Shakira cancels tour due to `injury`

Colombian pop star Shakira cancelled the remainder of her world tour because of a problem with her vocal chords and said she hoped to be back on stage in June of next year.
"Though I very much hoped to be able to recover my vocal chords in time to pick the tour back up in January, and after exploring many options to that effect, I have accepted that this is an injury that simply needs more time and care to heal," Shakira said in a statement on her website. The Hips Don't Lie star cancelled the European leg of her "El Dorado World Tour" in November.
She said she hoped to resume the tour in June 2018 with concerts in Europe, the United States and Latin America. It's currently due to conclude September 6 in San Jose, California.
"I feel for all of you who planned ahead to come to these shows and who have been so patient as I took the time needed to figure out the best course of action with my doctors," Shakira said.
"I really can't wait for June!" she added. "I promise to give you all of me and more from the minute I get on that stage and I am counting the days till showtime!"

Entertainment and arts figures we lost in 2017

Not a month went by this year without too many figures from the world of arts and entertainment bidding us farewell.

Here's an affectionate look back at some of those we lost.

January

The year began with veteran actor John Hurt signing off at the age of 77, TV star Mary Tyler Moore saying goodbye aged 80 and Bollywood actor Om Puri leaving us too soon at the age of 66.

We also bid farewell to the art critic John Berger, 'Allo 'Allo star Gorden Kaye, British singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt, Exorcist author William Peter Blatty and French actress Emmanuelle Riva.

February

The year's shortest month saw Battlestar Galactica star Richard Hatch die at 71, jazz crooner Al Jarreau silenced at 76 and Titanic star Bill Paxton die suddenly at the age of 61.

We also saw stage actor Alec McCowen and Twin Peaks actor Warren Frost bow out, both at 91, and The Archers' Sara Coward, Japanese manga artist Jiro Taniguchi and pop star turned priest Peter Skellern all die at 69.

March

The third month of 2017 brought the deaths of rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter and Caribbean poet Derek Walcott.

Others to leave us included British artist Howard Hodgkin, Sister Sledge singer Joni Sledge, novelist and playwright David Storey and Robert James Waller, the American novelist best known for The Bridges of Madison County.

April

TS Eliot called April the cruellest month, something with which fans of Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme, Happy Days star Erin Moran and British actor Tim Pigott-Smith are sure to agree.

James Bond actor Clifton James, broadcaster Brian Matthew, US comedian Don Rickles and Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko also took their leave in April aged 96, 90 and 84 respectively.

May

Among those who left us in May were imposing US actor Powers Boothe, Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and Sir Roger Moore, the much-loved star of seven James Bond films.

Rock and roll trailblazer Gregg Allman, Blue Peter presenter John Noakes, Catweazle actor Geoffrey Bayldon, Darling Buds of May star Moray Watson, Italian DJ Roberto Concina - better known as Robert Miles - and actor Michael Parks, a favourite of Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith, also died this month.

June

In the month Britain went to the polls, we sadly lost Paddington creator Michael Bond, US actress Glenne Headly and Last of the Summer Wine actor Peter Sallis.

Others to die in June included Coronation Street's Roy Barraclough, Rocky director John G Avildsen, film critic Barry Norman, Animal House star Stephen Furst, Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, model Anita Pallenberg, classical conductor Jeffrey Tate and Adam West of TV Batman fame.

July

The suicide of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington cast a tragic pall over a month that also saw the deaths of legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau and the American playwright and actor Sam Shepard.

Others to bow out in July included True Blood star Nelsan Ellis, Home Alone actor John Heard, Ed Wood Oscar-winner Martin Landau, children's TV star Carol Lee Scott, former Doctor Who companion Deborah Watling and zombie maestro George A Romero.

August

Three showbusiness legends left us in August - country singer Glen Campbell, entertainer Bruce Forsyth and comedy star Jerry Lewis - at the ages of 81, 89 and 91 respectively.

