The world will on Thursday mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Diego Maradona, regarded by some as the best player of all time and a man adored in his home country Argentina despite, or perhaps because of, his human flaws.

Argentine club matches are to mark a minute of silence and players will arrange themselves in a “10” formation on the pitch to honor Maradona’s famous jersey number, while special masses will be held — including in the Buenos Aires slum where Maradona grew up, to mark the day he passed away.

In Naples, where he spent part of his career, two statues for the striker are set to be unveiled.

“We’ll miss you for the rest of our lives,” said the Argentine Football League in homage on the eve of the anniversary, with a video of the life, goals, and many trophies of the man nicknamed “Pibe de Oro” (Golden Kid).

Maradona died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60, weeks after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot.

The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions for years, and was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.

His death shocked fans around the world, and tens of thousands queued to file past his coffin, draped in the Argentine flag, at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires during three days of national mourning.

He may be dead, but in Argentina Maradona is everywhere.

From ubiquitous mural frescos that portray him as a deity to television series about his life and even a religion bearing his name.

His two goals in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, which saw Argentina triumph over England just four years after the Falklands War, made Maradona an instant hero.

‘Hand of God’

His rags-to-riches story, stellar sporting achievements, complicated life and dramatic death entrenched his place in the Argentine psyche.

In the cities, Maradona’s name is memorialized in countless graffiti: “Diego lives,” “10 Eternal” and “D10S” — a play of words with the Spanish word for god, “Dios”, and Maradona’s famous jersey number.

Murals in Buenos Aires depict him with angel wings, as a patron saint complete with halo and scepter, or back here on Earth, kissing the World Cup.

Maradona is perhaps remembered as much for his “Hand of God” goal — which illegally came off his hand in what he ascribed to supernatural intervention — as for his second in the same match against England which would later become known as the “Goal of the Century”.

These extremes — “a virtuous goal and a sinful goal” that also reflected Maradona’s conflicted life of virtue and vice — help explain people’s fascination him, according to Latin American columnist Eduardo Galeano.

The “Hand of God” goal, he said, transformed Maradona “into a sort of tarnished God; the most human of Gods”.

For historian Felipe Pigna, Maradona is “a hero with many imperfections” — a mixed bag of qualities that reflects “what it means to be Argentinian”.

‘Creator of happiness’

An investigation into the star’s death was opened following a complaint filed by two of Maradona’s five children against neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, whom they blame for their father’s deteriorating condition after surgery.

A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina’s public prosecutor concluded in April that Maradona’s treatment was rife with “deficiencies and irregularities” and said his medical team had left his survival “to fate”.

The case is closely followed by a nation transfixed, competing for headline space with the court case of an inheritance dispute involving two of Maradona’s daughters.

Adding to the floor-to-floor news coverage, this week, a Cuban woman who had an affair with Maradona as a minor 20 years ago, accused him and his entourage of abuse, including rape.

Maradona’s second daughter Dalma, 34, has said she will not participate in any of the commemoration events Thursday for what she described as “the worst day of my life”.

“A year after his death, Diego, a creator of happiness, continues also to cause suffering,” the Argentine daily La Nacion said this week.

“Through the sadness over his death, because we loved him so much. And through the evidence of his self-destruction. The great contradiction between public happiness and private suffering.”

On December 31, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism released a list of the 10 most noticeable events in culture, sports, and tourism in 2013. Once again, the list paints an overly optimistic picture while overlooking the darker events of the past year.

According to many, the list mentions events that are too generic and broad and are actually chains of events, rather than single occurances. As in previous years, the list seems to be a report of the ministry’s achievements.

In addition, the list paints an overly optimistic picture. In reality, the year 2013 was plagued by pressing issues regarding the inadequate management of performances and the failure to preserve relics well.

The ministry also issued legal documents that stirred the public because of their unreasonable terms.

The list is as follows:

1. The summing up of the 15-year project of implementing Central Resolution 5, session 8 regarding the building and development of Vietnamese culture which is advanced yet rich in traditional values.

2. UNESCO recognizes “don ca tai tu” (southern folk music and songs) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Vietnam, for the first time ever, has been elected to the World Heritage Council.

3. A host of cultural and artistic activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and several other countries. The art festival of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

4. The Peoples Solidarity – Vietnam Heritage Week; the 2013 Quang Nam Heritage Festival; the 1st “Ngo” Boat Race Festival of ethnic minority Khmer people in the Mekong Delta; and the 8th festival of cultural, sports, and tourism activities in Northwestern mountainous provinces.

5. The 2013 Vietnam Family Year and the 2nd congress honoring exemplary families nationwide.

6. Vietnam’s accomplishments at international sports competitions: Vietnam ranked third of 44 countries and territories at the 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games Incheon (AIMAG 4); ranked third of 11 countries at the 27th SEA Games; ranked seventh of 45 countries and territories at the 2nd Asian Youth Games; and ranked fifth of 41 countries and territories at the 2013 Asian Youth Para Games.

