Author: France 24

‘HEGEMONY OF PSG’: As Qatar’s shining football jewel continues its dominance of both French and European football, France’s League 1 ‘is struggling with an identity problem”, explains Ed Dove, ESPN/North Star Network Journalist. And while PSGs wildly successful season and “star factor will make them a more appealing draw to international audiences, that might not translate into other teams in the division.” While there are some highly competitive teams in the League 1, “when you see the giants of the French game encountering financial struggles,” including Saint-Etienne and Olympique Lyonnais, “it makes the league less appealing to international audiences”.

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The Israeli military stepped up its bombardment of Gaza City overnight, ahead of a key meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers on a potential ground operation to seize the enclave’s largest city. The army has already called up 60,000 reservists, signalling that the government may move ahead despite growing international condemnation. One military official said most reservists are not expected to see combat and that plans to take Gaza City remain under discussion. For in-depth analysis, Annette Young welcomes Yossi Mekelberg, Associate Fellow in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme at Chatham House in London.

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PSG began the defence of their Ligue 1 title with a 1-0 victory at Nantes. Vitinha scored the only goal of the match 25 minutes from the final whistle with a deflected shot from outside the box. In other matches, Brest and Lille played out a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Lille striker Olivier Giroud opening the scoring as he returned to Ligue 1 after a 13-year absence.

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Protestors in Israel demanding their government make a deal to secure the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza escalated their campaign on Sunday, (August 16) staging a strike. Meanwhile, Israel said it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky tells us more. “It may be part of a psychological warfare operation to try and persuade Gazans to leave their homes or whatever spaces they were in, in central Gaza”, she said.

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