Saudi Arabia
FIFA Eying to Organize World Cup Every Two Years
Saudi Arabia made a proposal during the FIFA's annual congress in May of this year. Saudi Arabia has formally proposed to organize the World Cup every two years. FIFA has decided to evaluate their proposal. A feasibility study has already been started in this regard. UEFA, on the other hand, is not pleased with such a decision. If the World Cup is held every two years, they believe that the existing UEFA games would clash with different competitions. UEFA will face significant challenges as a result of this; while FIFA President Infantino endorses this plan considering its financial prospect.
Read: Argentina to Face Brazil in FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
Saudi Arabia's FIFA World Cup Proposal
Saudi Arabia’s plan to conduct FIFA World Cup event every two years instead of four has already been approved by FIFA's Congress. The Saudi proposal was carried by the assembly, with 166 national federations approving and just 22 votings against evaluating the existing position.
Yasser Al-Misehal, head of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, requested a feasibility assessment on the move during a meeting in May, 2021. He believes football's future is in jeopardy, particularly because the recent coronavirus outbreak has worsened the sport's recent issues.
FIFA president Infantino endorsed Saudi Arabia's proposal, saying it will help the organization boost its economy in the middle of the coronavirus crisis.
Read: FIFA, AFC Qualifiers: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri strike twice to beat Bangladesh 2-0
What is Asia's Take on the Proposal?
The football federations of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh have officially endorsed the proposal, suggesting that the world football calendar needed to be updated to reflect the contemporary age, according to a joint statement.
According to a spokesperson for the ASEAN Football Federation, other Asian countries are becoming more interested in the concept.
The number of Asian teams competing in the World Cup is usually low. Only 4 to 5 of the 32 countries are given the opportunity to compete in the World Cup. However, Asia is home to over half of the world’s population. Asia will gain a lot if the new regulations are implemented.
That is why the majority of Asian football federations are excited about Saudi Arabia's proposal. Furthermore, instead of 32 teams, the World Cup will be open to a total of 48 countries starting in 2026. As a result, more Asian nations will have the opportunity to participate in the World Cup.
Read: FIFA, AFC Qualifiers: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri strike twice to beat Bangladesh 2-0
What is the Position of UEFA on the Proposal?
The World Cup is held every two years, and UEFA is not interested in this kind of proposal. European Football Federation is unhappy with FIFA's approach to implementing this proposal. They have already voiced its position.
Aside from continental football competitions, hosting the World Cup every two years has the potential to cause schedule conflicts with UEFA Club Football, Nations League, and the Olympic Games. Therefore, UEFA believes such a move is illogical.
Interestingly, the former Arsenal manager and current FIFA head of global football development Arsene Wenger is backing the proposal to stage World Cup every two years rather than every four years. Wenger stated in a recent interview that it will be a global initiative for both men's and women's football. He is confident that this initiative will help to popularize the game even further.
Meanwhile, UEFA has a plan to speak out against FIFA's proposal to stage World Cup every two years next week. They hope that they would be able to gather more support by going through this approach.
Read: FIFA, AFC qualifiers: Bangladesh face India Monday
Bottom Line
It will be a difficult task to organize the World Cup every two years. Continental football tournaments are also organized outside of the World Cup. These championships are held in Asia, South America, and Europe every four years. The African continent, on the other hand, organizes a continental football competition every two years. Furthermore, UEFA already has a busy calendar with domestic football competitions. As a result of this, FIFA will face a significant challenge in hosting the World Cup every two years.
Saudi Arabia opens Umrah pilgrimage to vaccinated worshipers from abroad
After about a year and a half of not receiving overseas worshippers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia will gradually begin receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from abroad for vaccinated pilgrims starting Monday.
With a capacity that would rise to 2 million pilgrims from 60,000 pilgrims per month, Islam's two holiest sites Mecca and Medina will start welcoming visitors from abroad to their mosques while maintaining Covid-19 precautionary measures, Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday.
Domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to submit authorised Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah request, an official of the Hajj and Umrah ministry said.
Vaccinated pilgrims from countries, which are on Saudi Arabia's entry-ban list, will have to undergo institutional quarantine upon arrival, the official added.
On July 25, Saudi Arabia said it would allow pilgrims living outside the country to undertake the Umrah pilgrimage starting August 10.
Read: International Umrah pilgrimage resumes on August 10
However, Umrah for Saudi citizens and residents in the Kingdom restarted that day.
In early July, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stopped receiving applications for Umrah to prepare for Hajj, which began on the 17th of the month.
As Saudi Arabia announced the resumption of Umrah service for pilgrims worldwide from 1st Muharram 1443 after the end of the Hajj season, all countries were allowed to send direct flights except for nine.
Pilgrims from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Lebanon would need to undergo a quarantine of 14 days in a third country before arriving in the Kingdom, the authorities said.
