The announcement was made during the foundation’s grand inauguration ceremony held on Friday evening at Mintu Bhai Shooting House on Dhaka’s 300 Feet Road. The event was attended by prominent cultural personalities, media professionals, artists, and well-wishers from various sectors.

A new organization, Shekor Cultural Foundation, officially began its journey with the objective of promoting media and cultural practices rooted in Bangladeshi nationalism and progressive values.

The foundation was formally launched through a colorful and well-attended ceremony held at Mintu Bhai Shooting House on the 300 Feet Road in Dhaka on Friday evening (June 12).

The event commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the singing of the National Anthem in chorus.

At the outset of the program, participants observed a one-minute silence in memory of the martyrs of the Great Liberation War, the martyrs of the anti-autocracy movement of 1990, and the martyrs of the 2024 mass uprising. The gathering also paid tribute to the late cultural personalities who made significant contributions to Bangladesh’s cultural landscape.

Delivering the welcome address, Syed Shakil, Convener of Shekor Cultural Foundation, greeted the guests and outlined the significance of the initiative. Member Secretary Riazul Riju presented a detailed overview of the organization’s goals, objectives, and future plans.

To ensure the smooth operation of the foundation’s activities, an 11-member convening committee has been formed for a period of 90 days, with Syed Shakil serving as Convener and Riazul Riju as Member Secretary.

Several distinguished guests addressed the event and shared their views on the future of the organization. Among them were Mozammel Haque Khan, Shahed Sharif Khan, Zahidul Islam Mintu, Kazi Riaz Hossain, Mousumi Hamid, Tabassum Mithila, Mihi Ahsan, Ashraf Tulu, Syed Hasan Junnurain, Ashraful Alam Bablu, Tushar Mahmud, Aminul Babu, M.A. Hossain Monju, and Saifur Rahman Evan.

The program concluded with an engaging cultural performance featuring Baul songs, folk music, poetry recitations, patriotic songs, and traditional musical presentations. Speakers and guests welcomed the foundation’s initiative and expressed optimism that Shekor Cultural Foundation would play a significant role in promoting healthy cultural values and enriching Bangladesh’s cultural sphere in the years to come.

Big names include American pop singer Katy Perry, Canadian artist Alanis Morissette, US rapper Future, Brazilian urban pop figure Anitta, Thai K-pop icon Lisa, and Nigerian afrobeats star Rema. They will perform alongside artists with strong home country followings, such as Mexican institution Los Angeles Azules Bollywood singer Nora Fatehi, and French rapper Vegedream. "There's a concerted effort around the FIFA World Cup and their marketing team to leverage music as a through line to connect different audiences from around the world," said Clayton Durant, a music industry entrepreneur and New York University professor.

This initiative is not new: in 2021, the organization launched its FIFA Sound program, describing it as "a strategy to connect with audiences worldwide through shared passions of football and music." The most striking event will be the halftime of the final, on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. For the first time, the show will feature a concert with three global headliners: American singer Madonna, Colombian star Shakira, and South Korean group BTS.

That lineup was conceived in the "spirit of trying to unite the whole world," said Hugh Evans, head of the NGO Global Citizen, which is producing the show. Imagined by Chris Martin, the frontman of Coldplay, the halftime performance is designed to highlight "the best of humanity" and "all the things that unite us," Evans told AFP.

He said the amount spent on producing the event is comparable to the Super Bowl halftime show -- the final of the American football championship. That is somewhere between $10 and $20 million, according to sources. The artists themselves will be performing for free. The show is intended to support an education fund that FIFA -- regularly accused of putting financial profits first -- has set up with Global Citizen.

For the official World Cup song, FIFA turned to a safe bet: Shakira. She was behind "Waka Waka," the 2010 World Cup anthem that became a global sensation. Her new track "Dai Dai," performed with Nigerian singer Burna Boy, blends Latin pop and afrobeats. It appears on an official 18-track album that includes the electro group Major Lazer, reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee, and the Rolling Stones -- once again heavily mixing genres. The artists featured in these globally broadcast concerts stand to gain a great deal in visibility.

Durant said those performing will see "fans who have maybe never heard of them and really start to gain a ton of new attention and fandom and consumption on their music and their intellectual property." The World Cup also creates opportunities for more seasoned musicians like Madonna, who at 67 has not had a major success since "Confessions on a Dance Floor" in 2005. The July 19 concert represents a chance for her to rekindle the spark during the promotion of her new album "Confessions II," scheduled for release on July 3.

“Rockstar” began screening last Friday in 41 cinemas across North America and Europe. The film’s international distribution is being handled by Swapna Scarecrow. Starring Shakib Khan, “Rockstar” centres on the life of a musician, exploring his journey through fame, personal struggles, and the complexities that accompany success. The film also stars Sabila Nur and Tangia Zaman Methila.

Meanwhile, Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s “Roid”, was released in Sydney and Melbourne on June 5. The film is scheduled to expand gradually to audiences in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra. Distribution in Australia and New Zealand is being managed by Screen Xcope and Deshi Events.

Set against the backdrop of rural life and local traditions, “Roid” follows Sadhu, a young man living in a remote area with his mentally unstable wife. Overwhelmed by her unpredictable behaviour, he attempts to leave her behind in a distant place. Yet each time, a mysterious turn of events leads her back home. Through this narrative, the filmmaker explores themes of human connection, guilt, responsibility, and love. The film features Mostafizur Noor Imran and Nazifa Tushi in the lead roles.

The third Eid release, “Malik”, is set to be screened in Bankstown, New South Wales, on June 13 and 14. The film’s international distribution is being overseen by Bongoj Films. Organisers have confirmed that advance ticket sales are already underway. To coincide with the special screenings, the film’s lead actor, Arifin Shuvoo, will travel to Australia to engage with audiences. Directed by Saif Chandan, “Malik” also stars Bidya Sinha Mim. With growing demand for Bangladeshi cinema among expatriate communities, the international releases of these Eid films reflect the industry's continued efforts to reach wider global audiences.

Hinting at the film’s central theme, the caption read: “In this journey of life, when time becomes a formidable opponent.” The post also confirmed that the Chorki Original film will be released soon.

The announcement has sparked curiosity among viewers, particularly fans eager to see Mim in a new role on the streaming platform. While the poster offers a glimpse of the film’s atmosphere, details regarding the plot and the rest of the cast have not yet been disclosed. The project marks Mim’s latest screen appearance following the release of Saif Chandan’s “Malik” during Eid-ul-Azha, in which she played a key role.

According to the official poster, the project features a lineup of guest appearances including Arca, Archie Madekwe, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cole Palmer, Debi Mazar, Gwendoline Christie, Honey Dijon, João Pedro, Julia Garner, Kate Moss, Odessa A’zion, Richard E Grant, Shygirl, and Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes Leon.

The festival website describes “Confessions II” as an ambitious visual work running for more than 10 minutes, built around the first six tracks of Madonna’s upcoming album, including “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Presented as a single continuous sequence, the film blends interconnected, music-driven segments into an immersive cinematic experience. It is said to bring a physical dimension to the music while exploring themes of control and surrender, as well as visibility and anonymity within a crowd.

Madonna is currently in the midst of a busy promotional campaign for “Confessions II”, which is scheduled for release on July 3 via Warner Records. 

In April, she unveiled the era’s lead single, “I Feel So Free”, ahead of a surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella headlining set on Weekend Two. During the performance, they also debuted their duet “Bring Your Love”, which was later released on streaming platforms.

The award ceremony, titled “Timeless Voice, Respect and Love for Syed Abdul Hadi”, will be held on June 12 at 6:00pm at the main auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The event will feature performances by contemporary artistes, who will present some of Syed Abdul Hadi’s most popular and enduring songs. In addition, various aspects of his long and illustrious musical journey will be highlighted.

Organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the programme will be attended by prominent cultural personalities from across the country.

Syed Abdul Hadi remains one of the most celebrated figures in Bangladesh’s music industry. Since the 1960s, he has achieved widespread popularity across modern songs, patriotic numbers, and film music. His iconic tracks, including “Ekbar Jodi Keu Bhalobasto”, “Shob Kota Janala Khule Dao Na”, and “Je Matir Buke Ghumiye Ache”, have cemented his status as a musical legend.
In recognition of his contributions, he has received numerous accolades over the years, including multiple National Film Awards.

It is also worth noting that, as part of its ongoing tradition of honouring eminent artistes, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy previously conferred a special award on renowned singer Sabina Yasmin.

"Minotaur", by exiled Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev, depicting a callous and calculating Russian businessman in the midst of Russia's mobilisation for the Ukraine war, has emerged as one of several strong contenders for the prize. "Those who agree that it's time to put an end to this hell, and that it's a nightmare and a disaster for Russia, those people will understand this film clearly," Zvyagintsev told AFP this week, referring to the war.

Other critics' favourites include "La Bola Negra", a big-budget Spanish drama about multiple gay lives, arty black-and-white historical drama "Fatherland", and "Fjord", which stars Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve. A widely praised French production, "A Man of His Time", about an ambitious local official working in France's collaborationist government during World War II, or poignant humanist drama "All of a Sudden", by Japan's Ryusuke Hamaguchi might also be in with a shot.

This year's jury is headed by South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook and includes Hollywood star Demi Moore and Oscar-winning "Nomadland" director Chloe Zhao. Last year's prize was handed to "It Was Just an Accident", a political drama written and directed by dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi that tackled issues of torture and revenge in the Islamic republic.

- Other prizes -

Some prizes have already been handed out, with Iranian documentary "Rehearsals for a Revolution", about political repression in the war-wracked country by exiled actress and director Pegah Ahangarani, taking the top documentary prize.

One of Britain's only feature films showing in Cannes, "I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning", by Clio Barnard about a group of five friends, picked up top prize in the parallel Directors' Fortnight section. The 79th edition of the film festival was packed with its usual stable of A-listers from John Travolta to Cate Blanchett, but Hollywood was under-represented.

No major US studio agreed to launch a blockbuster at Cannes this year, or at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, raising questions about why giants such as Universal, Disney or Warner are dodging European events. Other big talking points included the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, as well as the continued under-representation of women in the industry. Only five out of 22 of the films in the main competition this year were directed by women.

Churchill first tried painting during World War I after he resigned from the government over the 1915 failed Dardanelles naval attack. This was a "very difficult time in his life" when "he suddenly finds himself with all this unwanted leisure time", Lucy Davis, co-curator of the exhibition, told AFP. "And he discovered painting as a way of releasing the stress, the anguish that the situation had caused him."

The museum presents a chronological survey starting with his first paintings, created with advice from renowned artist John Lavery, then canvases painted in the 1920s at Chartwell, the country house where Churchill lived with his family. Largely self-taught while associating with well-known painters, Churchill quickly became interested in landscape painting and drew inspiration from holidays in the south of France to create brightly coloured canvases dominated by blues and ochre.

