Barcelona sues Neymar for $10M signing bonus

Barcelona is suing Neymar for the €8.5 million euro ($10 million) bonus it paid the Brazil striker for signing a contract he later broke to join Paris Saint-Germain on a world-record transfer.

Barcelona said on Tuesday that it wants Neymar to pay back the bonus for a contract in Oct. 2016 that tied him to the club through 2021. It also wants an additional 10 percent interest.

Neymar was able to leave Barcelona earlier this month after PSG paid 222 million euros ($262 million) to trigger a release clause included in his contract.

Barcelona said in a statement that it "has taken these actions in defense of its interests after the unilateral breaking of the contract carried out by Neymar just a few months after having signed his renewal."

The club is also demanding that PSG pay the money, if Neymar is unable to do so.

PSG responded to the demand with a statement later Tuesday, saying it was "surprised to learn of FC Barcelona's statement today announcing the start of legal proceedings in Spain against its former player Neymar Jr. and indicating that should Neymar Jr. fail to pay the monies claimed by his former club, Paris Saint-Germain will be held responsible to pay the outstanding sum."

"Paris Saint-Germain reiterates that, like Neymar Jr., it has always respected all applicable laws and rules in its dealings and, once again, regrets the attitude of FC Barcelona."

Barcelona said the suit was filed on Aug. 11.

Afridi hits 42-ball century

Shahid Afridi's breathtaking 42-ball century led Hampshire to a crushing 101-run victory over Derbyshire in the first T20 Blast quarter-final.

The Pakistan all-rounder, promoted to open, smashed seven sixes in his 101 before holing out the ball after reaching his maiden Twenty20 hundred.

James Vince made 55 from 36 deliveries as Hampshire piled up 249-8 at Derby.

Derbyshire came out swinging but were all out for 148, with Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott taking three wickets each.

Two-time winners Hampshire will now appear in their seventh Finals Day in the last eight years at Edgbaston on 2 September, while Derbyshire have never made it beyond the last eight.

Afridi's spellbinding innings included some of the cleanest hitting surely ever witnessed in the 15-year history of the competition, with several balls sailing out of the County Ground.

The 37-year-old's hundred was the fastest in the 2017 T20 Blast, beating the 45-ball centuries made by Worcestershire's Joe Clarke and Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales.

The former Pakistan international had been in poor form with the bat heading into the match, scoring just 50 runs in seven innings.

He said he had asked Hampshire's management to let him open because he felt "wasted at seven or eight" and signalled his intent from the off smashing Wayne Madsen's first over for 16.

By the time he was caught by Ben Cotton at deep fine leg, Afridi had taken Hampshire to 146-2 from only 12.2 overs.

Skipper Vince continued to find the rope after Afridi went, reaching his fourth half-century of the season, as Hampshire made the eighth highest T20 score in history.

In the chase Derbyshire slumped to 58-7 and looked set for the heaviest Twenty20 defeat of all time, before a last-wicket stand of 46 between Cotton and Imran Tahir brought some respectability.

A glossy way to makeup

The glossy and hydrated trend to makeup has become very popular globally and can be a great look to sport this Eid. So, bid adieu to chalky, dark and patchy makeup. Whether you are going for a brunch, hosting dinner or just catching up with friends, this is the look to opt for the season. You can easily complement it with chiffon saris in floral prints or tie-dye dresses.

What if I have oily skin?

For those who are naturally endowed with oily skin, the above makeup technique to achieve the dewy look may actually be a bad idea. The skin may become extra oily and sticky; clogging pores and eventually resulting into unsightly pimples.

How do we solve the problem for oily skin? 

There's always a solution to every problem in the world. The trick is to follow the matte makeup technique and use highlighters in the right places - like the temple of the forehead, the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones etc re-creating the perfect glossy effect. Finally when all is done, spray some makeup setting spray and lock-in the look for hours to come.

Makeup tricks every girl should know 

* Make sure the mascara is not more than a month old. Fresh mascara glides better.

* Always cover dark circles with a concealer 1 to 2 shades lighter than skintone. 

* You can always create killer cheekbones by applying shimmer along the top.

* Clean, bold brow is attention grabbing. So comb it with clean mascara before shaping it with a soft brow pencil.

* A shimmery white eye pencil helps in brightening the eye when used on the waterline.

* Colour coding lips and cheeks always create a uniform look. So if you really want that natural look apply the same hue of lipstick on the lips as on the cheeks. 

