Aqua English Project co-founder Sarah Scarce who has helped more than 33,000 migrants and refugees learn to swim is one of four win- ners of this year’s Multicultural Queensland Awards, which were held at La Boite Theatre in Kelvin Grove on August The annual awards ceremony held honoured the passion and

Iraq-Kurdistan oil tussle 5 IS militants killed in Iraq

By Asad Mirza The perilous relationship between Iraq and Kurdistan has soured once again, due to the latter’s oil exports to Turkey. There are reports that international oil firms operating in Kurdistan have asked the US to help defuse an upsurge in tension between Iraq’s central government and the Kurd Autonomous Region or Kurdistan regional government (KRG), according to a letter seen by Reuters. Over the years, Kurdistan had been supplying oil to Turkey and in the present circumstances they say intervention is needed to ensure oil continues to flow from the north of Iraq to Turkey to prevent Turkey having to increase oil shipments from Iran and Russia. Besides this to a large extent the economy of the Kurdistan region depends on oil export, as the monetary support from Baghdad is not enough to cover its developmental projects, and shutting the oil export could pose a gave threat to its economy and it may even collapse. Earlier in February, Iraq’s Federal Court deemed that an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan was unconstitutional. Following the ruling, Iraq’s federal government, which has long opposed allowing the KRG to independently export oil, has increased its efforts to control export revenues from Kurdistan. Reuters reports that it has copies of letters which shows that some oil multinationals even approached US ambassadors in Baghdad and Ankara in January 2022, seeking mediation in a separate case dating back to 2014 concerning the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP). Baghdad claims that Turkey violated the ITP agreement by oil from Kurdistan, which it deems illegal, through the pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. According to Iraq’s oil ministry the final hearing in the case took place in Paris in July, and the International Chamber of Commerce will issue a final decision in the coming months. Apart from requiring Turkey to get more crude oil from Iran and Russia, a cessation of oil flows through the ITP, would cause the KRG’s economy to collapse, oil companies’ letter to US representatives said. Iraq is already getting benefit of high oil prices, which leapt to 14-year-highs after major oil exporter Russia invaded Ukraine in February and they remain close to $100 a barrel. The ITP has the capacity to pump up to 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude, roughly one percent of daily world oil demand, from Iraqi state-owned oil marketer State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) as well as the KRG. For now it is pumping 500,000 bpd from northern Iraqi fields. The multinational oil companies have also lobbied US congress members to write letters to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in August. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on August 16 that disputes between Baghdad and Erbil were between the two sides, but the US could encourage dialogue. Al Arabiya TV channel reporting on the matter quoted Raad Alkadiri, managing director for energy, climate, and sustainability at Eurasia Group, as saying that the US has become disengaged from Iraq over the past decade. And thus, no pressure from Washington or other governments will resolve the issues between Baghdad and the Kurds. To make matters further complicated last week, SOMO threatened legal action against international buyers of Kurdish crude, only adding to the risks associated with investing in the region. This is the latest step by Baghdad in the escalating dispute with the KRG over who should control Kurdistan’s oil. Experts say that Kurdistan could see its oil production and exports halved within five years, further depleting the already drained coffers of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The investment climate in Kurdistan is currently not conducive to major oil industry investments, despite Kurdistan officials’ claims to the contrary, amid a bitter dispute between the KRG and the federal government of Iraq over who has the right to control the oil resources and revenues in the semi-autonomous region. A Kurdish official has described the dispute as the worst fallout between Baghdad and Erbil in nearly 20 years. Oil exports account for over 80 per cent of the KRG budget, and without revenues from oil, the region faces even more hardships, on top of the limited budget allocations from the federal government in Iraq, which itself is a caretaker cabinet as politicians have been unable to form a regular government for nearly a year after the October 2021 general election. Without new investment in oil, Kurdistan risks losing half of its current oil production by 2027, according to government documents seen by Reuters. But attracting investment to Kurdistan again is much easier said than done. Throughout the 20th century, Kurds in Iraq oscillated between fighting for autonomy and for independence. Kurds experienced Arabisation and genocide at the hands of Ba’athist Iraq. The Iraqi no-fly zones over most of Iraqi Kurdistan after March 1991 gave the Kurds a chance to experiment with self-governance and the autonomous region was de-facto established. The Baghdad government only recognised the autonomy of the Kurdistan Region after the fall of Saddam Hussein, with a new Iraqi constitution in 2005. A non-binding independence referendum was passed in September 2017, to mixed reactions internationally. The Kurdistan Region largely escaped the privations of the last years of Saddam Hussein’s rule and the chaos that followed his ousting in 2003, and built a parliamentary democracy with a growing economy. It seems that now perhaps the time is ripe for the international community to step-in to ensure Kurdistan’s independence once and for all, from Iraq and let the country embark on its route to democracy and prosperity. Baghdad, Sep 5: A total of five Islamic State (IS) militants, including two local leaders, were killed in an operation to track down IS militants in northern Iraq, the Iraqi military said. A statement by the media office of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) said on Sunday that the Iraqi security forces attacked two IS hideouts, killing three IS militants inside, during an operation in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk. The troops found four explosive devices, an explosive belt, a motorcycle, a camera, and other equipment at the hideouts, the statement added. An anonymous security source told Xinhua that one of the killed militants is known as the local security leader of the al-Dibis area in the northwestern part of the province. Another JOC statement said that a joint force from the army and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi killed a local IS leader in the Himreen mountain range and another militant after surrounding them in the mountainous area on the provincial border between the provinces of Kirkuk and Salahudin. Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities, Xinhua news agency reported. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since melted into urban centres, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against the security forces and civilians.

