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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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5