The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Germany

  • Aubameyang ready to sell Lamborghini for £250,000

    Aubameyang ready to sell Lamborghini for £250,000

     

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has placed his custom-made Lamborghini Aventador up for sale in Germany for £250,000.

    The Borussia Dortmund star has put the supercar, which comes complete with a metallic paint finish and a personalised logo on the bonnet, on the market.

    Aubameyang posed atop the silvery Lamborghini back in September in a photo posted to the striker’s Instagram account.

    The 28-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Dortmund secured their first win since September on Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory away at Mainz.

    Aubameyang’s season at Signal Iduna Park has been marred by acts of indiscipline and questions over the striker’s attitude.

    After netting 15 times in his first 12 games in all competitions, the goals dried up for Aubameyang amid Dortmund’s winless run.

    He was omitted from Dortmund’s squad to face Stuttgart last month after making an unauthorised trip to Barcelona to visit his former team-mate Ousmane Dembele.

    Aubameyang then infuriated Dortmund supporters after his sending off in the Revierderby against Schalke.

    He was shown a red card with Dortmund 4-2 up having taken a four-goal lead. Dortmund then capitulated and the match ended in a 4-4 draw.

    Everton have been linked with a move for Aubameyang in January transfer window with the Goodison Park hierarchy reportedly set to sanction a £60million bid.

    Dortmund have made a below-par season and sit fourth in the Bundesliga table, having exited the Champions League at the group stage.

    Former manager Peter Bosz was dismissed from his post last week to be replaced at the helm by former Cologne boss Peter Stoger.

  • Germany players to pocket €350,000 each

    Germany players to pocket €350,000 each

     

    Germany’s players each net a bonus of €350,000 if they retain the World Cup in Russia next year.

    Joachim Low led Die Mannschaft to their fourth world title in Brazil in 2014, as Mario Gotze’s extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final.

    Bolstered by a new generation of fine talent, Germany and Low will look to become the first country to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962.

    If they fall at the final hurdle, a €200,000 runners-up windfall will be a crumb of comfort, while third-place would net €150,000.

    The German Football Association’s (DFB) bonus structure also accounts for €125,000 in the event of a semi-final berth and €75,000 for the quarters, following talks with a players’ delegation led by Bayern Munich and national team goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

    DFB president Reinhard Grindel said: “It’s a big motivation for our players to become back-to-back World Cup winners for the first time in the history of German football.

    “This would be an eternal title and is worthy of a special bonus. But we can sense that the challenge from a sporting point of view is the focal point for the team and not financial interest.”

    Germany will open their Group F campaign against Mexico in Moscow before taking on Sweden and South Korea in the round-robin phase.

  • Argentina must improve to succeed in Russia – Messi

    Argentina must improve to succeed in Russia – Messi

    Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes they need to improve if they are to stand a chance of winning next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Argentina, who reached the final in 2014, struggled during qualification for Russia, going through three coaches before securing their place at the tournament.

    And it was all thanks to a Messi hat-trick in a 3-1 win away to Ecuador in the final qualifier.

    Messi’s side will kick off their World Cup campaign against Iceland on June 16, before facing Croatia and Nigeria in their other group stage fixtures.

    Next year’s tournament may be the last chance for the 30-year-old Messi to win a major trophy with Argentina and the FC Barcelona forward is already concerned.

    He says they need to make changes in order to overcome more fancied countries.

    “We had a difficult time (in qualifying), but we had our moments,” Messi said.

    “But it’s true that we need to improve if we want to be world champions. Right now we’re not far off, but there are better sides than us, such as Brazil, Germany, France and Spain.”

    As well as losing to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, Argentina were also defeated by Chile in successive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.

    Messi, however, believes they should have celebrated at least two victories.

    “I never went back over the finals (we lost). We deserved to win them, in spite of not playing that well. We still had the best chances, both in the World Cup and Copa America,” he said.

    “I’d have to watch them again to see what we didn’t get right in order not to win them. But right here I believe we should have won at least two of them.”

    Messi and his team mates have had a tumultuous relationship with the Argentine media, boycotting them 12 months ago due to what the national team perceived as unfair treatment.

    He said that media criticism has created a culture of fear within the squad.

