Brazil ready to take second chance against Paraguay

CAMPANA, Argentina, July 16 (AFP): Brazil were a minute away from losing their Copa America group stage meeting with Paraguay before managing a draw to settle early nerves.

But striker Pato says Mano Menezes' side must pull their socks up and make no mistake Sunday at La Plata with the pair having been drawn to meet again in the quarter-finals.

Menezes spent part of Friday getting his reserve squad to mimic as near as possible Paraguay's style of play in training.

However, after the Brazilians finally "woke up" as their media put it in beating Ecuador to win Group B, they must start favourites with strikers Neymar and Alexandre Pato in their ranks.

Both netted twice against Ecuador - although Menezes will be aware that the Paraguayans are unlikely to allow them as much space coming forward.

Robinho and Ganso will be tasked with keeping the supply lines open to Neymar and Pato with Ramires and Lucas Leiva keeping things ticking over in the midfield engine room.

Pato says that Brazil must be ready from the first whistle - unlike last week, when Fred's last-gasp effort saved a 2-2 draw.

"It will be a tough game and different from the last one in that this time there is no margin for error.

"But we're confident we can win it," said the AC Milan forward.

Given the form of Neymar and Pato, the firepower issue is set to tip the balance away from the Paraguayans, particularly if the latters' Roque Santa Cruz, who netted in the group match, is doubtful through injury after going off in the 3- 3 thriller with Venezuela.

"We are hopeful," said coach Gerardo Martino on Friday. "We will give it another day and wait on the results of tests.

Blackburn's Santa Cruz, who after scoring in last week's encounter against the auriverde is his country's joint all-time top marksman with 25 goals, had to go off shortly before half-time against Venezuela after straining a leg muscle and was replaced by Nelson Haedo.

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State approaches HC afresh against Shah Alam

Dhaka, July 13 (bdnews24.com) ? The state counsels have prayed for fresh hearing on a tax-evasion case appeal petition on which the High Court has already voided sentencing Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam.

The High Court bench of justices M A Hai and Mohammad Rezaul Hasan on Wednesday heard the government petition on whether rehearing in the appeal could be allowed.

The court set Tuesday next for further hearing.

Alam had been convicted and sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment by a special court on Sept 30, 2008 for tax evasion.

The court had also fined him Tk 830 million and ordered confiscation of his company property worth about Tk 225 million.

Deputy tax commissioner of Circle-8 of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Kabiruddin Mollah on Aug 13, 2007 filed the case against him for evading Tk 84.8 million in income taxes between the fiscal years 2004 and 2007.

The High Court on June 20 this year granted an appeal of Alam and scrapped his jail sentence.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam on Wednesday made a petition for fresh hearing of the appeal.

Three lawyers of the Bashundhara chief ? barrister Rafiq-ul Haque, Anisul Haque and Ahsanul Karim ? argued that there was no scope for rehearing as per law.

Mahbubey Alam submitted the High Court verdict was verbal and the two justices were yet to sign on the verdict copy.

"The deputy attorney general was given no scope to submit during the hearing on the appeal. In this circumstance, we want to hold hearing on the appeal again."

Rafiq-ul said that there is no scope of review. "The justices did not sign in the verdict on the Seventh and 13th amendments to the constitution. The justices have gone on retirement. But is there any scope for rehearing in the amendments?" he questioned.

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ICT takes charges against Sayeedi into cognizance

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Thursday took the charges against Jama'at-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi into cognizance, reports BSS.

Chairman of the three-member tribunal Justice Nizamul Haque also set August 10 for framing the charges.

Earlier, he was produced before the tribunal.

Sayeedi is now detained in jail in several cases including alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation.

Besides, the tribunal again rejected the petition seeking bail for Sayeedi.

Prosecution of the ICT on May 31 submitted 15-part investigation report containing 4,047 pages against Sayeedi before the tribunal.

The investigation agency submitted the report after 313 days of investigation from July 21, 2010 to May 30, 2011.

The tribunal also asked the prosecution to submit by July 17 if any other evidence was found against Sayeedi.

It also asked the prosecution to supply the copy of formal charges and other relevant documents to the defence counsel by July 19.

The government on March 25 last year set up the tribunal with Justice M Nizamul Haque as chairman and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and retired district and sessions judge AKM Zahir Ahmed as its members to try the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in 1971.

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Hasan welcomes BNP's position against hartal

State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud has welcomed the decision of the main opposition BNP for not enforcing any more hartal on the people of the country.

The state minister, also the Environment Affairs Secretary of Awami League (AL), said this to journalists at his office in the city Thursday, reports BSS.

"It's a very good signal that BNP could realise the public perception against hartal, vandalism and anarchy and bestowed their confidence in people," he said.

Dr Mahmud said all of us should avoid politics of conflict and confrontation and put in efforts to resolve all political issues through discussion and good sense of amity.

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Court accepts BNP case against cops

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com)?A Dhaka court has accepted the attempt to murder case against 30 policemen for the 'attack' on opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque during the hartal hours on July 6.

A B M Ashrafuddin Nizan, a BNP MP, filed the case with the Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on Sunday morning against additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Harun-or-Rashid, Mohammadpur zone assistant commissioner Biplob Sarker and 28 others of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Nizan's counsel Joynal Abedin Mejbah told bdnews24.com.

Magistrate M A K Azad took the case into cognisance after hearing.

He also ordered the DMP commissioner to look into the matter and submit a report on its progress by August 10.

A government-formed three-member police team, headed by an additional inspector general, has already started investigation into the matter.

The opposition chief whip, currently being treated at United Hospital, came under 'police attack' when he was leading a procession of some 25 opposition MPs from Farmgate to the parliament building on the first day of the BNP-led alliance's 48-hour hartal that began at 6am on July 6.

Police filed a case against Farroque, Syeda Asifa Ashrafee Papiya MP and some 10 other unnamed people the same night, but "declined" the following day to let the BNP sue two of their senior colleagues on charge of assaulting Farroque.

When Nizan went to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station he was told that police themselves had filed a case over the incident and investigation was ongoing.

Witnesses said Farroque had fiercely argued with ADC Harun at the time and the two swore at each other. A scuffle followed and the MP was beaten and kicked by the law-enforcers.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday regretted the 'accident' and told parliament that she was keeping a tab on his condition.

She, however, went on to add, "None expects a parliamentarian to pelt brickbats at vehicles or assault police. People expect amicable and polite behaviour from an MP."

Home minister Shahara Khatun, described the injury as 'unexpected and sad', but said "any kind of demonstration around the parliament complex during its session is banned".

ADC Harun told reporters that Farroque did not stop the procession despite his call and rather, with party activists, threw brickbats at buses on the Manik Mia Avenue.

He also claimed that the opposition chief whip hurled abuses at police.

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Arrest warrant against DMP SI

Dhaka, June 22 (bdnews24.com) ? A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against a sub-inspector of the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Golam Rasul Molla, on charges of demanding dowry and beating his wife.

Acting judge Nur Mohammad Jahangir Sarker of the Fourth Women and Children Repression (Prevention) Tribunal passed the order on Wednesday in response to a case filed by the police officer's wife Papia Akter Bristi, 28, on May 9.

The court on May 9 recorded the statements of the plaintiff and directed Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Asaduzzaman Nur to conduct a judicial probe into the case.

Seeing the investigation report on Wednesday, the court issued the arrest warrant against Golam Rasul Molla.

According to the case details, the couple got married on a Tk 700,000 denmohar (amount of money pledged to be paid to the bride by the bridegroom in a Muslim marriage).

After two months of the marriage, the plaintiff gave Tk 200,000 to his husband as dowry to buy a motorbike. Later, the accused demanded another Tk 200,000.

As she refused to pay the amount, the plaintiff alleged in the case, the accused beat her indiscriminately and injured.

Later, her father and relatives admitted her to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

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Nadal opens Wimbledon defence against Russell

London, June 18 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) ? World number one Rafa Nadal will open the defence of his Wimbledon title against American Michael Russell and has been drawn in the other half of the draw to Roger Federer, raising the possibility of another final between the great rivals.

Six-times champion Federer, the third seed, starts his campaign against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, and has been drawn in the same half as world number two Novak Djokovic whose 41-match winning streak was broken by the Swiss this month.

The Serb could face Federer in the last four, weeks after the former world number one beat him in the French Open semi-finals to inflict his first defeat of the year.

Had Djokovic won that match, he would have ousted Nadal from the number one spot but instead the Spaniard arrives at the All England Club with his top ranking in tact as he seeks a third Wimbledon crown.

Djokovic takes on France's Jeremy Chardy in the first round, while Nadal's potential semi-final opponent Andy Murray opens his campaign against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Home favourite Murray, the fourth seed, warmed up for the tournament with victory at the Queen's Club grasscourt event, heightening public expectations of a first British men's grand slam champion since 1936.

The first-round limelight could be stolen by American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, who have been drawn against each other a year after their epic 11-hour battle in the same round, the longest ever tennis match.

"Isner vs Mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I've seen in tennis!" Murray tweeted.

TRICKY DRAW

In the women's singles, champion Serena Williams was drawn in the opposite side of the draw to her sister and five-times champion Venus but in the same half as world number one Caroline Wozniacki and another pre-tournament favourite Maria Sharapova.

Serena, seeded seventh after being sidelined for almost a year because of life-threatening blood clots on a lung as well as a foot injury, takes on France's Aravane Rezai in the first round of what could be a tricky draw for her.

Wozniacki, seeking a maiden grand slam title, has a straightforward-looking opening match against world number 107 Arantxa Parra Santonja but danger lurks in the shape of Sharapova.

The Russian 2004 champion, who reached the French Open semi-finals this month after returning to some of her best form after two years of struggling with a shoulder injury, is seeded fifth and could meet Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.

French Open champion Li Na of China, who became the first Asian player to win a grand slam title this month, is also in Serena's half of the draw and faces Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva in round one.

Venus, back from an injury layoff, could pose an early threat to last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva and the American knows how to win from a lower seeding having triumphed in 2007 as the 23rd seed, the same as she is this time.

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