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Fatima Sana Shaikh Shuts Down Dating Rumors With Vijay Varma

Bollywood actress Fatima Sana Shaikh recently found herself in the middle of dating rumors with actor Vijay Varma. The gossip started when a video surfaced online showing the two exiting a Mumbai restaurant.  The brief clip had them laughing and exchanging a warm hug before going their separate ways in different cars. A single kind gesture was all it took to create a buzz on social media and Bollywood tittle-tattle circles. Fans and tabloids at once started speculating, “Are they dating?” “Is Vijay dumping Tamannaah?” “Is Fatima dropping a hint?” But it seems like we all jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly. On June 26, at the trailer launch event for her Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi, Fatima addressed the rumors directly. When a reporter casually asked her about her love life, she laughed and replied: “There is no one in my life. There are no good guys out there. They exist only in movies.” With this witty, honest reply, Fatima put a full stop to all the speculation, without any drama or denial games. It was the kind of answer that instantly went viral. Many fans appreciated how openly she spoke without sugarcoating things. Fatima didn’t just stop at denying the rumors. She also shared some mature thoughts about relationships and love: “Love should be equal. Both people should respect each other and listen to one another. Only then is it a healthy relationship.” She added that it’s important for both partners to put in effort and be honest with each other. She hinted that she hasn’t come across someone like that in real life, at least not yet. Her views felt real and relatable, especially in a time when so many Bollywood relationships are filled with drama, PR stunts, and break-up headlines. This wasn’t the first time Fatima and Vijay Varma have been spotted together. Earlier this year, they were seen at the special screening of Umrao Jaan, where they even posed for pictures together. Fatima later posted those pictures on Instagram, which only added to the buzz. Plus, the two are working together on a film called Gustaakh Ishq (previously titled Ul Jalool Ishq), which recently wrapped up shooting. So it’s not surprising that they’ve been spending time together off-screen as well. But now, with Fatima’s bold statement, it seems clear that whatever chemistry fans thought they saw is just professional and friendly. Adding a twist to the story, fans noticed that Tamannaah Bhatia, who was reportedly dating Vijay Varma, posted a cryptic Instagram story around the same time the hug video of Fatima and Vijay went viral. Her post said something about “trust” and “knowing your worth.” While she didn’t mention anyone by name, many people assumed it was directed towards Vijay. However, nothing has been confirmed by any of the three actors involved. If there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s this: Fatima is all about her work right now. She has a busy year ahead with three big projects: While love may not be on her plate right now, career success surely is. Fatima is choosing growth over gossip. To sum it up: Sometimes, it really is just that simple. In an industry full of hidden relationships, fake romances, and staged photos, Fatima Sana Shaikh’s honesty feels refreshing. She didn’t need to publish a statement or go silent. She just laughed it off and moved on, showing she’s confident in who she is. As for the “no good guys” comment? We’re pretty sure her DMs are now flooded with fans trying to prove her wrong.

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Instablog9ja

Favour Ofili Reportedly Switches Allegiance To Turkey Amid Fallout With Nigerian Athletics Officials

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Futbol

Who Wants To Sign 30m Ipswich Striker Delap?

