perks one gets while working for them. Meta’s average package is a whopping $379,000, according to a recent SEC filing. The company, which employs around 67,000 people, said that its median employee made over $379,000 in the year 2023.

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the US Capitol, in Washington, US. (Reuters)

The average pay for a tech position falls between $35,000 to $120,000 depending on the role, but Meta’s pay is significantly higher than that. However, giants like Google and Amazon offer packages that go well above $300,000 for similar positions.

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Also, higher-level software engineers and researchers in Meta make more in base pay than product designers and user experience professionals in the company.

What Mark Zuckerberg said on working at Meta?

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year that working at Meta is not easy even if it offers such lucrative packages. He said that the year 2024 will be the “year of efficiency” in the company as he expects employees to maximize output and productivity.

How much does Mark Zuckerberg earn?

In the year 2023, Mark Zuckerberg noted a total compensation of $24.4 million in ‘other compensation,’ and a base salary of $1. According to Fortune, this covered his costs related to his private jet. His wealth has increased by over $47 billion this year alone, despite receiving a nominal salary of $1 since 2013.

As per reports, the company’s net profit in the January to March period rose to $12.4 billion with total revenue up by 27 percent, at $36.5 billion.

The company wrote in a filing, “We believe that Mr. Zuckerberg’s role puts him in a unique position: he is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg. Mr. Zuckerberg is one of the most-recognized executives in the world, in large part as a result of the size of our user base and our continued exposure to global media, legislative, and regulatory attention.”

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Egypt’s Richest Man, Nassef Sawiris’ Wealth Surges by $410M in Just over a Week.

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Nassef Sawiris, chief executive officer of Orascom Construction, speaks during a television interview at Bloomberg headquarters in New York, New York, on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. Photographer: Stephen Yang/Bloomberg News

Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, the richest individual in his home nation and one of Africa’s most powerful businessmen, has seen his fortune increase by $410 million in just nine days. This strengthens his position atop the continent’s wealth pyramid and moves him up the worldwide rich list.

Sawiris’ net worth increased from $8.27 billion on April 16 to $8.68 billion as reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which analyzes the fortunes of the world’s 500 wealthiest individuals. This works out to an amazing average daily gain of $45.56 million.

The wealth increase reverses prior losses and brings Sawiris’ year-to-date gains to $271 million. This is primarily due to the performance of his investments in the Dutch fertilizer firm OCI N.V. and the German apparel brand Adidas. Sawiris owns 38.8 percent of OCI and 6% of adidas.

Adidas’ share price has risen 11.51 percent since April 16, from €202.50 ($217.03) to €225.80 ($242). This spike pushed the company’s market capitalization beyond $40 billion, increasing Sawiris’ ownership by an estimated $266.63 million. His stake in OCI has also increased by $35 million, reaching $2.17 billion from $2.13 billion. Sawiris’ surprising leap propels him nine ranks up the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, from 300th to 291st.

Adidas’ recent increases have boosted market confidence in its 2023 success. Despite ending its partnership with Kanye West’s Yeezy brand in October 2022, Adidas topped expectations with a €268-million ($292 million) operating profit, exceeding projections by roughly €1 billion ($1.08 billion).

Adidas is looking for fresh collaborations following the Yeezy split. CEO Bjorn Gulden hinted about possible collaborations with pop culture luminaries, including Taylor Swift as a candidate.

Furthermore, a significant coup for the corporation is Liverpool Football Club’s forthcoming transfer from Nike to Adidas uniforms beginning in the 2025-2026 season, securing a lucrative five-year contract gained after Adidas outbid Nike and Puma.

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