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  • Lionel Messi determined to win football’s greatest prize as Argentina reaches the World Cup final

    Lionel Messi determined to win football’s greatest prize as Argentina reaches the World Cup final

    Lionel Messi’s lifelong dream of leading Argentina to World Cup will remain alive until the last day of Qatar 2022, as the South American powerhouse outclassed a weary-looking Croatia in a 3-0 victory in Tuesday’s semifinal.

    Argentina has made its eighth appearance in a World Cup semifinal (defeating the USA in 1930, Belgium in 1986, Italy in 1990, and the Netherlands in 2014). It has additionally made the final six times. The last time Argentina won the World Cup was in 1986.

    According to CNN, Argentina and Croatia both played conservatively at the beginning of the game in an effort to avoid making a mistake. But after a half-hour, Argentina took charge and never looked back.

    When Julián Álvarez and Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković faced off in the 32nd minute, Livaković knocked Álvarez down, earning a penalty kick. Then Lionel Messi, a star for Argentina, took the initiative and did what he seemingly usually does. He struck the ball high and to the right with calm and composure, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

    Álvarez had not finished. He led a counterattack in the 39th minute and dribbled all the way from midfield, racing through three Croatian defenders before lofting the ball past Livakovi to put Argentina ahead 2-0 at the break.

    In goal, Livaković excelled during the competition. However, a relentless Argentina onslaught and a few defensive mistakes by Croatia proved to be too much.

    Against Croatia, Messi and Álvarez had one more brilliant moment as a team. Messi displayed incredible ball control in the 69th minute against Croatian goalkeeper Joko Gvardiol on the right side of the net. Then Messi connected with Álvarez, who scored to make it 3-0. Only two of Croatia’s twelve shots on goal were successful.

    Only one of their previous 41 international games had Argentina lost, coming into this encounter (28 wins, 12 draws). Croatia, who finished second in the 2018 tournament, had only dropped one of their previous 12 World Cup games.

    Messi moved slightly ahead of Kylian Mbappé of France (five goals and two assists) for the lead in the Golden Boot competition with his fifth goal of the tournament (and third assist). In the championship game, Messi plans to smash another record. In terms of overall FIFA appearances, he now has 25 World Cup games under his belt and is tied with Lothar Matthäus.

    On Sunday, Argentina will take on the winner of the semifinal match between France and Morocco on Wednesday. The World Cup competition for Croatia is still ongoing. It will compete against the loser of tomorrow’s semifinal in the third-place game on Saturday.

  • Chalo jee, roti, naan expected to be Rs16, Rs25 in Lahore

    Chalo jee, roti, naan expected to be Rs16, Rs25 in Lahore

    The Nanbai Association in Punjab’s capital city has hinted at increasing the price of naan and roti in the city, calling a meeting to determine the price.

    The prices of Roti and Naan are expected to increase by Rs2 to Rs3.

    According to details, Aftab Gul, the President of the Association, has said that the increase in the price of roti and naan has been proposed because of the increase in price of wheat in the market. In addition, he said that non-availability of gas, wood and expensive LPG are among reasons behind the expected increase.


    Aftab Gul also said that the price of a 15 kg bag of wheat has increased from Rs1400 to Rs1775, while a bag of fine flour has increased from Rs8500 to Rs9500.

  • Imran Khan to give date for dissolution of assemblies before December 20: Reports

    Imran Khan to give date for dissolution of assemblies before December 20: Reports

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a consultative session with lawmakers from Bhakkar, Mianwali, Pakpattan and Sahiwal told them that the provincial assemblies being governed by his party will be dissolved this very month and the date of the dissolution will be made public prior to December 20.

    The PTI earlier gave a deadline of December 20 to the federal coalition government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to announce a date for general elections, otherwise, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab assemblies will be dissolved.

    In reply, the ruling coalition has told the PTI chairman to dissolve the assemblies.

    According to the media reports, Khan said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Qauid (PML-Q) is on the same page with the PTI on the issue of Punjab assembly’s dissolution.

    “The PML-Q is a vital ally. We have intimated them of our decision,” Imran Khan said.