Iran seeks to buy Su-35 fighters from Russia: Iranian commander

Tehran, Sep 5: The purchase of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia is on the agenda of the Iranian Air Force, Commander of the Iranian Air Force Hamid Vahedi said. The final decision on the purchase of Su-35 fighters rests with the Iranian Army Command and the Armed Forces General Staff Command, Vahedi told 4 siblings killed by explosive war remnants in Syria

Damascus, Sep 6: Four siblings were killed by explosive remnants of war inside an abandoned house in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor reported. The explosion took place on Monday when the victims entered the abandoned house in an apartment building where they resided with their family in the rebel-held city of Binnish, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Iran’s BORNA news agency in an interview on Sunday. In August 2022, Western media reported that Iran was seeking to exchange its unmanned aerial vehicles with Russian Su-35 multipurpose fighters in a barter deal, Xinhua news agencxy reported.

With the new deaths, a total of 174 civilians have been killed in 2022 by explosions of landmines and other ordnance left uncovered in previous war zones across Syria, Xinhua news agency quoted the monitor as saying. In June, the UN said explosive ordnance contamination represents a major protection concern, with one in two Syrians estimated to be living in contaminated areas.

A new beginning for Turkey-Israel relations

By Asad Mirza The reset of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel may result in some new paradigm shifts at the regional level besides helping both to focus more on bilateral economic gains. Recently there have been indications both from Israel and Turkey that the leadership in those countries was mulling a reset in their bilateral ties. In Israel’s case it was one more step in the direction of regional rapprochement, while for Turkey it is basically aimed at tackling and furthering its economic woes and regional interests. The announcement by the two countries on August 17 that they’ll exchange ambassadors and normalise bilateral diplomatic relations, follows re-tuning of Turkish diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It seems as if the Turkish leadership has realised that its priority should be to focus more on the internal and nearer home issues such as the country’s economic woes, Kurdish problem and its relations with Cyprus and Greece. Better regional ties will give it more time and energy to focus on tackling the country’s economic woes and expectations of the electorate. The relations between the two countries soured in 2018 when Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador from Ankara, after the killing of 60 Palestinians in Gaza during protests against former US President Donald Trump’s decision to relocate the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In fact, the Turkish support to the Palestinian groups, particularly the Hamas and its objection to the Israeli annexation of territories in and around the Gaza Strip has been the bone of contention between the two. The thaw in ties comes after more than 10 years of tensions. A visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March, followed by visits of two countries’ foreign ministers, helped warm relations. Turkey’s compulsions President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have realised the futility of Turkey’s hostile policies and stand against Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This stance has made Turkey isolated in the region besides being economically unviable for it. One of the basic reasons for Turkiye’s animosity against other so-called Islamic countries is the contest for claiming the title of the Leader of the Islamic World. This has resulted in Turkiye blaming the successive Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and UAE governments as the main source of adopting postures against its claim to the Islamic world’s leadership and making it a pariah state in the region. Historically it was Turkey, which maintained the Two Holiest Shrines of the Muslim world in Saudi Arabia, before oil was discovered in the Kingdom, which changed its fortunes forever. This newfound wealth led Saudi monarchs to lay claim to being the leader of the Islamic world. Obviously Turkiye tried to resist this change but the fall of the Ottoman empire led it to modify its stand on several issues related to the Muslim Ummah. In addition Turkiye blamed these governments and their policies as responsible for heightening the regional stability for their own selfish interests. In return these states blamed Turkiye for adopting such postures and policies, which led to friction in the region and amongst so called Islamic states. As retaliation these countries have bettered relations with both Cyprus and Greece, Turkey’s arch foes in the Mediterranean. While at the same time Turkey has improved ties with Qatar, a country which was made an outcast in the Gulf region in 2017 when UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed an economic blockade against it. In addition before facing the electorate next year, Erdogan has shaken hands with Israel in the hope that it may change Turkey’s economic condition with increased economic exchange with Israel, translating into improved economic climate for Turkish citizens. Israel’s game plan Recently, Israel has sought to reset its ties with regional countries both Arab and non-Arab. It considers Turkey to be an important factor both regionally and in Gaza also, as Hamas has opened up an office in Istanbul and for the last 10 years it has been operating from Turkey, in addition Israeli authorities feel that closer ties with Turkey will allow it to efficiently conduct intelligence monitoring of Iran. In addition, Israel feels that if it wants to sell its natural gas to Europe, which was found near its coast in 2010, then the most economically viable route will be through Turkey. It could be a win-win situation for both if they are able to thrash out any future plan for cutting off Russian gas supply to Europe, both diplomatically and financially in the long run. During the hostile period with Turkey, Israel had come closer to both, Cyprus and Greece. This resulted in increased economic, security and people to people contacts between them. Both countries enjoyed influx of Israeli tourists, who abandoned the Turkey’s coasts. Israel also initiated military cooperation with them and has also been training Greek and Cypriot military forces. Now Israel will have to balance the geostrategic and potential economic benefits of cooperation with Turkey with Jerusalem’s well-developed ties with Athens and Nicosia. Israeli President Herzog, who played a key role in the Israel-Turkey rapprochement, has given assurances to both Cyprus and Greece that Israel’s new found friendship with Turkey will have no bearing on its existing relationship with Cyprus and Greece. All in all, one can presume that the present situation points to a scenario where diplomatic, political and security ties may remain cold, as the real target for both the countries is to give a boost to their economic ties. Israel is also aware that Turkey may continue to play the Palestinian card to placate its internal audience. Over all this odd marriage of convenience might be able to counter other regional alliances and axis’s of power, and both would try to maximise their returns either independently or bilaterally, based on the given situation.

