Nigar Sultana Joty says Bangladesh’s players are grateful to be “healthy and safe” despite the disappointment of seeing their home Women’s T20 World Cup relocated.
They started their campaign in fine style, claiming a first win in a women’s World Cup since 2014, as they beat Scotland by 16 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The competition had been due to be staged in their homeland, only for it to be switched to Sharjah and Dubai as a response to political unrest and protests in Bangladesh.
The protests lead to more than 200 confirmed deaths, thousands of reported injuries, and more than 11,000 arrests.
When victory was sealed in the opening game in Sharjah, a number of players, including Joty, were visibly moved.
“It was hard work because we always had in our mind that we were going to play in front of our home crowd,” Joty, the Bangladesh captain, said.
“But still, there were quite a few people who came here today and were supporting Bangladesh. It was brilliant.
“As a professional team I think we need to move on and not think about the fact we might have been playing in Bangladesh in front of our home crowd.
“We are able to play here. We are fortunate because we all are healthy and all are safe, and representing our country.
“We got a good win in front of a good number of people. Back home they were very happy, I think. Our friends and family will be in a very good mood now.”
The UAE is providing a secure second home for a T20 World Cup the second time in three years. In 2021 the men’s version was brought here because of the Covid situation in India.
Again, it means the home national team are absent, but they did at least have some representation on the opening day.
Esha Oza, the UAE captain, forced a smile as she carried out the trophy ahead of the start. She had played the innings that took the national team to the brink of qualifying for this tournament earlier this year, only for them to fall agonisingly short.
The two opponents in the first fixture had both played Qualifiers in Abu Dhabi in recent times.
Bangladesh qualified for last year’s tournament in South Africa via an event in the capital, while Scotland did similar this time around by beating Ireland in the decisive match.
It meant they had the chance to play at a women’s World Cup for the first time, and for much of their debut fixture, they acquitted themselves well.
They restricted Bangladesh to 119-7 from their 20 overs, with Saskia Horley taking 3-13.
The fact scoring was difficult was evidenced by there being only 15 boundaries hit in the match. Just five of those were contributed by Scotland.
After keeping wicket for the Bangladesh batting innings, Sarah Bryce batted through Scotland’s 20 overs.
Given they made it to 103-7 in their reply, it meant she ran 83 times between the wicket in the innings, and she finished a run short of a half century by the end, too.
“There is a bit of disappointment not getting the win, but there is so much we can take from today’s game,” Horley said.
“Having restricted them to 120, there are definitely some mixed emotions. There are still so many games left, and we are competing. There were some great performances out there today.”
Bangladesh will face England next time out when they return to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday evening, while Scotland face West Indies a day later.
India begin their tournament when they meet New Zealand in Dubai at 6pm on Friday.
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Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Started: October 2020
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Sector: FinTech
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It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
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Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
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“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
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Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
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