BCB elections set for October 10

The Bangladesh Cricket Board's elections will be held on October 10, according to a gazetted notice of the National Sports Council (NSC). It will be held at the NSC Tower in Dhaka, with the results announced on the same day.

The polls will coincide with the second day of the first Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Chittagong. But BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury has insisted that it will not affect the holding of the match.

Twenty-three directors will be elected through votes from 172 councillors of various entities around the country. These include all the divisional and district sports associations, the Dhaka clubs, former cricketers, governmental institutions and education boards. the NSC, the sports regulatory body in Bangladesh, will select three directors among their 15 councillors. From these 26 directors, the BCB will choose its president, the first elected chief in the board's history, A date has not been declared for the presidential election.

The BCB's current president, Nazmul Hassan, and former chief Saber Hossain Chowdhury are taking in the part in the elections, and are likely to head two panels and battle for the president's post. Both are ruling-party MPs, but have been involved in verbal battle through the media in recent weeks.

While it is the first time the BCB head will be elected, it's the fifth BCB elections - previously they were held in 1988, 2001,2005 and 2009. The directors elected in the last election ran the board till October last year, after which the governmet appointed an ad-hoo committee. The body was supposed to hold elections within three months of their appointment, but have taken almost a year to complete preparations for the elections.

Priyanka Chopra named India's most dangerous celebrity online

Actress Priyanka Chopra has topped the list of the most dangerous celebrities in the Indian cyberspace this year followed by Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, according to a study.

Priyanka knocked off Sunny Leone, who topped the list last year but dropped to the ninth position this time, in the study by security software maker McAfee.

Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar were in the top five in the study which highlights how cybercriminals use celebrities to take advantage of fans seeking more information about their idols.

"In India where celebrities enjoy demigod status, cybercriminals often use their names to lure people to sites which host malicious software designed to compromise personal details and disrupt devices." McAfee India Centre VP Engineering (Consumer and Mobile Business Group) Venkatasubrahmanyam krishnapur said.

This year, searching for a celebrity's name, with search terms like "wall paper", "videos" and "nude pictures" resulted in the highest instances of malware-laden sites. Chopra, showed 79 infected search results, while Shah Rukh was at the second spot with 75 malicious sites, Salman ranked third, with 68 infected sites.

The top-10 list was rounded off by Saif Ali Khan, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Leone and Hrithik Roshan.

Alamgir; Any attempt to thwart polls to be resisted

Home Minister Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on Thursday said any attempt to thwart the upcoming elections would be resisted strongly.

"Those who will try to foil the polls will be resisted with full force," the minister said while speaking at the inauguration programme of the new headquarters of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-7), Chittagong Zone at Patenga here at noon.

"Some autocratic forces undercover of political parties want to foil election which is the main foundation of democracy," he said.

The Home Minister also urged the law-enforcers to play their due role in holding a free and fair election to safeguard democracy.

He said Rab was established as a force to mete out torture and repression during 2004-2008 but the present government has turned it into people-friendly one.

Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud, who was present at the progreamme as a special guest, said as along as the schedule for the election is announced the present government will work with its full force. "It'll be turned into an interim government when the election schedule will be announced."

PM: Remain united to protect the country

"Remain united in favour of war crimes trials. Keep this above party strategies. Remember, if they had the chance, they would not have spared you either," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to freedom fighters who are loyalists to BNP.

The Prime Minister made the call when a representative group of US Freedom Fighters Sangsad met with her at Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday.

She said BNP is blatantly trying to protect the war criminals of 1971. She said as freedom fighters they should not support such program mes.

With apple power, battle cancer and cut calories

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is certainly no exaggeration, for the mighty apple is indeed a storehouse of vitamins, minerals and many other valuable substances. In fact, apple consumption has been associated with reduced risk for a number of diseases including cancer, particularly lung cancer, as well as cardiovascular diseases, asthma and type 2 diabetes. Apples are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, the content varying with the 7,000 known varieties. Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants, which help to build immunity. fight chronic diseases and slow down ageing.

Apples are also an excellent source of disease-fighting soluble fibre in the form of pectin. Its high pectin content helps lower cholesterol and acts as a laxative by bulking the stool and maintaining intestinal balance. Pectin also helps to bind toxic metals such as mercury and lead, and helps excrete them.

Cooked apples are known to relieve diarrhoea, dysentery and colitis. One large apple a day has been shown to reduce serum cholesterol levels by 8-11 percent.

The pectin in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body, which lowers the body's need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes. Apple pectin helps in gelling and it is this property which helps in making apple jams and jellies.

Apples and apple juice are rich in phytochemicals (plant chemicals) including flavonoids and polyphenols. Polyphenols such as tannins (tannic acid) are potent enemies of viruses particularly herpes simplex virus. Two polyphenols - phloridzin and phloretin xyloglucoside found in apples have not been found in any other fruit.

Not only are apples exceptionally rich in phenols, they also have the highest concentration of "free phenols", which means that they are more available for absorption into the blood stream. Quite impressively, the anti-oxidant capacity of approximately one apple is equivalent to about 1,500 mg of vitamin C (although one apple has only about 5mg of vitamin C). A recent study reported that risk of colorectal cancer was reduced by about 50 percent on intake of more than one apple a day.

Is Katrina Aamir's new best friend?

After Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, the latest in the growing list of B-town Khan's charmed by the gorgeous babe Katrina Kaif is none other than Aamir Khan!

We hear that Aamir is charmed with kat to the extent that he made his pleasure at working with her in Dhoom3 and felt great when she managed to take time out for a special screening of his wife Kiran Rao's Ship of Theseus.

Dhoom3 is an upcoming Hindi action thriller film, written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra. It will be the third installment of the popular Dhoom series.

Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will reprise their roles as Jai Dixit and Ali Khan while Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif form the antagonist duo. Dhoom 3 will be released on 25 December 2013 in regular 2D and IMAX formats.

IPL7 may move to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka -BCCI

The next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) - or at least some matches of the T20 tournament may be played outside India. Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, or both, could be the likely host, a top cricket board official said.

The reason is the same as in 2009, when the second season was played in South Africa: Lok Sabha elections. The election dates are not known yet, but the BCCI has begun to prepare for a possible overlap with the IPL, which is played in April and May.

"A clear picture will emerge only after the dates for the Lok Sabha elections are announced. Until then, we are considering whether to have a few games in India and then move abroad, or vice versa. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are short journeys, so logistically, it won't be much of a problem," the BCCI offcial said.

The current Lok Sabha's term ends in May 2014, and if the election is not brought forward, the IPL will coincide with  campaigning and voting, and severely stretch security forces.

"The decision to move to South Africa in 2009 was taken at the last minute, and nobody had expected than that there would be an issue regarding security. But we now know that such a situation may arise again, and we are getting ready for it," the official said.

IPL CEO Sundar Raman will come up with detailed plans in due course. The BCCI is considering splitting season 7 into two halves, one of which might travel outside India.

Unlike in 2009, the board will not this time knock on the doors of Cricket South Africa (CSA) - the reasons being the recent tensions with their CEO Haroon Lorgat, and the expensive dollar, which would make playing the tournament in South Africa Significantly more expensive.

AbRam makes Eid special for Shah Rukh Khan

Although SRK is releasing his much published film "Chennai Express" on Eid, Aug 9, his happiness is primarily because of his son. "This Eid is very special as I have got a new son. That is the best production I have, everything else is secondary," Shah Rukh told IANS. He has two more children - son Aryan and daughter Suhana - with wife Gauri.

He was unable to keep roza completely this time, as he had to take painkillers every morning.

When asked about his plans for Eid, he said: "We will read the namaz and offer 'dua'. Whoever wants to read, they can come. I have told Gauri to make some biryani for everyone. Normally, I celebrate Eid and my birthday with everyone."

Talking about Rohit Shetty directed "Chennai Express"; the 47-year-old said he doesn't believe in holding a film after it is completed.

"When my film finishes, it comes out. The same thing is happening now. It is a holiday and I hope people enjoy it. We had thought of releasing it on October 11, but I had to get a surgery done, so I requested Deepika Padukone if she could give a month to the film. When we did that, we could release it on Eid," he said.

While making a film, SRK is not bogged down by any thought and added: "When I am doing a film, I don't think or anything else."

He hopes that everyone earns profit from "Chennai Express".

"I hope my film comes and whatever it is worth, it will do. I hope everyone recovers their money. I don't have any calculation. I don't even calculate how much my last film had done," he said.

Police in open fire as textile workers protest over pay

Bangladeshi security forces have opened fire on textile workers protesting in pursuit of a higher minimum wage.

Police used batons, rubber bullets and tear gas on day five of demonstrations near the capital Dhaka.