China is using commerce to conquer Gilgit-Baltistan

By Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza The Great-Game as we know it today began around early 1800s when in 1801 Russian Tsar Paul I sent Napoleon Bonaparte a secret letter proposing a joint invasion of British India. Considering the expedition too ambitious, Napoleon turned down the offer. However, Russian attempts to conquer India did not end there. Due to the strategic location of both Iran and Afghanistan as the gateway to British India, they were dragged into the Great-Game. In 1801, Russia annexed the Kingdom of Georgia and the Persians saw it as a direct invasion of their regional sphere of influence in Central Asia. Three years later, Russia continued with its imperial expansion and laid siege to Yerevan (the capital of Armenia). This military maneuver drew Iran into an alliance with the British. Fast forward to 1979 when troops of the former Soviet Union entered Kabul to protect the communist government which was faced with an insurgency supported by the US, British and their western allies as well as China. For the next 10 years, Pakistan became the frontline state among the contending players of the Great-Game. Finally, in 1989 the Soviet troops were forced to withdraw ushering a period of civil war and uncertainty that continues to this day. Flashback to the 1800s when Russia began to build trading posts all across Central Asia as a means of using commerce to conquer the independent kingdoms of Central Asia. Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough, served as a member of the British Cabinet and was appointed president of the Board of Control for India in 1828 and later as governor general of India between 1842 and 1844. He observed the Russian expansion toward India very closely and reported that Russia was using commerce as a means to conquer central Asian republics by setting up trading posts. Today, the China-PakistanEconomic-Corridor (CPEC) which is part of a greater China’s Belt and Road Initiative should be seen as a vial economic expansionist program initiated to conquer a key geographical location on the cusp of Central Asia, India and China namely Pakistan occupied GilgitBaltistan (PoGB). Sold to the people of PoGB as a landmark project to uplift the lives and infrastructure of the poverty stricken people of PoGB CPEC has in fact deepened their colonial subjugation. Considering China’s ambition to extend CPEC right down to the deep sea port of Gwadar in Balochistan, the project is in actuality an illegal economic encroachment on a territory that is part of Jammu Kashmir and therefore of India. Thirty-seven special economic zones (SEZs) are to be established along the route of CPEC in Pakistan. Nine are to be established on priority basis in all the provinces including PoGB. Moqpondass Special Economic Zone is one such SEZ being built in PoGB. The other is being built in my city and is called Mirpur Industrial Zone. These economic zones are to be linked together right up to the port of Gwadar. Moqpondass SEZ borders with Afghanistan to the North, China to the Northeast and PoJK to the South. No wonder PoGB is referred to as “the life line of CPEC”. Moqpondass is rich in precious stones and all the mining contracts in the region are already being pouched by China or their sponsored private contractors. This has caused displacement of thousands of residents and resulted in wave after wave of protests in PoGB. As promised earlier GilgitBaltistan has not been made a stake holder in CPEC. The 1.8 million jobs promised to be generated by CPEC for PoGB never materialised and China sent thousands of its own workers instead to work on CPEC projects in the region. As the Great-Game enters a new era with Chinese imperialist expansion and India taking her place as world’s fifth largest economy the old strategy of using commerce to conquer has come alive again. Manoj Gupta, group editor of security affairs at CNN-News 18 reported on June 15, 2022, that China has asked Pakistan for permission to setup military outposts in Balochistan for CPEC security. Soon we might witness Chinese military outposts in GilgitBaltistan in the name of providing security to Chinese personal working on CPEC projects. How the new players in the Great-Game will manifest their manoeuvres only time can tell but till then PoGB seems to have become the first fatality of Chinese policy of using commerce to conquer. ( is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)

