Lyon midfielder Michel Bastos and an English Premier League striker have been targeted by big-spending Pro League champions Al Ain as they look to strength for the new season. Read our full story here.
---
Newcastle United have stepped up their interest in FC Twente defender Douglas after reportedly tabling a bid of more than EU4m (Dh18m).
The English Premier League side had been monitoring the player during their efforts to sign teammate Luuk de Jong, who today signed for Borussia Moenchengladbach
But the 24-year-old is valued substantially above that by the Eredivise club - and has also been attracting interest other clubs, including league rivals Fulham and West Ham.
Any completed deal may end up delayed, however, as the player must remain in Holland until the end of next month to be eligible for the Dutch national team.
---
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has played down reports linking him with a move for hotly-tipped Brazil midfielder Oscar.
The 20-year-old is currently in London preparing for the 2012 Olympics football tournament, and has been heavily linked with a £25m move to Stamford Bridge.
But Di Matteo remains coy about any bid for the Internacional star.
"I can tell you that he's not a Chelsea player so it's difficult for me to talk about a player that doesn't belong to us," the Italian told the club's official website.
"I know there has been speculation we are interested in this player and in due course if there is anything to announce we will do.
"All I would say is that he is a very young talented midfield player."
Meanwhile new Chelsea signing Eden Hazard's younger brother Thorgan Hazard could link up with his sibling at the club.
The 19-year-old Lens winger is being tracked by Chelsea, with the Ligue 2 side's sporting director Antoine Sibierski admitting the sides are in talks over a possible deal.
"We're in discussions," Sibierski said.
"I can understand why a player would want to leave Ligue 2 to go to Chelsea.
"Now, like in every transfer with a year left on his contract, it must be paid for. There are also compensation fees for training him."
---
Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to complete his deal to join Paris St Germain from AC Milan today, subject to a medical.
The Swedish international skipper will join the Qatari-backed French side as part of a double signing with Thiago Silva for an estimated EU70m (Dh316m).
The 30-year-old former Barcelona striker will be paid a reported EU15m a year once he completes the deal, with the transfer taking PSG's spending to more than EU100m in the close season.
---
Newly promoted English Premier League side Reading have signed defenders Adrian Mariappa and Chris Gunter as they continue preparations for their return to the top flight.
Mariappa joins from Watford while Gunter moves from Nottingham Forest - both on three-year deals.
The pair joined for undisclosed fees, described as 'significant' by the club.
They join Pavel Pogrebnyak, Nicky Shorey, Danny Guthrie and Garath McCleary in Brian McDermott's new-look side.
---
Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has denied he wants a move to the Arabian Gulf this summer.
The Dutch international has been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane, with a switch to the Middle East being suggested.
But the 29-year-old says he wants to stay in the English Premier League and play under new manager Andre Villas-Boas.
"My place is at Spurs.," he said. "I want to win the title with this club. Each summer my name appears in the transfer market.
"The new coach has good plans for me and this is important."
---
Japan international goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima has signed joined Standard Liege on a three-year deal.
The 29-year-old stopper had been linked with a number of leading Italian and English sides, but has opted to remain in Belgium after two seasons at Lierse.
The out-of-contract player - a standout in Japan's successful Asian Cup campaign earlier this year - said on his website: "Standard are always one of the top contenders in Belgium and their supporters are the most enthusiastic.
"I'd been thinking what is the best way for me and I decided this is the most suitable for my life," he said.
---
Bundesliga side Freiburg have signed Norway defender Vegar Eggen Hedenstad for an undisclosed fee from Stabaek IF.
"With Hedenstad, we have found a player who can help us as a full-back," said the club's director of sport Dirk Dufner.
The highly-rated 21-year-old already holds two full international caps with Norway.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Brief scores:
Barcelona 3
Pique 38', Messi 51 (pen), Suarez 82'
Rayo Vallecano 1
De Tomas Gomez 24'
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
