Four U17 World Cup players to watch in the semi-finals


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Argentina face Mexico and Sweden tackle Nigeria tonight to determine which two countries contest the final of the U17 World Cup, at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday. John McAuley provides four players to keep an eye on:

1. Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria: The tournament's second-leading scorer has filled the void left by Success Isaac, the team's injured striker. Four goals in a whirlwind performance in the opener against Mexico confirmed his talent – he added another against Iran – yet in truth he has been scoring goals consistently at this level for some time. Iheanacho is more than a goalscorer, though, linking play between midfield and attack. Sweden may struggle to shackle him.

2. Valmir Berisha, Sweden: Dubbed, perhaps unfairly, the "new Ibrahimovic", the Sweden forward has been the spearhead to his side's surprise journey to the semi-finals. With four goals, Berisha stands out in a team very much built on the collective, and has formed a dangerous partnership with front pair Elias Andersson and Gustav Engval. Comparisons with the Sweden senior side's star do not weigh heavily on Berisha, who readily admits to modelling his game on Ibrahimovic's playing style.

3. Sebastian Driussi, Argentina: Marked before the tournament as a potential star, the River Plate frontman failed to excite during the group stage, despite scoring in the opener against Iran. However, a goal in the last-16 win against Tunisia seemingly sparked him to life, with Humberto Grondona, the Argentina coach, saying Driussi had finally arrived. A lively presence at the top of Argentina's attack, Mexico will need to monitor him closely throughout.

4. Alejandro Diaz, Mexico: If his 25-yard rocket in the last-16 triumph against Italy is any indication, then Argentina would best deny the Mexico forward any shooting opportunities. Diaz, described as a "wonderful striker" by coach Raul Gutierrez, requires teammates to create space for him, but given the chance, he rarely lets it pass. His cool head was evident in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out with Brazil, when Diaz twice succeeded, including the kick that clinched a date with Argentina.

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Taleb Alrefai, 
HBKU Press 

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Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by. 

How it works

A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank

Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night 

The charge is stored inside a battery

The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode

A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes 

This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode

When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again

The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge

No limit on how many times you can charge

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative