Zlatan Ibrahimovic last played on October 12, in a Euro 2016 qualifier with Sweden. Franck Fife / AFP
Zlatan Ibrahimovic last played on October 12, in a Euro 2016 qualifier with Sweden. Franck Fife / AFP

PSG pining for a Zlatan Ibrahimovic return against Marseille



Paris Saint-Germain have proved that they can win without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Wednesday night’s 1-0 win against Apoel Nicosia was a fifth straight success for coach Laurent Blanc’s side. But none of these victories was particularly entertaining and PSG are still looking a poorer side without their talismanic player.

PSG fans will be hoping the imposing Sweden striker recovers from injury in time to face Marseille on Sunday night, when a win would move second-place PSG to within one point of their bitter rivals.

Should PSG lose their unbeaten start to the season, however, resurgent Lyon could move into second place with a home win against struggling Guingamp.

Here are some things to know about this weekend’s French league games:

Zlatan close to return

Blanc is optimistic that Ibrahimovic may return to play a part in the table-topping clash against Ligue 1 leaders Marseille.

Ibrahimovic has not played since the 1-1 home draw against Lyon on September 21, but his nagging heel injury has kept him out for much longer than was first expected.

He returned to training on Thursday, increasing speculation he could play.

“Things have been evolving very well over the last few days. I think we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now. We’ve seen some very positive signs,” Blanc said. “He has started joining in training and he’s been doing some running. He hasn’t lost that much fitness in cardiovascular terms. If things continue to improve over the next few days anything is possible.”

Even if Ibrahimovic does not recover, PSG are well off in the forward department, with striker Edinson Cavani scoring a goal in each of his past four games.

Defending Cabaye

PSG captain Thiago Silva has leapt to the defence of midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who has been in and out of the side since joining from Newcastle United in January.

Cabaye’s poor performance in last weekend’s gritty 2-1 win at Lorient saw him heavily criticised in the French media.

Although a regular in midfield for France, Cabaye has struggled for PSG, scoring only one league goal in 25 games. He has not played the full 90 minutes of a game so far this season and was hauled off after one hour against Lorient.

“PSG’s problem isn’t Cabaye,” Silva said. “The problem was the match against Lorient and especially the first half, because none of the players did well.”

Barren spell

Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac is the league’s joint top scorer, but he needs to end a barren run at Paris Saint-Germain’s stadium to add to that tally on Sunday night.

Gignac has never scored at the Parc des Princes in eight previous outings with Marseille and his former clubs Toulouse and Lorient.

The France forward has made his best start to a domestic season with 10 goals in 12 games, putting him level with Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette.

But Gignac has looked slightly jaded in his last two games, failing to score in the 1-0 loss at Lyon and the 2-1 home win against Lens.

Two seasons ago, he scored two superb goals as Marseille drew 2-2 at home to PSG, with Ibrahimovic netting twice for the visitors.

Widespread coverage

Paris Saint-Germain v Marseille is always a showpiece match in the Ligue 1 calendar and is also an attractive game abroad.

According to French league statistics, Sunday night’s game will be shown by 42 different broadcasters across 160 countries.

Even fans in India will get to see it courtesy of Ten Sports, while beIN Sports will show it in the United States and Canada.

Antonetti’s return?

Frederic Antonetti is in talks with Bastia over the vacant coaching position after former France midfielder Claude Makelele was sacked on Monday.

The Corsican club are in 19th place ahead of Saturday’s game against mid-table Montpellier.

Antonetti, who is Corsican, held long talks on Tuesday with Bastia president Pierre-Marie Geronimi.

The 53-year-old Antonetti started his coaching career with Bastia in 1994, and then had a second spell with the club.

“I need to take the time to think. There are a lot of things to take into consideration and I know Bastia only too well,” Antonetti said. “It’s not an easy situation and Bastia is the club of my heart, but I will give the directors my answer very quickly.”

He also coached Rennes from 2009-2013 and prior to that had spells managing at Nice and Saint-Etienne.

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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Ferrari
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWafeq%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%202019%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadim%20Alameddine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Esoftware%20as%20a%20service%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERaed%20Ventures%20and%20Wamda%2C%20among%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

HWJN
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Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners