National Film Day to be celebrated in style today

National Film Day (Jatiyo Cholochitra Dibos) will be celebrated in style today. Like the previous years, different organisations, including Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) and Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association, have chalked out various programmes to celebrate the occasion today.

As a part of the celebration, BFDC has organised a daylong programme under the initiative of the Ministry of Information on its premises today. Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu will inaugurate the programmes of BFDC as the chief guest at 9.30am while State Minister for Information Tarana Halim will attend the event as the special guest.

The daylong programme will feature rally, talk show, seminar, photography exhibition, film screening and cultural show.

On the other hand, the National Film Observance Committee has organised a daylong celebration programme in its office premises at FDC today. The programme will begin by raising national flag and releasing pigeon in the morning. Then, the committee will place floral wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the capital’s Dhanmondi area. They will also pay tribute to actor Nayak Raj Razzak.

Besides, fashion house Bishwo Rang will present a special performance in memory of Razzak. Choreographed by Biplob Shaha, a group of popular models will participate in it.

 The main attraction of the day-long programme is the cultural show which will begin at 5pm with the participation of senior and junior artistes of the film industry.

Moreover, National Drama and Film Department of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has organized a celebration programme marking the day at the academy premises as well as 64 district Shilpakala Academy premises.

The programme will feature film screening, film carnival, seminar, adda, discussion, cultural show and others.

The film carnival will be held at 6:30pm on the BSA premises. In the discussion, film director Syed Salahuddin Zaki, Mohiuddin Shaker, Morshedul Islam and president of Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh Lailun Nahar Swemi will be present as discussants, while BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky will preside over the event.

A musical soiree will also be held at the National Art Plaza of BSA at 8:15pm, while get-together and film adda will be held at 8:30pm.

To note, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, understanding the impact of films on society, tabled a bill in the provincial assembly of erstwhile East Pakistan for the formation of Film Development Corporation (FDC) on April 3, 1957 as the then Industries and Commerce Minister and in continuation to that FDC was established.

April 3 is being observed as National Film Day every year since 2012.

Cricketers' union wants Smith, Warner bans reduced

Bans handed to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft should be reduced, the Australian cricketers' union said Tuesday, arguing the punishment was disproportionate to previous ball-tampering cases.

Disgraced former captain Smith and his deputy Warner were suspended from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and Bancroft for nine months over a plot to alter the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

All three players have apologised and accepted responsibility in emotional press conferences after being kicked off the tour and returning home last week.

Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) president Greg Dyer said "justice which is rushed can sometimes be very flawed", referring to Cricket Australia (CA) handing out its punishment so soon after the incident.

He urged a relaxation of the bans to allow the men to return to domestic action sooner, saying of the dozen or so previous cases the ACA had studied, the most severe punishment was a ban for two one-day internationals.

"These proposed penalties are disproportionate relative to precedent," he told a press conference.

Dyer pointed to the International Cricket Council sanction, which suspended Smith for one Test and docked him his match fee after he admitted responsibility for the ball-tampering scandal.

He also said the contrition expressed by players has been "extraordinary" and should be taken into account.

A wave of sympathy for Smith, in particular, has been gathering pace since a heart-wrenching public apology on Thursday, in which he broke down in tears.

"Their distressed faces have sent a message across the globe as effective as any sanctions could be. I think Australia cried with Steve Smith last Thursday, I certainly did," said Dyer.

"We consider that the players need to return to domestic cricket earlier and as part of their rehabilitation."

With the 2019 World Cup and an Ashes series in 2019, supporters of the players believe they need to be playing state cricket to be in the type of form that could warrant selection.

All three men have until Thursday to inform Cricket Australia whether they accept their punishment or will opt for a hearing, as is their right.

Dyer also said the "win-at-all-costs" culture of Australian cricket must be addressed by independent inquiry examining the game from top to bottom, reporting to both the ACA and CA.

"Organisational culture comes from its leadership and it comes from the top. It cannot be grafted onto the bottom," he said, as pressure grows for cricket's top brass to also come under the spotlight.

"Let us identify all the causes of the tipping point that occurred in Cape Town."

Red meat may up bowel cancer risk

Eating red meat regularly may significantly increase the risk of a type of colon cancer in women, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK assessed whether red meat, poultry, fish or vegetarian diets are associated with risk of colon and rectal cancer.

When comparing the effects of these diets to cancer development in specific subsites of the colon, they found that those regularly eating red meat compared to a red meat-free diet had higher rates of distal colon cancer, which is found on the descending section of the colon, where faeces are stored.

“The impact of different types of red meat and dietary patterns on cancer locations is one of the biggest challenges in the study of diet and colorectal cancer,” said Diego Rada Fernandez de Jauregui, from the University of the Basque Country in Spain. “Our research is one of the few studies looking at this relationship and while further analysis in a larger study is needed, it could provide valuable information for those with a family history of colorectal cancer and those working on prevention,” said Jauregui, lead author of the study published in International Journal for Cancer.

More than 2.2 million new cases of colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer, are expected worldwide by 2030. Previous studies have suggested that eating lots of red and processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer and it is estimated that around 1 in 5 bowel cancers in the UK are linked to eating these meats. However, there is limited available information about specific dietary patterns and the site of cancer occurrence in the bowel.

The study used data from the UK Women’s Cohort Study, which included a total of 32,147 women from England, Wales and Scotland. In addition to reporting their dietary habits, a total of 462 colorectal cases were documented and of the 335 colon cancers, 119 instances were of distal colon cancer. The study explored the relationship between the four dietary patterns and colorectal cancer and a further exploratory analysis examined the correlation between diet and colon subsites.

“Our study not only helps shed light on how meat consumption may affect the sections of the colorectum differently, it emphasises the importance of reliable dietary reporting from large groups of people,” said Janet Cade, from Leeds University.

Study finds Bangladesh teens with extended screen time show 'psychological symptoms'

A new study has found psychosocial difficulties such as depression, anxiety, attention deficit and peer relationship difficulties among the teens in Bangladesh who indulge more in screen-based activities and stay away from physical activities.

Researchers say this finding has significant public health implications for developing countries such as Bangladesh, which are now demonstrating increasing rates of recreational screen use and inactivity as access to technology becomes easier.

The research published in the International Health, an official journal of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Oxford University Press, is said to be the first such study that examined the “combined effects of physical activity and screen time on the psychosocial difficulties of adolescents in Bangladesh”.

Some 671 students aged between 13 years and 16 years of eight schools in Bangladesh, both English and Bangla mediums, have responded to the study.

Earlier, a research by the same author Prof Asad Khan of University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Science found that teenagers in Bangladesh who did less than one hour of moderate exercise, and had more than two hours of screen time per day, were twice as likely to report depressive symptoms than those who exercised for an hour a day.

Jacqueline Fernandez wishes Baaghi 2 team all the best

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez took to social media to give a shoutout to Baaghi 2 team. 
Sajid Nadiadwala’s Baaghi 2 starring Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani in lead releases worldwide today. Jacqueline Fernandez marked the film’s release by giving a shoutout to the Baaghi 2 team on social media. 
Jacqueline Fernandez who has also featured in a special number for Baaghi 2 recreating the iconic track Ek Do Teen as a tribute to the original, wished the film’s team for the release. 
The Judwaa 2 actress shares a very warm bond with filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala. 
The duo has collaborated on several projects and their association has proved to be a successful one over the years. 
Co-star and friend of the Baaghi 2 actor Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline took to her social media to wish the Baaghi 2 team all the best for the film's release. 

Steven Bochco, creator of 'Hill Street Blues,' dies at 74

Steven Bochco, a writer and producer known for creating "Hill Street Blues," has died. He was 74.

A family spokesman says Bochco died Sunday in his sleep after a battle with cancer.

Bochco, who won 10 primetime Emmys, created several hit television shows including "L.A. Law," ''NYPD Blue," and "Doogie Howser, M.D."

Premiering in January 1981, "Hill Street Blues" challenged, even confounded the meager audience that sampled it. Then, on a wave of critical acclaim, the series began to click with viewers, while scoring a history-making 27 Emmy nominations its first year.

During its seven-season run, it would win 26 Emmys and launch Bochco on a course that has led to dozens of series and earned him four Peabody awards, in addition to the 10 Emmys.

"Hill Street Blues" had a sprawling universe of engaging yet flawed characters, a zippy pace and layers of overlapping, scripted dialogue, shot in a documentary style.

But what really set the show apart were the multiple narratives that interlaced each episode with those that came before and after. With the rare exception of the few prime-time soaps, almost every series up to that time — whether comedy or drama — made each episode freestanding, with a reset button for the one that came next.

Bochco once recalled a fan telling him that "Hill Street Blues" was the first TV series with a memory.

Bochco grew up in Manhattan, the son of a painter and a concert violinist. On arriving in Los Angeles after college, he wrote for several series at Universal Studios. Then he got a big break: writing the screenplay for the 1972 sci-fi film "Silent Running." But Bochco said the disrespect he confronted as the writer soured him on writing for the big screen.

"Once you've delivered the screenplay they don't want you around, because you're gonna get in the way of someone else's vision," Bochco told The Associated Press in an interview two years ago.

Details of a memorial service were not immediately released.AP.

Pakistan thrash depleted West Indies in 1st T20

Pakistan thrashed a depleted West Indies side by 143 runs in the first Twenty20 on Sunday at the National Stadium in Karachi, the first international match in the city for nine years.

Pakistan, the world's top-ranked T20 side, equalled their highest total in the format of 203-5 in 20 overs before bowling the West Indies out for their lowest-ever T20 total -- 60 runs -- in 13.4 overs.

The West Indies, missing their regular skipper Carlos Brathwaite and stars like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, could not handle Pakistan's varied bowling attack.

Only Marlon Samuels (18), Rayad Emrit (11) and Keemo Paul (10) reached double figures.

Pakistan's margin of victory is the second-biggest in T20s, behind Sri Lanka's 172-run win over Kenya in Johannesburg in 2007.

Previously, the hosts' biggest victory in T20s was a 102-run win against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008, after scoring 203-5.

Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz and Shoaib Malik got two wickets each.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed praised his team's performance in the series-opener.

"I think we were excellent today," said Ahmed. "We have an important match tomorrow and with another win we can seal the series win."

The West Indies' new T20 skipper Jason Mohammad blamed the defeat on poor batting.

"It was a tough day. We did well with the ball till the last two overs. It was a good wicket, but our shot execution wasn't good," said Mohammad, who fell for nought.

The West Indies' previous lowest T20 total was 79-7 against Zimbabwe at Port of Spain in 2010.

Debutant Hussain Talat top-scored for Pakistan with a 37-ball 41, hitting a six and two boundaries. He added 75 for the third wicket with Sarfraz, who scored a 22-ball 38 with a six and four boundaries.

Opener Fakhar Zaman hit a 24-ball 39, while Shoaib Malik played a fiery knock of 37 not out, facing 14 deliveries and hitting two sixes and four boundaries.

The charge helped Pakistan get 66 runs in the last five overs.

Despite this being the first international match in Karachi -- Pakistan's largest city -- only 18,000 people watched the match in the 33,000-capacity stadium.

But those present were in a celebratory mood.

The three-match T20 series against the West Indies is seen as a big step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan, which was suspended in 2009 following a 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.

Pakistan hosted five limited over internationals against Zimbabwe in 2015 before last year's final of the Pakistan Super League, followed by a T20 series against a World XI and a T20 against Sri Lanka.

This year Pakistan staged two PSL play-offs in Lahore before last Sunday's final of the T20 tournament in Karachi.