    “Criticism went above and beyond what is normal and became personal,” he said.

    “The bitterness we feel is because we know what’s coming if things don’t go well for us. People want results and if they don’t get them, they want to see fresh blood. We don’t feel that way.”

    NAN

  • Germany, Canada to collaborate with NLC on job creation initiatives

    Germany, Canada to collaborate with NLC on job creation initiatives

    The German and Canadian governments have pledged to collaborate with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on vocational training and skills acquisition.

    The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Christopher Thornley, who stated this in Abuja, when he hosted the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, commended the congress for adopting focusing on vocational training for the youth.

    He said the trade union movement in Canada has been involved in HIV/AIDS campaign, stressing that it is common knowledge that unemployment has become like an epidemic in the country.

    He described the NLC as an important partner in the development of the country, adding that labour economy is a very important source of information for any society.

    Receiving the NLC delegation, the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Berhard Schlagheck, reiterated the German government readiness to collaborate with the NLC to ensure the development of the country and the trade union movement.

    The NLC helmsman said collaboration with Germany and Canada was necessary to curb the high level of migration through the Mediterranean by Nigerian youths seeking better sources of living.

    At the Canadian High Commission, Wabba said the congress was committed to working with development partners to explore areas of possible assistance within the context of the current economic challenges, especially in the area of unemployment and vocational training.

    Wabba noted that the congress would continue its advocacy in development, pointing out that the congress was playing a leading role on the African Continent in development.

    He said the power sector, which is critical to development, has remained a major challenge and sought Canada’s assistance to overcome the  challenges, saying since  Canada had similar challenges, the congress would want to know how it overcame i.hem

    He also canvassed the assistance of the Canadian government in advancing social justice, stressing that in a society where there is lack of social justice, inequality will prevail.

    At the German Embassy, Wabba said the congress was ready to learn from Germany how it overcame the problem of unemployment.

    He said  the congress has been working with German agencies such as the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in developing the capacity of trade union movement in Nigeria.

  • Football enthusiasts express confidence in Super Eagles ahead of World Cup draw

    Football enthusiasts express confidence in Super Eagles ahead of World Cup draw

    Some football enthusiasts, on Wednesday expressed confidence ahead of the World Cup draw, that the Super Eagles would be capable to face any team drawn with it in the same group on Friday.

    The fans and pundits expressed optimism while speaking  in Abuja, that Nigeria would also get a favourable draw.

    Tunde Popoola, the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee ( NOC ),  said that the present crop of players in the Super Eagles were good enough to take on any team in the world.

    “I’m not one to really think about trying to avoid teams. I believe if you want to win a big tournament such as the World Cup, you’re going to have to play the best teams sooner or later.

    “Having said that, I am confident that the Super Eagles will be prepared to take on any country or group they are drawn into when the World Cup proper begins.

    “I have no doubt in my mind in the ability of the crop of young talents we have in the squad right now to cause an upset and go ahead to shock the world in Russia,” he said.

    Godwin Bamigboye, Chairman, Nigeria Football Coaches Association, FCT Chapter, advised the team to focus more on their abilities, rather than on the strength of the teams they would be drawn against.

    “The draw is essential and a key moment for any country, the team and the coaching crew as it will lay out our path to the World Cup finals.

    “It is one of those moments in which the whole world of football holds its breath.

    “However, my advice to the team and the coaching crew is not to focus on the strength or weakness of their opponents but rather on their own strength and abilities.

    “We can only hope for the best draw possible, but even if we are drawn against the ‘almighty Brazil’, so be it.

    “The truth is, names don’t play football these days, but people do. It’s all about the team spirit and in a World Cup as little things can decide matches.

    “What we need in a tournament such as this is to be mentally strong and physically robust.

    “I believe we are more than capable to beat any team in the world with a very good preparation and hard work,” he said.

    Jonathan Akpoborie, an ex-international said: “Let’s forget about the permutations. We’re positive, but we must also not get too ahead of ourselves.

    “We know we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’ve got to play more quality friendly games between now and the finals to fine tune the team.

    “Having said that, it will be a great feeling to know who the Super Eagles will be facing at the group stage of the World Cup and I really can’t wait to know our opponents.

