Paris: Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has created history as he won the Ballon d'Or award for a record-extending seventh time late on Monday night.    

Argentine football great Lionel Messi defeated Robert Lewandowski of Polish (Bayern Munich Club) and Georginho (Chelsea) of Italy for this annual award for the best player in the world of football. 

By winning the award, Messi has gone several miles ahead of Portugal’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of winning the most Ballons d’Or. 

The 34-year-old Messi now has 7 awards to his name, while 36-year-old Ronaldo has won this honor 5 times. 

Besides this, the star footballer claimed a maiden Copa America title with his country this year and was top scorer in La Liga for the 2020-21 season with 30 goals.

Messi ​​won the Best Player of the Year award for the first time in 2009. He won this title in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and now in 2021. 

Messi joined PSG on a free transfer from Barcelona during the off-season and collected 613 points to finish ahead of Lewandowski (580) and Chelsea's Italy midfielder Jorginho (460) at a star-studded ceremony in Paris. 

For the unversed, Messi and Ronaldo have won this award a total of 12 times since 2008. Thus, both players are dominating the world of football.

Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded since 1956.

Lahore: The University of Law (ULaw) and Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA Pakistan) on Monday signed a partnership agreement to provide academic options to the members of ICMA Pakistan to study masters degrees awarded by ULaw.

A ceremony was held at ICMA Lahore Office where the agreement was signed and attended by senior officials from both organisations.

As a result of this agreement, ICMA Pakistan’s Associates and Members will be given access to highly specialised masters degrees in Global Accounting and Financial Management at The University of Law at preferential rates.

Students will be able to study these qualifications online whilst pursuing their employment or at one of the 12 teaching locations in the UK and Germany.

Addressing the ceremony, Professor Crisp said: “We are excited about this collaboration in Pakistan. ICMA Pakistan is an organisation of great importance and its members play a pivotal role in the economic development of Pakistan. The University of Law Business School will not just support this agreement but also work closely with ICMA Pakistan to support the employability agenda”

Zia Ul Mustafa Awan speaking on the occasionb said:  “This is our first academic partnership with a top tier University in Great Britain. This partnership is a testament of great work my team is doing to elevate not just the finance profession and ICMA Pakistan but also the profile of our beloved country. “

Present at this event were Professor Peter Crisp, Deputy Vice Chancellor Law, Zia Ul Mustafa Awan, President ICMA Pakistan; Dr Andres Perez, Director Business School, The University of Law; Faisal Azeem, Managing Director - Pakistan, Global University Systems; Kelvin Jones, Director of International, Global University Systems; Sabahat Khan, Chief Operating Officer - Pakistan, Global University Systems and Aamir Ejaz Khan, Executive Director, ICMA Pakistan and senior members of ICMA Pakistan Council. 

Islamabad: Welcoming  Saudi Arabia's move to request an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed on Monday announced that Pakistan had offered to host the meeting in Islamabad on December 17.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), Qureshi said Pakistan "fully endorses" the initiative taken by Saudi Arabia and expressed confidence that other OIC members would also back the proposal.

Saudi Arabia, which is the chair of the OIC summit, made the call for the extraordinary session the same day, according to state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The agency reported that the meeting had been called to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and "pathways for an urgent humanitarian response", acknowledging Pakistan's offer to host the summit.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15, the country — already struggling with drought and severe poverty after decades of war — has seen its economy all but collapse, raising the spectre of an exodus of refugees.

According to the FO's statement, Qureshi, too, highlighted the need for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan in these difficult times.

"Afghanistan is a founding member of the OIC. As part of the Islamic Ummah, we are bound by fraternal bonds of amity and brotherhood with the people of Afghanistan," he said, stressing that "today, our Afghan brothers and sisters need us more than ever before."

Describing the situation in the warn-torn country, he said Afghanistan currently "faces a serious humanitarian situation — millions of Afghans, including women and children, confront an uncertain future due to [the] shortage of food, medicines, and other essential life supplies".

And the advent of winter had exacerbated this humanitarian crisis, the foreign minister added.​He emphasised the need for the OIC to "step in to help our Afghan brethren".

"We should step up our collective efforts to alleviate the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, provide immediate and sustained support to them, and continue to remain engaged with them for the wellbeing and prosperity of Afghanistan."

According to the FO, the first extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Islamabad in January 1980, also on the then situation in Afghanistan.

"Next month, we would, once again, gather in Islamabad, to reaffirm our abiding solidarity with and support to the Afghan people," it quoted Qureshi as saying.

The foreign minister added that he was confident about the meeting considering "concrete steps to help address the humanitarian and economic challenges facing Afghanistan," and that he looked forward to welcoming his fellow foreign ministers from OIC member states to Islamabad.