* The best blending technique for foundations is to use the fingertips.

* Finally, always use a make-up setting spray to prevent runny and sticky makeup.

By Mehrin Mubdi Chowdhury

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Styling: SoniaYeasmin Isha 

Model:Mousum and Arpita

Makeup: Farzana Shakil’s Makeover Salon

The Curious Case of the Kurta

Eid is fast approaching and of course, a new kurta is a must buy for all of us men. Well, let me tell you this, by doing so, you are laying down the seeds to adding versatility to your wardrobe whose fruit you will enjoy for the many years to come. Have a wedding to attend? About to leave for your Jumma prayer? Or, have a dinner party to attend at a fancy restaurant? Or, want something relaxed to wear at home? Kurtas will fill in for the never-ending events you will have to attend. If you're thinking that kurtas are part of the stagnant fashion trends, think again.

Coming from a Persian word meaning a collarless shirt, the ancient form of this attire is said to be spread throughout Bengal when the Aryans first came. Over the many centuries that followed, kurtas have gone through countless transformations including experimentation with the fabric and design. At first, kurtas came mostly in cotton and khadi, while silk kurtas were mostly worn by the rich, indicative of their wealth. 

Over the years, kurtas have been designed in ways which go beyond our imagination. Mehruz Munir's recent Maharajan collection is a testimony to the fact that you can mould kurtas into shapes and designs to as far as your imagination goes. One of his collections showed the epitome of masculinity as he merged Pathani Kurta with a bold touch of Western to it.

Having been popularised by poets and scholars in the court of the Mughals, kurtas have taken up a range of styles according to the various regions the people belonged to. The Nawabs of Lucknow brought the Chikan Kurta to the trend which had interlacing designs and came in lightweight materials; which was perfect for the warm, humid weather.

The Sherwani Kurtas tilt far towards 'gorgeous' as they have lots of embellishments and embroideries, nudging you to wear them on occasions such as weddings.

A distinct style of kurta which has seemed to catch popularity amongst many here in Bangladesh is the Hyderabadi Kurta. Its distinct keyhole neck stands out with lots of thread work near the collar region encouraging it to be worn on casual occasions.

Nowadays, many upcoming designers have introduced a new and unique touch to their kurtas by adding floral prints on the other side of their sleeves and collar band in addition to hefty gold buttons to allow you to stand out. The floral print on the sleeves add an appealing contrast to your look when folded up.

The silhouette of kurtas is such that you can wear them with pyjamas, churidars, chinos and even jeans for a more contemporary look. In addition, sandals and Oxford shoes work really well with outfits donned with kurtas. People who are confident about their style wear even sports sneakers with their kurtas.

Kurtas have added variety to the fashion industry as popular fashion designers throughout the world have tested their imagination and brought out magic with stunning handwork, embroidery, block prints, stone works and merging western and eastern styles. When you don a kurta, your style knows no bound; so, the next time someone says that kurtas have become stagnant, sport one of your favourite ones and show them how much you can do with a classic style staple as such.247bdnews.com

Legendary film star Razzak passes away

Legendary Bangla film actor Razzak passed away at a hospital in Dhaka today. He was 76.

He breathed his last at United Hospital this evening, Abdul Quader, officer at appointment desk of the hospital, told The Daily Star around 6:35pm.

Read more: NAYAK RAJ forever

“Razzak was taken to the hospital around 5:20pm. As doctors didn’t find the pulse of his body, he was instantly taken to a cabin where the doctors declared him dead around 6:15pm,” said an official of the hospital’s emergency unit.

His namaj-e-janaza will be held at Gulshan Azad Mosque tomorrow after Johr prayers, according to his family.

Razzak’s sons Bapparaj and Samrat, also film actors, are now with the body at the hospital while Bappiraz is in Canada, reports our correspondent visiting the hospital.

Meanwhile, film actors Alamgir, Shakib Khan, Moushumi, Omar Sani and lyricist Gazi Mazharul Anwar and other members of bangle film industry visited the hospital soon after the death of Razzak.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia expressed deep shock at the death of the legendary actor. 

Bangladesh Film Director's Association and Bangladesh Cholochitro Shilpi Samiti suspended all kinds of shootings for three days to mourn the death of Razzak.