Workers on a minimum wage equivalent to 28 euros a month, want their monthly income to rise to 74 euros.

The huge Bangladeshi garment trade has been under the spotlight amid deadly incidents including the collapse of a building housing factories in April that killed more than 1,130 people.

In the latest protests, workers are said to have dispersed after security forces moved in. Police did not provide details of the injuries sustained.

Sayedee's petition rejected

The Appellate Division has rejected Jamaat Leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's two petitions urging the Supreme Court's two judges to voluntarily abstain from the proceedings of his appeal challenging his death sentence.

The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order the order on Thursday. The two other members of the bench are- Justice Wahab Mian and Justice Hasan Fayez Siddiqui.

The two judges against whom the petitions were filed are Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik.

Sayedee filed the petition on Wednesday fearing these two justices in question may not be unbiased when dealing with the appeal fighting his death verdict.

'Bebasi' - James' Brand New Song from Warning 3D released

The Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha of 'Warning 3D' have released a new song from the film. Sung by the legendary James & solo voice by Aditi Paul, 'Bebasi' reflects the helpless situation in which the characters of the film are stuck. The visuals of the song gives viewers a small glimpse into what India's first 3D underwater film has in store for them!

Starring Santosh Barmola, Manjari Fadnis, Jitin Gulati, Madhurima Tuli, Sumit Suri, Varun Sharma & Suzana Rodrigues, Warning follows the story of 7 friends that reunite after 5 years in the beautiful island of Fiji. What starts off as a celebration of long-lasting friendship turns into utter horror & terror when boundaries are overlooked & Warnings are ignored. Directed by Gurmmeet Singh & produced by AnubhavSinha & Sunil Lulla, the film hits theatres on 27th September, 2013.

Warning Movie touted as India's first 3D underwater film, Anubhav Sinha & first-time director, Gurmeett Singh will take audiences on a journey into the lives of 7 young friends who do not heed a warning and find themselves stranded in shark-infested seas, unable to find themselves back on to their luxury yacht.

Shot in its completion with 3 dimensional cameras in under 41 days, the film hopes to take audiences on a novel cinematic experience. The survival franchise, Warning will see an all new cast consisting, Santosh Barmola, Suzana Rodrigues, Varun Sharma (of Fukrey fame), Manjari Phadnis, Jitin Gulati, Sumit Suri & Madhurima Tuli.

Government to procure 650 taxicabs with help from army

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said the government will provide 650 new taxicabs to Dhaka and Chittagong. Dhaka will get 250, Chittagong 250 and army will supervise 150 cabs.

The Minister said the decision came at the annual development programme (ADP) review meeting on Wednesday at Communications Ministry.

The Minister said considering Dhaka's transportation system, a decision has been taken to give route permits in Dhaka to AC minibuses only.

He said the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Metro Rail, Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project and second Kanchpur, Meghna, Gomoti bridge construction next month.

Obaidul Quader said the Tk. 22,000 crore project will be implemented under Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project. Of the total cost, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide Tk. 16,600 crore.

Government prepares for execution

Government is preparing to execute Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah's death sentence. Government believes there is no scope for review appeal against the apex court's verdict. In fact, there is even no need to wait for the full verdict. Jail authorities can start the procedure once it receives the certified copy of the abridged verdict. But is this case Quader Mollah will get a week to seek presidential clemency. Meanwhile, Quader Mollah's counsel has applied for a certified copy of the abridged verdict. They have appealed for a stay on the execution procedure stating a review petition will be filed as soon as the copy of the verdict is received. 

Executions are processed under penal codes and jail codes. The jail codes mandate that after receiving the verdict the authorities allow 1 week for the convict to seek presidential pardon. If the convict is not pardoned then the sentence is executed between 21-28 days. But these penal codes and jail codes will not be applicable to war crimes convicts because International Crimes (Tribunals) Act-1973 is a special law. The sentences in this case will be executed as per the government's orders.

The Appellate Division allows 30 days to file any review petition. Quader Mollah's chief defense counsel said yesterday filing a review petition is Mollah's constitutional right. However, law experts believe Section 105 of the Constitution does not apply to war crime convicts and as such there is no scope for review in Mollah's case. Both Law Minister and Attorney General believes there is no scope for a review of the verdict.