    “Our politics is not above the country. This government has destroyed the national economy,” he maintained.

    Earlier, Senior Vice-President of PTI, Fawad Chaudhry, addressing the ruling coalition said, “Leaders of the imported government don’t want polls and they have no idea how to run the country.”

    “If PDM doesn’t bring a formula for holding general elections by December 20, the Punjab and KP assemblies will be dissolved,” Fawad said.

  • IMF expected to reach staff-level agreement with Pakistan soon

    IMF expected to reach staff-level agreement with Pakistan soon

    The country representative for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ester Perez, has called the conversations with the Pakistani government regarding the ninth review “productive.”

    “Discussions have enabled a revision to the macroeconomic outlook post floods as well as an in-depth evaluation of fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, and energy policies adopted since the completion of the combined seventh and eighth reviews,” said Perez.

    The chief of the IMF in Pakistan stated that the international lender is eager to continue discussions about policies that effectively address the requirements for assistance and recovery after the floods while also maintaining external and fiscal sustainability based on the available resources.

    Furthermore, a senior member of the Pakistani administration told The News that the IMF negotiations were doing well and that a staff-level agreement will likely be reached soon.

    The ninth review was scheduled for November 3, 2022, according to the IMF seventh and eighth review documents, which were published on the website at the end of September 2022.

    After discussions with Pakistani officials that ended on November 18, 2021, the executive board approved the sixth review on February 2, 2022. This delay was brought on by the inability to meet the ‘prior’ conditions.

    The proposed dates for the seventh and eighth reviews were set for March 4 and June 3, respectively, in the staff report that was made public following the approval of the sixth review. However, after talks that ended on May 25, 2022, the IMF executive board accepted the seventh and eighth reviews under the EFF on August 29. This delay was once again caused by the failure to meet the ‘prior’ standards.

  • India bans Pakistani OTT platform for web series against national security of India

    India bans Pakistani OTT platform for web series against national security of India

    The Indian government has banned the Pakistani OTT platform Vidly, after the release of the first three episodes of the series —“Sevak: The Confessions”.

    As per Kanchan Gupta, Senior Adviser at Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in New Delhi, the series is “determined to be detrimental to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India.”

    “Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, using emergency powers under IT Rules 2021, has issued directions on 12 December 2022 for immediate blocking of the website, 2 mobile apps, 4 social media accounts, and one smart TV app of #Pakistan-based OTT Platform Vidly TV,’ he said in a series of tweets.
    “Govt of India action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV follows the web-series “Sevak: The Confessions”, which was determined to be detrimental to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, and public order in the country,” the tweet added.
    “Action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV follows the assessment that the provocative and wholly untrue web-series “Sevak” was sponsored by Pakistan’s info ops apparatus. First (of 3) episode was released on 26.11.2022, anniversary of Pakistani terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008,” it concluded.
    Sevak stars Amara Malik, Adnan Jaffer, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Hajra Yamin.

  • Firdous Jamal diagnosed with cancer, Faysal Qureshi reacts

    Firdous Jamal diagnosed with cancer, Faysal Qureshi reacts

    Senior actor Firdous Jamal has recently been diagnosed with cancer. The news was confirmed by his elder son, actor Hamza Firdous in a social media post. He stated that the Mehboob star will start treatment soon. 

    Hamza, on Sunday, took to his Instagram and posted a picture with his father to share the unfortunate news. “My father is going through a cancer recovery treatment at Shaukat Khanum Hospital,” he wrote. 

    “I know… it’s life! But nothing to worry because we (his family) and you all (his dearest friends, work colleagues, fans, admirers, well-wishers) are here for him,” he added. 

    The Seerat actor assured that the odds are in Firdous’s favour. “He became an actor against all odds. Here’s to another battle but luckily the odds are in his favour. He will come out stronger,” he wrote urging everyone to pray for his recovery. 

    Please remember him and us in your prayers. 

    Firdous started acting with a Hindko drama Badnami Dey Toway in the mid-70s, and he has since then appeared in hundreds of television, stage, and radio projects.

