Promoted Angers and Normandy minnows Caen could be within two points of mighty Paris Saint-Germain by Sunday night if Saint-Etienne can take maximum points against the defending champions at the Parc des Princes.
Former champions Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux are three of the usual contenders at the top of Ligue 1 but they are struggling to stay in touch.
Neither Angers, a club founded in 1919 and some 300km southwest of Paris who finished third in Ligue 2 last season, or Caen whose best finish in the French first division was fifth in 1992, have ever won the national title.
The odds are they won’t achieve that feat in 2016 but their current status in joint-second has certainly raised eyebrows.
Angers have lost just once in ten outings as they host lower-table Brittany club Guingamp on Saturday while Caen kick off the weekend slate on Friday at home to Nantes.
Angers coach Stephane Moulin played down his side’s title credentials but said the team’s hot form has been a massive lift to the city.
“Candidates for the title? The fact that question is even being asked is incredible in itself. No, not at all, I don’t think we are,” said the 48-year-old Parisian.
“We are still candidates to avoid relegation and we have done half the job in 10 games. Our run is, to an extent beyond understanding. It is quite incredible.
“The players are playing for one another and playing with desire, and I take pleasure from seeing them take pleasure. There is also quality in this team.
“There are no complexes. It is true that it might seem amazing what is happening to us but we do not want to dismiss it as banal.”
Caen coach Patrice Garande took a similar approach and says the club’s ambitions remain within reason.
“Our standing has not changed. We are still Stade Malherbe de Caen with our budget of 27 million euros,” explained the 54-year-old former striker who was part of the France team that won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I am not using the word survival as an objective, but we are not getting carried away because we are five points behind PSG.
“We want to play in this division, not simply try to avoid the bottom three places. And I know we will experience harder situations over the course of the season. We will see how we handle it.”
While Laurent Blanc’s heavily bank-rolled PSG squad look comfortable with an unbeaten start to the season in all competitions, a host of pretenders are jostling for European places.
They include Saint-Etienne and fifth-placed Nice who are the league’s top scorers with 24 goals in nine matches and a game in hand.
Nice have been inspired by the sensational return to form of former Newcastle United winger and French international Hatem Ben Arfa who sits joint top of the scoring charts with Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi after finding the target seven times.
The Cote d’Azur side face rock bottom Gazelec Ajaccio having lost twice in nine matches under veteran coach Claude Puel.
Seven-time champions Lyon, who saw their Champions League chances of reaching the knockout phase virtually extinguished on Tuesday when they went down 3-1 at Zenit St Petersburg, return to league action on Friday with a match at their Stade Gerland against fourth-from-bottom Toulouse.
The rise of Angers and Caen is as equally surprising as the shocking form of 10-time champions Marseille who find themselves just four points above the relegation zone and with only two wins from ten matches.
They travel to the north of the country on Sunday and an afternoon clash against Herve Renard’s Lille.
Fixtures (UAE times)
Friday
Caen v Nantes (8.30pm), Lyon v Toulouse (10.30pm)
Saturday
Lorient v Rennes (7pm), Montpellier v Bastia (10pm), Angers v Guingamp (10pm), Gazelec Ajaccio v Nice (10pm)
Sunday
Reims v Monaco (5pm), Lille v Marseille (8pm), Bordeaux v Troyes (8pm), Paris Saint-Germain v Saint-Etienne (Midnight)
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
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MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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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.
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
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