Ronaldo misses Al-Nassr match amid reports of strike over lack of transfer activity
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League match against Al Riyadh on Monday amid reports he is on strike over the club's lack of transfer activity.
Portuguese media outlet A Bola reported that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is unhappy that Al-Nassr, which is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investement Fund, has not strengthened its squad as it challenges for the league title.
Heading into the game, Al-Nassr was second behind rival Al Hilal, which is also backed by the PIF and has been linked with Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.
Al-Nassr CEO Jose Semedo declined to comment, according to Saudi media.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo has scored 17 goals this season.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