Churchill "saw painting as a spur to travel" and "just loved the light and warmth and atmosphere, which he captures so beautifully", said Davis. A whole room is dedicated to canvases inspired by trips to Morocco, including "The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque", the only painting that Churchill did during World War II. A gift to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the painting recently belonged to Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.

The exhibition ends with the postwar period when Churchill, defeated in a general election, began painting again and continued until his death in 1965, with some of his works going on display at the Royal Academy. Churchill had previously shown paintings at various galleries, but always under an assumed name. As a statesman, Churchill went down in history for his wartime leadership, but as an artist, he had little interest in depicting current world events, the curator stressed.

"He was a wartime leader. He was known for these very stirring wartime speeches. But in these paintings, you really see his joie de vivre, his witty side, his playful side." One painting at the exhibition is an exception: "The Beach At Walmer", painted in 1938 as fears grew of imminent war. It shows a sandy beach in southern England with bathers paddling. But in the foreground, a black cannon points at the sea, suggesting a looming threat.

"It's a combination of all kinds of things from the actor's lifetime," said Roberta Kramer, of Heritage Auctions, who are handling the sale. "Things relating to his work on 'Friends' and other television shows and films, but a lot of very personal things too, from all the way from childhood to adulthood." Items include Perry's treasured Memorigin watch with a Batman emblem, as well as artwork he collected during his lifetime, including "Girl with Balloon" and "Nola," by street artist Banksy, which are expected to fetch around $1 million.

There are also a number of scripts from the decade of "Friends," a series about six young people navigating adulthood, relationships and careers in New York that made Perry and his co-stars multi-millionaires and household names. Kramer said Perry started the foundation with the aim of using his "celebrity and his experience in life with substance abuse to help other people." "We know that he would be happy that all of his things went to help the mission of the foundation."

Six people have been convicted in connection with Perry's ketamine overdose death. Five of them have already been sentenced, including a woman dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" who styled herself as a dealer to the stars. A sixth person is expected to be sentenced next week. The auction will take place in Dallas and online on June 5.

- The main competition -

A total of 22 films are competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or for best film which will be handed out on May 23. Arthouse heavy-hitters such as Spain's Pedro Almodovar, Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda or Romania's Cristian Mungiu will be up against emerging talent such as Belgian prodigy Lukas Dhont and France's Lea Mysius.

There is industry buzz around "Hope" by South Korean director Na Hong-jin, starring real-life partners Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, as well as AI- and technology-themed "Sheep in the Box" by acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. The nine-person jury this year will be headed by South Korean director Park Chan-Wook but will also feature US celebrity Demi Moore, star of "The Substance".

- Hollywood ghosting -

Unlike previous editions which have featured Tom Cruise productions "Mission: Impossible" or "Top Gun", no major US studios have chosen Cannes to launch a blockbuster. Hollywood has traditionally provided some razzle-dazzle and mass-market entertainment alongside the more edgy, independent cinema in the Cannes programme. Reasons for their absence include cost-cutting, their growing preference for tightly controlled social media-led launches, and the risk that a mauling from the Cannes critics can doom a movie.

- Travolta -

One man not put off by the prospect of scrutiny from some of the most demanding crowds in the film industry is movie legend John Travolta. The plane-mad actor will bring some serious stardust when he presents his directorial debut, "Propeller One-Way Night Coach", about a young boy's journey in the "golden age of aviation".

- A-listers -

Other A-listers from around the world will descend on the Cannes red carpets which will be some of the most celeb-heavy and fashion-rich places on the planet for the next fortnight. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver are set to promote "Paper Tiger", a thriller by American director James Gray, while "Bohemian Rhapsody" star Rami Malek stars in "The Man I Love" by Ira Sachs.

Spanish favourite Javier Bardem, Norwegian star Renate Reinsve, Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson are all featuring in films set to screen for the first time on the French Riviera. Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett are also set to make appearances, while Barbra Streisand and "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson will pick up lifetime achievement awards.

- A Russian returns -

The appearance by one of Russia's most decorated independent directors, Andrey Zvyagintsev, will be celebrated for film and personal reasons. The Oscar-nominated director of "Leviathan" and "Loveless" nearly died due to Covid, spending months in hospital, and fled his homeland after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His first movie since 2017 is called "Minotaur" and tackles the hugely sensitive issue of the Russian bourgeoisie grappling with army conscription at the start of the Ukraine war.

- Football -

There will be a surprising amount of football at the high temple of cinema, including a British-made documentary "Cantona" about legendary French forward Eric Cantona. An Argentine-made film, "The Match", casts a spotlight on the notorious England-Argentina 1986 World Cup match settled by a goal awarded after a handball by Diego Maradona.

- AI-created Lennon -

Director Steven Soderbergh will present his documentary "John Lennon: The Last Interview" which features The Beatles songwriter hours before his murder. Soderbergh has turned the audio-only recording into a film, using archival pictures as illustration and -- very controversially -- AI-generated images of the late singer.

In 1913, he became the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for Gitanjali, a collection of deeply spiritual and lyrical poems that brought him international acclaim. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs is observing the day nationwide with due dignity and festivity. State programmes are being organised in areas associated with the poet's memory, including Shilaidaha in Kushtia. 

A three-day national programme has been arranged. Similar cultural events are also being held in Patisar of Naogaon and Shahjadpur of Sirajganj. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy also chocked out special cultural programmes. Educational institutions across the country are also observing the occasion through cultural functions, discussion meetings and essay competitions.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bangla Academy have undertaken initiatives to publish and distribute commemorative souvenirs and posters marking the poet's 165th birth anniversary.

Mitali informed that she is scheduled to perform at a stage show in Ambarkhana tomorrow. She has also confirmed a musical performance at an event in Sherpur on May 2. Mitali has gained significant popularity as a singer in Sylhet and nearby areas. Her presence has become an important attraction at various events. She said, “Before PahelaBaishakh, I was not very busy with stage shows. But by the grace of God, I have been very busy since then. As an artist, I feel most comfortable performing on stage because it allows direct connection with the audience. I believe this is very important for any singer.

I am sincerely grateful to the people of Sylhet for their love and encouragement. I feel proud of the inspiration I receive from them and seek everyone’s blessings so I can continue to do better in the future.” Her latest original song is ChokheteChokh, written and composed by OviMoinuddin. Mitali has been training in classical music under Bipradas Bhattacharya for the past five years. She has also received training from PanditBalaram Das, Rana Sinha, and Himadri Biswas, and completed courses at Bangladesh Shishu Academy and Shilpakala Academy. Among her original songs, Amar Priyo Jay is notable, along with several others available on YouTube.

Ovi Moinuddin

She expressed confidence in Chotku Ahmed’s storytelling abilities and noted that budgeting is currently the main consideration before production begins. If all goes as planned, shooting may start later this year. Today marks Rozina’s birthday. She said she celebrates the first moments of her birthday with her family, cutting a cake together at midnight. While she has some work commitments during the day, she plans to spend the evening at home. She also requested prayers for good health and the ability to continue offering meaningful films to audiences. Rozina began her career in the late 1970s and rose to fame after starring opposite Wasim in the 1978 hit film “Rajmahal”, directed by F Kabir Chowdhury.

She went on to win her first National Film Award for her performance in “Koshai”, directed by Amjad Hossain. She later earned further accolades for her roles in “Jibondhara” and “Dinkal”. After a long break following her role in “Rakkhushi”, Rozina returned to acting in her own film Fire Dekha, marking a significant comeback in her career.

Renowned Bangladeshi film actress Babita, already celebrated internationally for her achievements, has now been honored by the organization as part of its ongoing recognition efforts. The award was presented to her on the evening of April 18 at a grand program held in the ballroom of Hotel Sheraton in Banani, Dhaka.

The chief guest, Yasser Khan Choudhury, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, formally handed over the award. Expressing her gratitude, Babita said the recognition holds deep emotional value for her, as her late father was familiar with the “Who’s Who” institution. She dedicated the honor to the youth of Bangladesh, noting that despite receiving many awards throughout her career, this one felt uniquely special. Speaking at the event, Yaseer Khan Choudhury praised the awardees, stating that such recognitions celebrate true excellence and contribute to national pride while motivating others to build a better society.

In addition to Babita, 11 individuals from fields including agriculture, education, literature, entrepreneurship, journalism, and social service were also honored. Notably, Bobita was recently awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak. Although she is not currently working on any new films, she remains hopeful about returning to cinema with a strong script.

Ovi Moinuddin

The programme began at 6:00 pm with recitations from the poet's works, performed by noted recitation artists including Seema Islam, Tito Munshi, Enamul Haque Jewel, Iqbal Ahmed, Farhana Trina, Mahinur Mumu, Mahbubur Rahman Tunu, Farzana Ally and Mahi Farhana Nazia Afrin. The event was hosted by artist Akhtar.

A discussion was also held, where speakers including Matin Bairagi, Hasan Hafiz, Mohon Raihan, Aminul Islam, Sakhawat Tipu, Saikat Habib and Asad Kajol highlighted Stalin's distinct poetic voice and creativity. The discussants said Stalin possesses a unique literary universe and extraordinary poetic talent, adding that his works have been translated into multiple languages, earning him international recognition. They said his individuality in tone and style sets him apart.

The event drew a full house audience, with applause filling the auditorium throughout the evening. Speakers also said that poetry can play a role in promoting peace, describing poets as ambassadors of harmony across nations.

"These are some of the most heroic and inspiring people we get in the world," actor Edward Norton told AFP. According to the "American History X" star, it was important to turn out and "to highlight what this kind of work contributes to all of us." "The United States has the most anti-science administration in US history," the actor said. "It's always important, but if it was ever especially important, the moment is now."

In the last year, the Trump administration has slashed funding for science, halting projects and devastating workforces. Rock climber Alex Honnold agreed with Norton, adding that he hoped the fluctuations "of the political climate... are short-term compared to the long-term effort required to make these kind of gains in human knowledge."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the collaboration between his company's artificial intelligence technology and some of the award-winning scientists "is moving things faster and faster, and letting them discover new things and bring them to the world faster than they could before." "Change this fast is really disorienting. So there will be a lot of big questions that we'll have to sort through as a society," Altman told AFP.

The Breakthrough Foundation was started by Google co-founder Sergey Brin; Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan; science patrons Julia and Yuri Milner; and Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe. Six prizes worth $3 million each were presented at the 12th edition of the awards. French mathematician Frank Merle was honored for his work on nonlinear equations describing the behavior of waves, fluids and other systems.

Merle told AFP the funding is "essential" for science. "Science is one of the foundations of our civilization," he said. Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck, Lily Collins, Robert Downey Jr., Gigi Hadid, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Gal Gadot, Naomi Watts and her husband, Billy Crudup, also attended the event, alongside public figures like Bill Gates and Paris Hilton.

“I am truly excited, as this is my first time performing in Kuala Lumpur. Through this Show, we hope to bring the cultures of both countries closer. I am grateful to the organizers for inviting my entire team,”  To encourage participation from the Bangladeshi diaspora, organizers have announced a special ticket discount. Audiences purchasing tickets between April 24 and May 8 will receive up to 40% off. Tickets will be available online starting April 24, with prices ranging from 54 to 588 Malaysian Ringgit. VIP ticket holders will enjoy exclusive benefits, including a meet-and-greet session, special posters, and refreshments. Notably, Oyshee received the National Film Award in 2020 for Best Female Playback Singer for the song “Maya, Maya Re” from the film Maya: The Lost Mother, directed by Masud Pathik.

The “Oyshee Express” lineup includes Shamsuzzaman on lead guitar, Ashraful Alam Tinku on bass, Rizvi Rahman Adit on keyboards, Mohammad Amzad on drums, Debashish Debnath on percussion, Nasima Akter as team manager, and Atikur Rahman Siddique Rony as sound engineer. Oyshee has previously performed in several countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, Australia, and the United Kingdom, building a strong international presence.

The first was held in the morning at the Eastachol Club in Dhaka, and the second took place in the evening at the Jalsidir Golf Club. At both performances, Shapla Paul captivated the audience by singing a mix of folk songs as well as modern tunes. She expressed her gratitude, particularly towards her guitarist, Shakil Mohammad Dipon Bhai, who has been a constant support in her musical journey. "He always encourages me and gives me specific advice on how I can improve my singing," she said. "For instance, he had spoken to Dr. Priyanka Ghosh about me, which helped me learn how to present myself more effectively in my singing. Dipon Bhai has told me that my voice has improved over time, but I still strive to sing even better.

I want to give my best in every performance. Like the legendary Asha Ji, I also want to sing until my last breath." Shapla’s favorite artist is the legendary Indian singer, Shipra Basu. She particularly loves Shipra Basu's songs "Tumi Na Aele Jalsa Ghore" and "Amay Tumi Chinle Na To." Recently, Shapla released her latest original song titled Shishir Bheja Pae, written by Tarek Anand and composed by Khairul Wasir. Additionally, she recently released a cover of the late Khalid Hasan Milu's song Amar Moto Eto Sukhi Noito Karo Jibon from the film Baba Ken Chakor, directed by the legendary actor Raj Rajjak, on her YouTube channel "Shapla Pal." The song's lyrics were written by Mohammad Rafiq Uzzaman, and its music was composed by Alauddin Ali.

Ovi Moinuddin

As a result, Humaira Bashir formally accepted the medal from the Prime Minister. Speaking on the occasion, Raja Bashir expressed both pride and sorrow: “If our parents were alive today, this would have been a very different day. It would have been the happiest moment for our entire family. Despite the deep pain in our hearts, there is also immense joy.

We are grateful to the state, the people of the country, our father’s admirers, and the media. We also extend our sincere thanks to the Honorable Prime Minister. We request everyone to pray for our parents so that Allah grants them eternal peace.” Humaira Bashir also shared her emotions, saying: “On behalf of our beloved father, the legendary artist Bashir Ahmed, and our mother Meena Bashir, we express our heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Bangladesh, the media, our father’s fans, and everyone who loved and respected him.

We feel truly blessed to be their children and are deeply proud of them.” This year, a total of 15 distinguished individuals and five institutions were awarded the Independence Award 2026 in recognition of their outstanding contributions at the national level. The award, introduced in 1977, is presented annually on Independence Day, March 26. Each recipient receives a gold medal weighing 50 grams (18- carat), a replica of the medal, a cash prize of 500,000 taka and a certificate of honor. The ceremony was held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium and conducted by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani.

Ovi Moinuddin

Other recognitions include the Proud Parents Award and the Best Couple of the Year in Los Angeles. The event will also feature live performances by renowned Bangladeshi artists, including Akhil Alamgir, Dilshad Nahar Kona and Imran Mahmudul, among others. This year’s Ananda Mela will be held at a scenic location near the iconic Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. Among those present at the announcement were Ananda Mela founder Khan Mohammad Ali, Chief Advisor Shipar Chowdhury, Chief Patron Nasir Khan, Chief Coordinator Zia Shawon, Convener Daud Bafatia, Vice President M Nabi Sumon and Vice President Shahriar Sultan, along with many others.

Ovi Moinuddin

Under his guidance, the musical drama Ek Doshoker Bangladesh was staged nationwide, promoting nationalist ideals. Later, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, another musical production titled Dui Doshoker Bangladesh was performed across the country, in which Dithi Anwar was also involved. Over time, Gazi Mazharul Anwar served as president of JASAS, cultural secretary of BNP, and advisor to Khaleda Zia, remaining actively engaged with the party until his death. Following in her father’s footsteps, Dithi Anwar says she is committed to upholding his ideals through political engagement. She also highlighted the contributions of her father-in-law, Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury, a two-time elected MP from Sylhet-3, who established Latifa-Shafi Chowdhury Women’s Degree College. Dithi currently serves as the president of the institution, where around 3,000 students study free of cost. Outlining her vision,

Dithi emphasized the need to curb cultural degradation and introduce regulation in online content, particularly on platforms like YouTube. She also stressed the importance of implementing proper royalty systems for artists, noting that neighboring India has more structured support for musicians and their families. She further pointed out the issue of artists being marginalized based on political changes, stating her intent to ensure a fair environment for all cultural contributors. Reflecting on her own experience, she said she was unable to work with Bangladesh Television and radio for 15 years due to political circumstances. Dithi also expressed her desire to revitalize the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) and restore the vibrant cultural atmosphere of the past. “I have many plans centered around culture, and becoming a Member of Parliament is essential to implement them,” she said, adding that she is committed to serving with integrity if given the opportunity. Recently, Dithi participated in two programs celebrating Pohela Boishakh. She is also scheduled to perform live on Maasranga TV and ATN Bangla, and will appear at a musical event at Gulshan Club on April 24.

Ovi Moinuddin

Deepa Khandakar said, “I have been hosting this regular program on Nagorik TV for several years. Many celebrities as well as people from various professions have joined the show at my invitation. Since I personally love cooking, this program is very special to me. We prepare the favorite recipes of our guests so that viewers can try them at home. Tanzin Mithila also prepared two recipes in this episode.” Tanzin Mithila said, “My mother taught me many cooking skills during my childhood.

Now I can cook quite well. Based on that experience, I joined Rannar Expert as a guest and prepared two dishes. Both turned out very well. I would like to thank Nagorik TV for inviting me. Deepa Apa is also one of my favorite artists and a wonderful person. I have met and spoken with her several times before, and she is always very warm and friendly.”

Ovi Moinuddin

She organized these services under a professional brand and presented a new beauty experience to clients. At Tisha's Beauty Hub, nail and eyelash extension services are provided following proper techniques and international standards. Through semi-permanent beauty services, Farhana Samad Tisha is working to enhance women’s beauty to the next level. Previously, there were very limited options in Bangladesh, and many had to travel abroad for such services.

Now, maintaining international standards, she has made these services available within the country. By consistently delivering quality services, Farhana Samad Tisha has also gained recognition beyond Bangladesh. Located in the prestigious Banani area of the capital, Tisha's Beauty Hub has become a trusted destination for modern beauty services.

With trained professionals, quality products, and updated global trends, the hub offers a wide range of semi-permanent beauty solutions. Top celebrities, news presenters, company owners, professionals from different sectors, expatriate and foreign women working in Bangladesh, along with the new generation, regularly receive services from Tisha's Beauty Hub.

Through quality service, professionalism, and client satisfaction, the brand has quickly built a strong position in the beauty industry. As a female entrepreneur, Farhana Samad Tisha is not only building a beauty brand but also empowering women by boosting their confidence through modern beauty solutions. She continues to move forward with the vision of establishing Tisha's Beauty Hub as an internationally recognized beauty brand.

Ovi Moinuddin

Asha, who got married to Ganpatrao Bhosle in 1949 when she was 16 and later in life married collaborator and composer R D Burman, is survived by her son Anand and her grandchildren. "She passed way due to multi organ failure a few minutes ago," Dr Pratit Samdani told PTI. Asha, who got listeners jiving to "Aaja, Aaja" just as skilfully as she got them mourn lost love in "Chain Se Ham Ko Kabhi", and her sister Lata ruled the Hindi playback singing world for seven decades with virtually every movie song recorded in Bollywood for female leads using their voices.

Asha herself sang for more than eight decades, recording an incredible 12,000 songs. Her first song was in 1943 at the age of 10 for the Marathi film "Majha Bal". She continued to sing until the late 2010s and beyond, making her the longest performing singers in global music history. Unlike Lata, her voice remained steady and its timbre fresh, even when she was singing at the age of 80. Lata died in February 2022 also at the age of 92.

While Lata was the go-to choice for music director Madan Mohan, the master of melody and ghazals, Asha was equally accomplished in that genre, and is still remembered for her ghazals in "Umrao Jaan". She won a National Film award for the movie. But she also established her own identity, partnering first with O P Nayyar for his rhythmic, peppy songs and later with R D Burman for songs inspired by cabarets, romance, lament and every other emotive tonality.

Still, there was never any hint of rivalry between the two sisters who occupied almost an equally high seat in the pantheon of India's singing gods. Among Asha's most popular songs are "Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar", "In Ankhon Ki Masti", "Dil Cheez Kya Hai", "Piya Tu Ab to Aaja', Duniya Mein Logon Ko', and Zaara Se Jhoom Loon Main', among others. She was the voice for many leading ladies, from Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Zeenat Aman to Kajol, Urmila Matondkar and also South actors like Padmini and Vyjayanthimala.

In 2023, she performed at a special concert, ASHA@90: Live in concert', in Dubai to celebrate her 90th birthday. Born on September 8, 1935 in Sangli (Maharashtra), she was initiated into music by her father Dinanath Mangeshkar just like her sister was. Music was perhaps in her destiny. Of the four sisters, Lata, Usha and Asha were playback singers while Meena is a music composer. As is their brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar. The much awarded Asha, who was also was also a successful entrepreneur and ran the popular restaurant Asha in Dubai and the UK, won multiple awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke, Padma Vibhushan, National Awards and other music honours.

Explaining her sadness, Lilin said that her elder sister Shampa’s husband—her brother-in-law—passed away suddenly a few days ago. As a result, the entire family is still grieving. Despite this, life goes on. Lilin is supporting her sister and helping take care of her children during this difficult time. Meanwhile, Lilin has recorded a cover of the popular song “Din Eka Eka Jay Chole Jay,” originally sung by Madhura Bhattacharya for the Kolkata film “Tomake Chai.”