Defense counsel on the other hand believes execution of the verdict without first allowing to file a petition would make it a judicial killing. The jurisprudence in a death penalty cannot be resolved through a court. The Constitution also allows the filing of a review. A death sentence cannot be executed on the basis of the abridged verdict only. The convict has to receive a copy of the verdict. Even the President needs to have the copy of the full verdict to evaluate clemency decision.

Asia Cup set for February 24-March 7 in Bangladesh

The Asia Cup will be held between February 24 and March 7 in Bangladesh, pending confirmation by Nimbus, which owns the broadcasting rights for the event. The dates along with the venues and other details of the tournament were discussed at the Asian Cricket Council meeting in Chennai on Saturday. The meeting was attended by the BCCI president N Srinivasan and representatives from Sri Lanka (Nishanta Ranatuga, Sri Lankan Cricket secretary) and Pakistan (Subhan Ahmed, Pakistan Cricket Board Chief operating officer) as well as ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq.

"India has confirmed those dates. Now we will wait for the broadcaster to confirm they are fine," an official privy to the meeting told ESPNcricinfo. "Those are the only dates when all the four participating countries are available to play."

Earlier the participation of India was in doubt, with the Asia Cup beginning too soon after the finish of the 2014 New Zealand tour as per the original schedules. But the BCCI worked out a revised itinerary for the New Zealand tour-five ODIs and two Tests will be played between January 19 and February 18. "The BCCI said because we want to play the Asia Cup, we have cut down on the New Zealand tour," the official said.

The perceived doubts about Nimbus emerge from the company having filed for bankruptcy. However, the official was confident Nimbus would not pull out because the broadcaster had already paid the first installment of the bank guarantee. "There is no reason why they should not broadcaster had already paid the first installment of the bank guarantee. "There is no reason why they should not broadcast. We will provide them with a cut-off date, otherwise we will have to approach another broadcaster," he said.

Dhaka and Fatullah are likely to host the Asia Cup matches but a final decision on whether the tournament will be played at one or both venues will be taken in the near future. The tournament had been moved to Bangladesh after original hosts India said they were unable to organise the tournament due to a packed international calendar, forcing the ACC to shift the venue at a meeting on April 8 in kuala Lumpur .

Grameenphone wins 3G bid

Bangladesh sold third generation mobile phone spectrum to four of the country's mobile telephone operators for a total of $525 million at a much-awaited auction on Sunday, the telecoms regulator said. 

Top operator Grameenphone, which is majority owned by Norway's Telenor, won the auction to acquire 10 megahertz of spectrum for $210 million.

Egyptian Orascom Telecom's Banglalink, Robi, a joint venture between Malaysia's Axiata Group and Japan's NTT DoCoMo, and Airtel, majority owned by India's Bharti Airtel, won bids for 5 megahertz of spectrum each at a price of $105 million.

The upgrade to a faster 3G network was needed to widen Internet access in Bangladesh, one of the world's fastest-growing telecoms markets, said Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

The operators have to pay 60 percent of the total price of spectrum as the first installment within a month and the balance within the next three months, he said.

State-owned mobile operator Teletalk last year launched the 3G service on a test basis. Teletalk will have to pay $210 million for 10 megahertz.

Another operator, Citycell, a joint venture between Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited and Singapore Telecommunications, was out of the auction after failing to deposit the $20 million earnest money.

The country's six mobile phone operators have a total of 107 million users while internet services lag far behind with nearly 40,000 subscribers.

Maximum of 10 years jail under MLM Law

A gazette was published on Thursday passed by the President on September 2 regarding the control of MLM companies and protection of related stakeholder's interests. All charges indicted under this ordinance will be considered punishable and non bail able.

The ordinance avers that any person found guilty of selling homologous products under the MLM business will be disposed between 5 to 10 years of jail along with 50 lakh taka fine. Moreover, anyone found guilty of carrying out MLM activities without license will be awarded with 5 to 10 years of jail along with 50 lakh taka fine.

The gazette also mentions that involvement in any other type of sales activities without packaging may lead to at most 2 years of jail with 2 lakh taka fine, unjustified price hikes will also be counted as a crime and may lead to a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 3 years of jail with 3 lakh taka fine. In addition actions will also be taken against sales of inferior quality goods, with a maximum of 5 years of jail and 5 lakh taka fine.

The ordinance defines MLM activity as a means of selling or distributing goods or services through a specialized network of multiple layers on conditions of commission or dividend or any other kind of compensation.