Razzak, fondly called 'Nayak Raj', made tremendous contributions to Bangla cinema, and won the hearts of millions over the years. The National Award-winning actor has also earned fame as director.

http://103.16.74.132/gallery/slideshow/209575/1

Razzak was born on January 23 in 1942 at Nagtola in Taliganj of Kolkata. His parents fondly addressed him as Raju and sometimes Raja. He loved acting from his schooldays. He also worked on stage those days.

He first stood in front of the camera for the film “Shilalipi”. In 1964, he moved to Dhaka and met Abdul Jabbar Khan, producer of the film “Mukh O Mukhosh”. He later got a job at the production house Iqbal Films with the help of Jabbar.

Read more: Nayak Raj - A Tribute to Razzak

However, acting was his forte and within a short span of time, he became the most popular face in the film industry.

In the middle of his career, he got the title of 'Nayak Raj' from Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury, editor of Chitrali.

Later, he made his directorial debut with the film “Chanpa Dangar Bou”.

Some of his notable works are “Abirbhab”, “Bashori”, “Etotuku Asha” “Nil Akhasher Niche”, “Je Agune Puri”, “Moinamothi”, “Dwip Neva Nai”, “Sharalipi”, “Ashikkhit”, “Chutir Ghanta” and more.

He won the hearts of millions through his powerful acting in the film “Rangbaj”. It was first modern action film in Bangladesh. In 1976, he emerged as producer with the film “Akankha”.

Razzak was elected goodwill ambassador of Unicef as the first Bangladeshi film artiste. He was also the founding president of Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association.

87,000 Myanmar nationals enter Bangladesh since Oct 9 last: IOM

Myanmar nationals, who illegally entered Bangladesh following the deadly series of violence in Rakhine state, at a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar. Photo: Reuters

Approximately 87,000 Undocumented Myanmar Nationals (UMNs) have so far entered Bangladesh following an outbreak of violence on October 9 last year in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

The influx slowed in late February 2017; however, more new arrivals from Myanmar were reported in the month of July, according to an assessment made by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Though the assessment showed 80,000 new arrivals, the figure stood over 87,000 with more new arrivals in July and August this year, officials in Cox's Bazaar said.

The majority of UMNs are living in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox's Bazar district, a district bordering Myanmar identified as the main entry area for border crossing.

A total of 57 sites were assessed.

Some 1,64,000 UMNs were identified in two upazilas of Cox's Bazar district.

An additional four sites with a population of 635, according to NPM Round 2 (April 2017), were not assessed in this round due to limited access.

Among those assessed, 52% are women and girls.

Some 87,000 arrived since October 2016, with an increase in both makeshift settlements and host communities, due to newly arrivals of UMNs across the border from Myanmar in the month of July.

The National Strategy on Myanmar Refugees and Undocumented Myanmar Nationals (UMN) formulated by the government of Bangladesh highlighted the fact that more than 3,00,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border and are living in Bangladesh.

Needs and Population Monitoring (NPM) is designed to regularly and systematically capture, monitor and disseminate information to provide a better understanding of the movements and evolving needs of populations on the move, whether on site or en route.

The NPM tools operate at two levels (baseline and site assessments) and capture baseline information, population movement dynamics and community level needs by sector. Currently NPM is only conducted in two upazilas, and the population assessed does not represent the overall Rohingya population.

Home Economics college students continue to agitate for a third day

Students of Dhaka's College of Home Economics have announced a 'grand rally' after blocking a key Dhaka thoroughfare for hours.

On Wednesday, protestors blocked the New Market intersection for a third day and continued agitation for the recognition of their college as an Institute of Dhaka University.

Demonstrators said a grand rally will be held on Thursday at the same venue and that they will hold a media briefing. 

Around 11am on Wednesday, hundreds of students of the college blocked the road and started demonstrating, creating a traffic gridlock in and around the area.

The agitation disrupted vehicular movement on the roads to Azimpur, Mirpur, New Paltan Line and Dhaka University.

The blockade was lifted around 2pm with the demonstrators announcing programmes for Thursday.

"The administration thinks being women, we will give up. But we will agitate in full swing tomorrow," said protester' spokesperson Clothing and Textile Department student Sabrin Sultan Suminur.

Students of the college at Dhaka's Azimpur raised the movement in September last year.
Protesters, who have boycotted classes since Mar 11, said they would not go back to classes until their demand is met.

Sri Lanka take charge after Mushfiqur, Miraz fightback on rain-shortened day

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahman has put up a valiant fight to help Bangladesh avoid follow-on but Sri Lanka achieved a robust 182-run lead on a rain-curtailed third day of the Galle Test.

