The Argentine forward is a true superstar of the game and one of the most famous players on the planet, but here are some things you might not already know about him.

1. He has scored at least seven goals against every other La Liga Santander team
All LaLiga teams naturally fear Messi when he comes up against them, with the No.10 having netted at least seven times against all 19 of the other sides currently in the top division. His favourite victim is Sevilla, against whom he has a whopping 37 goals in 38 appearances. Over his career, he has faced 40 different clubs in the Spanish top flight, with only three yet to concede against him: Cadiz, Murcia and Xerez.

2. He first played with fellow Barcelona captain Gerard Pique in 2000
Messi and his current Barcelona teammate Gerard Pique have spent most of their footballing lives together. They were both in the same team in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, along with Cesc Fàbregas – part of the so-called “generation of ‘87” and conquered almost every challenge in their path. It was clear from that early age that these players would go on to achieve great things and, although Pique spent time at Manchester United and Real Zaragoza before returning to Barcelona, they have both been in the Blaugrana first-team squad together since 2008, playing 471 matches together. Messi has only played more often alongside Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta.

3. He pays tributes to his grandmother after every goal
The sight of Messi pointing towards the sky with both hands after scoring a goal has become an almost weekly occurrence in LaLiga but not many people know its meaning. It is in fact a tribute to Grandmother Celia, who Messi credits with sparking his interest in football and supporting him as he took his first steps in the game. Sadly, she passed away in 1998 and never saw him play at the top level, but his iconic celebration ensures that her spirit lives on.  

4. He could have played for Spain at international level
Messi has represented Argentina throughout his international career, but he could have been wearing the red of Spain had he accepted an offer to join the national team of the country where he has spent his entire professional career. After spending his childhood in Barcelona, he was eligible to play for the 2010 world champions, but Messi says the idea never crossed his mind. The rest, as they say, is history as he has gone on to become Argentina’s all-time top scorer with 70 goals.   

5. His footballing idol was Pablo Aimar
Many up-and-coming players consider Messi as a role model, but it’s easy to forget that he had an idol growing up too, just like any other aspiring footballer. His was fellow Argentina and former Valencia and Real Zaragoza playmaker Pablo Aimar. They faced each other in LaLiga on several occasions, including on one special night in 2004 when Aimar came up to the 17-year-old Messi, an unused sub on the night, after the game to offer him his shirt. He still treasures that jersey to this day. 

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Brazilian footballer Neymar is reportedly ready to take a 50 per cent pay cut on his existing Paris St. Germain deal to force through a move back to former club Barcelona.

After spending four trophy-laden years in Spain, Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for an eye-watering sum of 198 million pounds.

Reports have time and again surfaced that the star forward is unsettled in France and wants a Barca return in order to once again link-up with close friend Lionel Messi.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Neymar is ready to sacrifice half of his 600,000 pounds per week salary at PSG in order to make a sensational return to Barcelona.

Barcelona was Neymar's first club in Europe and he won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League once with the Catalan giants.

Barcelona stars have also spoken about their admiration for Neymar and aren't against his return despite his unceremonious exit from the club few years ago.

"Everybody knows 'Ney', we all know the affection we have for him in the dressing room," Suarez was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo last month.

"His ability is indisputable and he still has so much to show. He will always be welcome in the changing room, we appreciate him a lot."

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Even before the term globalisation was coined, the city of Mumbai had neighbourhoods that were multicultural and yet lived in complete harmony. Director-actor Akshay Shimpi's upcoming play Mumbai – The City United, cashes on that beautiful diversity that has now become the nerve of the city. Shimpi says, "As an artist and Mumbaikar, we love this city. It inspires us. Many artists have expressed how the city has served as their muse. Their love has found shape in their respective art form. We have compiled their literature, poems, articles, paintings, plays and songs in this play as a tribute to our beloved city." The play has stitched together songs, skits and readings of stories from the glorious past of the city's literature.

Shimpi and his team acquired works of renowned artists in various languages. When asked why he chose to go with a multilingual play, he says, "Thanks to its cosmopolitan nature, Mumbai, over the years, has developed its own language. In fact, it has its own dialect, and there's also Hindi, which is spoken across the country. Using multiple languages was one way to reflect the true spirit of the city."

Shimpi and Dhanashree Khandkar who have written and performed the play

The cast will be performing songs by yesteryear folk artists such as Vasant Bapat, Anna Bhau Sathe, Patthe Bapu Rao to name a few. Their songs talk about various historical movements in the city such as the shutting down of mills, for instance. These verses have been woven into the script that touches upon the culinary and architectural heritage, festivals and even the city's underbelly.

Shimpi believes that Mumbai is so vast and varied, everyone has a different interpretation of what the city means to them. As for him, he says, "Whenever I'm asked to describe the city, I take reference from the folktale where seven blind men were asked to describe an elephant. For someone, it was a long tube (trunk) while for someone else it was a curtain like a flap (ear). For me, Mumbai is that elephant's stomach. It is so big that it can always accommodate everyone."

When: January 27, 7 pm
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The use of technology by business and government in tax compliance is driving continued simplification and reduction in the burden of tax compliance on businesses, says Paying Taxes 2018, a report by The World Bank Group and PwC.

Australian cricketers are not going to be "greedy" if they are asked for a pay cut as it is important that the game thrives well into the future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Test captain Tim Paine. With India's tour of Australia and the upcoming T20 World Cup in doubt due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, Cricket Australia has already stood down 80 per cent of its staff and now is in talks with Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) regarding a potential players' pay cut. "Players need to know the absolute financial positions of the game and the players aren't going to be greedy," Paine said on ABC Radio.

"Our livelihood, all the people associated with the CA and the players association, their livelihood is dependent on the game of cricket being healthy. "So at the moment if a pay cut for us is on the cards and that keeps our game thriving well into the future, then that's something we'll certainly have to look at." Cricket Australia might lose a staggering AUD 300 million dollars if the Indian team fails to turn up for the bilateral series due to the global health crisis. Paine said he wasn't surprised at the poor financial state of the board.

"I think commercially a lot of sponsors have been pretty hard hit and it's obviously going to hit Cricket Australia at some stage then as well," Paine said. "I think there's a bit of safeguarding towards the potential of India not coming (on a tour in December/January) which is worth something like 250 to 300 million dollars." Australia's borders are sealed till September 30 but in a bid to salvage the India tour, the government is considering providing international exemptions to allow the Indian team arrive in Australia. The 35-year-old Paine said he is not aware of any contingency plan if the India tour doesn't go ahead and hoped Virat Kohli and his men can arrive in Australia as planned.

"I haven't just yet and I don't want to be. I'm hoping that they get here, that would solve a lot of issues," Paine said. "I know there's been some early talks with Cricket Australia and the government around the potential of what could be done, chartering planes and getting them in isolation when they get here to make sure that we can get India here. "But apart from that I've only heard a few things on the rumour mill about maybe New Zealand coming out and us going there."

Asked about Michael Clarke's claims that the Australians had "sucked up" to Indian captain Kohli in recent years to protect lucrative IPL deals, Paine said the former Aussie captain should have taken individual names if he wants to take people on. "If you're going to come out with a big quote and try and take people on and cause any sort of trouble and have a crack at people, I think you name people individually and he certainly didn't," Paine said. "It was certainly unfounded because I was out on the field and there was no one taking it easy (on Kohli)."

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India has launched a consultation on efforts to reform the country's 1961 income tax law, to be led by a newly constituted task force.

Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration has announced the exchange of information on millions of financial accounts with 75 partner countries.

According to a PTI report, all state governments except Maharashtra have been paying for the railway costs to ferry passengers to their native places

The Greek shipping industry has agreed to renew a tax agreement under which shipping companies pay additional tax to the Government.

Coronavirus impact: IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta told the employees that they are left with no option but to implement pay-cuts. The airline had earlier rolled back its decision to cut pay

Switzerland's agreements for the automatic exchange of financial account information with Hong Kong and Singapore have entered into force.

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has called on the Malaysian Government to reintroduce inheritance tax in the Budget 2018.

New Zealand's Inland Revenue has announced that those who buy and sell property will be required to provide their IRD number on land transfer documentation, to improve the agency's ability to enforce the tax rules on property speculation.

Cyprus's Department of Taxation said recently that it will accept only electronic payment for the main tax heads from June 1, 2018.

The Italian Department of Finance has released new lists of government and private sector entities covered by Italy's split-payment mechanism.

France's Directorate General of Public Finance confirmed in a statement issued on February 10, 2020, that companies liable for the country's digital services tax can delay payment of upcoming installments of the tax until December 2020.

On December 9, 2019, the Belgian Federal Public Finance Service reminded vendors that since December 1, 2019, they are required to round off cash payments to the nearest five cents.

Switzerland's agreements for the automatic exchange of financial account information with Hong Kong and Singapore have entered into force.

The Swiss Federal Council will bring into force legislation on the implementation of recommendations made by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.

Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration has announced the exchange of information on millions of financial accounts with 75 partner countries.

The National Taxpayers Union has called upon the US Department of Commerce to halt its investigation into steel and aluminum imports, claiming that imposing tariffs would be "an economically inefficient solution to a narrow problem."

On March 13, 2020, the German Ministry of Finance announced the relaxation of certain tax payment requirements as part of a package of measures designed to ease the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Maltese Government has announced deferrals for the payment of a number of taxes.

On March 9, 2020, United States President Donald Trump revealed that the Administration would begin discussions with Congress on potential tax measures to ease the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, including a payroll tax cut.

The Irish Revenue has updated its Tax and Duty Manual on the taxation of non-resident landlords to clarify a number of obligations.

Companies with a tax ruling dating from 2014 from the Irish Revenue have been encouraged to renew these before they expire.

Pakistan's Finance Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, has directed the Federal Board of Revenue to approach the tax authorities of nine territories about information in the Panama and Bahamas leaks.

Revenue Jersey has sought to reassure taxpayers over fears that they will be charged the default effective rate of tax from next January.

Bolivia has announced a number of filing and payment extensions for taxpayers, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 4, 2020, Malta released payroll tax-related guidance for employers on the Government's responses to the COVID-19 epidemic.

On April 15, 2020, the United States Internal Revenue Service unveiled the "Get My Payment" online tool that will allow taxpayers to receive economic impact payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

France's Directorate General of Public Finance confirmed in a statement issued on February 10, 2020, that companies liable for the country's digital services tax can delay payment of upcoming installments of the tax until December 2020.

Drechsel’s research has played an important role in developing options for safe wastewater use in countries where treatment capacities are low and informal wastewater irrigation is common.

Research conducted in Bangladesh could have dramatic implications both for poor households and the entire wastewater value chain.

Healthcare services under Telangana's Arogyasri scheme came to a halt as nearly 240 private hospitals in the state ceased providing services over non-payment

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