Ipswich striker Liam Delap will be available for £30m this summer because of a relegation release clause, which will be triggered when his club inevitably returns to the Championship. The 22-year-old is likely to move on, with interest from several Premier League sides after netting 12 goals in 33 games in all competitions in his first full season in the top flight. Previously, multiple sources told BBC Sport that Delap was expected to be available for £40m in the summer - with his previous club Manchester City holding a 'buy-back' fee at that price. However, sources at Ipswich have since confirmed to BBC Sport that the release clause value decreases by £10m upon relegation. The Suffolk club lost 2-1 in a key relegation match against Wolves last weekend which has left them 12 points away from safety with only seven games left. Manager Kieran McKenna accepted relegation "looks more than likely". Delap has delivered a series of impressive performances this season and his release clause looks like good value. Paul MacDonald of FootballTransfers.com says Ipswich spent "significantly" above Delap's market value of £6.5m last summer, which was another example of City "extracting maximum value for their excellent youth production line". He says the £30m release clause is about right for Delap's current market value given his lack of European and senior international experience and the fact he has had one "breakout" season. That is, however, balanced against his age and a "Premier League premium for English forwards". So which clubs could make a move for him in the summer? Simon Stone, BBC Sport chief football news reporter: There is no doubt Manchester United will be one of the clubs with a major interest in Delap this summer. The release clause is less than United paid for Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee, and Delap has scored more goals than either forward in the Premier League this season. Delap also fits Ruben Amorim's system and the United coach has frequently said his team do not score enough. On that basis, and because talk of a move for Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres is now going cold, a transfer is a no-brainer. The problem for United is the uncertainty over how much money they will have to spend in the summer - they will either earn Champions League qualification via winning the Europa League... or have no European football at all. Amorim has said he needs to assess gaps in his squad and where his priorities lie. United also know there will be a lot of competition for Delap and that could drive the price up beyond £30m, and will drive wages up. It is one of the reasons why they are quite keen to offload high-earners Casemiro and Marcus Rashford this summer, because the comparison with their salaries doesn't help in negotiations either. Delap to United could definitely happen. But it is not nailed on. BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella: Chelsea sources have signalled interest in Delap in recent months. Manager Enzo Maresca worked with him in Manchester City's academy team. Similarly, so did influential recruiter Joe Shields and new academy technical director Glenn van der Kraan. Those personal relationships make the Stamford Bridge club serious contenders for his signature, but they are reportedly also interested in RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting's Gyokeres. The new Chelsea regime are also known to prefer signing players that have release clauses written into their contracts. Simon Stone, BBC Sport chief football news reporter: City had a £40m buy-back agreement on Delap when they sold him to Ipswich last summer. They also have a 20% sell-on clause on any profit Ipswich make beyond the £20m they initially spent. With Erling Haaland tied to a contract that does not expire until 2034, Omar Marmoush impressing since his winter arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt and Jeremy Doku and Savinho both in favour with Pep Guardiola this season in wide positions, it does not appear City have room for Delap in a way that would offer regular starts, which surely has to be a key selling point. In addition, even with five Champions League spots for English teams, it is not certain City will be in Europe's top competition next season, which is a factor. On that basis City would be unlikely to make a move, although, with a new technical director in Hugo Viana and a summer rebuild on the cards, that does bring an element of the unknown. BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton: For £30m, of course a lot of big teams will be looking at him. It would be a risk going to United with the lack of creativity that they have, but he would be an upgrade on what they have got. Compared to Chelsea's main striker, Nicolas Jackson, he is far more physical. He can still run in behind defences but is far more of an all-rounder. Part of the game which I think he could improve is aerially, considering he is 6ft 1in (1.85m). What I really like is that he has got that sort of swagger about him, and that attitude where he knows he is good, which you need at the bigger clubs. He is too good for Ipswich. I don't want to upset their fans but he was a good signing and a brilliant bit of business for them, and they have enjoyed watching him play. Nobody is going to begrudge him leaving to go to a bigger club. If he went to somewhere like Chelsea or Manchester United then he could be another player who bites Pep in the backside, like Cole Palmer did. But going back to City behind other forwards is not going to help his development, or his England chances. Arsenal have been linked heavily with Sesko and Gyokeres but not Delap. West Ham are known to want a striker in the summer while Aston Villa and Newcastle could emerge as suitors. Villa sold striker Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in January but signed Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United as a replacement. Newcastle striker Callum Wilson is out of contract in the summer and Alexander Isak is continually linked with a move away, despite sources at St James' Park insisting he is not for sale. Much could also come down to the PSR positions of the various clubs and which teams gain the lucrative windfall for qualifying for the Champions League next season.

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Worldnews

Are Palestinian Groups In Lebanon About To Give Up Their Weapons?