We also bid a fond farewell to science-fiction author Brian Aldiss, US comedian Dick Gregory, All Creatures Great and Small actor Robert Hardy and the horror director Tobe Hooper.

September

Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and the actor Harry Dean Stanton, of Alien and Repo Man fame, were among the dearly departed this month.

Others to take their leave included Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, theatrical giant Peter Hall, quiz show host William G Stewart, The Ginger Man author JP Donleavy, Martin Scorsese regular Frank Vincent and country singer Don Williams.

October

Ain't That A Shame? That's what many people thought in October when they learned that rock and roll singer Fats Domino, Benson actor Robert Guillaume and musician Tom Petty had left us.

The Irish comedian Sean Hughes, French screen star Danielle Darrieux , British actress Rosemary Leach, Guernsey-born character actor Roy Dotrice and AC/DC producer George Young were among others to die this month.

November

The music world was hit hard in November by the deaths of Partridge Family star David Cassidy, 21-year-old rapper Lil Peep and AC/DC's Malcolm Young, who passed away less than a month on from his brother George.

Others to depart included Magnum PI actor John Hillerman, The Likely Lads star Rodney Bewes, Duty Free actor Keith Barron, Scooby-Doo voice performer Heather North and the Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

December

As the year drew to a close, we said goodbye to bubbly TV presenter Keith Chegwin, France's biggest rock star Johnny Hallyday and Bollywood veteran Shashi Kapoor.

We also lost Heather Menzies-Urich, the actress who played Louisa Von Trapp in The Sound of Music; Leon Bernicoff, one of the regulars on Channel 4's Gogglebox; and British actor Alfie Curtis, whose Dr Evazan character memorably threatened Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars film. BBC

Too much tolerance?

Will Sabbir Rahman be considered for the upcoming home assignments after the batsman allegedly assaulted a young fan during the final-round match of the National Cricket League in Rajshahi?

The question has been surfacing within the cricket fraternity as, according to sources, there was no dispute among the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials about Sabbir deserving the sternest punishment for his deeds on December 21.

There was agreement about the notion that just financial penalties will not be enough to prevent further wrongdoings from Sabbir and it was reflected in the comments of BCB's disciplinary committee chairman Sheikh Sohel, who said: “We will sit on Monday regarding the issue. So far we didn't get any good result after imposing financial penalty on this player, so it's a matter to be considered before taking a decision. He committed two indiscretions this time as he assaulted a young fan and was aggressive with the match officials.”

Sabbir's short career has been dotted with a number of disciplinary issues and the 26-year-old batsman had earlier faced heavy financial penalties.

The match referee's report has already been submitted to the disciplinary committee for their suggestions and recommendations.  “He should be punished, there is no doubt about it but we are considering a number of options -- like just imposing a financial penalty again, a six-month ban from all cricket, banning him only from domestic cricket for a long period of time so that he faces the consequences of missing the Dhaka Premier League and the BPL,” said an official on condition of anonymity. 

A question has also come to the fore about whether it will be wise to ban him ahead of such an important home series in the New Year when there are no ready replacements. If this is part of the considerations, it is unfortunate because it carries on a tradition of leniency that is at odds with a board and a board president who have often touted their zero-tolerance policy when it comes to disciplinary issues.

The culture of tolerating misbehavior if the perpetrator is a good player becomes plain to see when one remembers that player assaults on spectators is not a new thing in Bangladesh. Shakib Al Hasan was banned when he assaulted a spectator during an international match in 2014, but soon afterwards the then coach Shane Jurgensen, captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had gone to BCB boss Nazmul Hassan to plead his case, because he is an important player in the team.

It stood Bangladesh cricket in good stead that Hassan did not acquiesce to that request because it set an example of stern punishment for disciplinary breaches and that in turn translated to a healthier team culture. But just as Bangladesh's cricket has declined since the heady days of 2015 and 2016, this standard has also fallen, judging by the current pussyfooting over Sabbir's punishment and the inaction about the three cricketers who broke curfew after a 200-run loss in South Africa.

England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes was banned from the all-important Ashes because of a Bristol street brawl, without a thought being given to how England will suffer without them.

And the acts of Stokes and Shakib, while abhorrent, did not victimise a minor as did Sabbir's. And if the board were truly professional, it should be completely beside the point how important Sabbir is as a player. In reality however, the board's approach is anything but zero-tolerance.

Padmavati: Controversial film 'cleared by Indian censor board'

India's film censor board has cleared the release of controversial Bollywood film Padmavati, reports say.

The film, which tells the story of a 14th Century Hindu queen and a Muslim ruler, has sparked nationwide protests by Hindu and caste groups.

However the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told local media it had not recommended any cuts.

In November, India's top court rejected an appeal by a lawyer to block the film's global release.

Padmavati tells the story of a 14th Century Hindu queen belonging to the high Rajput caste and the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji. Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh play the lead roles.

Hindu groups and a Rajput caste organisation allege that the movie, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, depicts an intimate romantic scene between the two characters; the producers of the film deny this.

 Although a fictional character, Padmavati is deified and held as a symbol of female honour among Rajputs.

The controversy comes amid an upsurge of Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP.

Muslims and members of the Dalit caste have been murdered in "beef-lynchings", the iconic Taj Mahal has been attacked over its Muslim heritage and there have been efforts to undermine Mahatma Gandhi's standing over his dream of Hindu-Muslim unity.

The censor board said it had appointed a special board to consider protesters' concerns and said these had been "discussed at length", the Press Trust of India reported.

The board said it wanted a disclaimer to be shown saying that the film did not claim historical accuracy. It also called for a second disclaimer saying that the film did not promote the practice of self-immolation by widows, outlawed in the 19th Century.

It recommended changing the film's name to Padmavat, after the 16th century epic poem of the same name.

Rumours about a scene in the film of the Muslim king dreaming of a romantic tryst with the Hindu queen have enraged many, including the Rajput Karnik Sena, a fringe caste group that has called for the film to be banned.

 The group had disrupted shooting and one member had slapped Bhansali on the set earlier this year. Others vandalised cinemas and threatened to chop off Padukone's nose, referring to an incident in another epic, Ramayana, where a character has her nose cut off as punishment.

The group also held protests against the film in several states and Rajput community members have burned effigies of Bhansali, reports BBC.

2017 - a year of breakthroughs, strategies for Bangladesh ICT sector

Bangladesh has tasted many firsts in the information and communication technology sector in the outgoing year.

Among those, $800 million export earnings in the sector, the launch of emergency helpline 999 and a visit by Sophia, the world’s first robot citizen, set the pulse racing.  

Bangladesh also observed National ICT Day for the first time this year.

The ICT Division took a slew of initiatives throughout the year to inspire the youths to play a role in building a ‘Digital Bangladesh’.

$800m export

By the end of the year, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak broke the good news that the annual export earnings in the sector neared $800 million, which was only $26 million when the Awami League came to power for a second time in 2009.

The government plans to bolster the sector’s growth through policy improvement within two to three years, push annual export earnings to $5 billion and generate 2 million jobs by 2021.

Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park in Jessore began its journey to take the fruit of the sector’s expansion to the southwest region.

Fifty-five firms, two of them Japanese, have been allotted spaces in the park. A floor has been kept only for start-ups.

The government believes the software park will be the key to raising the export earnings in the sector.

Sophia swings by

Robot Sophia came to Bangladesh to join the annual ICT expo Digital World in Dhaka in the first week of December.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines announced Sophia’s membership in its Gold Loyalty Club.

The Hanson Robotics creation can converse with humans.

Among others, the humanoid robot spoke to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the ICT expo.

ICT Day

Bangladesh observed National ICT Day for the first time this year, on Dec 12.