Cricket Australia appoint first-ever independent ethics commissioner

Melbourne, Sep 6: In a first, Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday appointed Simon Longstaff as an independent ethics commissioner, who will advise the national sport’s governing body on matters that might arise, “including but not limited to administration, governance, transparency and on or off-field behaviour”. Longstaff will have direct access to the CA chairman and board to advice on ethical matters, according to a statement issued by Cricket Australia. Longstaff is not new to the role as he led the independent organisational review into Australian cricket in 2018 as executive director of The Ethics Centre. Australian cricket was in the midst of a massive ethical crisis in 2018 when three of its players, including the-then Test skipper Steve Smith, his then deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, were allegedly involved in ball-tampering during the Test series in South Africa. The trio was banned for varying periods not exceeding a year in the wake of the scandal, which also came to be known as ‘Sandpaper-gate’. “CA has actioned the majority of recommendations of this report and Dr Longstaff’s pivotal role in the review makes him an ideal candidate to take up this position. The Ethics Commissioner role will work collaboratively with the CA Board, State and Territory Associations and the Australian Cricketers’ Association,” said the CA statement. “The creation of the role of CA Ethics Commissioner, and Dr Longstaff’s appointment, are significant steps for Australian cricket,” said CA Chair Lachlan Henderson. “Not only have we embraced the key recommendations of The Ethics Centre Review, this initiative will help to ensure the best process to review ethical issues in cricket that might arise in the future. “The CA Board and our State and Territory colleagues are committed to improving governance structures in cricket and the Ethics Commissioner will provide a vital reference point for issues that impact CA and the game more broadly. “Having led the 2018 review, Dr Longstaff has a detailed understanding of the challenges the game has faced and the progress that has been made in recent times. We look forward to working with him for the betterment of cricket,” he added. Longstaff had become the first exdcutive Director of The Ethics Centre in 1991 and has experience in providing advice on ethics to professional organisations. In 2013 he was awarded the Order of Australia for “distinguished service to the community through the promotion of ethical standards in governance and business, to improving corporate responsibility, and to philosophy.”

Formula 1: Verstappen wins Dutch Grand Prix; Russell, Leclerc finish on podium

Zandvoort (the Netherlands), Sep 4: Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix dramatically, quelling a strong late showing by the Mercedes’ George Russell and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari on Sunday. With the virtual Safety Car in force, Verstappen took a second pit stop on lap 48 with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes in the second position and Russell third. However, Hamilton’s hopes were dashed as the Safety Car was deployed on lap 55. The seven-time champion stayed out on mediums to inherit the lead while Verstappen came in for soft tyres, followed by Russell and Leclerc, for the restart on Lap 61. In that restart, Verstappen swept past the Mercedes for the lead, with Russell and Leclerc following suit to pry Hamilton away from the podium. Hamilton ended up fourth as Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez who was handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in a pit stop -- battled late on for P5. That allowed Alonso and Norris to close in too, and when the penalty kicked in Sainz was dropped to eighth, promoting Perez to fifth, Alonso to sixth, and Norris to seventh. With this win, Verstappen moved to 310 points with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari on 201 while Sergio Perez of Red Bull also at 201 points. Esteban Ocon finished ninth, just ahead of Lance Stroll - who started and finished 10th for Aston Martin. Pierre Gasly missed out on the points in P11 for AlphaTauri while Alex Albon finished 12th from 15th on the grid. Sebastian Vettel started 19th and finished 14th, losing out to Mick Schumacher -- who lost out due to a pair of slow pit stops. Kevin Magnussen hit the barriers on Lap 2 but continued to finish 15th, behind his Haas teammate. Daniel Ricciardo pitted first out of the pack and couldn’t make up ground, finishing 17th for McLaren behind Zhou Guanyu, who served a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Valtteri Bottas was classified 19th for Alfa Romeo, his car stopping on track to bring out the late Safety Car. Yuki Tsunoda stopped on track on Lap 48 after reporting a driveshaft issue, the AlphaTauri driver having previously reported that his tyres were incorrectly fitted before a lengthy pit stop.

Maxwell takes a stunning catch to send Guptill packing as video goes viral

Cairns, Sep 6: Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s stunning catch to dismiss Martin Guptill in the first One-day International at the Cazaly’s Stadium here on Tuesday has once again cemented his credentials as one of the best fielders in world cricket. The limited-overs specialist took a stunner of a catch in the fifth over bowled by pace bowler Mitchell Starc, as he dived to his left to latch on to a dipping ball to get rid of dangerous opener Guptill for just six runs. The video posted by Cricket Australia has since gone viral. Maxwell just took off from his fielding position at backward point to take a one-handed pluck from thin air. Starc bowled a fuller delivery angling away on off, and Guptill, looking to push it, got a thick outside edge, with the ball flying to the left of backward point. Maxwell jumped to his left to pull off a screamer with his outstretched hand. Earlier, Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to field in the first of the threematch ODI series. The first over was an exciting one, with Guptill scoring six runs off the first two balls off Starc. He was adjudged LBW at the end of the over but took a successful review to survive. However, Starc snared Guptill in the fifth over, thanks largely to Maxwell’s terrific effort at backward point. Australia looked set to restrict the visitors to a sub-250 total with New Zealand reeling at 195/6 in 44.5 overs with James Neesham and Mitchell Santner at the crease. Maxwell also looked set to emerge as the most successful bowler for the hosts, taking four wickets for 42 runs in nine overs.