    “For now, it’s just about focusing on the games ahead and looking forward to the finals,” he said.

    Excitement will be high when coaches of the 32 qualified nations gather at the State Kremlin Palace in Russia for the Dec. 1 draw.

    The gala event will be televised live around the world.

    Teams have been seeded in four pots based on the October edition of the world rankings issued by ruling body FIFA.

    Russia, being the tournament host, was exempted from the seeding, but was placed in pot 1 and atop group A.

    No more than two European teams can be in one group, and teams from other regions cannot be pitted against sides from the same confederations.

    The teams’ fates are now down to the luck or ill fortune of the draw, with the seeding throwing up some intriguing permutations.

    World champions Germany will avoid South American giants Brazil and Argentina, and highly-fancied France.

    Germany could come up against 2010 champions Spain (pot 2) or strong African and Asian teams such as Senegal (3) or South Korea (4) .

    Another difficult constellation for Joachim Loew’s squad could be a South American opponent such as Uruguay or Colombia from pot 2, along with on-form neighbours Denmark (3) and much-improved African qualifiers Nigeria (4).

    An easier draw on paper would be a group with Peru, Iran and Panama.

    Russia will be hoping to avoid the fate of 2010 hosts South Africa, who failed to reach the knock-out stage, as they bank on home support to help them outperform their 65th ranking.

    From the top pot, Poland may be the most favoured opponents for the lower-seeded sides despite a strong qualifying phase, with Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski, scoring 16 goals to lead the scoring charts.

    Also, Germany bidding to become the first country to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, will be a team most outside pot 1 will be looking to avoid.

    Of some of the other big names, England, under Gareth Southgate, will be hoping to get out of the group stage, after exiting early in 2014.

    Brazil will also be a team to avoid and so will third-seeded Iceland, who dumped the Three Lions out of Euro 2016.

    The 2018 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off on June 14 and lat till July 15

    NAN

  • EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    To push for gender equality, the European Union ( EU ) proposed 40 per cent quota of female board members, The Guardian newspaper reported.

    Male members account for more than 60 per cent on company boards, a proposal brought up by the European commission.

    Under the proposal, the EU is required to give priority to female candidates over the same qualifications for a post when women constitute less than 40 per cent of the boards.

    Several European countries such as Germany, Hungary and Sweden have opposed previous attempts to reach the goal in consideration of preserving domestic affairs and ideology.

    Women empowerment at high ranks of companies is in slow progress in Europe.

    Women made up 29 per cent of British boards in 2016, down from 32.1 per cent in 2014 and 31.6 per cent in 2012, according to research by global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder.

    Statistics also show that the proportion of women on boards across the EU has more than doubled from 2005 to 2015.

    However, in terms of board chairs and chief executives, women take up less than 10 per cent in the largest listed companies.

    NAN

    Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

  • Germany’s €32.9m renewable energy projects fund coming

    The German Development Bank, and the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI ) has announced a new instrument to support renewable energy projects that targets small- and mid-scale (up to 50 Mw) green power renewable energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The facility  according to reports, is designed to provide a viable solution to one of the biggest challenges facing independent power producers (IPPs) operating in Africa, specifically the requirement to provide project lenders with a liquidity guarantee.

    The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW will provide funding of up to 32.9 million Euro to the facility, which aims to enable small-and mid-scale renewable energy projects in Africa to reach financial close by addressing liquidity requirements that lenders frequently require in order to fund such projects.

    The report further stated that the launch of the new facility is happening at an opportune moment when emerging markets are seeing record investments in the renewable energy sector.  It stated that the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects sub-Saharan Africa’s renewables capacity to grow by 73 per cent (24.4GW) over the period 2017-22.

  • Germany, Nigeria trade volume shrinks to 3.5bn Euros  

    Germany, Nigeria trade volume shrinks to 3.5bn Euros  

    The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Bernhard Schlagheck, disclosed in Abuja on Monday that the volume of trade between Nigeria and Germany shrank to 3.5 billion Euros in 2016.

    Schlagheck in an interview said that the trade volume dropped by about 2.5 billion Euros from six billion Euros recorded in 2015.