The song has been newly arranged by Shamim Hasan. However, she feels a bit disappointed about this project as well, since she had hoped to release it sooner. Due to the busy schedule of her husband, Shithil Rahman—one of the most in-demand photographers and cinematographers—the music video shoot has been delayed. Shithil has promised to complete the shoot soon after the Pohela Boishakh festivities. Lilin Moon said, “After Eid, I’m getting busy again with stage shows starting with the Pohela Boishakh event. I’m grateful to the organizers for giving me the opportunity to perform in Laksham.

Honestly, we are still not mentally stable after the sudden death of my brother-in-law. I ask for everyone’s prayers so we can overcome this situation. I’m also thankful to Shamim bhai for rearranging my favorite song, and to Shithil for always inspiring me in my musical journey.”

Ovi Moinuddin

Soron Saha, General Secretary of Jagoroni Theatre, expressed his delight over the strong audience response. “It is always the audience who inspire us to continue staging this play. The response we received during the 51st and 52nd shows has been overwhelming. We hope to reach the milestone of 100 performances, though the rest is in God’s hands,” he said. He also extended gratitude to the entire team for their dedication and hard work. The cast featured Soron Saha, Aniket Pal, Shahana Jahan Siddika, Shahanaz Sharmin Khan Shimu, Juliet Supriya, Md. Rafiqul Islam Rony, Sazib Chand, Shreya Saha Swarna, Shraban Sutradhar, Athoi Das, Rakibul Islam Rahat, Asheya Akter Maria, and Rafiqul Hasan Rizwan.

The production team included choreography by Aniket Pal Babu, music by Romij Raju, lighting by Thandu Raihan, costume design by Enam Tara Saki, poster and souvenir design by Shoaib Hasnat Mitul, management and coordination by Azim Uddin, and sound by Iman Hossain. The play is inspired by a real Story from 1939, when Haridas Basak of Shahzadpur, Sirajganj, wrote a letter to Rabindranath Tagore and received a reply from the Nobel laureate. Influenced by Tagore’s writings and correspondence, Basak’s life gradually reflected the qualities of Tagore’s “Thakurda” character. This narrative forms the basis of “Rajar Chithi.”

Ovi Moinuddin

The 110-minute piece, first performed at the Aix-en-Provence music festival in 2021, has been performed around the world, but takes on particular resonance in a country where at least eight school shootings have occurred this year, according to CNN. The action in "Innocence" shifts constantly between a well-heeled wedding ceremony in Helsinki, where the groom is revealed to be the brother of the man responsible for a shooting a decade earlier, and the fraught moments before and after the calamity.

DiDonato plays the waitress Tereza, the mother of a shooting victim who unexpectedly finds herself at the wedding, serving wine to family members she met after the tragedy but who don't recognize her. She eventually erupts in anger. The opera's 13 characters are forever changed -- the shooter's relatives face stigma, while the survivors are told to move on despite the lingering effects of trauma.

The Kansas-born DiDonato said she is "horrified" by shootings but sees "Innocence" as also addressing a normalization of violence that extends into other areas such as deportations and war. "It's important to participate in these things and shine a light on injustice, shine a light on inhumanity, shine a light on suffering," DiDonato said. The opera "speaks to the obscene glut of violence that we're living through right now," she added. The New York production of "Innocence" marks its second run at an American opera house after performances by the San Francisco Opera in June 2024.

Finnish American tenor Miles Mykkanen, who will play the groom Tuomas in New York as he did in San Francisco, said while audience members have hailed Saariaho's artistry, some see the piece -- performed without intermission -- as too grim to see more than once. During a month of rehearsals before opening night, Mykkanen made exercising and walking through Central Park part of his ritual to escape from the opera's dark themes. But he told AFP he still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night "wide awake thinking about this piece."

"Opera singers, we often carry the heavy grief and drama and trauma in our own work," he said. "But I've never encountered a piece that has to carry so much violence." DiDonato, one of the Met's biggest names following star turns in bel canto works, also won plaudits for her performance as Sister Helen Prejean in "Dead Man Walking," another modern opera with heavy subject matter -- the death penalty debate. She spoke of one audience member, a relative of someone who was murdered, who became more open to a debate about the merits of capital punishment after seeing the opera.

That gave her hope that "Innocence" could prompt a rethink of gun violence in America and other issues. "These kinds of stories can put cracks in the hearts of people in a good way," she said. "It can crack open people."

The oil on canvas painting was put up for auction on Wednesday, far surpassing its estimated price of $8.6 million-$12.9 million. "It is... the highest value work by an Indian artist sold at auction globally," Saffronart said. The Times of India newspaper said the painting was bought by industrialist and vaccine tycoon Cyrus Poonawala.

"This national treasure deserves to be made available for public viewing periodically," Poonawala told the newspaper, adding that he would "endeavour to facilitate this". Varma, born in 1848, is known for his use of European technique in the context of Indian narratives. "Painted in the 1890s, when Ravi Varma was at the height of his career, 'Yashoda and Krishna' ranks as one of the artist's most accomplished works," Saffronart said, adding that the listed "national art treasure" had been part of a private collection.

The painting "exemplifies the artist's unparalleled mastery of oil painting and his pioneering naturalistic portrayal of Indian deities that helped define how modern India imagines its sacred narratives," Saffronart said.

Originally written by Moniruzzaman Monir and composed by Alam Khan, “Ami Ekdin Tomay Na Dekhile” was performed by legendary singers Runa Laila and the late playback king Andrew Kishore. In the film, the song was lip-synced by Afzal Hossain and Diti. Doly Sayontoni, who has long admired the song, has now released her own version on her official YouTube channel. The new rendition features a fresh musical arrangement by Shamim Mahmud and includes a duet performance with Ruslan Mezbah.

Speaking about the project, Doly Sayontoni said, “This song, originally sung by respected Runa Laila Apa and Andrew Kishore Dada, is very close to my heart. It remains popular across Bangladesh even today. I covered it out of deep admiration and it has now been released on my channel. I hope listeners will enjoy this new interpretation of a beloved classic.”

In addition to the cover, the singer has also released a new original track titled “Moira Jodi Jaigo Ami” on her channel. The song is written, composed, and musically arranged by Rohan Raj, and its music video was filmed abroad. Regarding the new song, she added, “I really liked the lyrics and composition, which inspired me to sing it. I am already seeing a positive response from listeners. Thanks to Rohan Raj.” Doly Sayontoni also mentioned that more new songs will be released on her channel in the future.

Ovi Moinuddin

Mohammad Bari's journey on stage began with Dhaka Padatik. After spending some time with this troupe, his mentor S. M. Solaiman founded a new theatretroupe called AnyodalNatyasampradaya. Later, in 1992, S. M. Solaiman went on to found Theater Art Unit. Bari first acted on stage for this troupe under Solaiman's direction in the play ‘Court Martial’. In 2017, Bari parted ways with this troupe and founded his own theatre troupe, Anuswar. Mohammad Bari's directorial debut on stage was the play SomayerProyojone.

Bari's first TV drama was ‘Mofasal Sangbad’. He also appeared in ‘PrachirPeriye’, directed by Atiqul Haque Chowdhury for BTV's first package, opposite Chitralekha Guha. During the last Eid, he featured in two dramas — ‘Suptader Bari’ by Imraul Rafat and ‘Hello Bolen’ by Rezanur Rahman. He was also seen in Raihan Rafi's widely discussed film ‘Pressure Cooker’, released during Eid.

The first film in which Mohammad Bari acted was Abu Saeed's ‘Nirantor’, after which he appeared in several other films, including ‘Dressing Table’. He also acted opposite the legendary Bangladeshi actress Kabori in ‘Ai Tumi Sey Tumi’, a film directed by Kabori herself, which is currently awaiting release.

Mohammad Bari said, "The love I have received from audiences over four decades of acting on stage, in TV dramas, and in films is a great achievement for me as an artist. But for me, the stage always comes first — whether it is directing or acting. Since I have been involved with the stage since my teenage years, my love for it runs very deep."

Bari was born on April 3, 1961, in Rangpur. He earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Bangladesh Agricultural University, a master's degree in agricultural systems from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, and a PhD in soil science from the Agricultural University. During his professional career, he served as a member of the BCS cadre and retired as Chief Scientific Officer of Soil Resources Development in 2022. He has also authored several books.

Bari married Mohsina Begum Mona on June 4, 1993. The couple has two children — Rodela Ruhin Bari and Nisarga Nuh Bari. His father was the late Maulvi Abul Hayat and his mother was the late Surutunnesa.

Ovi Moinuddin

"For the 101st Oscars and beyond, the Academy looks forward to closely collaborating with (owners) AEG to make LA LIVE the perfect backdrop for our global celebration of cinema, both for our live in-theater audience and for film fans around the world," Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor said. The 10-year deal with AEG comes as the ceremony leaves network television in the United States, to be broadcast instead worldwide by YouTube.

It also marks an end to a decades-long run for the ceremony at the Dolby, which is just a stone's throw from the Roosevelt Hotel, where the very first Oscars were handed out in 1929. While Hollywood is synonymous with the Oscars, the ceremony has not always been held there. Stars have previously descended on a number of venues in the Downtown area, and for much of the 1960s, the ceremony was hosted in the beachside city of Santa Monica.

At this year's awards, held on March 15, Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" -- a wild tale of leftist revolutionaries, white supremacists and immigrant detention centers -- was crowned as best picture.

South Korean record labels launch dozens of new groups every year in the hope they will become the next BTS or Blackpink, but with some 300 outfits already out there, the big time is elusive. The tiny minority of the thousands of young hopefuls who make it past the audition phase can then face 15-hour days of gym sessions, singing lessons, promotional shoots and dance practice. They sometimes sleep not at home but in bunk beds in shared houses, with tight control over the lives, including what they eat, their weight and their looks.

In a 2020 interview with AFP, former Nine Muses member Ryu Sera likened it to a "factory-like mass-production system", with people treated like "replaceable products". But industry bosses argue that the competitive structure is what keeps K-pop so successful. "We can't help those who were given an opportunity for self-improvement but couldn't keep up with the others," Blitzers manager Oh Chang-seok told AFP in 2021.

The balance of power between labels and K-pop stars was once heavily skewed, with "slave contracts" mandating unequal profit-sharing and binding artists for well over a decade. After a legal battle involving idol group TVXQ, the fair trade commission revised standard contracts, with changes introduced in 2009 that cap initial deals at seven years. Fans can become obsessive, and anger over rumours that their beloved stars may be romantically involved has become a hallmark of the industry.

When Jung Kook of BTS was rumoured to be dating Aespa member Winter, fans sent a truck carrying a billboard to the headquarters of BTS label HYBE accusing him of "deceit". Karina of Aespa faced similar trouble when she acknowledged her relationship with an actor in 2024, drawing the ire of fans who also dispatched a truck. "Do you not receive enough love from your fans?" it read.