Read: Pilgrims return to Mecca for ‘umrah’ after 7 months
Also, it was made mandatory to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with complete doses of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J; complete doses of China's vaccines with a booster shot of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J.
Umrah is a voluntary Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina undertaken any time of the year. In February last year, it was suspended over fears of the Covid-19 outbreak.
However, the Kingdom reopened Muslim holy sites for Umrah after a six-month pause in October same year for domestic worshippers.
Saudi Arabia will reopen to tourists on Sunday
Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders to tourists on Sunday for the first time in 18 months after imposing restrictions at the start of the pandemic to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The historically closed-off kingdom introduced electronic visas for tourists in late 2019, just before the pandemic struck.
Saudi Arabia is looking to rebrand itself as a unique tourist destination for nature lovers and curious travelers as a way to boost non-oil revenue and create more jobs.
Also read: 2021 Hajj: Registrations limited to Saudi citizens, residents
Citizens of 49 mostly European countries, as well as the U.S. and China among others, will be allowed to enter the kingdom under the new rules without quarantine if they provide a negative PCR test before travel and have vaccine certificates proving two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.
Travelers vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine must have received a third dose of one of the other vaccines.
Earlier this week, the kingdom warned that any citizen who travels to red-listed countries, such as the neighboring emirate of Dubai where the delta variant is present, could face a three-year travel ban.
Man held with 9k Yaba pills at Dhaka airport
A passenger travelling to Saudi Arabia was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday for allegedly trying to smuggle out drugs.
Some 9,000 pieces of yaba (also known as the madness drug) have been seized from the possession of the accused, identified as Saddam, officials said.
Read:Man held with 37 gold bars at Dhaka airport
Additional Superintendent of Airport Armed Police Ziaul Haque said Saddam wanted to smuggle out the yaba tablets to Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
"Saddam was supposed to take a Salam Air flight to Saudi Arabia. Our sleuths detected the drugs inside his checked-in luggage during routine frisking. A thorough search later helped us seize the drugs," he said.
Read:Man held with currencies of 8 countries at Dhaka airport
During interrogation, the accused told cops that he had collected 8,950 pieces of yaba from a person in Cumilla and was supposed to deliver the same to a man in Dammam.
Earlier too, Saddam was booked under the Narcotics Act, officials said.
Several villages celebrate Eid in line with Saudi Arabia
In keeping with Saudi Arabia, residents of a number of villages in Satkhira, Barisal and Panchagarh are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday, the second largest festival of the Muslims.
Saudi Arabia and a number of countries across the world are celebrating the festival of sacrifice on Tuesday. But Bangladesh is scheduled to celebrate Eid on Wednesday.
In Satkhira, hundreds of people at seven places in the district, including Baukhola of Satkhira district, Upalor Islamkathi of Tala upazila, and Kashimari of Shyamnagar upazila have started the Eid celebrations.
Read: Five Eid jamaats to be held at National Mosque
The main congregation was held at Satkhira Sadar's Bhar-Khali market at 8am.
Imam Md Mahbubur Rahman conducted the congregation with a small number of Muslim devotees.
Imam Mahbubur said that all Muslims in the world should perform Eid prayers in line with Saudi Arabia. The devotees offered sacrifices of cattle after the prayers.
In Barisal, the holy Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in advance in some villages of six upazilas of the district.
Around 10,000 devotees of Babuganj, Hijla, Mehendiganj, Muladi, Bakerganj, Sadar upazila and metropolis of Barisal offered Eid prayers in the congregations from 8 am to 10 am on Tuesday.
Amir Hossain Mithu, president of Haji Bari Jame Mosque in the Tajkathi area of the city, said they offered their Eid jamaat following the government's directives and maintaining all Covid-safety protocols.
Read:Govt fixes rawhide prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha
Meanwhile, in Panchagarh, seven devotees of four families gathered for Eid congregation under police protection as a clash broke out over celebrating Eid a day ahead.
This year, the local authorities in consultation with public representatives and local dignitaries will take a decision whether Eid prayers would be held at mosques, Eidgahs or open fields considering the Covid situation in their respective areas.
The Religious Affairs Ministry issued some guidelines on offering Eid-ul-Azha prayers.
As per the guidelines, no carpets will be allowed at mosques that will be disinfected before prayers. The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home.
Soaps, hand sanitizers and water should be made available at the place where people make Wadu or at the entrances of mosques or Eidgahs.
Read:Gazipur gridlocked amid pandemic as hundreds head home for Eid
Devotees should maintain social distance following health guidelines. Children, the elderly, disabled people and those involved in taking care of patients will not be allowed to attend Eid prayers.
All have to abide by the directives of the Health Service Division, local administration and law enforcement agencies.
