জেমি ডে গত ১৮ জুন দায়িত্ব নিয়েছেন বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দলের কোচ হিসেবে। আগামী সেপ্টেম্বরে ঢাকায় অনুষ্ঠেয় সাফ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপে তাঁর অধীনেই মাঠে নামবে বাংলাদেশ। জেমির সঙ্গে একটি ব্যাপার মিলে গেছে কাকতালীয়ভাবেই। যেদিন তিনি বাংলাদেশের দায়িত্ব নিয়েছেন, সেদিনই রাশিয়ায় বিশ্বকাপ মিশন শুরু করেছিল তাঁর দেশ ইংল্যান্ড। 

বাংলাদেশে বসে নিজের দেশের ফুটবল উপভোগ করছেন জেমি। ঢাকায় পা রেখেই রাতে হোটেলে বসে দেখেছেন তিউনিসিয়ার বিপক্ষে ২-১ গোলের জয়। দ্বিতীয় ম্যাচে হ্যারি কেইনের হ্যাটট্রিকে পানামাকে ৬-১ গোলে উড়িয়ে দেওয়া। গ্রুপের শেষ ম্যাচে বেলজিয়ামের বিপক্ষে হারলেও দ্বিতীয় পর্বটা বড় স্বপ্ন নিয়েই শুরু করতে যাচ্ছে ইংলিশরা। ধাপে ধাপে এগিয়ে বিশ্বকাপ জয়ের দীর্ঘ হাহাকারটা ঘোচাতে চায় তারা। ১৯৬৬ সালে বিশ্বকাপ জয়ের পর এতে যে কোনো সাফল্যই নেই, তাদের
তিন ম্যাচে আট গোলের বিপরীতে তিন গোল হজম। পরিসংখ্যানটা আহামরি কিছু না হলেও ফেলে দেওয়ার নয়। বরং পরিসংখ্যানের ধার না ধেরে ইংল্যান্ডের পারফরম্যান্সই বেশি মনে ধরেছে জেমির। তারুণ্যনির্ভর এই দল অনেক দূর যাবে বলেও মনে করেন বাংলাদেশের ইংলিশ কোচ। কত দূর যাবে—সেই ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী না করতে চাইলেও আজ কলম্বিয়াকে যে ইংল্যান্ড হারাবে, সে বিষয়ে কোনো সন্দেহ নেই তাঁর।

Continue ...

US court rejects Polanski appeal over sex case

Lawyers argued alleged misconduct in the case meant it should be dismissed

Film director Roman Polanski's attempt to have his sex case dismissed has been rejected by a California appeals court.

Polanski, currently under house arrest at his Swiss chalet, is fighting extradition to the US over a 1977 case of unlawful sex with a minor.

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal announced the decision on its website, saying three justices had agreed to reject the petition.

Lawyers had argued alleged misconduct of the case meant it must be dismissed.

They allege a Los Angeles judge, now deceased, engaged in "backroom manipulations" while handling the case in 1977.

Judges' concern

Despite rejecting the appeal, the justices did state that they remained "deeply concerned that these allegations of misconduct have not been addressed by a court".

The director has been fitted with an electronic tag at his Gstaad chalet

And they continued: "Polanski's allegations urgently require full exploration and then, if indicated, curative action for the abuses alleged here."

Switzerland is expected to decide whether or not to extradite Polanksi within weeks, but he could appeal.

The film director, who holds both French and Polish citizenship, fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with an underage girl.

He has been fitted with an electronic bracelet by the Swiss authorities to prevent him absconding.

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court granted the Oscar-winning director $4.5m (£2.7m) bail, pending proceedings for his possible extradition to the US.

The director of films such as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist was arrested after travelling to Zurich on 26 September to pick up a lifetime achievement award.

Polanski was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a sedative during a modelling shoot in 1977.

He was initially indicted on six counts - including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy - but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Polanski fled the US on the day he was to be sentenced, and has lived in France since then.

Continue ...

Facebook sex-scam US teenager convicted

Stancl told the court he had been taking medication for depression

A US teenager who blackmailed fellow students at his secondary school into having sex after using their Facebook images has been convicted.

Anthony Stancl, 19, from Wisconsin, admitted two counts of sexual assault and in return other more serious charges were dropped.

Prosecutors said he tricked boys into sending naked images of themselves, and then blackmailed the boys for sex.

Stancl, who said he had been depressed, faces up to 50 years in jail.

The case came to light after a 16-year-old pupil told the authorities he was being blackmailed.

After exchanging explicit pictures of himself with Stancl - who prosecutors said posed as a girl online - when he was 15, the boy had been told the images would be distributed around the school if he refused to perform sex acts.

The boy's images were among about 300 such pictures and videos of more than 30 male students at New Berlin Eisenhower High School, in south-east Wisconsin, that police found on Stancl's computer.

Waukesha County district attorney Brad Schimel said he was satisfied with the plea deal, which spared victims from having to appear in court - a key factor in his negotiations, the Associated Press news agency reported.

"I've never had a case where the victims and their families were more apprehensive about testifying," Mr Schimel was quoted by AP as saying.

"From the victims' perspective, they're relieved we're doing this."

Continue ...