SA Games: Mahfuza makes new record to win 3rd gold for Bangladesh

Swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila overwhelmed with emotion after she won the second gold medal for Bangladesh in the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati on February 7, 2016, Sunday. Photo: STAR/ Anisur Rahman

Bangladeshi swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila today won her second gold medal and made a new record in 50m Breast Stroke (women) event at the 2016 South Asian Games in India.

Mahfuza took 34.88 seconds on her way to win the gold medal in the event, breaking the previous record of 34.97 seconds timing made by Sri Lankan swimmer Raheen Mayuni in 2006 SA Games in Colombo.

This is the third gold medal for Bangladesh so far in the SA Games this year.

Earlier yesterday, Mahfuza won the second gold medal in the games for Bangladesh in 100m Breast Stroke (women) event in swimming after Mabia Akter Shimanta had won the first in weightlifting 63kg (women) in the morning.

The young weightlifter Simanta became the first female from Bangladesh to win a gold medal in the games and burst into tears when she received her medal.

Bangladesh now has 25 medals in the bag, with 17 bronze, five silver and three gold medals so far.

The South Asian Games 2016 is a major multi-sport event taking place from February 5 to February 16 in Guwahati and Shillong, India. A total of 2,672 athletes are scheduled to compete in 228 events in over 23 sports.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the tournament in Guwahati on February 5.

Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars perform at Super Bowl show

Coldplay played to an estimated television audience of 100 million during the half-time show at the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

Recording artist Beyonce, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and recording artist Bruno Mars perform during halftime in Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium Santa at Santa Clara, California in the USA on February 7, 2016. Photo: Reuters

The Brits played a medley of hits but Beyonce was judged to have stolen the show, premiering new song Formation.

Bruno Mars also thrilled the crowd with a performance of 2015's biggest selling song Uptown Funk.

Advertisers pay a premium for a slice of the huge audience, shelling out up to $5m (£3.4m) for a 30-second slot.

According to marketing technology company Amobee Brand Intelligence, an advert for tortilla chip makers Doritos accounted for more than 140,000 tweets associated with the brand.

The game began with a performance of the US national anthem by Lady Gaga, dressed in a sparkly red trouser suit and red, white and blue striped platform heels.

The half-time show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, opened with Coldplay's Chris Martin kneeling on the field singing the first lines of their song Yellow before transitioning into Viva La Vida.

They also performed their single Paradise, accompanied by a youth marching band.

Beyonce performed her new track accompanied by backing dancers kitted out in black berets, reminiscent of the 1970s revolutionary political party The Black Panthers.

The artists all joined up to sing Coldplay's ballad Fix You, accompanied by a montage of performances clips from previous Super Bowl half-time shows, including by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and U2.

In its review of the show, Variety said Coldplay were "not a popular band in certain cred-obsessed corners of the internet. They are, however, arguably the only mass-appeal pop-rock act not yet eligible for Social Security that could make a reasonable claim to the sort of universality that has become the gig's primary pre-requisite, so their booking certainly made sense".

However, it added performing with "the far flashier Bey and Mars... Coldplay seemed resigned to politely allowing themselves to be played right off their own stage".

The Guardian agreed, saying Beyonce's "charged affirmation of black female pride... could hardly have been more diametrically opposed to Coldplay's soppy indie".

"As soon as Beyonce marched onto the football field, clad in skintight leather and Michael Jackson-style military gold sashes, with a posse of impeccably choreographed female dancers dressed like '70s Black Panthers, it was time for an early bath for Chris Martin's band," it added.

Celebrities David Beckham, Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and singer Justin Bieber attended the game which saw the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10.

2,944 kg gold seized in 3 yrs: Muhith

Finance Minister AMA Muhith today told parliament that 2944.208kg of gold were seized during the last three years.

The amount of the seized gold is 784.17kg in 2015, while 1539.628kg in 2014 and 620.41 kg in 2013, he said replying to a scripted question from Awami League MP Shamim Osman.

The seized gold and foreign currencies are measured at airports, custom houses and custom stations in presence of all representatives concerned, and deposited to Bangladesh Bank with police protection, the minister said.