With wickets tumbling around him, Mushfiqur held his nerves to play a composed knock of 85 and worked up a crucial century stand with Mehedi Hasan Miraz (41) for the seventh wicket at the Galle International Stadium on Thursday.

Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath grabbed three wickets each for the hosts.

Mushfiqur and Miraz fashioned a stoic 106-run resistance under immense pressure as the Tigers were staring at follow-on after a middle-order slump in the morning session.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 312 two balls into the third session after hovering dark clouds had forced an early tea break due to poor visibility at the Galle International Stadium on Thursday.

Play was again suspended for drizzle before Sri Lanka openers could get on the field. The rain gradually became heavier and the umpires called off play for the rest of the day.

The fourth day has been scheduled begin 15 minutes ahead of regular time for some compensation.

Chasing Sri Lanka's massive first innings total of 494, Bangladesh resumed on overnight 133 for 2 and had the opportunity to build on a strong base fashioned by a 118-run opening stand between Tamim Iqbal (57) and Soumya Sarkar (71) the previous day.

But they lost wickets in heaps due to some ordinary batting and soon lost their way.

Sri Lanka bowlers put the Tigers to the sword by grabbing four wickets at the expense of 50 runs in the first session, reducing them on 192 for 6 before lunch.

In the third over of the morning, pacer Suranga Lakmal sent Soumya packing when he edged an attempted late pull shot.

Shakib Al Hasan was tasked to lead with responsibility, but he departed after showing unnecessary aggression to make matter worse.

Moments after surviving a top edge that flew for a six, Shakib (23 off 19 balls) was taken out by a poor delivery from chinaman Lakshan Sandakan.

Taking advantage of the batsmen's poor temperament, the somewhat inexperienced Sri Lanka bowling attack grew in confidence. They removed Mahmudullah (8) and Liton Kumar Das (5) in quick succession to leave Bangladesh reeling.

Mushfiqur laboured to 22 off 84 balls before lunch but stepped things up by cracking four boundaries and a six to reach his 16th Test half-century off 107 balls after the break.

Sri Lanka opted for the new ball as soon as it was available. Mushfiqur and young Miraz negotiated the new ball quite well for 10 overs and took the team past the follow-on mark.

But Perera trapped Miraz in front in the next over with a quicker to end the stubborn stand before Mushfiqur also departed. Bangladesh stuttered once again, losing their next three wickets for 10 runs.

Herath and Perera then snuffed out the tail in four runs to put Sri Lanka in charge before rain played spoilsport.

Bangladesh begin tough chase after Tharanga ton

Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga struck his third Test century to help his team set Bangladesh a mammoth 457-run victory target on the penultimate day of the first Test on Friday.

Tharanga made 115 and Dinesh Chandimal scored 50 not out before Sri Lanka, who had taken a 182-run first-innings lead, declared their second on 274 for six at the Galle International Stadium.

Bangladesh were 67 for no loss when bad light forced an early close with the tourists still needing 390 runs for an improbable win at a ground where no team has scored more than 300 in the fourth innings.

Soumya Sarkar was unbeaten on 53, his second half-century of the match, with Tamim Iqbal on 13 when play was called off.

Sri Lanka scored briskly after lunch, milking 160 runs in the 31-over session despite losing four wickets.

Tharanga took a single off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to bring up his century and was eventually bowled by off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz. Tharanga's knock included 11 fours and two sixes.

Sending Mahmudullah back to the country is out of question, says BCB chief

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan has shrugged off the news of Mahmudullah being sent back to the country from Sri Lanka.

He was completely taken by surprise when he received the news at a press conference on Monday evening.

Mahmudullah has been going through a lean phase, particularly in Tests, and according to team manager Khaled Mahmud, he would be sent back home after being dropped from the second Test.

Leaving Mahmudullah out of the Colombo Test may be justified for his poor form, but the decision to keep him out of the limited-overs games rocked the cricket arena of the country.

BCB chief, however, said there was no way he could be sent back.

“I have heard no such news. As he is not in the next Test if he wants to come to the country now... he can go back with Mashrafe [Bin Mortaza] and the other, that is a different matter,” Hassan said.

“I don’t know this... but sending him back is out of the question. The one-day games are coming; he is supposed to be in them. I would know if there was a change of plans.”