Asia Cup 2022: Rizwan, Nawaz star in Pakistan’s thrilling 5-wicket victory over India

Dubai, Sep 5: For the second time in a week, an India-Pakistan match went down the wire. For the second time in Asia Cup 2022, the outcome of an IndiaPakistan match was decided in the final over. But this time, Pakistan were on the winning side, defeating India by five wickets, with a ball to spare in the second Super Four stage match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. In a match, where fortunes swung wildly, left-arm spin all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz played a decisive role. With his four overs, Nawaz conceded just 25 runs and took out Suryakumar Yadav in a tight spell which applied brakes on India’s innings after Rohit

New York, Sep 6: Spanish stalwart Rafael Nadal was sent packing from the US Open on Tuesday (IST) with Frances Tiafoe accounting for the 36-year-old winner of 22 singles Grand Slam titles, as the Sharma and K.L Rahul came out all guns blazing in a 54-run opening stand. Reverting back to their aggressive attacking approach, Virat Kohli top-scored with 60 off 44 balls, hitting four fours and a six, while running hard between the wickets and was superb against pacers in an innings even as others hit boundaries and fell in a bid to go big. Chasing a competitive 181/7, Mohammad Rizwan anchored the chase with a 51-ball 71. But the game turner was Nawaz’s promotion to four, striking 42 off 20 balls, including six fours and two sixes, giving a much-needed impetus to Pakistan’s chase. With 26 runs needed from the last two overs, Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali took 19 runs off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over. Arshdeep Singh, who dropped Ali for duck an over earlier, got the equation to two runs off two balls. But Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the match in Pakistan’s favour with a ball to spare. Sharma and Rahul gave India a rollicking start by hitting eight boundaries to get the team fifty in 4.2 overs. Haris Rauf broke the opening stand in the final over of the powerplay, as Sharma mishit a slower ball to point. India’s second wicket fell on the very first ball post-powerplay as Rahul holed out to long-on off Shadab. Kohli began by getting two fours to continue India’s high-risk approach. But he ran out of partners from the other end as Nawaz struck in the tenth over, having Suryakumar Yadav slog-sweeping straight to backward square leg. With Nawaz keeping things tight, Kohli took to taking fours off Shah and Hasnain through pulls and drives. But Rishabh Pant, after hitting two fours, reverse-swept straight to backward point off leggie Shadab Khan. In the next over, Hardik Pandya punched a cross-seam ball from Mohammad Hasnain straight to a forward diving short mid-wicket to depart for a two-ball duck. Deepak Hooda’s first four was driven firmly through the gap between mid-off and extra cover off Rauf. He then arched back to ramp a bouncer from Hasnain over the keeper’s head. Kohli got his fifty in 36 balls with some style, whipping Hasnain over deep mid-wicket for six. The last two overs didn’t bring a glorious finish for India as Hooda skied high to long-on off Shah while Kohli fell inches short of his crease while trying to complete the second run. But misfields in the deep on the last two balls gave India back-toback fours, taking the total above 180. In defence of 181, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck in his first over as Babar Azam chipped straight to mid-wicket. Rizwan didn’t let the tempo down, taking two fours off Pandya’s first over and then whipping Arshdeep superbly off his wrists over a backward square leg. Post power-play, India kept things tight by keeping Fakhar Zaman under check. They were rewarded when an under-pressure Zaman holed out straight to long-on off Yuzvendra Chahal. Nawaz, promoted to four, began by cutting Chahal past short third man for four. He then clobbered Pandya over long-on for a much-needed six. While Rizwan slog-swept Chahal for six over mid-wicket, Nawaz also nailed the same shot off Bishnoi. Rizwan, who was once at 13 off 14, got his fifty in 37 balls while Nawaz hammered Arshdeep down the ground and slammed fours off Pandya throu’h cover and over the keeper’s head to keep Pakistan in the match. Nawaz then capitalised on Chahal’s loose deliveries by placing fours through leg-side, before Rizwan cut through backward point to pick the third four in a 16-run 15th over. Bhuvneshwar broke the 73-run stand in the 16th over by having the dangerous Nawaz give a comfortable catch to long-off on an off-cutter. Pandya’s strategy to bowl outside off worked when Rizwan lofted a slower ball straight to long-off. Ali survived a tight caught behind call off Bishnoi in the 18th over and got a reprieve on the very next ball as Arshdeep dropped a sitter at short third man. With the equation at 26 off 12 balls, Ali, Shah and Ahmed managed to complete a terrific chase for Pakistan. Brief Scores: India 181/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 60, Rohit Sharma 28; Shadab Khan 2/31, Mohammad Nawaz 1/25) lost to Pakistan 182/5 in 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 71, Mohammad Nawaz 42; Ravi Bishnoi 1/26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/40) by five wickets

Tiafoe beats Nadal to secure quarters berth; crashes Spaniard’s dream of fifth US Open crown

American secured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win and a place in the quarterfinals in New York. This will be 24-year-old Tiafoe’s second Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance after his 2019 run at the Australian Open. Tiafoe has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals in majors. The strongly-built Tiafoe played fearless tennis throughout the three-hour, 31-minute contest inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his third top-5 victory. He hammered the ball off both wings to become the first American man to reach the last-eight at Flushing Meadows since John Isner in 2018. He has also become the youngest to accomplish the feat since Andy Roddick in 2006. “I’m beyond happy, almost in tears, I can’t believe it,” Tiafoe was quoted as saying by ATP after the match. “I played unbelievable tennis today. I really don’t know what happened.” Tiafoe had not won a set against Nadal in his previous two clashes with the Spanish great. However, he struck 49 winners to turn the game on its head, gaining revenge for his quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open in 2019. “At 4-3 (in the fourth set), when I went up 40/0, my legs were like cement,” Tiafoe said. “I just needed to get out of the game and then pray to god that I don’t have to serve for it. I was lucky enough to get out of that game. I came out not giving Rafa all the respect. I came out to win a tennis match if front of you guys.” Toafoe, seeded 22nd, will next play Andrey Rublev after the ninth seed Russian defeated Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Nadal was chasing his fifth US Open crown. He is currently No. 1 in the ATP Live Rankings. However, Nadal’s loss has opened the door for compatriot Carlos Alcaraz and Norway’s Casper Ruud to emerge as the new No. 1. “When I first came on the scene I felt like a lot of people had a lot of expectations on me on how I would do,” Tiafoe said. “I wasn’t ready for it mentally. I wasn’t mature enough for it. These past couple of years, when the tension hasn’t been on me I have been able to develop. I have a great team behind me. I am just putting my head down and I am happy with where I am in life in general. I am able to do me and do it my way and enjoy the game I love.” For the record, Tiafoe’s win against the Spaniard is the biggest by an American man at the US Open since James Blake defeated the-then world No. 2 Spaniard in the third round in 2005.

Lee Yoo-Mi predicts she’d die early playing ‘Squid Game’ in real life

‘Squid Game’ star Lee Yoo-Mi is a newly minted Emmy winner after scoring the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the Creative Arts Emmys. And while celebrating the accolade backstage, she pondered how far she’d get if she

Kanye West names his favourite Beyonce song

Rapper Kanye West has named his “favourite song” on Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’. The track ‘Church Girl’ on the ‘Halo’ hitmaker’s latest LP was among the favourite tune shared by the rap legend to his 17 million Instagram followers, reports aceshowbiz.com. “Favourite song on Beyonce album,” he captioned a screenshot of the song on a streaming service. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker previously appeared alongside

the former Destiny’s Child star and her rapper husband Jay-Z on 2011’s ‘Lift Off’. The 45-year-old star also hailed DJ Khaled’s star-studded ‘God Did’ joint “song of the year” with his own track ‘Wait 4 U’ with Drake and Future. He wrote” “Song of the year next to Wait For You.” The track features Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy. The praise comes after John spoke of the “strain” placed on his relationship with Kanye, who legally changed his name to Ye, over their differing political views. Elsewhere, Ye dubbed WizKid’s ‘Essense’, featuring Justin Bieber and Tems, the “best song in the history of music to date”. The ‘Good Morning’ star has been very vocal on social media over the past few days. He also lashed out at the “crazy” people who don’t understand him. Kanye shared a message on Instagram, insisting he “won’t back down” from his strong opinions on his children’s schooling or his businesses, just days after he posted and deleted Leo DiCaprio seen partying with 22-Year-old Russian model amid split reports

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has been seen going out with another woman before news of his split from Camila Morrone surfaced online. In July, the ‘Titanic’ actor was spotted partying with a 22-yearold Russian model, reports aceshowbiz.com. Daily Mail identified that the brunette was model Maria Beregova. In July, the 47-year-old actor, who reportedly prefers to date under 25-year-old women, was caught having fun with Maria during a yacht party in St. Tropez. The site reported that Maria jetted off to the south of France after splitting with her 30-yearold husband, Ahmed Masoud Abdelhafid. Maria and Leonardo then were spotted boarding a luxury yacht together. In photos obtained by the news site, Maria looked glamorous in a skimpy black mini dress. As for the ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ star, he rocked an unbuttoned navy blue shirt, black pants and black baseball cap. People reported that there’s no more Leonardo and Morrone. ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ actor and the 25-year-old model reportedly started dating in 2017. While they were notoriously private about their romance, a source told People in 2019 that the pair were “pretty serious” played the game herself. “I think I’ll probably die at Red Light, Green Light,” she said backstage at the Creative Arts Emmys with a giggle. Although she doubts she’d make it very far in the game, her star power continues to grow in Hollywood - and she’s not taking that responsibility lightly, reports deadline.com. “Holding it now feels very heavy and it almost feels like a sense of heavy responsibility that I have as an actress. I want to be able to do more with it moving forward,” she said of her Emmy win. While she’s happy to talk about the future as far as her career goes, she’s much more mum as to whether or not her character Ji-yeong could return from the dead for Season 2 of the Netflix hit. “Season 2 is still a secret. But I think once you watch it, you’ll find out,” she teased. ‘Squid Game’ won five Creative Emmys on Sunday including Lee’s win alongside Outstanding Special Video Effects, Outstanding Stunt Performance and Outstanding Production Design.

a string of messages about his former wife Kim Kardashian and her family. He wrote: “Here is the through line. Gap having meetings about me without me adidas releasing old shoes and colouring my shoes like I’m dead me not having a say on where my children go to school. “Call me whatever names you want. If you don’t understand why I won’t back down on my businesses my brands and my children then you’re the ones who are crazy.” The message came after Kanye posted a series of messages online which appeared to be part of a disagreement with Kim over where to send their four children to school with Kanye suggesting he wanted the kids to attend the institution he founded, the Donda Academy. In one of the notes posted online, Kanye wrote: “It’s not up to Calabasas or Hulu where my kids go to school I’m not the crazy one here It’s up. I won’t stop until I have a say so on my kids no matter what it legally takes.”

about each other. Since the breakup reports circulated online, the actor has been hit with criticism, with many pointing out that they predicted the actor would end his relationship with Morrone due to her age. “There’s no phenomenon on this planet more reliable than Leonardo Dicaprio breaking up with his girl by age 25, the stats are breathtaking,” one person tweeted. A third joked: “Leonardo DiCaprio is actually dating all the under-25s he possibly can to spread the word about climate change to those who will be the most impacted.” “Happy Birthday sweetie!!! It’s time for us to break up,” another Twitter user quipped. Another jokingly posted: “Titanic turns 25 this year at which point I assume leonardo dicaprio will no longer want to be in it.”

Jennifer Aniston teases ‘something’s coming’ with shower picture

Actress Jennifer Aniston teased her fans that “something’s coming” with a nude shower picture. The 53-year-old actress, who is known for her long shiny hair, promoted an exciting addition to her LolaVie hair care line. With her back to the camera, she stood naked in the shower as water and shampoo foam streamed down over her body, reports aceshowbiz.com. The ‘We’re the Millers’ star wrote in the caption: “Something’s coming 9.8.22,” adding a shower emoji. In the comment section, many praised and gave Jennifer support. “Aww mama, very happy for your achievement with this new step #LolaLove (heart emoji) CONTINUE TO SHINEEE!” one person wrote. Another penned, “I’m sooooo excited!!!!” A third said: “The best hair products and our best girl yeahh

this team #LolaLove rocks.” Aniston, who has nearly 41 million followers on Instagram, once resisted social media for so long. Seemingly knowing how to play the social media game, she then set a record for the fastest Instagram account to reach one million followers in 2019. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last December, Jennifer insisted that she understands the power the platforms bring to the entertainment industry, noting the tabloids are out but “now you’ve got social media”. “It’s almost like the media handed over the sword to any Joe Schmo sitting behind a computer screen to be a troll or whatever they call them and bully people in comment sections,” so said ‘The Morning Show’ star. “So it’s just sort of changed hands in a way. And I don’t know why there’s such a cruel streak in society.” Timothee Chalamet says it’s tough be alive in the age of social media

Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet is not a fan of social media. The Academy Award nominee, 26, recently got candid about feeling “intensely judged” due to the pressures of the platforms, as he spoke to reporters at the Venice Film Festival, reports People magazine. He went so far as to say social media may lead to an imminent “societal collapse”. “To be young now, and to be young whenever -- I can only speak for my generation -- is to be intensely judged,” he said, according to E! News. He was also quoted by ‘People’ as saying: “I can’t imagine what it is to grow up without the onslaught of social media. And it was a relief to play characters who are wrestling with an internal dilemma absent the ability to go on Reddit or Twitter, Instagram or TikTok and figure out where they fit in.” According to ‘People’, he then broached the topic while discussing his new movie �Bones & All’, which is set during the 1980s, long before the virtual dominance of social media. “Without casting judgement on that, you can find your tribe there, but I think it’s tough to be alive now,” Chalamet continued. “I think societal collapse is in the air -- or it smells like it -- and, without being pretentious, that’s why hopefully movies matter, because that’s the role of the artist� to shine a light on what’s going on.”

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ passes ‘Black Panther’ as 5th-highest grossing movie ever in North America

Tom Cruise-starrer ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has crossed $700 million in North America, becoming one of six movies to ever surpass that milestone at the domestic box office. The film returned to the top of box office charts over Labor Day weekend, adding $7.9 million between Friday and Monday and bringing ticket sales to $701 million. According to Paramount, ‘Maverick’ is the only film to ever be No. 1 at the domestic box office for both Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays, reports ‘Variety’. After 15 weeks of release, the sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 blockbuster has overtaken Marvel’s behemoth ‘Black Panther’ as the fifth-highest grossing movie in domestic box office history. Impressively, the ‘Top Gun’ follow-up has long flown past ‘Black Panther’ internationally and globally. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell’s latest mission has racked up $740 million overseas and $1.44 billion worldwide, while T’Challa’s super-heroic adventure tapped out with $674 million overseas and $1.347 billion worldwide. “It’s without a doubt, that ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a true cultural touchstone embodying the power of the cinematic experience,” said Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. “As we celebrate this enormous achievement and the film’s massive impact, we want to extend our gratitude to Tom Cruise, our filmmakers and cast, Paramount’s marketing and distribution teams, and the legions of both new and longtime ‘Top Gun’ fans who keep turning out to enjoy this remarkable movie.” In North America, the next highest-grossing movie is ‘Avatar’ with $760 million, so ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ rapid ascent on box office charts looks to stop at No. 5, at least, for now. Globally, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

The Venice Film Festival blocked a journalist from asking a question about Shia LaBeouf at a press conference for Olivia Wilde’s ‘Dont Worry Darling’ on Monday. LaBeouf was set to star in ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, but he exited the project in the fall of 2020 and was replaced by Harry Styles. The back and forth between Wilde and Styles about what exactly happened next has been making headlines prior to the film’s Venice world premiere, reports ‘Variety’. After Wilde had told Variety in a cover story that LaBeouf’s process “was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions,” the actor denied that he was fired, saying that he “quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time.” When a journalist began asking a question about LaBeouf on Monday at the press conference, stands as the 12th-biggest movie, but it’s fast approaching 11th place, which currently belongs to Disney’s ‘Frozen II’ with $1.450 billion. For the nation’s beleaguered theatre owners, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has been the gift that keeps on giving. Unlike most of today’s blockbusters, which earn the bulk of their revenue during opening weekend, the follow-up to ‘Top Gun’ has remained a powerful box office draw throughout the entire summer. It has been in the top five on domestic box office charts for 14 of its 15 weeks of release, a fact that underscores the film’s endurance as other tentpoles, like ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, came and went in theatres. To Hollywood executives, the unexpected success of Paramount and Skydance’s action-packed sequel signals that audiences young and old will venture to cinemas for a movie that doesn’t involve superheroes, so long as therea�s a compelling story to be told. Given the 36 years that separated the original from Cruise’s return to the cockpit, the triumph of ‘Maverick’ was far from a forgone conclusion. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has cemented plenty of box office records since Memorial Day weekend, when the film set a holiday record with its $160.5 million debut. It also became Cruise’s first movie to surpass $100 million in a single weekend, as well as his first to cross $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Cruise is getting well compensated for reviving the movie theatre industry. By the time ‘Maverick’ leaves theatres and ends up on Paramount Plus, the stunt extraordinaire is expected to pocket at least $100 million from ticket sales, his salary, home entertainment rentals, and streaming revenue. Joseph Kosinski directed ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, which centres on the exploits of Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell as prepares a new group of aviators for a crucial strike mission and, in the process, feels the need for speed. He’s joined on-screen by Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer.

a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us. If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?” Pugh didn’t attend the press conference for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’. The festival said that the actor’s flight to Venice from Budapest, Hungary - where she is currently on the set of the ‘Dune’ sequel - was arriving only after the press conference, giving her time to walk the red carpet, but not to speak to media. Wilde was joined at the Monday afternoon press conference by her cast members Harry Styles, Gemma Chan and Chris Pine.

Venice Film Festival blocks question for Olivia Wilde about Shia LaBeouf

the moderator shut him down saying that the question had already been answered because “it’s on the Internet.” But that wasn’t the case. Before being asked about LaBeouf, Wilde had answered a question about alleged tensions between her and the film’s star Florence Pugh. Wilde dodged that question, saying: “As for all the endless tabloid gossip out there, the Internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently self-nourished.” In an e-mail to Variety, where LaBeouf denied that he was fired, he included a video that Wilde allegedly sent him on August 19, 2020, two days after he claimed he quit. “I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” Wilde says in the video. “You know, I think this might be

Chris Rock calls out Will Smith at latest stand-up gig

During a gig with fellow standup Dave Chappelle at Liverpool’s M and S Arena on the first night of their joint multi-date tour, the comic, 57, finally shared his extensive feelings about being slapped by the 53-year-old actor at this year’s Oscars, reports aceshowbiz.com. “Did that s*** hurt?” Chappelle, asked Rock in front of the crowd, prompting Chris to exclaim, “Goddam right... the mother***** hit me over a bulls*** joke - the nicest joke I ever told. Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us.” “Whatever the consequences are... I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men.” Rock also took aim at Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, during the show by mocking her complaints about life and the royal family. Smith stormed the stage at the Academy Awards in March and whacked Chris after the comic compared the ‘Seven Pounds’ actor’s wife’s shaven head to actress Demi Moore’s buzzcut in the 1997 film ‘G.I. Jane’. The actor then twice howled at Chris from his seat in front of stunned A-listers and while watched by millions of film fans around the world, “Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth.” Dumfounded Rock said after the slap, “Will Smith just slapped the s*** out of me. Oh, I could go...” while looking into the stage wings, and then saying, “That was the greatest night in the history of television.” It was later highlighted that Will’s wife of 25 years Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, had shaved her head as she has alopecia. Will issued a grovelling apology in on online video earlier this month and has admitted that Chris has not responded to his attempts to reach out. He said: “I will say to you, Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”