United News of Bangladesh

Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League, defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday. The night brought extra joy for the Reds’ fans as Mohamed Salah reached a major milestone, scoring his 250th goal for the club across all competitions. The Egyptian star put Liverpool ahead following a rare error by Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, and Ryan Gravenberch later sealed the victory. Salah became only the third Liverpool player to reach 250 goals in all competitions, joining club legends Roger Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346). The victory also ended a poor run for Arne Slot’s men, who had lost six of their previous seven matches across all competitions. After four consecutive league defeats, Liverpool finally tasted victory, while Villa suffered their first defeat following four straight league wins. With this win, Liverpool moved up to third in the Premier League with 18 points from ten matches. Bournemouth, with the same points but one game fewer, sit second, while Arsenal lead the table with 25 points from ten matches. Aston Villa are in 11th place with 15 points. Liverpool dominated possession with 54 percent and created 16 shots, four of which were on target. Villa managed ten shots, three on target. Villa could have taken an early lead in the fifth minute when English winger Morgan Rogers’ powerful effort from outside the box hit the post. In the 19th minute, Matty Cash’s shot was saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Liverpool’s Dominic Szoboszlai had a chance in the 23rd minute after a Villa error, but Martínez kept the goal intact. He denied another attempt from Szoboszlai in the 33rd minute. In the 43rd minute, Hugo Ekitike headed the ball into Villa’s net, but the effort was ruled out for offside. In the first minute of added time in the first half, Martínez made a critical mistake that allowed Liverpool to take the lead. Receiving a back-pass from defender Pau Torres, Martínez miscontrolled the ball while attempting a return pass; it was not directed toward Torres. Salah reacted quickly to find the net with a tap-in, leaving Martínez helpless. Liverpool doubled their advantage in the 58th minute. From outside the box, Gravenberch’s shot, set up by Alexis Mac Allister, deflected off Torres and went into the net. Both sides had chances in the remaining minutes, but neither could convert. Earlier in the night, Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0, moving into fifth place with 17 points from ten matches. Tottenham, with the same points, sit fourth.

Dhaka's ambitious metro rail project reached a significant milestone with the opening of the Karwan Bazar and Shahbagh metro rail stations. This achievement marks the completion of all 16 stations along the Dhaka Metro Rail route, extending from Uttara North to Motijheel. Following the commencement of the Bijoy Sarani and Dhaka University stations on December 13, only the Karwan Bazar and Shahbagh stations were pending activation. With their launch, Dhaka residents can now enjoy full access to the metro rail network, significantly easing urban transportation. Also read: New Metro Rail Station at Dhaka University: A milestone in student connectivity Commuters, particularly office-goers, have warmly welcomed the operation of these crucial stations in the heart of the capital. Many have expressed their satisfaction and are eagerly anticipating an expanded schedule on the Agargaon-Motijheel route. "The metro rail has transformed our daily commute, and the new stations are a much-needed addition," shared a business trader from Gazipur’s Tongi who has to travel at least twice a week to Old Dhaka’s Bakshi Bazar, a distance of almost 24 kilometres.

Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has completed 7000 runs in ODIs. He achieved the milestone during the first ODI of the three-match series against Ireland in Sylhet today, when he scored 24 runs. Shakib took 228 matches and 216 innings to score 7000 runs in ODIs, becoming the second Bangladeshi batsman after Tamim Iqbal to reach this feat. Read more: BAN vs IRE 1st ODI 2023: Match Preview During his ODI career, Shakib has scored nine centuries and 52 half-centuries, and has also taken 300 wickets in the same format. In addition, Shakib is the third player to score over 7000 runs and take 300 or more wickets in ODIs, after Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Ireland won the toss in the first match of the series and opted to bat first. In Sylhet, Bangladesh played four ODIs earlier and won all of those matches.  Read More: Bangladesh vs Ireland Series 2023 Preview: Schedule, Fixtures, Team

Germany has said the introduction of ePassport and Automated Border Control Management is a “milestone” for the cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany, being equally important with regard to business as well as security.