Mahmudullah has been named in the 16-men squad announced by the board later in the evening.

Bangladesh Cricket Board Ismail Haider Mallick then told Hassan that Mahmudullah himself wanted to come back home for three-four days.

The chief then said, “I don’t know. If he wants to come, that’s a separate matter. There is a break of several days [after the Tests], so if he wants to come back and then go again, that’s different. But I did not hear anything about sending him back.”

“They spoke about this in Sri Lanka? I really can’t tell why Sujon [Mahmud] said this before talking to someone. We need to know if it was Riyad [Mahmudullah] who wanted this or it was [team management].

“Because they are not supposed to tell a player to leave before discussing it over with me,” Hassan added.

In the last Bangladesh Premier League, the 31-year-old allrounder won the best player award for his fine allround show. But the slump began late in December last year on Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand.

His ODI scores against the Black Caps were 0, 1 and 3. He hit a half-century in the opening Twenty20 there but followed it up with 19 and 18.

He has been going through an extended rough patch in Tests, scoring a half-century only once, against India in Hyderabad last month, in his last 13 innings.

Mahmudullah had scores of just 8 and 0 to show for his efforts in the first Test against Sri Lanka as Bangladesh suffered a huge 159-run defeat in Galle to be left trailing in the two-Test series.

The ODI series begin on Mar 25 in Dambulla.

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, second Test: Day 1

Southpaw Taijul Islam has dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva to break Sri Lanka’s fifth-wicket resistance after lunch on the opening day of the second Test.

Taijul skidded one through that stayed low and de Silva (34) missed a pull shot to be bowled after a 66-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal at the P Sara Oval in Colombo on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka slipped to 137 for 5 in 48 overs with Chandimal (52) and Niroshan Dickwella (1) trying to steady the ship.

Pacer Subashis Roy took Asela Gunaratne (13) at the stroke of lunch to seal a dominating morning session for Bangladesh, leaving Sri Lanka tottering on 70 for 4 in their first innings.

The dismissal broke Gunaratne’s 35-run fourth-wicket partnership with Chandimal.

Before that wily young spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz struck twice in quick succession to put Bangladesh on top early in the morning of the first day of their 100th Test.

Miraz’s well-flighted delivery dipped on Kusal Mendis (5) as the batsman lunged a long way forward. Mendis missed the ball, allowing Mushfiqur Rahim to whip the bails off.

After tossing up a flurry of deliveries that simply skidded on, Miraz took out Upul Tharanga (11) with one that did.

Mustafizur Rahman drew first blood for Bangladesh after Sri Lanka were off to a sluggish start.

Dimuth Karunaratne (7 off 32 balls) played a loose drive away from the body and Miraz held on to a stunning catch in the slips.

Bangladesh, who began with three successive maidens after being asked to field, made four changes to the lineup from Galle.

Liton Kumar Das had been ruled out for an injury the previous day while Mahmudullah’s exclusion was announced earlier as well. Mominul Haque and Taskin Ahmed were also dropped.

Imrul Kayes, Sabbir Rahman and Taijul Islam were brought in and Mosaddek Hossain made his debut.

Police break up Left Parties' demonstration against gas price hike

Police in Dhaka have lobbed tear-gas shells to disperse protestors demonstrating against the recent gas prices.

After sponsoring  a shutdown on Feb 28, an alliance of Left parties announced a march on the energy ministry for Wednesday.

Around 11am, activists of several Left parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSoD) gathered at the press club area for the protests.

After holding a brief rally, they took out a procession, which was stopped by police when it was heading to the Secretariat.  

A scuffle broke out between the demonstrators and law-enforcers, when the protestors tried to get past barriers set up by police.

A running battle erupted when police lobbed tear-gas and used water-cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

"This was a peaceful protest, which was attacked by the police," CPB leader Ruhin Hossain Prince told the rally. He announced protests at the same venue for Thursday.

The demonstrators, however, could not say how many of their activists have been injured in police action.

"We can't say an exact figure, but we came to know that a Chhatra Union activist named Shahriar has been taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital," said Ganashanghati Andolon Coordinator Junaid Saki.

Police said the protesters unleashed violence when their procession was stopped.

"They were vandalising vehicles on the street as well as hurling bricks at police," Ramna Division Additional Deputy Commissioner Nabid Kamal told bdnews24.com.

Traffic was suspended in the area for around 45 minutes, when the clash between demonstrators and police erupted around 12pm.