For decades, Palestinian groups have retained arms in Lebanon. Now Mahmoud Abbas and Joseph Aoun say that must end. Beirut, Lebanon – For decades, Palestinian groups in Lebanon have run their affairs themselves. In the refugee camps established for Palestinians displaced by Israel in 1948 and 1967, Palestinian factions have overseen security and many have retained their arms. Those days, however, appear to be coming to a close. Instead, the Lebanese state is attempting to take advantage of a period of weakness for the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, as it struggles to regroup from its war with Israel, to exercise its power over the country. Lebanon’s new government – formed in February and led by former International Court of Justice judge Nawaf Salam – has the backing of regional and international powers to disarm all non-state actors. That includes the many Palestinian groups that have carried arms since a 1969 agreement that allowed them to have autonomy in the 12 official Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. And on Wednesday, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas gave his blessing during a visit to Lebanon. A joint statement from Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared that both sides had agreed that the existence of “weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state has ended”. “Abu Mazen [Abbas] came to say that we are guests in Lebanon and not above Lebanese authority,” Mustafa Abu Harb, an official with Fatah, the largest political faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Al Jazeera. “We do not accept weapons in the hands of anyone other than the Lebanese state.” Abbas, on his first trip to Lebanon since 2017, also met Prime Minister Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the challenging prospect of disarming Palestinian factions in Lebanon and improving the rights and conditions of the estimated 270,000 Palestinians in the country. Palestinians in Lebanon do not have the legal right to work in a number of professions, they may not own property or businesses and cannot access public service employment or the use of public services, such as healthcare and social security, according to UNRWA, the United Nations body created in 1948 for Palestinian refugees. “We reaffirm our previous position that the presence of weapons in the camps outside the framework of the state weakens Lebanon and also harms the Palestinian cause,” Abbas said in the meeting with Aoun, according to the Palestinian state news agency Wafa. However, questions remain as to whether the divisive Abbas, who has not faced an election since 2005, has the authority to disarm the different Palestinian groups. A senior Hamas official in Lebanon, Ali Barakeh, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that he hoped the talks between Abbas and Aoun would go further than just Palestinian groups’ disarmament. “We affirm our respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, and at the same time, we demand the provision of civil and human rights for our Palestinian people in Lebanon,” Barakeh said. Hamas, which – along with Hezbollah – is considered part of the wider Iranian-allied “axis of resistance” network, has already cooperated with the Lebanese state on at least one occasion since the ceasefire with Israel. In May, the Palestinian group handed over a fighter suspected of firing rockets at Israel, according to the Lebanese army, and called them “individual acts”. The group has also said it respects the ceasefire and is willing to work with the Lebanese state. Over the course of his two-decade reign, Abbas’s popularity among Palestinians in Lebanon has sharply eroded. That lack of support can be seen in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon, where posters of Abbas’s predecessor, Yasser Arafat, as well as Hamas’s spokesperson, Abu Obeida, can be seen far more than those of the PA leader. “None of the Palestinians, except Fatah, claim that he’s our president,” Majdi Majzoub, a community leader in Beirut’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, Shatila, said. “This president doesn’t honour us and doesn’t represent us because he supports the occupation and adopts the occupation’s decisions.” Aside from Abbas’s unpopularity, other factors may lead to a pushback against any attempt to disarm Palestinian groups in Lebanon. Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident senior fellow with the US-based think tank Atlantic Council, said it “could be interpreted as a win for the Israelis if the Palestinians … were obliged to give [their weapons] up”. Blanford also pointed out that defenders of the continued presence of armed Palestinian groups in Lebanon point to events such as the Sabra and Shatila massacre, when between 2,000 and 3,500 Palestinian refugees and Lebanese civilians were killed over two days by right-wing Christian nationalist forces with Israeli support in 1982. Blanford, however, believes that the consensus is moving towards the disarmament of at least heavy weaponry from the Palestinian factions in Lebanon, and that some Palestinians welcome the move. “We as a Palestinian people certainly welcome [the initiative] because things have changed,” Majzoub said. Majzoub said bad-faith actors have taken advantage of the Lebanese state’s lack of authority over the Palestinian camps to avoid being held accountable for crimes. Lebanon’s armed forces rarely enter the Palestinian refugee camps. In 2007, the army besieged the Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon and clashed with the Fatah al-Islam group, which was based in the camp. Hundreds died in the battle, which left large swaths of the camp uninhabitable. The Lebanese army has also, on occasion, infiltrated camps to arrest individuals. The security situation can at times be tense in the camps, as it is in other parts of Lebanon. On Monday, local media reported that armed clashes between rival drug dealers in Beirut’s Shatila camp forced residents to flee. Among the worst incidents in the past few years were the large-scale battles that erupted in the summer of 2023 between armed groups in Ein el-Hilweh camp, in southern Lebanon, after a botched assassination attempt on a Fatah official. More than two dozen people were killed in the fighting before a ceasefire was negotiated. Carrying weapons in the camps was once seen as a right of resistance. But after more than seven decades of displacement and insecurity, some Palestinians in Lebanon today feel that carrying arms is undercutting their struggle for liberation. “Palestinian weapons have become a threat to the Palestinian revolution,” Majzoub said. “Now, it is better for us to live under the protection of the Lebanese state.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...