UAE
How life has changed for Murad in just one week
Barely a week back, Murad Hassan was a powerful State Minister for Information and Broadcasting. But today he finds nowhere to hide his face.
Murad has lost his cabinet portfolio, party post and political clouts by the time for his offensive remarks against women that came from his vanity as political analysts believe.
Though he has lost the cabinet portfolio and party post, Murad is still an MP.
Murad had left the country in his desperate bid to hide amid widespread criticism at home, but his attempt to stay abroad went in vain as he had to get back home on Sunday having failed to enter Canada and the UAE.
An official at Hazrat Shahajalal International Airport immigration police, wishing anonymity, told UNB that Murad returned home by an Emirates flight (EK 586) around 5pm and got out of the airport around 6 pm through the domestic terminal hiding his face with his jacket hoodie and mask to avoid the media.
As he had no valid visa to enter Dubai, he got back home, the airport official said, adding, “Murad was supposed to get back home in an Emirates flight at 8:20am today but he could not as he had to undergo Covid test in Dubai, delaying his departure schedule.”
Since he was deported, the Emirates authorities handed him over to the immigration at the airport in Dhaka as part of a procedure, he added.
The airport official said the airlines' authorities usually hand over ‘refused’ passengers to immigration along with their passports. “He (Murad) was handed over to us.”
According to him, Murad's mobile phone is found on since he arrived at the airport, but he is not receiving calls.
Murad Hassan had left the country for Canada in an Emirates flight around 1:20am on Thursday night.
According to Toronto-based Bangla news portal thebengalitimes.com, Murad reached Toronto Pearson International Airport at 1.31am (Canadian time) on Friday.
Canadian immigration officials questioned the former Bangladesh’s junior minister about various allegations, including harassing, humiliating and torturing women, against him in Bangladesh.
They also showed him various videos, photos and news released and published on him, and wanted to know his version, the news portal said.
UAE Nat'l Day celebrated virtually highlighting growing ties with Bangladesh
The UAE Embassy in Dhaka has celebrated the 50th National Day of the country virtually due to COVID-19 situation.
Ambassadors, Heads of diplomatic Missions, Ministers, Members of Parliament, senior government officials and businesspersons also attended the ceremony while Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque joined the celebration as the chief guest held on Wednesday.
Chargé d'Affaires at UAE Embassy in Dhaka Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi said the relationship between Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been expanded in various areas beyond the political, economic and defence partnership which was reciprocally reiterated by highest political leaders.
He also hoped that the existing excellent relations would be further expanded in-depth and dimension in upcoming days.
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Ali AlHmoudi mentioned UAE’s remarkable achievements over the past 50 years and highlighted the glorious journey of almost five decades of ties with Bangladesh.
“‘We’re celebrating 50 years of accomplishments and achievements of our remarkable journey from the past till today and the world witnessed tremendous transformative change of UAE that we have done over the years," he said.
To recognize the efforts, the envoy said, UNESCO has also adopted the UAE National Day as World Futures Day and all countries of the world to celebrate UAE National Day as World Futures Day.
He said one of the most significant indicators of the success of UAE diplomacy is the strength of the UAE passport achieved in 2021 the first rank in the world, according to the World Passport Index.
The envoy said the world’s greatest show ongoing Expo 2020 Dubai showcases human achievements in many fields, with the participation of more than 192 countries, companies, organizations and educational institutions.
Read: Bangladesh, UAE identify 12 fields to enhance cooperation
Minister Razzaque said Bangladesh and the UAE share common goals based on religious and cultural values and both countries have excellent relations, as evidenced by recent high-level bilateral visits.
Army chief Gen Shafiuddin returns after 2-day UAE visit
Bangladesh Army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on Thursday returned to Bangladesh from the UAE after a two-day official visit.
During the visit, General Shafiuddin paid a courtesy call on the UAE Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi and discussed bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between the armies of the two countries, the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate said in a statement.
Read: Army chief Gen Shafiuddin leaves for 2-day UAE visit
General Shafiuddin also attended the Dubai International Air Show-2021 in the UAE capital where he exchanged views with high-ranking military and civilian officials of the country, the directorate said.
Army chief Gen Shafiuddin leaves for 2-day UAE visit
Bangladesh Army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on Monday morning left for the UAE on a two-day official visit.
General Shafiuddin will hold bilateral meetings with the UAE Chief of Army Staff and discuss bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between the armies of the two countries during the visit, the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate said in a statement.
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General Shafiuddin will also attend the coveted International Dubai Air Show-2021 in the UAE capital.
The Army Chief is scheduled to return home November 18, the directorate said.
Bangladesh, UAE identify 12 fields to enhance cooperation
Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates have specified 12 fields of bilateral cooperation at the 5th joint commission meeting between the two countries in Dhaka.
The meeting, held in Dhaka, was co-chaired by Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal and UAE State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh. The ministers joined the meeting virtually, while senior officials of both sides attended it physically.
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The fields identified for bilateral cooperation are i) Bilateral Trade and Economic Development , ii) Labour, Employment and Consular Relation, iii) Civil Aviation, Tourism and Culture, iv) Investment Opportunities, v) Increased support of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), vi) Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, vii) Information and Communication Technology (ICT), viii) Education, Science and Technology, ix) Marine Environment Development, x) Agriculture, xi) Health Services & Health Education, and xii) Humanitarian & Charitable Areas.
The discussions were held in the spirit of understanding, friendship and mutual respect, meeting sources said.
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The ministers virtually signed the agreed minutes of the meeting on behalf of their respective sides.
Both sides agreed to hold the sixth meeting of the Joint Commission in Abu Dhabi. The date of the next meeting will be fixed later.
Emirates celebrates 35 years of operations in Bangladesh
Emirates, the world's largest international airline and one of two flag carriers of the UAE, celebrated 35 years of operations in Bangladesh Wednesday.
Since 1986, it has carried more than 10.4 million passengers to and from Dhaka, operating more than 19,300 round-trip flights, according to the airline.
Emirates Country Manager Mohamed Alhammadi said: "We're thrilled to mark 35 years of operations in Bangladesh. It has been a remarkable journey and we thank our dedicated staff, customers, and local authorities for their support."
"We look forward to continuing strengthening our long-standing partnership with the country and to flying our Bangladeshi customers safer and better on Emirates to Dubai and beyond."
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Emirates is now the only international airline to serve Dhaka with first-class services, according to the UAE flag carrier.
Passengers can enjoy seamless connectivity to more than 120 destinations within the airline's extensive network, via Dubai.
From 2016 to date, Emirates SkyCargo – the airline's airfreight division – has carried close to 170,000 tonnes of cargo to and from the country, including the main export commodities of garments, leather and perishables.
T20 World Cup: Tigers face Sri Lanka today in Super 12s clash
Bangladesh are all set to take on Sri Lanka at 4pm on Sunday in their first Super 12s clash in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Sharjah, UAE.
Bangladesh are playing in Group 1 of the Super 12s stage, where they will take on England, West Indies, South Africa, and Australia as well on October 27, 29 and November 2 and 4.
Read:T20 World Cup: England crush West Indies
Before the World Cup began, Bangladesh lost a warm-up match against Sri Lanka, but the Tigers’ coach Russell Domingo said they are not worried about what happened before. He rather said they are focusing on this game only.
Bangladesh beat the hosts Oman, and Papua New Guinea in Round 1 to advance to Super 12s.
The match will be kicked off at 4pm (Bangladesh time), and will be telecast live through T Sports, Gtv, and OTT platforms Rabbitholebd and Bioscope.
Read:T20 World Cup: Australia make a flying start to Super 12s
Bangladesh’s probable XI against Sri Lanka:
Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afiff Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman.
India, UAE re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for new term
India was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term on Thursday with an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly, with New Delhi’s envoy describing the election as a "robust endorsement" of the country's strong roots in democracy, pluralism and fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
According to The Saudi Gazette, the 76th UN General Assembly held elections on Thursday for 18 new members of the UN Human Rights Council who will serve for a period of three years, starting in January 2022.
India on being re-elected to the UNHRC for the 2022-24 term vowed to continue to work for the promotion and protection of human rights through “Samman, Samvad and Sahyog".
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“India gets re-elected to the @UN_HRC (2022-24) for a 6th term with overwhelming majority. Heartfelt gratitude to the @UN membership for reposing its faith in India," India’s Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted.
"We will continue to work for promotion and protection of Human Rights through #Samman #Samvad #Sahyog #Samman #Samvad #Sahyog," it added.
India got 184 votes in the 193-member assembly, while the required majority was 97.
"I am truly delighted at this overwhelming support for India in elections to Human Rights Council. It’s a robust endorsement of our strong roots in democracy, pluralism and fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution.
“We thank all UN member states for giving us a strong mandate,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti told PTI.
India’s current term was set to end on Dec. 31 2021. For election for the term 2022-2024, there were five vacant seats in the Asia-Pacific States category — India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
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The 193-member General Assembly elected by secret ballot Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, UAE and the USA for the 2022-2024 term on the Council.
The US joined the cohort more than three years after the Trump administration quit the 47-member body over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform.
The United States, which was unopposed, received 168 votes in the secret ballot by the 193-member General Assembly. It begins a three-year term on Jan. 1 — pitting Washington against Beijing and Moscow, who began council terms this year.
China and some of its allies including Belarus and Venezuela have taken advantage of the US absence from the council to push through joint statements supporting Beijing's actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, and denouncing "human rights violations" in Western countries, including against indigenous Canadians.
For Thursday's vote, non-governmental organizations accused regional groups of stitching up a "legitimizing facade" rather than a genuine contest at the council, by presenting the same number of candidates as vacant seats.
India’s mission congratulated other UN member states for their election to the Human Rights Council, which consists of 47 Member States elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.
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The membership is based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats are distributed among regional groups Group of African States (13), Group of Asia-Pacific States (13), Group of Eastern European States (6), Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (8) and Group of Western European and other States (7).
As of January 2021, 119 of the 193 UN member states will have served as a member of the HRC. "This broad membership not only reflects the UN’s diversity, but it gives the Council legitimacy when speaking out on human rights violations in all countries,” the UN said.
US Ambassador at UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington’s election to the Council has “fulfilled President Biden’s campaign pledge to rejoin the Human Rights Council” and the US will “work to ensure this body lives up to these principles.”
Dravid to be Team India's next head coach?
India's former skipper Rahul Dravid, once called 'The Wall', is likely to succeed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the country's cricket team.
According to local media reports, 48-year-old Dravid has agreed to take over as the chief coach of India's national cricket team from Shastri after the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.
Quoting unnamed sources, the reports said that India's all-powerful cricket board chief Sourav Ganguly spoke with Dravid "and the latter has agreed" to coach Indian players.
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Shastri's tenure as India's head coach ends with the T20 World Cup, slated to take place in the two Gulf states from October 17 to November 14.
Dravid is currently the director of the national cricket academy of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will have to step down from his position to take over as the national cricket coach.
Popularly known as "Mr Dependable", Dravid, alongside Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, were part of a formidable batting line-up that steered India to win many matches at home and abroad. All have retired from cricket.
Dravid made his Test debut against England in 1996 with a brilliant knock of 95 at Lord’s. In a career spanning 16 years, Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests. He accumulated 10,889 runs in 344 one-day internationals.
Not only Shastri, India's charismatic skipper Virat Kohli will also step down as the country's T20 international captain after the T20 World Cup.
READ: Youth ODI: Bangladesh lose series opener against Sri Lanka
"I have decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October," the 32-year-old said in a social media post last month.
Tigers start training in UAE Monday
Bangladesh took to the training on Monday after reaching the UAE overnight ahead of two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland in preparation for T20 World Cup.
The Tigers will take on Sri Lanka on October 12 at Abu Dhabi in the first warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup which is set to begin on October 17 in Oman. After that, they will play against Ireland on October 14 at the same venue.
Before these matches, Bangladesh took on Oman A in a practice match at Muscat which they won by 60 runs. Mohammad Naim and Liton Das struck a 50 each in that match.
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