United News of Bangladesh

An youthful Bangladesh national women' s football team will play their first match of the two International Friendlies against hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) national women' s team in Dubai on Wednesday (Feb 26) evening. The FIFA International Friendly match between two teams will kick- off at 7:30 pm UAE time and 9:30 pm Bangladesh time at Pitch- 1 of the UAE Football Association complex in Dubai. Bangladesh Women’s National Football Team, which  safely reached the UAE this (Tuesday) morning, will play their 2nd and last International Friendly on March 2. Defender Afeida Khandakar will lead the youthful Bangladesh national women's team for the first time in place of long serving and SAFF champions captain Sabina Khatun. Bangladesh Women’s National Football Team, which  safely reached the UAE this (Tuesday) morning, will play their 2nd and last International Friendly on March 2. After the day' s (Tuesday)  lunch session, Bangladesh women's team received an encouraging visit from Fahad Karim, the Vice President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). He met with the players at the team hotel, offering words of motivation and support as they gear up for their upcoming matches. Bangladesh Head Coach Peter Butler was also present on the occasion. BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani Ltd earn biggest victory in 2nd phase opener outplaying Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool by 6-1 goals Bangladesh team schedule to make their first training session today (Tuesday) evening from 7:30 pm UAE time and 9:30 pm Bangladesh Time at Pitch 2 of the UAE Football Association complex. Earlier on last Thursday (February 20),  Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) announced a 23-member youthful national women’s football team excluding captain Sabina Khatun-led rebelling 18-senior national footballers just few hours after the SAFF winning Bangladesh women's football team received Ekushey Padak from Chief Adviser. Only eight players of the last SAFF winning 30-member Bangladesh women's team were included in the squad. They are : Afeida Khandakar, Kohati Kishu, Munki Akter, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Iirin Khatun, Yearzan Begum, Sapna Rani and Mili Akter, Member of Bangladesh women’s football team: Yearzan Begum, Mile Akter, Meghla Rani Roy (goal keepers) , Kohati Kisku, Joynab Bibi Rita, Afeida Khandakar, Surman Jannat, Halima Akhter, Sapna Rani, Airin Khatun, Aklima Khatun, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Ayonto Bala Mahato, Oeyshi Khatun, Tonima Biswas, Munki Akhter, Bonnya Khantun, Most. Sultana,  Khanom Akter, Arpita Biswas Arpita, Sauravi Akanda Prity, Marium Binta Hanna and Nabiran Khatun. Eighteen senior national players who were not included in the Peter Butler’s team are : Sabina Khatun (captain) , Krishna Rani Sarkar, Masura Parveen, Sanjida Akter, Maria Manda (vice-captain), Monika Chakma, Ritu  Porna Chakma, Sheuly Azim, Nilufar Yesmin, Tahura Khantun, Sogorika, Mathsushima Sumaiya, Shamsun Nahar Sr, Shamsun Nahar Jr, Rupna Chakma, Shorna Rani Mondal,  Nasrin Akter and Shati Biswas. 

Minister of Health of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abdu Rahman  bin Mohamed Al Owais on Thursday hoped Bangladesh-UAE relationships would deepen during the tenure of the interim government and both nations would expand trade, business, and health ties in the coming years. He called on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai. The minister thanked the Chief Adviser for joining the prestigious annual summit of top government leaders, saying his presence has uplifted the gathering. "We learn from people like you," the UAE health minister said, as they discussed various aspects of the WGS. CA Dr Yunus in Dubai to attend World Governments Summit "The WGS is learning from the experiences of people who have come from all over the world," he said. The minister also greeted the Chief Adviser for leading Bangladesh at a crucial moment in the country's history. Chief Adviser Dr Yunus said he was impressed with the progress made by the UAE in health scenes and prevention of major diseases. He also thanked the UAE for hosting more than a million Bangladeshis. Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain was also present in the meeting. Lutfey Siddiqi, the Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser, and Lamiya Morshed, a senior secretary and SDGs Affairs coordinator of the Bangladesh government, also joined the meeting.

UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdulla Ali ALHmoudi has said the ties between his country and Bangladesh are based on the principles of cooperation and mutual respect. "The partnership between the countries and peoples reached a new height in recent years. The mutual visits of the leaders and officials of the two countries, and the ever-increasing trade, economic and cultural exchanges, are powerful indicators of the strength of bilateral relations in various fields," he added. "The UAE and Bangladesh have enjoyed deep-rooted historical relations since 1971, and both of our governments strengthened the bilateral relations in various sectors," he said while celebrating the UAE's 51st National Day on Thursday in Dhaka. Read: UAE keen to expand air connectivity with Bangladesh The embassy held a grand reception at a hotel, bringing a taste of home to the members of the UAE community in Bangladesh. Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad attended the programme as the chief guest. Ministers, ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, members of parliament, high government officials, business persons, media personalities, and personalities from academic and social institutions also attended the event. "The UAE is one of the most resilient countries globally in handling and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country ranked 11th on the nation brand index due to its successful handling of Covid-19 and pioneering achievements in science and education, such as the successful Emirates Mars Mission," Abdulla Ali said. Read: Bangladesh seeks wider cooperation with UAE "The UAE supports diplomacy over conflict, partnership over unilateralism, and dialogue over confrontation. The UAE believes that the world cannot tolerate more polarisation and confrontation and that the coming decades need more communication, integration and cooperation in the political, economic, technological, health and food fields." Imran said Bangladesh and UAE enjoy an age-old fraternity and time-tested friendship. "These historical ties had further been strengthened and deepened over time with religious and cultural commonalities and economic cooperation." Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also spoke at the programme.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided 50 metric tonnes of food aid to Bangladesh as a part of its humanitarian initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan. Fine quality of rice, sugar, oil, milk, tea powder, salt, lentil, beans, flour, macaroni etc are among the food aid items. Chargé d'affaires at the UAE Embassy in Dhaka Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi officially handed over the aid to the Md. Anisur Rahman, Director, Department of Disaster Management of Bangladesh at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. Also Read: Coronavirus: UAE extends amnesty for visa violators till Nov 17 Earlier, a special flight of Etihad Airways carrying the humanitarian food aid landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.        Chargé d'affaires Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi said the UAE shares historical ties with Bangladesh characterized by friendship and cooperation in various fields. Also Read: Bangladesh, UAE sign four MoUs on big projects "The aid has been provided to help address the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as these circumstances require solidarity and international cooperation, especially during the holy month of Ramadan”. In April 2020, the UAE sent a plane containing 7 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Bangladesh to support the country in containing the spread of Covid-19, he said. These supplies benefited more than 7,000 healthcare workers in their efforts to combat the pandemic, the envoy added.