The government gave out the National ICT Awards 2017 to eight people and six organisations for their exceptional contribution to the growth of the sector at a maiden event celebrating the day.

bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi received the special recognition for turning the first online newspaper of Bangladesh into an influential internet company revered for its news services by its audience around the world.

Helpline 999

The government also officially launched the 999 emergency helpline after trialling it for a year on National ICT Day.

Police, fire service and ambulance services are available from any phone (mobile or fixed line) by dialling the number 999.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on ICT Affairs Sajeeb Wazed, popularly known by his nickname ‘Joy’, inaugurated the helpline services.

Plans

Inspired by the successes in 2017, State Minister Palak has planned something new for the next year.

“We want to set up an institute – ‘Centre of Excellence’ – to create manpower of around 6,000 with special skills,” he told bdnews24.com.

The government is setting up 28 IT parks throughout Bangladesh besides ‘Sheikh Kamal IT Training Centre’.

He hopes these would help them create 2 million IT jobs by 2021.

He added that the government was planning to set up over 1,000 WiFi hotspots nationwide next year to allow wider access to the internet.

he other side of the coin

There were some bad news in the sector as well.

The Internet Service Providers’ Association of Bangladesh or ISPAB alleged irregularities in a move to award to two firms a government project, ‘Info Sarker-3’, for proving 2,600 unions with high-speed internet.

The association, however, later said it was a ‘misunderstanding’ and apologised.

Despite rise in export earnings, technological service and outsourcing company Accenture left Bangladesh.

Analysts, however, said it would not affect Bangladesh’s outsourcing market, but stain its image

ndira Gandhi Cultural Centre is organising an evening of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music by Rabin Chowdhury at Kobi Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the capital today. Rabin Chowdhury learnt Classical Music at Sur Saptak Sangeet Vidyapit and completed the six year course with First Class. After that he came in contact with Swarnamoy Chakraborty who has been his music guru for ten years. He was also a disciple of Pandit Tushar Dutta of the Kirana and Agra Gharana. During his musical career Rabin Chowdhury has come in contact with eminent musicians of India and Bangladesh such as Pandit Nirmalya Dey, Pandit Dilip Das, Dhrupadia Sayeed Nafeesuddin Dagar and Aneesuddin Dagar, Ustad Shahadat Hossain Khan, Ustad Rabiul Islam, Azad Rahman and Pandit Niharranjan Bandopadhyay. Rabin Chowdhury has performed in various classical music conferences. Some of his best performances include Classical Music (Khayal) at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, the Behala Marga Music Circle, Kolkata and the India Habitat centre New Delhi. He has also performed in radio and TV programmes in Bangladesh. Where: Nat’l Museum, Shahbag

To many, Gal Gadot gave one of the most precious moments to comic book fans this year by taking probably the most iconic superheroes of all time to the big screen.
Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman/Diana Prince in this year’s blockbuster movie Wonder Woman, has revealed the most heartwarming moment she experienced this year, which was more endearing to her than any on-screen or on-set moment.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the 32-year-old actor revealed that she experienced the most happiest moment of her life when the embargo for her movie was lifted.
She said, “It was a Thursday evening and I knew they were lifting the embargo for the reviews at 9:00pm. It was my first time going through such a thing. Usually, I’m not in the loop on when the studio is lifting the embargo. So I put my six-year-old daughter to bed and I said, ‘You need to fall asleep, I need to do some work tonight.’ And of course that night she was very much awake. I said, ‘Okay. I'm going to bring my computer and sit next to you until you fall asleep.”
Prior to Wonder Woman, Gadot had debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While she felt as though she and director Patty Jenkins were crafting something ‘special’ while working together, she was largely unprepared for what came next.

Hindustani classical vocal music at Nat’l Museum today

ndira Gandhi Cultural Centre is organising an evening of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music by Rabin Chowdhury at Kobi Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the capital today.