Karina delivered her "sincere apologies" in a handwritten letter, vowing she would "not disappoint" her fans again. Shortly afterwards, the couple broke up. Others have taken things to dangerous extremes. In 2024, Sunwoo from The Boyz was assaulted when a fan hid in an emergency stairwell to confront him. The group's label said it had also detected a tracking device on their vehicle. This month, a Brazilian woman was indicted on charges of stalking BTS's Jung Kook. She allegedly rang his doorbell and left a letter 23 times in one month -- "out of love".

Kim Seong-sheen, a professor of creative convergence education at Hanyang University in Seoul, blames the way the industry has structured the relationship between groups and fans. "Fans have come to occupy the role not of simple consumers but of participants who invest their emotions and time," Kim told AFP. "The industry has long operated on the premise of controlling idols' private lives and sustaining an illusion of intimacy to maintain that engagement."

The industry has seen a number of suspected suicides, most recently in 2023 when Moonbin, 25, from boy band ASTRO, was found dead at his home. While mental health professionals caution it is rare that there is only one trigger factor, some performers have been subjected to intense cyberbullying and harsh scrutiny of their personal lives, both by fans and their management. Bang Si-hyuk, creator of BTS and chairman of HYBE, questioned in a 2023 CNN interview whether such criticism was "justifiable", suggesting conditions were no better in Western pop.

Cultural commentator Kim Do-hoon said a deeper problem lies in the industry's hierarchical structure between management and singers. Unlike many groups elsewhere, K-pop bands are assembled by agencies that invest time and capital to train them in a top-down system. BTS was created in the same manner. "This is a very hierarchical system that, at its core, has not changed over the years," he said.

Centered around the crescent moon in the sky, the lyrics evoke the festive atmosphere of Eid alongside soft, romantic emotions. The melody arrangement features a gentle and heartfelt flow, expected to captivate listeners and immerse them in a special emotional experience. Lyricist Debashish Biswas shared that through this song, he aimed to highlight people's simple and pure feelings. Meanwhile, composer Shiplu Deep Bijon noted that the track maintains a perfect balance between modernity and melodic charm, gaining an extra dimension through the voices of the two artists.

Singers Abdul Aziz and Salman Raj have also expressed high optimism about the song, believing its lyrics and tune will stir fresh emotions in the hearts of listeners. Production house SVM Music Kitchen stated that their goal is to deliver unique and high-quality songs for the new generation. "Akashe Oi Banka Chad" is set to be released this Eid ul-Fitr on their YouTube channel and various digital platforms. According to music enthusiasts and insiders, the perfect coordination of lyrics, melody, and vocals is likely to secure a special place for this song in listeners' hearts. The track is generating buzz ahead of Eid, with promotions from the artists indicating it's coming soon as a special surprise for the festive season.

The 98th Academy Awards was hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien, and featured musical segments that paid tribute to the Netflix phenomenon "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and box-office hit "Sinners," Ryan Coogler's vampire meditation on race relations in America. Michael B. Jordan, who played twin brothers Smoke and Stack in "Sinners," took home the best actor Oscar, after a tight race in which Timothee Chalamet had been expected to triumph for his unlikeable ping pong player in "Marty Supreme."

The show also included a lengthy "In Memoriam" segment, paying tribute to actor Robert Redford, which included a rare stage performance from Barbra Streisand. The Academy Awards broadcast, which once routinely drew audiences of 40 million, saw its viewership plummet to 10.4 million in the pandemic strangled year of 2021. Since then, it had been gradually recovering viewership, until this year.

In 2025, when Sean Baker's "Anora" was named Best Picture, the broadcast reached a wider audience thanks to streaming services, which brought the event to mobile phones and computers. This year's decline aligns with trends seen in other awards season events, such as the Golden Globes and the Grammys, both of which experienced similar drops in viewership. Sunday's telecast also faced competition from sports with the World Baseball Classic semi-finals, in which the United States defeated the Dominican Republic. The Oscars, which close out Hollywood's awards season, will be broadcast exclusively on YouTube starting in 2029.

But "One Battle After Another" -- with an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor -- has proved unstoppable during awards season. Anderson also took home the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay and shared the Oscar for best picture as a producer. "I'm so happy to call the movies home," Anderson told the audience. With "One Battle After Another" a quirky tale about a pot-addled revolutionary who must get back into the game to rescue his daughter, the 55-year-old Anderson bested Chloe Zhao for "Hamnet," Josh Safdie for "Marty Supreme," Joachim Trier for "Sentimental Value" and Ryan Coogler for "Sinners."

The filmmaker had already won a BAFTA, a Critics Choice Award, a Golden Globe and a Directors Guild Award in the run-up to the Academy Awards. Born in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1970, Anderson grew up in California and studied at New York University before dropping out after a single semester. By then, Anderson had already developed a strong interest in film, having made a 30-minute mockumentary about a male porn star during high school.

The subject of the film would form the inspiration for his 1997 breakthrough movie "Boogie Nights," often described as the best big-screen depiction of the porn industry, which earned Anderson his first Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. The film also garnered an Oscar nod for Julianne Moore and burnished the reputations of a crop of young actors who subsequently went on to great success including Mark Wahlberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle and John C. Reilly.

Anderson followed "Boogie Nights" with the 1999 drama "Magnolia," which skillfully interweaves the lives of several people living in the San Fernando Valley suburbs of Los Angeles. The film -- which earned Anderson another Oscars nod for best original screenplay, and an acting nomination for Tom Cruise -- famously featured a bizarre biblical twist in which the sky suddenly rains down thousands of exploding frogs.

The quirky 2002 rom-com "Punch-Drunk Love" followed, starring Adam Sandler as a hapless small business owner who falls for his sister's co-worker (Emily Watson). While the film was a critical hit, it flopped at the box office, recouping only $17 million against a $25 million budget. As a result, Anderson had trouble raising funding for his next film "There Will Be Blood," based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 book "Oil!" and shot in Texas for a budget of around $25 million. But it ended up with eight Oscar nominations and two statuettes -- for best actor Daniel Day-Lewis and best cinematography.

Perhaps due to his habit of creating roles for his stars that result in critical accolades, several of Anderson's movies have seen him reunite with a stable of revered actors. Anderson teamed up again with Hoffman for 1950s-set "The Master," which centered on a Scientology-inspired nascent cult called "The Cause." All three lead actors -- Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams -- were nominated for Oscars. Phoenix then worked again with Anderson on "Inherent Vice," the first-ever screen adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel. The 1970s-set Los Angeles detective noir earned Anderson an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination.

And in 2017, Day-Lewis returned for "Phantom Thread." The fashion drama set in 1950s London earned Day-Lewis his third best actor Oscar. Anderson tapped into a different talent pool for "Licorice Pizza," his nostalgic 1970s love letter to the San Fernando Valley. Anderson earned his third directing nomination for the film -- after "There Will Be Blood" and "Phantom Thread" -- along with best picture and screenplay nods, but came away empty-handed from the 2022 ceremony. Away from the screen, Anderson's partner is actress and comedian Maya Rudolph. The couple has four children.

At age 39, Jordan joins a small circle of Black actors who have won the prestigious best actor Oscar, after Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. "I stand here because of the people who came before me," an emotional Jordan told the audience. "Sinners," a supernatural tale of racial segregation in 1930s Mississippi, was a box office success in large part due to Jordan's compelling performances as Smoke and Stack, World War I veterans who return home after working in organized crime in Chicago.

The brothers want to open an off-the-books juke joint, smack in the middle of the Prohibition era. Of course, they want to make some money, but they also want to help the locals drown their sorrows in alcohol and the blues. Things quickly go sour when white vampires come calling, looking to quench their thirst for blood and music. The twin roles fall right in line with other characters designed for Jordan by Coogler, who has featured the actor in all of his films -- always a complicated, imperfect man.

The pair started their collaboration with "Fruitvale Station" (2013), in which Jordan played Oscar Grant, a young Black man battling fate until he is shot dead by a police officer. They moved on to the titular boxer in "Creed," tormented by his father's legacy, and the villainous Killmonger of "Black Panther," traumatized by being an orphan in a racist world. Coogler says Jordan's success in tough roles is a "testament to his charisma."

"As soon as you put the camera on him, you just naturally care about the guy, he told The New York Times in April last year, when "Sinners" debuted. The filmmaker has turned Jordan into a star over the last decade, even when the actor doubted he could overcome the perennial obstacles for Black performers in Hollywood. Coogler "gave me the reassurance and the confidence that I needed," Jordan told the Times in the same interview. "It made me double down and fueled this fire that I had to make it a reality."

Born in California on February 9, 1987 and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Jordan's teacher mom pushed him into modeling at age 11. After a few commercials, Jordan picked up small television roles before his first real break, appearing in a season of the lauded HBO crime drama "The Wire" at age 15. He then did stints on soap opera "All My Children" and the NBC football drama "Friday Night Lights" before moving on to the big screen with a role in 2012's "Red Tails," about the Tuskegee Airmen, a crew of Black pilots during World War II.

"Fruitvale Station" came out the following year, and his partnership with Coogler was sealed. In 2015, the director called him back for "Creed," a reboot of the "Rocky" franchise with Jordan playing Adonis, the son of Rocky's nemesis Apollo Creed and Sylvester Stallone sliding back into his signature role -- this time as Adonis's trainer. His first taste of the superhero genre came in the unfancied 2015 adaptation of "Fantastic Four" as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, but "Black Panther" and its sequel solidified his presence in the Marvel cinematic universe.

Since then, Jordan has carefully managed his image. He has made no secret of going to therapy to shed Killmonger's demons, but has said little about his private life and described himself to GQ last year as a "workaholic" whose longest relationship lasted a year. In recent years, he has moved into co-producing some of the films in which he has appeared, including "Just Mercy" and "Without Remorse." He even directed the third installment of the "Creed" series himself.

He is directing and starring in an upcoming adaptation of "The Thomas Crown Affair," expected in theaters in 2027, in which he will play the role of the gentleman thief previously taken on by Steve McQueen and Pierce Brosnan. But Jordan has a new dream. "I'm looking forward to directing something that I'm not in at all," he told Vanity Fair earlier this year. 

She bested Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"), Renate Reinsve ("Sentimental Value"), Emma Stone ("Bugonia") and Kate Hudson ("Song Sung Blue").

"I'm very nervous and they're gonna play me off. I grew up in Oakland, California, and we can talk a lot," Coogler said Sunday. "This is an incredible honor." Despite initial skepticism by industry insiders about the film, "Sinners" shattered the record for most Academy Awards nominations for a single film with 16. It ended up with four awards -- best actor for Jordan, Coogler's prize, best score for Ludwig Goransson and best cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman to ever win in that category. Coogler's rapid ascent onto Hollywood's A list was hardly likely back when he was intending to major in chemisty at college.

He was born on May 23, 1986 in Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco. He remained in the area for his entire childhood, running track and playing football -- a sport that would lead to a scholarship for college. Praise from the teacher of a creative writing course during his freshman year sparked an interest in screenwriting, and Coogler took film classes while earning a degree in finance. A gift of screenwriting software from girlfriend Zinzi -- now his wife, production partner and mother of their three children -- further kindled his ambition.