The ordinance has clauses to ensure that no company can act as a MLM company without license. The goods listed as transact able under MLM system are household items, electric and electronic items, home appliances, cosmetics and toiletries, herbal products, telecommunication services, training related services and agricultural goods. However, the government holds the jurisdiction to change the list of items through a gazette notification.

July-August remittances total 2.25 bln USD

Bangladeshis living and working abroad remitted home 2.25 billion U.S. dollars in the first two months of the current 2013-14 fiscal year, central bank data showed Tuesday.

According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data released Tuesday, the flow of inward remittances plunged over 14.46 percent year on year to 1,008.20 million U.S. dollars in the last month.

Remittances, one of the key sources of foreign exchange for the impoverished nation, in July was 1,238.96 million U.S. dollars, it showed.

The inflow of remittances from nearly 9 million Bangladeshis in the 2012-13 fiscal year which concluded in June reached a record high of nearly 15billion U.S. dollars, about 13 percent higher than the same period a year ago, the BB data showed.

Most of the remittances come from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Kuwait, Britain, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Bahrain, Italy & Australia, according to the bank.

Jute Minister for lower interest rate

Bangladesh's Minister of Textiles and Jute, Abdul Latif Siddique, has said that single digit bank interest rates are necessary for smooth industrialization in the country.

Inaugurating the "Textech, Dye and Chem and Yarn/Fabric Exhibitons" in Dhaka, the Minister said it is not possible to remain competitive in the international market when the bank interest rate is over 18 percent.

He said if the interest rate is lowered to single digit, owners would be able to pay high wages and thus reducing labour problems. The Financial Express reported.

During the setting up of industries phase, the interest rate should be two to three percent, and the tax rate can be increased once the industries are set up, the Minister added.

Speaking from the same platform, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) vice president Md. Hatem urged foreign investors to take advantage of various facilities offered by the Government and invest in the backward linkage.

About 450 exhibitors from more than10 countries are participating in the four-day fairs.

Indian court finds border guard not guilty in Felani murder

A court in eastern India has acquitted an India paramilitary soldier who was charged with the 2011 killing of a teenage Bangladeshi girl along the border between the countries.

Killings of illegal migrants are common along the porous India-Bangladesh border, but this was the first time an Indian border guard had been put on trial for such a killing. India says most of the people killed along the border are smugglers.

A court in West Bengal state said Thursday that border guard Amiya Ghosh was not guilty of shooting the 15-year-old girl as she crossed into Bangladesh from the Indian side in January 2011.

The two countries are often at odds over issues involving their nearly 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border. Bangladesh accuses Indian troops of using extreme violence along the border.

Warid Telecom International to be renamed as Airtel Bangladesh

Airtel will revamp its operations in Bangladesh. Warid Telecom International to be relaunched as Airtel Bangladesh by and by It will roll out 3G services in Bangladesh subsequently. Bharti Airtel penetrated Bangladesh in January 2010 when it acquired 70 per cent ownership in warid Telecom International for $300 million from UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group.

Bharti Airtel has provided all papers to the statutory authorities in Bangladesh to rename Warid Telecom International to Airtel Bangladesh. The latest developments come at a time when Bangladesh with its 160 million population is expected to garner substantial revenues for Bharti Aitel's South Asia operations in the coming quarters. Telenor backed Grameen Phone, Orascom-owned Banglalink aad Axiata are a few major mobile companies in Bangladesh.

Facebook launching project to make Internet more affordable

Facebook Inc's (FB.O) Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has enlisted Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS), Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and four other companies for a project aimed at bringing Internet access to people around the world who can't afford it, mirroring efforts by Google Inc (GOOG.O) and others.

The project is called Internet.org and will be launched Wednesday. It focuses on enabling the next 5 billion people without access to come online, Zuckerberg said.

"The goal of Internet.org is to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today," said Zuckerberg.

Other players in the project include Ericsson (ERICb.ST), MediaTek Inc(2454.TW), Nokia (NOK1V.HE), and Opera Software ASA (OPERA.OL).

The partnership will develop lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and deploy Internet access in under served communities, Facebook said. (link.reuters.com/zen52v)

Google said in June that it had launched a small network of balloons over the Southern Hemisphere in an experiment it hopes could bring reliable Internet access to the world's most remote regions.

That pilot program, Project Loon, took off in June from New Zealand's South Island, using solar-powered, high-altitude balloons that ride the wind about 12.5miles, or twice as high as airplanes, above the ground, Google said.