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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Alisher Usmanov: what makes the Russian Britain's richest person? | Alisher Usmanov: what makes the Russian Britain's richest person? |
| (5 months later) | |
| Age: 59. | Age: 59. |
| Appearance: Swollen Bob Hoskins. | Appearance: Swollen Bob Hoskins. |
| Who is he? He's Russia's richest man. | Who is he? He's Russia's richest man. |
| And we care about this why? Because, as of this week, he's also our richest man. | And we care about this why? Because, as of this week, he's also our richest man. |
| Our richest man? Yup. | Our richest man? Yup. |
| Did we buy him? Of course not. We're skint. | Did we buy him? Of course not. We're skint. |
| So in what way is he "our" richest man? The Sunday Times Rich List has just crowned him Britain's wealthiest person. | So in what way is he "our" richest man? The Sunday Times Rich List has just crowned him Britain's wealthiest person. |
| Yes, but how is he Britain's richest man? Oh, I see. Well, in a nutshell, he has more money than the next guy. The previous No 1 – Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal - fell to fourth place this year after a collapse in the value of his share portfolio. Usmanov, meanwhile, saw his fortune rise around £1bn to £13.3bn. Ergo: he had more money. | Yes, but how is he Britain's richest man? Oh, I see. Well, in a nutshell, he has more money than the next guy. The previous No 1 – Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal - fell to fourth place this year after a collapse in the value of his share portfolio. Usmanov, meanwhile, saw his fortune rise around £1bn to £13.3bn. Ergo: he had more money. |
| I'm familiar with the concept of "richest". I meant how is he British? Oh. Well, he lives here. Or at least owns a couple of very fancy houses here, including a £48m mansion in north London and the Tudor manor house and billionaire's playground Sutton Place in Surrey. He also owns a 30% stake in Arsenal football club. | I'm familiar with the concept of "richest". I meant how is he British? Oh. Well, he lives here. Or at least owns a couple of very fancy houses here, including a £48m mansion in north London and the Tudor manor house and billionaire's playground Sutton Place in Surrey. He also owns a 30% stake in Arsenal football club. |
| And that's worth £13.3bn is it? Well, obviously not. Have you seen Olivier Giroud? Usmanov also owns Russia's biggest iron-ore producer, a stake in its largest internet company and a sizeable chunk of the mobile-phone firm MegaFon. | And that's worth £13.3bn is it? Well, obviously not. Have you seen Olivier Giroud? Usmanov also owns Russia's biggest iron-ore producer, a stake in its largest internet company and a sizeable chunk of the mobile-phone firm MegaFon. |
| And what does he do with all this money? Focuses on his hobbies – he is president of FIE, the international fencing organisation – and, according to Wikipedia, buys art collections and donates them to children's television channels and the Russian state. | And what does he do with all this money? Focuses on his hobbies – he is president of FIE, the international fencing organisation – and, according to Wikipedia, buys art collections and donates them to children's television channels and the Russian state. |
| Sounds like a nice guy. Yeah. Although his PR people did get in trouble last year for editing his Wikipedia page. | Sounds like a nice guy. Yeah. Although his PR people did get in trouble last year for editing his Wikipedia page. |
| What did they remove? Among other things that he had made legal threats against bloggers who repeated disobliging comments about his business practices, made by a former British ambassador. | What did they remove? Among other things that he had made legal threats against bloggers who repeated disobliging comments about his business practices, made by a former British ambassador. |
| And did they add anything? Yep. Some fluff about donated art. | And did they add anything? Yep. Some fluff about donated art. |
| Do say: "He may be a billionaire …" | Do say: "He may be a billionaire …" |
| Don't say: "… but he's our billionaire." | Don't say: "… but he's our billionaire." |
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