"When football began to feel like a chapter he might be closing, I could see he was looking for a place to pour that same energy into, and filmmaking was it," she told The Hollywood Reporter. Two years after earning a graduate degree from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, Coogler wrote and directed "Fruitvale Station," his first feature. The 2013 film recounted the real-life story of Oscar Grant, a young Black man who was shot dead by a transit police officer in Oakland during a 2009 arrest, sparking protests and riots.

The movie marked his first collaboration with Jordan -- who has gone on to star in all of Coogler's work. It earned multiple awards, including at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. It was only the beginning. Coogler followed up with "Creed" (2015) a spin-off of the "Rocky" franchise, with Jordan as the young boxer, and Sylvester Stallone reprising his iconic role -- as his trainer. Three years later, he released "Black Panther," putting a rich portrait of the fictional high-tech African country Wakanda on screen -- and elevating Black representation in Hollywood.

"Black Panther" went on to win three Oscars, and secured a best picture nomination. Its 2022 sequel was largely defined by the death of star Chadwick Boseman after a battle with cancer, which forced Coogler to rewrite the film. "Me and Chad were getting closer, so it was like a wound to the heart," Coogler told The Hollywood Reporter. So far, "Sinners" is perhaps his most personal project -- sparked by wanting to learn more about a great-uncle who had introduced him to the blues and was from Mississippi.

It also came from his own imagination, not from current events or existing intellectual property. "I did feel more vulnerable," Coogler told The New York Times about the experience. Jordan plays both Smoke and Stack, twin brothers who fought in World War I and return home to the southern state after a time in Chicago working for crime lords such as Al Capone. They want to open a juke joint -- but their dreams collide with the ghosts of slavery, white supremacy and the white vampires as a metaphor for the exploitation of Blacks.

One central scene that employs magical realism to trace the history of Black music from West Africa through the blues to present-day hip-hop is a standout -- before the blood flows. "I see Ryan the most in this movie," Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter. Upcoming projects include the third "Black Panther" film and a new cinematic take on "The X-Files," the 1990s hit sci-fi show about FBI agents investigating the unknown.

The latest pitch-black, absurdist offering from the director of "Poor Things" and "The Favourite," Yorgos Lanthimos' "Bugonia" dives headfirst into the untethered world of conspiracy theorists. esse Plemons' Teddy is convinced that Emma Stone's big pharma CEO Michelle is really an evil alien, and coerces his guileless cousin into kidnapping her to prove his case and save the planet. Could he possibly be right? And why are we rooting for him?

Lanthimos keeps us guessing until the jaw-dropping end. There will be no such suspense at the Oscars though, as "Bugonia" proved a little too much for the tastes of many Academy voters. The Academy likes to nominate one or two lavish blockbusters each year, rewarding movies that spend big and hire the industry's best craftsmen to create that only-in-Hollywood magic. This year, "F1: The Movie" -- from the director behind "Top Gun: Maverick" -- pipped "Avatar: Fire and Ash" to that best picture slot.

Starring Brad Pitt as a racing driver who just won't quit, this is old-school filmmaking wrapped up in cutting-edge technology -- and a hefty dose of Formula One product placement. Its nomination was a surprise, and "F1" -- which grossed $630 million at the box office worldwide -- is not expected to make the top podium. Oscars voters love Guillermo del Toro, showering him with statuettes for "The Shape of Water" and his animated "Pinocchio." "Frankenstein" was the Mexican auteur's decades-in-the-making passion project.

So it was little surprise the stately horror flick earned a pile of nominations, even with the lukewarm reviews it drew following its splashy Venice festival premiere last fall. The film's masterful costumes, makeup and sets are almost certain to win, but best picture looks like a stretch. If there is a genuine dark horse beyond the two runaway favorites, it is surely "Hamnet."

Based on a novel imagining the grim, plague-ravaged lives of William Shakespeare and his wife, "Hamnet" ticks a lot of boxes -- sumptuously shot, emotionally devastating filmmaking based on classy literary IP, and from an Academy Award-winning director in Chloe Zhao ("Nomadland"). It took the top prize at the influential Toronto film festival. But decades after "Shakespeare in Love" stunningly took best picture, there seems little chance that the Bard will crash the party this time around.

The semi-fictional tale of an international ping-pong champion, "Marty Supreme" rests entirely on the performance of Timothee Chalamet as its cocky protagonist. Its Oscars chances reflect that. Chalamet still has a strong shot at best actor, despite his well-documented recent controversies, but the film is unlikely to be crowned champion. Paul Thomas Anderson's madcap thriller about a former revolutionary emerging from a decades-long drug and booze-addled haze to save his daughter has picked up one prize after another this season, making it the wire-to-wire frontrunner.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it has already been named the year's best movie by Hollywood's producers and directors guilds, as well as top critics' organizations and Britain's BAFTAs. Tackling timely topics from immigration raids to white supremacists, and packing an A-list cast including Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, it is clearly the film to beat. Danish-Norwegian director Joachim Trier came onto the Academy's radar with his stunning dark romantic drama "The Worst Person in the World."

He returned with the same lead actress, Renate Reinsve, added a dose of Hollywood glamour with the casting of Elle Fanning, and wowed Oscars voters again to earn his first best picture nod. A meta-movie about filmmakers and their families, "Sentimental Value" is a frontrunner for best international film, but is likely too introspective for the top prize. With its wild blend of bloodthirsty vampires and bigots, blues music and Black folklore, "Sinners" has surged late in the Oscars race, and has a very strong chance of winning best picture.

Ryan Coogler's crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed vampire horror and race allegory surpassed all expectations following its relatively low-key release last April, earning $370 million at the global box office. Momentum has built to a fever pitch with key wins from the Hollywood actors' guild this month, including for star Michael B. Jordan, who plays gangster twins returning home to a supernatural 1930s Deep South. It is rare for a horror movie to win big at this Oscars -- but can anything stop this audacious, genre-defying blockbuster now?

If "The Secret Agent" wins best international film Sunday, it would represent back-to-back wins for ever-rising cinema powerhouse Brazil. But could it go a step further and claim best picture? Probably not, but this chaotic thriller set against the backdrop of the country's military dictatorship, which packs its own supernatural folkloric twist, is undoubtedly timely and has its ardent supporters. A historically fascinating glimpse into the settling of the US Pacific Northwest, anchored on a tragic human story, "Train Dreams" is a beautifully composed slice of indie filmmaking.

It earned a massive boost when it was picked up in January 2025 at the Sundance festival by Netflix, which propelled it into the awards conversation with a typically smart and lavish campaign. A nomination is already a win for "Train Dreams," arguably the smallest film on the list.  

Starring magnetic Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, it blends suspense, dark humor, magical realism and pop culture as it follows a university professor stalked by hitmen amid the political tensions of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship. The movie casts a rare spotlight on Brazil's marginalized northeastern region, giving a nod to its folkloric side but also portraying it as cosmopolitan and intellectual. It also shows off Recife's little-known Brutalist architecture.

"Historically, audiovisual production has always been concentrated in the southeast, in Rio and Sao Paulo," director Kleber Mendonca Filho, a native of Recife, told AFP. "It's very interesting that the spotlight and the microphone have been taken elsewhere." Historian Durval Muniz de Albuquerque Junior said the film dismantles a "stereotypical" image of the northeast often shown on television, as a "caricatured, inferior, backward and traditional" place.

Right after seeing "The Secret Agent," tour guide Roderick Jordao was inspired to create a tour of film locations in the city. The film "put Recife in the spotlight in a way that no government campaign could have achieved," he said while leading a group through several sites. Already popular after the film won two Golden Globes, tour demand soared after its Oscar nominations were announced about 10 days later, with a "huge demand" from Pernambuco state and other parts of the country, he said.

Tomas Santa Rosa, a 22-year-old actor, traveled from Rio de Janeiro to Recife after seeing the film. "It's usually the other way around; artists from the northeast have to go to the southeast to work, to consume cultural references. Having that axis reversed is incredibly exciting," he said. One of the tour stops getting daily visitors is the Ginasio Pernambucano, a 200-year-old school transformed into a civil registry office in the film.

The film had a "huge impact," said principal Antonio Rosa. The region's pride in the film exploded during the city's Carnival celebrations in February, with giant effigies of Moura and Mendonca paraded in the streets of neighboring city Olinde. Revellers were also seen with a curiosity from the film: a giant hairy leg.

It is a reference to a well-known local urban legend from Recife about a disembodied hair-covered human leg that wanders the streets at night attacking people. It is seen as a metaphor for repression and used in the film to evoke a sense of paranoia and absurdity. "It's incredible that a great film from Pernambuco is vying for an Oscar!" Matheus Vitoriano, a 25-year-old video editor, told AFP during Carnival.

He and others wore the yellow and black shirt that the Pitombeira Carnival group wore in 1978 under the dictatorship, which was donned by Moura in two scenes in the movie and has become a cult item. A member of the group, Erivelton Martins Torres, said their official store had sold some 30,000 of the shirts, many to the United States and Europe.

Zheng, 29, who hails from China, is one of a burgeoning class of students at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, studying animation in a place that has long been a training ground for future Pixar and DreamWorks talent. He has used his time at the Los Angeles university to learn about the emerging field of AI animation. That has included producing his seven-minute short film "Torment" about a masked killer terrorizing a high school. The film, which was recognized at the LA Shorts festival, was generated entirely by AI -- in just one week.

Zheng recorded himself in front of a green screen and then asked the software to modify his face to make him into all the different characters in the movie. The technology also allowed him to set his story in an Asian school and have scenes in a swimming pool -- two things that would have cost a fortune if he had filmed them traditionally. "As a student, it's impossible to have that much money" to produce a film, he said. Not everyone in Hollywood feels so positively about AI.

The technology was one of the key sticking points in the writers' and actors' strikes that paralyzed Hollywood in 2023. Guillermo del Toro, the director of "Frankenstein," which will compete for the best picture Oscar on Sunday, is notoriously anti-AI, insisting he would "rather die" than use it. Zheng said he had been impressed by the Mexican director's "amazing" film, particularly the opening scene where the monster attacks a 19th-century three-masted ship, which del Toro's prop department constructed specially for the movie.

But "when I watched the film...I was just thinking: 'Oh, using AI to do that would be much cheaper and...make something pretty similar.'" He insists, however, that it doesn't replace the filmmaking spark. "AI is just a tool, and people can use it to become even better." The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body that will hand out the Oscars in Hollywood on March 15, seems to agree -- last year the body updated its rules to say it was neutral on the technology.

"Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools...neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination," it said last April. At the University of Southern California (USC), teachers like Debra Isaac are trying to navigate the ethics around the emerging technology of AI.