    The Waris actor appeared in nearly 50 films, some of his notable work includes Sayeeban Sheeshay ka, Man Chale Ka Sauda, Mehboob, Pagal Ahmeq Bewakoof, Saahil, Piyari, Dhoop Deewar, and Ruswaiyan.

    Firdous was honoured with the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1986 for his notable achievements in showbiz.

    Actor Faysal Qureshi spread awareness on Jamal’s plight and shared an Instagram story for him.

  • ‘We would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway’: Norwegian ministry asks Twitter to remove Nigeria labels

    ‘We would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway’: Norwegian ministry asks Twitter to remove Nigeria labels

    In an apparent instance of name confusion, Norway’s foreign ministry complained to Twitter on Tuesday that it had been mistakenly labeled as representing Nigeria.

    Both the foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere’s Twitter accounts were also identified as representing Nigeria.

    Some accounts on Twitter have labels and little flag icons to indicate their association with governments; however, this appears to be a significant blunder that surely cannot be expected from a billion-dollar platform.

    “Dear @TwitterSupport, as much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway,” the Norwegian foreign ministry tweeted.

  • India behind Johar Town bomb blast in Lahore: Rana Sanaullah

    India behind Johar Town bomb blast in Lahore: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has revealed that India was behind the Johar Town blast in Lahore— a powerful blast in 2021 near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, which resulted in three deaths.

    He held a joint press conference on Tuesday with Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General Imran Mehmood, during which he said that there is “clear evidence” of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.

    The minister further added that India’s footprints are seen in all terror activities carried out in Pakistan and New Delhi’s activities have gone “beyond that of an enemy state” just to hide its atrocities in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    He said that Pakistan will raise this matter before the world. The minister also mentioned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had support from the foreign intelligence agency of India, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan.

    Mehmood also briefly explained who were the culprits behind the Johar Town blast.

    He said that in the initial 24 hours, CTD arrested three terrorists. However, Sami ul Haq — the main handler of RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan — was arrested a year later in April when he was trying to enter Pakistan via Balochistan

    According to Mehmood, his Red Warrants were issued through Interpol. Mehmood added that his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar, assisted Sami in terror activities and his Red Warrants were issued as well. CTD also got information about Naveed Akhtar — who did the surveillance and selected the target.

    “We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done through India to spread terrorism in Pakistan through different channels,” he revealed, adding that all the arrested persons have been sentenced to death three times by the court.

    Prior to this, days after the incident, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the mastermind of the attack was “an Indian citizen and he is associated with RAW”.

  • Did Kate Winslet beat Tom Cruise for a new record on a film set?

    Did Kate Winslet beat Tom Cruise for a new record on a film set?

    Actor Kate Winslet spoke about her special training and preparation for James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way Of Water” in which she held her breath underwater for seven minutes and 15 seconds. She has set a new record on a film set, and has also beaten her fellow actor Tom Cruise’s record.

    Tom Cruise had previously set the record for six minutes while filming an underwater stunt for his film, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”. The average time a person can hold their breath for is around one or two minutes.

    Kate recently appeared on “The Graham Norton Show” ahead of the release of the “Avatar sequel” and shed light on several topics, including her record along with the possibility of season 2 of “Mare of Easttown”.

    Kate also shared a video of her training with an instructor and holding her breath underwater for seven minutes and 15 seconds. After doing some breathing exercises, Kate asks, “Am I dead?”

    When she learns how long she held her breath, the actor gets all excited.

    The actor mentioned that holding her breath for extended time needs both physical and mental conditioning. “It’s something that you have to learn how to do.”

  • Shoaib Malik breaks silence over separation from Sania Mirza, reveals their decision

    Shoaib Malik breaks silence over separation from Sania Mirza, reveals their decision

    Celebrity athletes Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza carved their own unique cross-border love story when they announced their marriage 12 years back.

    The tennis star and veteran cricketer are parents to a son Izhaan Mirza Malik.

    Sania Mirza And Shoaib Malik Host Son Izhaan's Second Birthday Bash, His Unique Cakes Are Unmissable

    However, netizens started to express their concern for the duo’s marriage after Mirza shared some cryptic posts on Instagram.

    Sania Mirza has been sharing posts about rough times on her social media:

    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet

    She also shared a picture with her son Izhaan with a caption that moments with her son help her get through the hardest times:

    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet
    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet

    According to some local publications, Sania was affected by Shoaib’s budding friendship with a female contestant on his show, The Ultimate Muqabla. However, the authenticity of this matter is doubtful.

    These posts made social media users furious.

    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet
    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet
    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet

    Latest Development:

    Rumours Of Shoaib Malik And Sania Mirza Separation Make Rounds On Internet

    Shoaib was recently asked to address the alleged divorce in an interview, he slammed the constant media pressure on the topic. Shoaib said, “It is our personal matter. Neither I, nor my wife is answering this question. Leave it alone.” He neither denied the news, nor accepted it.

    When questioned about stepping into showbiz, Shoaib said that he will always be open to any prospect saying, “I do not close any door for myself. If a good opportunity comes up, I will not refuse.” He added that he has already hosted a couple of shows.

    After excerpts from this interview went viral, Shoaib surprised his fans by updating his Instagram Bio. Malik added, “Husband to a superwoman, @saniamirza”.

    Actor Mehwish Hayat even liked this update when a portal posted this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=votNCjjDXxI&t=33s

    However, the all-rounder added that he barely gets much time to dedicate to a showbiz career with his family.

    Shoaib Malik, Sania Mirza show announced amid divorce rumours

    The duo recently announced their chat show for an online platform. This cross-border couple would be hosting The Mirza Malik Show together for Urduflix.

    In an interview with Gulf News, the couple shared the show will not be controversial in any way and aims to spread the cross-cultural love they experience in disguise. “It will be a whole lot of love and laughter. I think those two things are very important to us, even as people,” revealed Mizra, explaining the concept. “Everybody that we know, knows that we deal with most things with humour and that is something that helps us a lot.”

    Both ace sportspersons, with their demanding careers, deal with a high emotional quotient on a daily basis and the couple shared that their collective coping mechanism is humour and that will be evident in the show as well “The goal is to try to bring that laughter, love and joy, not just to the audience but also to the guests that are going to come on the show,” shared Mirza. “We don’t want to reveal everything. It’s not a comedy show but it is a show where we are going to try to have as much fun as possible and still try to find meaning in it.”

    Malik sheepishly shared how Mirza has been coaching him on acting and hosting given her past appearances in many talk shows, including the most-talked-about notorious chat show, Koffee With Karan.

    “I have been taking classes from her as she’s good! It’s going to be great fun for me. I’ve done some shows, but it was only on a social media platform and all those shows were with my friends. I had so much fun while doing them (interviews), and a lot of people enjoyed it also. I always wanted to do a show from the studio and that’s what is going to happen,” shared the cricketer.

    Shoaib also wished his ladylove on her Birthday with a special post.

    First appearance amidst Separation Speculation

    The celebrity pair were glimpsed together in a recent behind-the-scenes clip of their upcoming reality show The Mirza Malik Show.

    The two can be seen posing with actors Fahad Mustafa, Humayun Saeed, and Adnan Siddiqui. The picture was posted on Instagram by Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform Urduflix. Another image was also posted, drawing interest from fans who got a first look at the pair’s forthcoming talk show.

    The celebrity couple appeared together on Ahsan Khan’s talk show earlier this year, where the duo displayed their fun camaraderie.

    During a segment of the show, the Indian Tennis star stated that “Shaoib Ke par nikal ayen hain, kuch zyada hi nikal ayen hai, lagta haikatnay parenge.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FmBEJ1J8CU&t=24s

    She also revealed on the show that Shaoib spends a lot of time in the toilet, surfing the internet, and getting all the news updates.

    While Shoaib spilled the beans about their first meeting in 2004, he said that a media person introduced the two to each other and Sania showed him a lot of attitude.

    Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik expecting their first baby | Filmfare.com

    However, when they met the next time in 2009, Sania thought him to be very good looking and the duo fell in love after developing an understanding.