Nigeria have given first call-ups to Belgium-based Imoh Ezekiel and Michael Uchebo as the search for 2014 World Cup sharpshooters continues Wednesday with a warm-up against Mexico.
Ezekiel plays for Standard Liege and Uchebo for Cercle Bruges and both could get a chance in the American city of Atlanta to show their worth.
Coach Stephen Keshi is concerned about his goal-shy attack ahead of the World Cup in Brazil, where the Super Eagles’ first-round Group F rivals are Argentina, Bosnia Herzegovina and Iran.
Other strikers chosen for the Mexico fixture include Shola Ameobi of Newcastle United and Emmanuel Emenike of Fenerbahce.
Midfielder Ramon Azeez from Spanish side Almeria is another newcomer as former national team captain Keshi casts his net wide in pursuit of fresh talent.
Veteran defender Joseph Yobo is back in the squad having heeded Keshi and quit Fenerbahce for Norwich City to get game time.
Fellow World Cup qualifiers Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast also play in mid-week as the on-field countdown to the 32-nation world football spectacular kicks off.
Ghana welcome first-choice central defenders John Boye and Jonathan Mensah back from injuries that kept them out of an African play-off triumph over Egypt last year.
But goalkeeper Fatau Dauda has been omitted for a Podgorica date with Montenegro as coach Kwesi Appiah continues to consider only footballers playing regularly at club level.
Dauda has been unable to displace South Africa second-choice Senzo Meyiwa this season at Soweto outfit Orlando Pirates.
Ivory Coast hope reigning African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure can take outstanding club form into a Brussels friendly against Belgium.
Toure scored an outstanding goal last weekend when Manchester City defeated Sunderland in the English League Cup final, curling the ball into the roof of the net from outside the box.
Compatriot Salomon Kalou is also on fire, scoring a hat-trick for French outfit Lille, while the English Premier League struggles of Swansea have not prevented Wilfried Bony netting regularly.
Belgium should test the ‘Elephants’ with Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard two of the England-based stars in a team many pundits believe can go far in Brazil.
Algeria are in the same Group H as the Belgians and they stay in Africa this week, hosting 2010 World Cup qualifiers Slovenia in Blida.
Teenage Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who represented France at age-limit level, has opted to play senior football for the homeland of his parents.
He has been included in the squad for Slovenia, but an injury rules out wide Valencia midfielder Sofiane Feghouli, one of the Desert Foxes’ main attacking threats.
Cameroon chose two Barcelona ‘babes’ – defender Macky Franck Bagnack and striker Jean Marie Dongou – for a Leiria warm-up against Portugal.
The youngsters are reserves at the Spanish and European giants and were named in a squad lacking midfielder Stephane Mbia and striker Achille Webo owing to injuries.
Long-time assistant Shawky Gharib debuts as Egypt coach against Bosnia in Austria and has brought back 41-year-old goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary.
Senegal have recalled out-of-favour Chelsea striker Demba Ba for a Paris friendly with Mali, whose new coach Henryk Kasperczak gives first call-ups to midfielders Birama Toure and Bakary Sako.
Delvin Ndinga, a key midfield cog when Greek side Olympiakos upset Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League first leg match last week, is part of the Republic of Congo squad for a Tunis friendly with Libya.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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)
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5