The animation professor said she was shocked by an AI video that rocketed around the internet in recent weeks. The short sequence, created by Seedance -- the AI generation model developed by TikTok's parent company, Bytedance -- shows an ersatz fight between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Neither star was compensated. But, used properly, AI does not need to be exploitative, and is not a lazy way to make films, Isaac said. "It's not just about, 'Hey, I have a prompt, and I'm just gonna type a few words and I'll get my image, and I'll get my animation, and I'm done,'" she said.

"Some of these tools are not ethically dubious at all. They're trained by people that are using their own work," she added. That's precisely what Xindi Zhang, a recent graduate of the program and winner of a Student Academy Award for her short film "The Song of Drifters," did. For the mini-documentary about the difficulty of feeling at home anywhere, the 29-year-old artist fed the AI dozens of her drawings.

The database then served as graphic inspiration, allowing the computer to stylize the shots of the cities where the film takes place, accelerating production that would otherwise have taken years.

The 20-minute piece, which also stars Stephen Fry, is a delightful meditation on the importance of connecting with another human being -- across generations and races. Dorothy -- like Margolyes still razor sharp, but with a body that she says is failing her -- lives alone in a rambling London house. One afternoon, the young J.J. rings her doorbell to ask for his ball back after kicking it into her garden.

The ball is quickly forgotten when J.J. (Alistair Nwachukwu) discovers her vast collection of plays, from which she encourages him to read aloud. Their unlikely friendship is cast when she divines his -- presumably unacknowledged -- homosexuality, along with his obvious talent for acting. In what become daily visits, the friendship blossoms and the two tearfully understand that they finally feel "seen." Dorothy's life -- her husband long dead, her son living on the other side of the world and a grandson absorbed by making money -- is sadly nothing unusual, the actress told AFP.

"The predicament of an old lady alone is not unique," said Margolyes, a BAFTA winner for her role in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence." "Unfortunately, so many millions of old people are shipwrecked alone. "And we're cut off by technology. It doesn't help us to reach each other -- it divides us." Writer-director Lee Knight has the pair forge their connection through the very analog practice of reading aloud from playscripts.

"They come to each other in a time where they need each other, and they're lonely in their own way," Knight told AFP. "He's lonely; he hasn't found his people, and she's lonely too. It's a simple story, but we need these stories now more than ever." For Knight, getting Margolyes -- a fixture on British television, a stalwart of the theater for decades and Professor Sprout in the "Harry Potter" movies -- was non-negotiable.

"I just knew there was no one else to play it," he said. "I wrote it very much for her, and then I never, ever dreamt that I'd get her to do it." The pair -- generations apart -- form something of an affectionate parallel with the characters of "A Friend of Dorothy." During an AFP interview in Beverly Hills, they frequently clasp hands and talk over each other. At one point, she good-humoredly tells him off for his imprecise language as he responds to a journalist's question. "You mustn't say, 'Very, very unique'; 'unique' is enough," she chides him, adding with a laugh: "I'm just bossy." "Listen, this is the person you want to lift your text off the page," chuckles Knight. The Oscars take place on March 15 in Hollywood.    

The lots, which also include the so-called Marauder's Map from the "Harry Potter" films, have a combined pre-sale estimate of $9 million, according to Propstore, the auctioneers staging the sale. It noted that buyers from around the world, who increasingly utilise online bidding, were forging a new global collectors market. "We're seeing 20 to 30 percent more engagement, more registration, more people bidding," Ibrahim Faraj, Propstore's UK consignments manager, explained at a media preview of some British-based items before they headed to California. "It's growing bigger and it's the new, modern thing people are collecting now."

The fibreglass C-3PO head worn by "Star Wars" stalwart Anthony Daniels in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) is near the top of the pricing charts, with an estimate of $350,000 to $700,000. Featuring illuminated eyes in the film, and with original wiring in the right socket, this particular C-3PO head boasts several unique features including a forehead antenna. "These things rarely come up... so it's quite exciting," Faraj said. Another "Star Wars" piece of memorabilia on offer is the lightsaber hilt from "The Force Awakens," which is valued at up to $100,000.

"This is no ordinary lightsaber," he noted, branding it "the Skywalker" version as it was used by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). They rediscover it in the 2015 installment after prior generations wield it -- albeit another model -- in earlier franchise films. "It's arguably one of the most important pieces in 'Star Wars' history," Faraj argued. The harpoon gun wielded by Quint (Robert Shaw) and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) in Steven Spielberg's 1975 favourite "Jaws" is expected to generate similar buzz.

Estimated to fetch up to $500,000, it is being offered alongside Quint's Fenwick fishing rod and reel, which featured during the film's early shark encounter scenes. The rod is priced at up to $150,000, with Propstore branding the two props "the most significant artifacts to ever surface from the movie" at auction. The jacket from the 1984 cult classic "The Terminator" will require similarly deep pockets, with a price estimate of $75,000 to $150,000. It was worn during the first half of the film, after the T-800 cyborg steals and wears it through several violent sequences.

Featuring a leather collar, metal chains over the left shoulder, and metal studs on the back, it has been heavily distressed with stage blood, rips, mock bullet holes, and burns. Two top lots from Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" (2000) will also be offered, including the helmet and mask worn by Maximus (Russell Crowe) in his arena battles. That is predicted to go for up to $250,000. Meanwhile the rare Marauder's Map joins other "Harry Potter" movie props in the auction and is expected to fetch up to $80,000. "It pops up, it opens out, it's absolutely brilliant," Faraj said.

The meeting decided that there will be no pavilions at this year's fair. Publishers who had previously been allotted pavilion spaces have agreed to remove them from the fairgrounds. Publishers who applied for stalls on February 19 took part in a lottery for stall allotment, which was held at 10:00pm today. Construction of stalls will begin from February 23. State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam, Cultural Secretary M Mafidur Rahman, Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam, and Bangla Academy Secretary Dr Mohammad Selim Reza were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the cultural affairs minister and the state minister have already announced that stall fees for Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 will be waived.

Born William Anthony Colon Roman in 1950, the music star "passed away peacefully this morning," his family said in a statement. "We've lost an architect of the New York sound," said manager Pietro Carolos. "Willie didn't just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles and took it to stages where it hadn't been heard before." Colon was playing in his own band by 15 and released an album at 17. He went on to record hit records with Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Siembra," released in 1978 with vocalist Ruben Blades, addressed social issues faced by the growing Latino community in the United States. "I came from a really tough neighborhood," he once told music publication Billboard. "My father spent time in jail. Almost everybody went to jail... there was a lot of interaction between us and the police." He only studied music in junior high school but continued playing and touring through 2025. In a mark of his continued influence, he is name-checked in Grammy-winning singer Bad Bunny's 2025 hit "Nueva Yol."

At the same press conference he had earlier said that films had the power to "change the world" but in a different way from party politics. "No movie has ever changed the ideas of a politician, but we can change the idea that people have of how they should live," Wenders, 80, said. But his comments in response to the question on Israel prompted a storm of outrage.

Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who had been due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, pulled out of the event, branding Wender's words "unconscionable" and "jaw-dropping". On Tuesday, a letter signed by dozens of film industry figures, including Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton and Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin festival's "silence on the genocide of Palestinians". The letter, drafted by the Film Workers for Palestine collective, accused the Berlinale of being involved in "censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state's key role in enabling it".

Director Tricia Tuttle, in her second year at the helm of the Berlinale, has firmly rejected the accusations, describing some of the claims in the letter as "misinformation" and "inaccurate". She called for "cool heads in hot times" and expressed fears that the controversy was crowding out conversation about the films. Among the standout entries in the official competition was "We Are All Strangers" by Anthony Chen. Set in Chen's native Singapore, the film is a moving family drama which playfully satirises the yawning social disparities to be found in the city-state's glittering skyscrapers.

German actress Sandra Hueller, who gained international acclaim for her roles in "The Zone of Interest" and "Anatomy of a Fall", received audience plaudits for her turn as the title character in "Rose" by Austrian director Markus Schleinzer. The black-and-white drama tells the story of a woman passing herself off as a man in rural 17th-century Germany to escape the constraints of patriarchy. 

Juliette Binoche, playing a woman caring for her mother with dementia, also moved cinemagoers in "Queen at Sea" by American director Lance Hammer, who had not made a feature film since 2008. Sensitively, the film portrays the devastation Alzheimer's disease inflicts on a patient's loved ones. "My husband's got dementia, so I have had a lot of background," a visibly moved actress Anna Calder-Marshall, who plays the ailing mother in the film, told a press conference.

The first major event of the film calendar also provided a platform for Iranian filmmakers to address the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in their home country. Director Mahnaz Mohammadi, who has spent time in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, presented "Roya", a searing portrayal of conditions in the jail and the traces they leave on prisoners' psyches. Dissident director Jafar Panahi, who won the Cannes Palme d'Or for "It Was Just An Accident", also spoke from the Berlinale to denounce the Iranian government's repression of protestors, which international organisations say has left thousands dead.

"An unbelievable crime has happened. Mass murder has happened. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones," Panahi told a talk organised as part of the festival. "People do not want violence. They avoid violence. It is the regime that forces violence upon them," Panahi said. In December he was sentenced to one year in prison and a travel ban in Iran but has expressed his intention to return nevertheless.

The speakers said that after Polli Kobi Jasimuddin, Al Mahmud most successfully incorporated indigenous life and culture into contemporary Bangla literature.  They added that the roots of modern Bangla poetry cannot be fully understood without the author of Sonali Kabin. The programme was organised by Kaler Kolosh and chaired by United Nations Civil Society organization representative Dr Abul Kashem Sheikh.

"Train Dreams," director Clint Bentley's adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella, follows a railroad worker and the transformation of the American northwest across the 20th century. The film won three of its four categories, also grabbing wins for best director and best cinematography. The movie's lead, Joel Edgerton, however, did not take home best actor, which went to Rose Byrne for "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You." "Train Dreams" producer Teddy Schwarzman told AFP the film "is a singular journey, but it hopefully helps bring people together to understand all that life entails: love, friendship, loss, grief, healing and hope."

"Train Dreams" will compete for best picture at the Oscars, among other honors. After "The Secret Agent" nabbed best international film, director Kleber Mendonca Filho hailed the win as one that hopefully "gives more visibility to Brazilian cinema." The film follows a former academic pursued by hitmen amid the political turmoil of Brazil under military rule. It prevailed Sunday over contenders including rave-themed road trip movie "Sirat," which will compete alongside "The Secret Agent" for best international feature film at the Oscars, capping Hollywood's awards season.

"The Secret Agent" will also be up for best picture, best actor and best casting. Brazil's "I'm Still Here" won best international feature at the Oscars last year. Other Spirit winners on Sunday included "Lurker," for best first screenplay and best first feature film. "Sorry, Honey" nabbed best screenplay and "The Perfect Neighbor" scored best documentary. The Academy Awards will be presented on March 15.