    The envoy blamed the fall on the economic downturn in Nigeria, expressing his determination to work toward increasing the volume of trade between the two countries.

    He said that as part of efforts to deepen bilateral economic relations, the German Government was supporting market exploration missions by business delegations to Nigeria.

    Schlagheck said that Germany had committed millions of Euros to vocational training in Nigeria and was prepared to keep promoting the programmes.

    “The German Government has a whole range of activities in various states in this country and we have invested 50 million Euros in vocational training in Nigeria in a year.

    “We are doing a lot of other training in Nigeria. In various states, we have projects of German enterprises with some private partners.

    “So, we have whole lots of training to enhance capacity building in Nigeria.”

    Schlagheck said that a training session on technical facility management through Germany Dual Vocational Training (DVT) in partnership with the Abuja Chamber of Commerce had just been concluded in Abuja.

    According to him, DVT system is the commonest form of vocational training in Germany.

    The envoy explained that “dual” in this context meant a combination of practical, on-the-job training and theoretical education at a vocational school to ensure proper balance of theory and practice.

    The President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Tony Ejinkeonye, also said that the training would impact on the fortunes of member companies as well as on the Nigerian economy.

    He said that the project started in March 2015, was initiated by the chamber and Giessen-Friedberg with a view to adding quality to vocational education in Nigeria.

    “The apprenticeship scheme is used widely in Germany and it has over the years contributed to the success story being recorded in that country’s manufacturing sector.’’

    NAN

  • 600 investors to attend Nigeria’s Mining Week

    600 investors to attend Nigeria’s Mining Week

    Mrs Elodie Delagneau , Event Manager, IPAD Nigeria Mining and Quarrying Forum, says no fewer than 600 mining investors are expected to attend the second Nigeria Mining Week beginning from Tuesday in Abuja.

    Delagneau disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    The Mining Week is being organised by the Miners Association of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and IPAD Nigeria.

    The event, which commenced on Monday as a pre-conference, will end on Oct. 18.

    The high level conference and expo would also provide the industry with access to the latest mining technologies and services.

    A new feature event, called the Dragons’ Den, would give small scale miners and junior mining licence holders the opportunity to pitch their prospective investors at today’s event.

    She said that 20 countries from Europe, including South Africa, Ghana and Germany have registered to attend this year’s event.

    She explained that more than 120 investors had arrived and were attending the pre-conference, adding that it was a good omen that the event would was more promising, compared to the first edition.

    “The event is for Nigerian mining professionals such as mining operators, service providers; we also have exhibitors and mining investors that came from South Africa to invest in the Nigeria mining.

    “This year’s mining week will be different from 2016 edition because of the turnout and calibre of people that have registered today; investors now trust the Nigerian mining sector as a place to invest, ‘’ she said.

    She said Nigeria’s new mining roadmap and regulations had brought tremendous development to the Nigerian economy, adding that some investors had been able to access funds through the ministry.

    Today’s event is the Dragon’s day, where mining investors present their projects to a panel of judges, financiers and consultants on how they can get partnership and financial assistance to boost their businesses.

    She said the week would not just be only presentations but round-table, where mining investors could meet and discuss how to assist one another.

    The Chief Executive Officers, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, and the Miners Association of Nigeria would meet at the event to tackle challenges facing the sector.

    There are exhibition stands where both local and foreign investors, consultants and financial institutions would showcase their products, equipment and expertise among others.(NAN)

  • German President meets Pope for talks

    German President meets Pope for talks

    German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, held his first meeting with Pope Francis on Monday since taking over the largely ceremonial post, with migration and refugees on the agenda.

    Steinmeier, who assumed office in February, held a private audience with the pontiff in the Vatican.

    The talks were also expected to focus on international tensions as well as the outcome of September’s German election, which resulted in new right-wing populist party, the Alternative for Germany, entering the national parliament in Berlin for the first time.

    A Protestant and former Foreign Minister, Steinmeier has repeatedly sought to promote ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue.

    His visit to Rome coincides with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which forged a new the relationship between the Protestant and the Catholic churches.

    Steinmeier’s predecessor, Joachim Gauck, met with the former Pope, Benedict, in 2012.

    NAN