The Religious Affairs Ministry have already urged Imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives.
With pandemic in mind, pared-back hajj in Mecca for 2nd year
Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday, but remained socially distanced and wore masks as the coronavirus takes its toll on the hajj for a second year running.
The hajj pilgrimage, which once drew some 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life from across the globe, is now almost unrecognizable. It is being scaled back for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The pared-down hajj prevents Muslims from outside Saudi Arabia from fulfilling an Islamic obligation and causes financial losses to Saudi Arabia which in pre-pandemic years took in billions of dollars as the custodian of the holy sites.
The Islamic pilgrimage lasts about five days, but traditionally Muslims begin arriving in Mecca weeks ahead of time. The hajj concludes with the Eid al-Adha celebration, marked by the distribution of meat to the poor around the world.
Read:Grand Mosque in Macca receives 1st batch of pilgrims as Hajj begins
This year, 60,000 vaccinated Saudi citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia have been allowed to perform the hajj due to continued concerns around the spread of the coronavirus. L ast year’s largely symbolic hajj saw fewer than 1,000 people from within the kingdom taking part.
It’s unclear when Saudi Arabia will play host again to millions of Muslims. The kingdom has no clear standard for a vaccine passport, vaccination rates are uneven in different countries and new variants of the virus are threatening the progress already made in some nations.
The kingdom’s Al Saud rulers have staked their legitimacy in large part on their custodianship of hajj sites, giving them a unique and powerful platform among Muslims around the world. The kingdom has gone to great lengths to ensure the annual hajj continues uninterrupted, despite changes caused by the pandemic.
Robots have been deployed to spray disinfectant around the cube-shaped Kaaba’s busiest walkways. The Kaaba is where the hajj pilgrimage begins and ends for most.
Saudi Arabia is also testing a smart bracelet this year in collaboration with the government’s artificial intelligence authority. The touchscreen bracelet resembles the Apple Watch and includes information on the hajj, a pilgrim’s oxygen levels and vaccine data and has an emergency feature to call for help.
Read: 2021 Hajj: Registrations limited to Saudi citizens, residents
International media outlets already present in the kingdom were permitted to cover the hajj from Mecca this year, but others were not granted permission to fly in as had been customary before the pandemic.
Cleaners are sanitizing the vast white marble spaces of the Grand Mosque that houses the Kaaba several times a day.
“We are sanitizing the floor and using disinfection liquids while cleaning it two or three times during (each) shift,” said Olis Gul, a cleaner who said he has been working in Mecca for 20 years.
The hajj is one of Islam’s most important requirements to be performed once in a lifetime. It follows a route the Prophet Muhammad walked nearly 1,400 years ago and is believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.
The hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and bring about greater unity among Muslims. The communal feeling of more than 2 million people from around the world — Shiite, Sunni and other Muslim sects — praying together, eating together and repenting together has long been part of what makes hajj both a challenging and a transformative experience.
There are questions around whether the hajj will be able to again draw such large numbers of faithful, with male pilgrims forming a sea of white in white terrycloth garments worn to symbolize the equality of mankind before God and women forgoing makeup and perfume to focus inwardly.
Read:Hajj pre-registration to continue throughout this year
Like last year, pilgrims will be drinking water from the holy Zamzam well in plastic bottles. They were given umrbellas to shield them from the sun. They have to carry their own prayer rugs and follow a strict schedule via a mobile app that informs them when they can be in certain areas to avoid crowding.
“I hope this is a successful hajj season,” said Egyptian pilgrim Aly Aboulnaga, a university lecturer in Saudi Arabia. “We ask God to accept everyone’s hajj and for the area to be open to greater numbers of pilgrims and for a return to an even better situation than before.”
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the kingdom was working to vastly expand Mecca’s ability to host pilgrims with a $60-billion Grand Mosque expansion. On the mosque’s south side stands the 1,972-foot (600-meter) clock-tower skyscraper, part of a completed seven-tower complex that was built to accommodate wealthier pilgrims.
The kingdom, with a population of more than 30 million, has reported over half a million cases of the coronavirus, including more than 8,000 deaths. It has administered nearly 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, according to the World Health Organization.
Get ready as major shift taking place in global economy: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has laid emphasis on getting prepared with skills, education and infrastructure as a major shift is taking place in the world economy.
"To gain from this change, we’ve to prepare ourselves with skills, education, infrastructure, good governance, and above all goodwill," Dr Momen said.
He laid emphasis on working together in partnership and need to be fully prepared to overcome the challenges and to grip the opportunities ahead.
Read:Quarantine in KSA: Saudi expatriate workers to get Tk 25000 each as subsidy
"I’m confident that through our collective efforts, strong coordination and hard work, we’ll be able to turn Bangladesh into ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation," Dr Momen said.
