Easy win for Belgium over US rings alarm bells for World Cup co-hosts
Belgium bounced back after going behind to register a runaway 5-2 win over the United States in their friendly international on Saturday in a result that will ring alarm bells for the World Cup co-hosts, Reuters reported.
Weston McKennie had the U.S ahead from a corner in the 39th minute but a rasping long-range shot from Belgian defender Zeno Debast saw the teams level at halftime.
Amadou Onana made it 2-1 eight minutes into the second half and six minutes later Charles De Ketelaere converted a penalty to extend the lead, according to Reuters.
Eight players leave England camp ahead of Japan friendly
England boss Thomas Tuchel will have no choice but to ring the changes ahead of their March 31 friendly with Japan at Wembley Stadium, after eight players left the camp on March 28 with a variety of health issues and injury concerns, Reuters reported.
Having drawn 1-1 with Uruguay in a friendly on March 27, the FA announced the departures on March 28 after several players picked up knocks and injuries, causing changes to the 35-man squad selected by Tuchel for the current international break.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Fikayo Tomori and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are among the departures, with defender John Stones returning to Manchester City after picking up an injury prior to the March 27 game, while Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) and Noni Madueke (Arsenal) were both injured in the friendly, according to Reuters.
Bangladeshi Embassy marks 55th Independence Day
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Kathmandu hosted a grand National Day reception last evening at the Radisson Hotel Kathmandu, commemorating the 55th anniversary of Bangladesh Independence Day.
Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav graced the event as the Chief Guest.
Addressing the event, Bangladesh Ambassador Md Shafiqur Rahman paid profound tributes to the valiant freedom fighters who made their supreme sacrifices during the nine month-long Liberation War of Bangladesh.
He expressed sincere appreciation to the government and the people of Nepal for their invaluable moral and material support during the War.
Highlighting bilateral ties, the ambassador reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to further strengthening cooperation with Nepal in areas such as trade, investment, connectivity, energy, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Ambassador Rahman also congratulated the new government of Nepal led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah and expressed hope that the bilateral collaboration will further deepen and reach new heights during his tenure.
The reception was attended by a distinguished gathering of Ambassadors and Heads of Mission accredited to Nepal, Ministers and political leaders, senior government officials, members of civil society and think tanks, eminent business leaders, members of the media, and the Bangladesh community living in Nepal.
Yemen's Houthis enter Iran war with attacks on Israel, while US Marines arrive in region
The risk of an expanded Iran war grew on Saturday as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, even as additional U.S. forces reached the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Speaking before the strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States expected to conclude military operations within weeks, although a new ‌deployment of U.S. Marines started arriving in the region. The Houthis said they would continue their operations until the "aggression" on all fronts ended.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government hosts a meeting with the Turkish and Saudi foreign ministers on Sunday to seek to ease regional tensions, according to Reuters.