7. The achievements of Vietnamese athletes at international sport competitions: Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won two golds in swimming at the 27th SEA Games; Nguyen Ha Thanh won gold in gymnastics at the 2013 Grand Prix Osijek; Hoang Xuan Vinh won Vietnam’s first gold in shooting at the 2013 ISSF World Cup; Le Quang Liem was the first Vietnamese chess player to win the World Rapid and Blitz Championships; and Nguyen Tien Minh won bronze in badminton at the 2013 BWF World Championships.

8. The sport festivals in provinces that are preparation for the 7th National Sports Festival in 2014.

9. Vietnam welcomes 7.5 million foreign arrivals and 35 million domestic ones, with the total tourism revenues reaching VND200 trillion (US$9.43 billion), two years ahead of the 2015 target.

10. The 2013 Red River Delta – Hai Phong National Tourism Year. Vietnam hosts the 1st International Conference on Religious Tourism.

Some 440 youths with disabilities competed in various sports, including track running, swimming, and table tennis, in a contest held on Sunday in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The competitors all came from special education schools, children’s shelters, and ward- and district-level sports centers in the city.

They vied for titles in six categories, namely 60-meter track running, long jump, swimming, chess, boccia, and table tennis.

Despite being rivals in the competition, the athletes kept up an atmosphere of sportsmanship, consistently looking out and cheering for others behind them in the race.

An athlete even burst into tears after completing the long jump event.

His effort was also applauded by spectators, as simply showing up proved that the athlete had overcome the biggest obstacle.

The competition was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Committee of the Vietnam Youth Federation in celebration of the annual Vietnam Day of People with Disabilities on April 18.

Donald Trump’s new social media venture said on Saturday it had entered into agreements to raise about $1 billion from a group of unidentified investors as it prepares to float in the U.S. stock market.

The capital raise, details of which were first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, underscored the former U.S. president’s ability to attract strong financial backing thanks to his personal and political brand. He is working to launch a social media app called TRUTH Social that is at least several weeks away.

Digital World Acquisition Corp, the blank-check acquisition firm that will take Trump Media & Technology Group Corp public by listing it in New York, said it will provide up to $293 million to the partnership with Trump’s media venture, taking the total proceeds to about $1.25 billion.

The $1 billion will be raised through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction from “a diverse group of institutional investors,” Trump Media and Digital World said in a statement. They did not respond to requests to name the investors.

Trump Media inked its deal with Digital World to go public in October at a valuation of $875 million, including debt. The social media venture is now valued at almost $4 billion based on the price of Digital World shares at the end of trading on Friday. Trump supporters and day traders snapped up the stock.

Many Wall Street firms such as mutual funds and private equity firms snubbed the opportunity to invest in the PIPE. Among those investors who participated were hedge funds, family offices and high net-worth individuals, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Family offices manage the wealth of the very rich and their kin.

Some Wall Street investors are reluctant to associate with Trump. He was banned from top social media platforms after the Jan. 6 attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol amid concerns he would inspire further violence. The Capitol attack was based on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in last year’s presidential election.

“As our balance sheet expands, Trump Media & Technology Group will be in a stronger position to fight back against the tyranny of Big Tech,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday.

The deal also faces regulatory risk. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler last month to investigsatethe planned merger for potential violations of securities laws around disclosure. The SEC has declined to comment on whether it plans any action.

Trump Media and Digital World said the per-share conversion price of the convertible preferred stock PIPE transaction represents a 20% discount to Digital World’s volume-weighted average closing price for the five trading days to Dec. 1, when Reuters broke news of the capital raise.

If that price averages below $56 in the 10 days after the merger with Digital World has been completed, the discount will grow to 40% with a floor of $10, the companies added. Digital World shares ended trading on Friday $44.97.

Trump had 89 million followers on Twitter, 33 million on Facebook and 24.5 million on Instagram at the time he was blocked, according to a presentation on his company’s website.

Investors attending the confidential investor road shows were shown a demo from the planned social media app, which looked like a Twitter feed, Reuters reported.

First-quarter rollout

Since Trump was voted out of office last year, he has repeatedly dropped hints that he might seek the presidency in 2024.

Special purpose acquisition companies such as Digital World had lost much of their luster with retail investors before the Trump media deal came along. Many of these investors were left with big losses after the companies that merged with SPACs failed to deliver on their ambitious financial projections.

TRUTH Social is scheduled for a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022. It is the first of three stages in the Trump Media plan, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news and podcasts, according to the news release.

In a slide deck on its website, the company envisions eventually competing against Amazon.com’s AWS cloud service and Google Cloud.