He was addressing a virtual programme titled "Perspective Plan 2041 and Quest for Development: Golden Bengal as a Label for Nation Branding" held on Thursday night.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr Md Javed Patwari and Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury also spoke at the event.
2021 Hajj: Registrations limited to Saudi citizens, residents
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has limited registration for this year's Hajj pilgrimage to its citizens and residents for the second time in a row amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday conveyed the decision.
The annual pilgrimage, scheduled to be held at the end of July, will be limited to 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced in a statement Saturday.
Also read: Hajj pre-registration to continue throughout this year
"In light of what the whole world is witnessing from the continuing developments of the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new mutations, Hajj registration will be limited to residents and citizens from inside the Kingdom only," the Saudi ministry said.
Those wishing to perform Hajj must be free of chronic diseases and only vaccinated people – aged between 18 and 65 – will be able to take part, the ministry added.
Last year, only 1,000 people residing in the kingdom were selected to perform Hajj after meeting certain criteria.
Also read: Bangladesh makes Covid vaccine mandatory for Hajj pilgrims
Another abused woman returns from KSA with baby boy
A 32-year old woman returned home with her 6-month old boy from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Her employer terminated her contract, she was abused, sent to jail and finally forced to leave.
Her crime was being a woman and she was punished for getting pregnant after repeated abuse of her foreign employer.
She is now worried about facing social stigma in the country and is currently clueless about how she will be received at home with the baby boy.
She said that she had been physically and mentally tortured ever since she reached Saudi Arabia back in Nov 2019.
At one point she became pregnant and was sent to a jail for the ‘crime.’ Her son came into the world when she was in jail.
Now she has been forced to return to the country after getting released.
“No one in my family knows about it. I can't go back to the family with him. The people of the society will not take it well,” she exclaimed.
Members of the Armed Police Battalion(APBn) on duty at the airport have handed her over to the BRAC Migration Program.
She is currently staying at a BRAC Learning Center.
Shariful Islam Hasan, Programme Head, Migration at BRAC said that such incidents are unfortunate.
“The incident should be investigated. Her employer should be interrogated and if needed a DNA test should be conducted to find out the paternity of the child. There have been 12 such similar incidents in the recent past. We try our best to stand beside the victims, but the government should be proactive in ensuring these incidents don’t take place in the first place,” he said.
Earlier in April this year, another Saudi Arabia-returnee woman abandoned her 8-month-old daughter at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport .
On May 26, a woman returned home from the Middle Eastern country after losing her mental stability.
According to media reports, she also delivered a child inside a Saudi Arabia jail.
Besides, another female domestic worker was forced to return home with her four-month-old daughter from Oman in February this year.
She said she was handed over to Oman police when she became pregnant at one stage. Her child was then born while in the Oman deportation camp.
Earlier, on December 16, 2020, another domestic worker named Guljahan Begum of Habiganj district was forced to return home from Oman with her three-month-old daughter.
Lalmonirhat villages celebrate Eid following Saudi Arabia
In line with the festive day in Saudi Arabia, residents of three unions in Lalmonirhat's Kaliganj upazila offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers on Thursday.
Every year, Muslims living in the villages of Tusbhandar, Sundrahabi, Kakina, Chaparhat, Chandrapur, Aminganj and Munsipara in Kaliganj observe Ramadan and Eid a day before, in accordance with Saudi Arabia.
Read:Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday as Shawwal moon not sighted
The main Eid congregation was held at Munsipara Jame Mosque in Tusbhandar union of the upazila around 9.30 am on Thursday.
Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdul Mannan said local worshipers offered Eid prayers at nearby mosques adhering to all Covid safety protocols under the strict vigil of police and the administration.
Eid-ul-Fitr is also being celebrated at 11 villages in Laxmipur in line with the festive day in Saudi Arabia, home to the world's most holy Muslim sites.
The villages are Noagaon, Joypura, Bigha, Hotatia, Sharshoi, Kanchanpur and Kalapur of Raipur upazila and Bashikpur of the district.
Among several places, the Eid congregations were held at Madania Kasemia Madrasa in Ramganj Upazila at 8am.
Residents of these villages have been celebrating all religious festivals, including Eid, for the past 40 years in line with the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
In Faridpur also, residents of 13 villages in Boalmari offered Eid prayers in the morning. Residents of a few villages in Satkhira also observed Eid-ul-Fitr by offering prayers in accordance with Saudi Arabia.
Read:Eid-ul-Fitr in Saudi Arabia on Thursday
Bangladesh will, however, officially celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday as the Shawwal moon was not sighted on Wednesday evening. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslims, will be celebrated amid a global pandemic after a month of fasting.
The Religious Affairs Ministry has urged devotees to offer Eid prayers at the nearest mosques instead of Eidgah and open spaces, maintaining all health protocols.