Rabin Chowdhury learnt Classical Music at Sur Saptak Sangeet Vidyapit and completed the six year course with First Class. After that he came in contact with Swarnamoy Chakraborty who has been his music guru for ten years. He was also a disciple of Pandit Tushar Dutta of the Kirana and Agra Gharana.

During his musical career Rabin Chowdhury has come in contact with eminent musicians of India and Bangladesh such as Pandit Nirmalya Dey, Pandit Dilip Das, Dhrupadia Sayeed Nafeesuddin Dagar and Aneesuddin Dagar, Ustad Shahadat Hossain Khan, Ustad Rabiul Islam, Azad Rahman and Pandit Niharranjan Bandopadhyay.

 Rabin Chowdhury has performed in various classical music conferences. Some of his best performances include Classical Music (Khayal) at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, the Behala Marga Music Circle, Kolkata and the India Habitat centre New Delhi. He has also performed in radio and TV programmes in Bangladesh.

Where: Nat’l Museum, Shahbag

Pacers' slide in 2017

The Bangladesh cricket team had been suffering from a perennial shortage of fast bowlers, until 2015, when the Tigers' pacers shifted gears and started to make an impact on opposition batsmen and occupying more space in the playing eleven.

But just when it looked like the pacers were going to take off, there was instead a crash landing that has marred much of 201Taskin Ahmed made his limited-overs debut in 2014 with a bang but the speedster was unable to blossom over the past few years despite having all the attributes of a genuine fast bowler. The 22-year-old made his Test debut in 2017, three years after his limited-overs debut, with high expectations but failed to make an impact. The tallSubashis Roy also made a promising debut this year and needs to play more matches in the coming days to gain confidence. Left-arm seamer Abu Hider burst onto the scene after a magnificent Bangladesh Premier League in 2015, but went on to play just five T20Is for the Tigers before being left out without being given enough chances.

The newest addition in the Tigers' pace bowling arsenal, right-arm pacer Abu Jayed, earned his maiden call-up to the Bangladesh preliminary squad after an impressive run in the recently concluded BPL, in which he finished as the second-highest wicket taker with 18 scalps.

“I have been trying for a long time and believe that I will get the opportunity someday, and our sir (technical director Khaled Mahmud) has encouraged me to give my best. I am hopeful that I can play for a long time if I get the chance in the national team,” Jayed told reporters after the training session in Mirpur yesterday.

The New Year will begin with serious question marks over the pace stocks, and it remains to be seen whether management has learned the harsh lessons of 2017.  right-arm seamer picked seven wickets in five Tests at a costly average of 97.42. He bagged 10 wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 42.79 and picked up just a wicket in four T20Is this year.

On the other hand, the selectors have always kept faith on another pacer, Shafiul Islam, who has been able to play only 11 Tests since his debut in 2010.

Such a peculiar stop-start career -- his eleven Tests yielded 17 wickets and 56 ODIs netted 63 wickets -- is the result of a series of injuries.

But yet again he disappointed and played just two Tests and bagged two wickets in 2017 at an average of 70.50 – numbers a bowler would never want to have.

Next to Mashrafe, the most experienced fast bowler in the Tigers line-up is Rubel Hossain and he is another disappointing example despite having the ability to undo the batsmen with his pace and variations. But Rubel was able to take just one wicket in two Tests, while bagging 10 in 11 ODIs with an average of 51.50 and scalped eight in five T20Is – once again figures that are not indicative of a bowler or bowling attack in rude health.

The persistence with Shafiul is all the more puzzling because of bowlers like Kamrul Islam Rabbi, who despite making a bright start has been discarded after playing just five Tests, the last one being against India in the one-off Test in Hyderabad.

7, especially the end of the year.

Despite the inclusion of West Indian fast bowling legend Courtney Walsh as the bowling coach the Tigers' fast bowling attack is yet to get the shape as it was expected since he was appointed earlier this year.

