Sambo attends Gas summit in Doha calls for fair price

Nigerian Vice-President Namadi Sambo joined other leaders of the world's biggest gas suppliers in an inaugural gas summit in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday by calling for a fair gas price. Meanwhile, Iran, whose president was absent from the ceremony, warned that Western taxation will derail the energy market.

The summit was opened by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani who called for "innovative solutions" to the challenges facing the gas industry for the benefit of both consumers and producers.

According to organisers, the summit was to discuss "the priority of long-term contracts as the basis of security for exporters and consumers of natural gas."

It was also seek ways to establish a fair price for gas under a gas-to-oil indexation, with the aim of overcoming the disparity between crude oil and gas prices, organisers said.

The leaders would review cross investments and technological collaboration between GECF members.

Besides Oman which was admitted on Sunday, the GECF also comprises Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Kazakhstan, Norway and the Netherlands are observers.

Russia is the world's largest gas producer and sits on 30 percent of global reserves, while Qatar is the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter with a production capacity of 77 million tonnes a year.

GECF has been working for a fair gas price which its leaders say is the fastest growing energy source, but they deny it aims to control prices or become a cartel like the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The producers want "a fair price for gas that is linked to an energy commodity, especially crude oil ... Gas prices are not yet in parity with oil," Qatar's Energy Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada told reporters on Sunday.

 “Fair prices are determined by demand and production (supply). It is not the duty of this forum to determine prices," he said.

 "The summit wants to send a message (to the world) about reliable gas supplies," Sada said.

 Gas prices are currently determined either in long-term contracts between sellers and buyers, which some exporter’s index to oil, or on spot markets.

World gas demand dipped in the wake of the global financial crisis but the GECF says it rebounded last year, rising 7.3 percent, mainly due to Japan boosting LNG imports after its March tsunami and nuclear crisis.

The International Energy Agency estimated last month that around $10 trillion of investments would be needed in the gas industry until 2035, or about $400 billion a year.

Nigerian forward Ujah scores brace in Bundesliga

Nigerian forward Anthony Ujah scored his first two Bundesliga goals as struggling Mainz came from behind to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-1 in a match featuring two red cards on Friday.
Mainz, without a victory in nine outings, turned the form book inside out to defeat sixth-placed Stuttgart who were unbeaten in five games.   
 The home team had Eugen Polanski sent off in the 83rd minute and Stuttgart defender Maza was also dismissed in stoppage time.     Cacau put visiting Stuttgart in front six minutes after the break but two minutes later 21-year-old Ujah, signed from Norway's Lillestrom in the close season, headed the equaliser.  
 Mainz went ahead on the hour following a harshly-awarded penalty for handball by Maza that was converted by midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz. 
Four minutes later the Austrian set up Ujah for his second goal.     Mainz are 15th in the table with 12 points from as many games while Stuttgart have 18, two behind Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Borussia Moenchengladbach. 

Emenike grabs hattrick for Spartak Moscow

  

MOSCOW Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike scored a hattrick as nine-time Russian champion Spartak Moscow trounced thrashed 3-0 city rivals Lokomotiv to stop the railway-backed side's 12-match unbeaten streak under Portuguese manager Jose Couceiro.

Spartak started in lively fashion, clinching the lead in the second minute through Emenike, who sent the ball into an unguarded post from three metres following Aiden McGeady's short cross.

Lokomotiv poured on the attack seeking an equaliser but Emenike made it

2-0 for Spartak in the 15th minute firing home from the edge of the box.

Emenike completed his hat-trick six minutes after the interval, scoring again from the edge of the area past Lokomotiv Brazilian goalie Guilherme.

In the closing stages Lokomotiv's Nigerian striker Victor Obinna reduced his team's chances of saving the day as he was sent off for two bookable offences, the pair of yellows received within just two minutes.

Meanwhile, Brazilian veteran Roberto Carlos, the co-manager of big-spending side Anzhi Makhachkala, finally notched his first win in the Russian league with a 2-1 success over visiting Amkar Perm on Saturday.

Russian international left-winger Yury Zhirkov, who joined Anzhi in August from English Premiership side Chelsea, put Anzhi into the lead, firing home a rebound after a corner with a help of a ricochet three minutes before the break.

Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o added a goal with nine minutes to go, firing into the top right corner from 20 metres to secure Makhachkala a well-deserved win.

Amkar's Ukrainian forward Ilya Mikhalev netted a late consolation in injury time with a 10-metre header but failed to save a point.

The win ended Anzhi's five-match winless streak and assured the side a top eight placing, sending them through to the title phase.

"We dominated the playing and should score much more goals today," Zhirkov said.

"But after missing a series of chances we lost the initiative and allowed Amkar to score. Luckily we managed to keep our lead through and clinch a place in the upper half of the league to play for the title next year."

             

Nigerian join other immigrants to take oath of US citizenship

Zuyu Nu, (second from right), from China and serving with the US Navy, congratulates Adeniyi Ismail Rufai from Nigeria also serving with the Navy before they took the oath of US citizenship along with 125 others during a naturalization ceremony beneath the Statue of Liberty  during ceremonies marking the 125th anniversary of the Statue at Liberty Island in New York, on October 28,  2011.

NEW YORK Scores of immigrants including a Nigerian (Adeniyi Ismail Rufai) serving with the United States Navy waved tiny flags after taking the oath of United States citizenship at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on Friday, 125 years after the beacon welcoming visitors and immigrants was dedicated.

"We are a nation of diverse people," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said during the naturalization ceremony on Liberty Island. "And that diversity strengthens our nation."

The new Americans, 125 immigrants from 46 countries, pledged to renounce foreign power, then posed for photos with their citizenship certificates.

"I feel like if you live in a place, you should have a say in the politics," said Paul Currie, who moved to the United States from South Africa eight years ago. "Otherwise, you're an outsider."

Silvia Hodges, who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1999, said the ceremony made her feel "like I belong here — and I really want to vote."

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was conceived to symbolize the friendship between the two countries and a shared love of liberty. President Glover Cleveland dedicated the statue on Oct. 28, 1886.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "If anybody around this world wants to pick up their family and move so that their family can have freedom ” freedom to speak, freedom to be in charge of their own destiny, all the freedoms that we have incorporated into the Bill of Rights ” they always welcome to America."

Qatar ready to offer Capello megal deal to build football league

 If reports are anything to go by, England manager Fabio Capello is set to be offered a staggering £30million to transform the footballing scenery in Qatar.

 The mooted four-year deal could force the FA into swift action as Qatar want the Italian in place in an initial consultancy role as early as January.

 Qatar currently have no professional league and want to use Capello’s expertise to assist in launching one.

And according to the Sunday Mirror, they see the English national boss as the type of iconic figure to give them major credibility in the market.

 Capello’s contract with England will come to an end after next summer’s European Championship finals.

 He has ruled out extended that deal and talk of retirement, despite receiving numerous offers to return to domestic club management in Europe.

But the Qatar offer is something entirely different and could extend well beyond the initial four-year offer.

They have already started to branch out with major financial projects with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in Spain and Paris St Germain in France.

 But their ultimate aim is to launch their own league and entice the biggest players in the world to showcase it.

Iconic Australian team to train in Doha, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi and Doha will play host to the Carlton Football Club, one of Australia’s most distinguished sporting teams, who have chosen Qatar and UAE as their training base for a week-long high performance, pre-season camp.
 The club, which is based in Melbourne, is the most successful team within Australia’s largest and most popular domestic sporting organisation - the Australian Football League (AFL).
 In its first ever visit to the region, the club is spending two weeks based at the ASPIRE Academy for Sport Excellence in Qatar with the delegation of 50 players, coaches and fitness staff then set to arrive in Abu Dhabi on November 3.
 The team will utilize the world-class training facilities at the Emirates Palace and will have the opportunity to experience a vast array of recreational activities across Abu Dhabi for team development and bonding.
 “We are honored to be part of this event and to host Carlton Football Club at Emirates Palace and in Abu Dhabi which is certainly becoming the region’s sports city and hub,” said Bugra Berberoglu, Emirates Palace General Manager. The club will find all it needs with the wealth of facilities and services the Palace will offer especially with our sports facilities that are second to none.”
 Top of the team’s agenda will be hosting a unique community sporting event on Friday November 4 at the Emirates Palace. 
 The day will include an open training session aimed at educating the public about AFL, followed by an introductory youth training session held by the players for children aged five to 12.
 Former AFL premiership player, now Carlton’s Senior Coach, Brett Ratten said the team was very excited about their first visit to Abu Dhabi and was looking forward to spending time introducing the concepts of AFL to the locals.
 “Our time in Abu Dhabi will be divided between our pre-season training commitments as well as promoting our team and our game within the region,” Brett said.
 “There is a lot of interest in our trip from our members and supporters, so we are look forward to experiencing all the gifts the UAE has to offer and promoting this back to Australia.”
 Carlton’s visit has already generated much attention from Australian media and will provide a direct boost in promoting Abu Dhabi tourism opportunities into the Australian market. 
 The visit was a direct outcome of a previous Emirati delegation trip earlier this year to Australia, by the Department of Municipal Affairs, who were looking at infrastructure management and world’s best practice. 
 “As a football team we are looking for every advantage to ensure that we can move to the top of our game, which is why we decided to hold our first overseas pre-season training camp here,” Brett said.
 “With a wealth of training and leisure facilities, Abu Dhabi is a top international sports hub for elite sporting clubs across the world, who are looking to push the benchmarks of their pre-season training.”

Resurgent Qatar SC comeback to beat Ahli 4-

DOHA Three goals in the second half from Abdullah Oaddou, Sebastian Soria and Mohammed Omer ensured Qatar SC cancelled Al Ahli’s first half lead to win 4-3 during a round five-fixture of the Qatar Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Saturday.

Qatar SC was trailing 1-3 in the opening 45 minutes but a resurgent performance from Qatar produced three goals in the second half to script an unlikely 4-3 win as coach Abdulla Mubarak of Ahli watched in disbelief.

Al Ahli's Dioko Kalutiyuka scored two goals in the 7^th and 29^th minute while his teammate Hicham Aboucherouane scored one in the 34th minute. After Marcinho Jose de Oliveira's goal in 11th minute, Qatar SC hit back through Abdullah Oaddou in the 57^th minute, Sebastian Soria scored a spot kick in the 65^th minute and Mohammed Omer completed the comeback with a goal in the 68^th minute to seal the 4-3 win.

Kalutiyuka scored the curtain raiser in the seventh minute of the match, following a defensive blunder by tall Moroccan defender Ouaddou, the striker benefited from the defender and goalkeeper’s lapse of concentration. After collecting a long ball from the centre of the pitch, Kalutiyuka charged towards the Qatar goal even as Ouaddou lunged at the Al Ahli striker.

Ouaddou mistimed his lunge allowing Kalutiyuka to take the ball forward, go past the goalkeeper Mohammed Mobakar and flick the ball into the empty net.

In the 11^th minute, Marcinho leveled the score for Qatar following a lob pass from the right flank, which evaded Ahli’s Abdulla Mustafa Saif, giving the striker space to shoot the ball from close range.

As the match progresses, Ahli was opening the defense of Qatar with well timed passed that usually exposes the inept defending of its back four.

And the chance came in the 29th minute, another defensive lapse allowed Ahli to take the lead for the second time.

Kalutiyuka picked up loose ball from the feet of defender Mohammed Omar and smartly hit the ball over the head of goalkeeper Mobarak for his second and Ahli's second goal at the half-hour mark.

In the 34th minute, the mental agony for Qatar SC coach Al Sheeba increased manifold as defender Khaled Saleh failed to mark Aboucherouane who flicked one from close range as Al Ahli went 3-1 up.

After missing a sitter in the 53rd minute, Ouaddou scored four minutes later off a snap-header following a pass from Yousef Safri positioned near the corner flag.

Ahli had their chances in the second half, Aboucherouane failed to make any use of a free kick from the edge of the box on the hour mark.

In the 65^th minute, the referee spotted an infringement inside the box after Marcinho was fouled. He awarded a penalty, which Soria converted calmly to bring the score to 3-3.

Qatar SC scored its winning goal in the 68th minutes, following a move initiated by Soria, which opened space for defender Omer to neatly dispatch a rebound ball from close range for his side’s fourth goal.