Mustafizur Raman, the best performer among the lot in 2017, picked up 16 wickets in six Tests at an average of 36.37 with best figures of four for 84 in 20.5 overs against Australia at home. The left arm seamer is also the highest wicket-taker for the Tigers in ODIs with 14 wickets in 11 games, apart from picking up five wickets in four T20Is.

Mustafizur's stats might not look outstanding but it was a reflection on the fast bowling department which was below par throughout the year.

Tigers' ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was the second-best performer among the pacers where he picked up 13 wickets in the as many games at an average of 49.53 in 2017.

I am not restricting myself as an actor: Kriti Sanon

Actor Kriti Sanon says after spending four years in film industry and starring in films such as Dilwale and Barielly Ki Barfi she has improved a lot as a performer.

The actor, who hails from Delhi, said to create her own space in films without and any support system “feels great”.

“The fact that I had never thought of becoming an actor in the first place when I was doing B-Tech… then coming to a completely new city, where I knew no one and now to having done four films and have been able to (have) space of myself on my own, it does feels great.

“With every film I feel I have grown as a person and as actor. I learnt a lot on my job as I had no real training of being an actor.

When I look back at my films and roles and the approach towards work it is different now then what it was earlier. For me growth is more important,” Kriti said.

The 27-year-old added that she is open to take risks if the role interests her.

“Whatever opportunities I get I should like it. I am not restricting myself as an actor, I want to play different kind of characters but I should like the offers.”

 For Kriti it has been a mixed year as her first release Raabta did not do well at the box office but Bareilly Ki Barfi was appreciated.

“I take it all as an experience, whether it is Raabta or Bareilly Ki Barfi both the films have been special to me as an actor. I believed in both the films.

“I learnt a lot while working on these two films. What matters to me is the experience I had and whether I have moved ahead with some positivity or learning. As I am not from a film background so I am always learning something on my job,” she said.

Kriti said working on both the films was a learning experience for her and the praise she received for her work in the movies has made her more confident as an actor.

“When your work gets appreciated, you feel more confident to take up roles that you have not done before, do something that you have not done before, reports Ians.

Success rate of 2017 PEC exams 95.18 percent, Ebtedayee 92.94 percent

The results for the public exams taken by fifth-graders at schools and madrasas have been published.

The success rate for this year's Primary Education Completion (PEC) exams for school students stands at 95.18 percent while 92.94 percent madrasa-goers cleared the Ebtedayee exams.

The PEC and Ebtedayee primary school completion exams were taken by 3,096,075 students at 7,267 exam centres between Nov 19 and Nov 26.

Success rate for the PEC exams fell from previous year's 98.51 percent. The case for the Ebtedayee exams is similar—dropping from last year’s 95.85 percent.

A total of 262,609 students scored GPA 5 in the PEC exams and in the Ebtedayee exams, 5,023.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina published the results on Saturday at the Ganabhaban after Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman handed over it to her.

“The success rate is good…Our students are meritorious. They will study and pass the exams; there’s no question of being unsuccessful,” Hasina said after officially releasing the results of this year’s exams.

The primary education minister is scheduled to present the details and certain aspects of the results at a media call at 1pm in his office .

Individual results will be available to students afterwards at their institutions.

Results will be also available through mobile phone text messages.

A primary student will have to type ‘DPE<space>Upazila code<space>roll number<space>2017’ and send the message to 16222 to get the result in a return SMS.

Ebtedayee students will have to type ‘EBT’ in place of ‘DPE’.

The codes are available on the DPE (directorate of primary education) website, and at the schools and local education department offices.

The first five digits of the government or private primary school’s EMIS code will have to be used as the Upazila/Thana code. The EMIS code can be found at the Primary Education Department’s website, the district’s Primary Education Office, the Upazila/Thana Education Office and the Primary School.

Results will be also available on the websites of the DPE, state-owned mobile phone operator Teletalk.