It tells the story of a young reporter working in Kabul -- played by Sadat herself -- rethinking her scepticism towards men when she strikes up a relationship with a male co-worker. Sadat, who herself has been living in Germany since Taliban authorities retook power in 2021, said that trawling through locations outside Afghanistan was something she had been used to for a long time. For No Good Men, she considered Tajikistan, Jordan and Greece to stand in for Afghanistan.

However, Jordan fell through when insurers were spooked by the war in Gaza, with Sadat recalling that "all the work I did went to waste" after location scouting. The plan to shoot in Greece was scuppered by a lack of funding. "I know that all the filmmakers, including myself, we are running to Middle East for any stories about Afghanistan," Sadat told AFP. However, she made her peace with having a setting that wasn't as physically similar to Kabul. "It's a fiction film. It's not documentary," she said. Sadat told herself that: "I can definitely create it". 

Faced with the alternative of the film not getting made, she embraced the "challenge" of filming in northern Germany, featuring many actors from Germany's large Afghan diaspora. The film's depiction of the desparate crush at Kabul airport of people escaping approaching Taliban forces made use of a disused German prison. "It was rainy Berlin and we wanted sunny Kabul," Sadat recalled. But the weather played ball on the day of shooting: "It was a beautiful sunny day." Lebanese director Danielle Arbid faced a similar dilemma with her film "Only Rebels Win", which is being shown in the festival's Panorama section, and is set in her hometown of Beirut.

As she was preparing to shoot the film in Beirut in late 2024 with French-Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass, known for work including her role in the hit HBO series Succession, the Israeli army began a campaign of bombardments in Lebanon. "The producers were asking: 'Could we do it in Marseille or Montreuil?'," Arbid told AFP. "I said: 'No, we'll have to do it in a studio.'"

The film, which tells the story of an unlikely love story between an older Palestinian Christian woman and a South Sudanese immigrant 40 years her junior, was made in a studio in Saint Denis in the Paris suburbs with "600,000 euros and two walls" said Arbid. To bring Beirut to Paris, she hired a team in the Lebanese capital to shoot street scenes which were then filled in behind the characters in post-production. Showing the city at a time when it was being heavily bombarded "for me came from a place of anger, a fierce desire" to show Beirut's resilience.

German director Ilker Catak's film "Yellow Letters", which is in official competition, also indulges in some location-switching, but for a slightly different reason. His film, about a Turkish director and his actor wife suddenly barred from working because of their political opinions, was shot entirely in Germany. Berlin takes on the role of Ankara with Hamburg becoming Istanbul. While producers were confident the film could have been shot in Turkey despite the sensitive subject matter, Germany was chosen to illustrate the fact that threats to artistic freedom are universal.

"We do have to deal with this topic already because there are certain things and certain developments in Germany where we have to be really careful," Catak told a press conference on Friday. "Democracy and freedom of speech needs to be defended every day," he said. "They can be taken away again any time here in Germany, but also in the west -- the west is by no means any better than any other place in the world."

Opposition to the bands was highlighted by the Yeni Akit newspaper which is close to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It ran a story demanding the banning of the concerts under the headline "the satanist children of the devil are arriving in Istanbul". It stated that the bands had been banned in Russia and Poland "for having spread satanic propaganda and poisoned the spirit of young people".

Slaughter to Prevail, a "deathcore" rock band, were formed in Russia but are now based in the United States. Their lead guitarist is British. Behemoth are a Polish "death metal" group. Yeni Akit said the groups "promote satanism through their writing and visuals representing the devil". It said Turkey's social media had been flooded with calls to ban the groups. Slaughter to Prevail singer Alex Terrible said in an instagram video that one "Islamist group" had put pressure on the government to ban them. He said the Satanist claims were "completely not true" and that he "believes in God". But the singer added that the band could not go against the Turkish government and that it was a "very sad situation".

In a written statement, he said this month-long book fair is an essential part of Bangalee cultural heritage. “But due to reality, it was not possible to start the book fair on February 1 like other years. This year's book fair will begin on February 20. Taking the demands of publishers in consideration the stall rent has been reduced by 25 percent this year, he said adding all arrangements related to the book fair have already been completed. Suhrawardy Udyan has been allocated from the government. Stall construction work is underway. Schedules of the discussions and cultural programmes of the book fair have been finalized, he said.

About allocation of stalls in the book fair, he said as many as 53 new entities have applied for stall booking this year in addition to 527 institutions of last year. But, due to space shortage stalls were allocated to 527 old and 24 new entities were given booking, Reza said. He said when the work of the book fair was 60 percent completed,  About the request of some publishers to arrange this year’s book fair after Eid-ul-Fitr, Reza said the request came after 60 percent completion of the work of the fair.

Moreover, arrangement of the month long book fair in April is not realistic due to hot weather condition and dust pollution along with strong risk of rainfall, nor'wester and twister, he said. Reza said the publishers have agreed to participate in the book fair even though it is a bit challenging during the month of Ramadan. Responding to a question, Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam said, as the fair will be held throughout the holy month of Ramadan, arrangements have there for Taraweeh prayers and food stalls for iftar.

In addition, there will have adequate water supply in the venue, he said adding all measures were taken in consultation with the representatives of the publishers.

He was addressing the briefing at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon to share outcomes of the weekly meeting of the Council of Advisers at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) in the morning. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting. The recipients of the Ekushey Padak 2026 are: Farida Akhtar Babita (Film), Professor Md Abdus Sattar (Fine Arts), Marina Tabassum (Architecture), Ayub Bachchu (Music), Arthy Ahmed (Dance), Islam Uddin Palakar (Theatre), Shafik Rehman (Journalism), Professor Dr Mahbubul Alam Majumdar (Education), Tejosh Haldar Josh (Sculpture) and Warfaze (Music Band).

With the nomination of the Warfaze for the award, a rock band has been considered for a national award for the first time in the country’s history. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs annually confers the award in different categories to honor individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to different fields.   

K-pop singer Rose and Bruno Mars kicked off the proceedings with a high-octane performance of "APT.," before comedian Trevor Noah took to the stage. Noah -- in his sixth and final outing as Grammys host -- wasted no time getting topical after a quick walk around the room to point out the constellation of A-listers. "Nicki Minaj is not here... She is still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues," he said, in reference to Minaj's recent backing of the Republican president.

"'Actually, Nicki, I have the biggest ass. I have it,'" Noah said, doing a dead-on Trump impression. "'Everybody's saying it, Nicki, I know they say it's you, but it's me.'" The prize for Best New Artist went to Britain's Olivia Dean, who topped charts at home and abroad with her monster hit "Man I Need." Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were also set to perform, along with Lauryn Hill and Post Malone, who will lead a tribute to late rocker Ozzy Osbourne.

Lamar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, had nine nominations going into Sunday, the most of any artist, on the strength of his album "GNX." The 38-year-old California native, who won five Grammys last year thanks to his smash diss track "Not Like Us," is also up for Record and Song of the Year for "Luther" featuring R&B artist SZA. "I'm not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music. It's an honor to be here," Lamar said as he accepted the best rap album prize.

Standing in Lamar's way for Album of the Year is Bad Bunny, who is on a world tour in support of his album "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" (I Should Have Taken More Photos) after a hugely successful residency in San Juan. The 31-year-old Latin megastar, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, will headline the Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys, where he is up for six awards. His "Un verano sin ti" (2022) was the first Spanish-language album nominated for Album of the Year honors. A win on Sunday would give Bad Bunny another mention in the history books.

Lady Gaga, 39, made a splashy comeback to touring with "Mayhem," her collection of pop bangers with a dark edge that embraces her dramatic side. She has seven nominations. A win for Album of the Year would complete her hat trick of top awards. She took Record and Song of the Year honors seven years ago for the soundtrack hit "Shallow," from "A Star is Born" -- which also earned her an Oscar.

Also nominated for Album of the Year are: pop princess Sabrina Carpenter; R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas; Tyler, the Creator; hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice); and Bieber -- with his first studio effort in four years. This time around, Song of the Year -- which honors songwriting -- is a crowded category that includes "Golden," from the Netflix animated smash hit "KPop Demon Hunters," which would be the first bilingual tune to win the prize.

Earlier, "Golden" won the prize for best song written for visual media, and top Oscar nominee "Sinners" won two soundtrack awards. The majority of the 95 awards are handed out at a pre-gala ceremony before the televised broadcast. Joni Mitchell -- one of several attendees wearing an "ICE OUT" pin in protest at US President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown -- took a prize for best historical album.

AFP was not immediately able to confirm that. O'Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, where she joined the legendary comedy theater Second City, alongside Eugene Levy, with whom she would collaborate throughout her career, including on the smash TV series "Schitt's Creek." Her break into movies came in 1980 with "Double Negative" -- also alongside Levy, and John Candy.

In 1988, she played Winona Ryder's stepmother in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice." She would later marry the film's production designer Bo Welch. The couple had two sons, Matthew and Luke. But it was in 1990 that she became widely known to a global audience, as the mother of Macaulay Culkin's Kevin in "Home Alone." "It's a perfect movie, isn't it?" she told People in 2024. "You want to be part of something good, and that's how you go," she said. She would reprise the role in the film's sequel -- "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," which featured a cameo from Donald Trump, decades before he would become US president.

In 1993 she collaborated again with Burton on "The Nightmare before Christmas." The versatile comedienne also appeared in British filmmaker Christopher Guest's mockumentaries that revel in silly spectacles of Americana, like zany dog handlers in "Best in Show," vain folk singers in "A Mighty Wind," and award-hungry actors in "For Your Consideration." "I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age," Guest wrote in a statement. But she is perhaps best known by modern audiences for her role in "Schitt's Creek," created by Eugene Levy's son, Dan Levy.

"I used to mostly get people named Kevin who'd come up to me and ask me to yell 'Kevin!' in their faces," O'Hara told People, in reference to her famous line in "Home Alone." "Now it's mostly about (her character) Moira and 'Schitt's Creek.' I've never gotten this kind of attention in my life. It's crazy." The role brought her an Emmy for best lead actress in 2020. She was also awarded a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. As news of her death spread on Friday, fellow performers and other luminaries were quick to react.

"Mama. I thought we had time," Culkin wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the pair of them in "Home Alone." "I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you." Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said he and other Canadians were mourning O'Hara's death. "Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Canada has lost a legend. My thoughts are with her family, friends, and all those who loved her work on screen. She will be dearly missed."

Pop chameleon Lady Gaga and Puerto Rico's Bad Bunny also are competing in all three categories. Also nominated for the top album prize are: pop princess Sabrina Carpenter; R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas; Tyler, the Creator; hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice); and pop superstar Justin Bieber -- with his first studio effort in four years. Lamar is nominated this year for his album "GNX," which includes the single "Luther" featuring R&B artist SZA. The 38-year-old has won 22 Grammys during his career.

Lady Gaga, Bieber and Carpenter are set to perform, with more acts expected to be confirmed before Sunday. Standing in Lamar's way for Album of the Year is Bad Bunny, who is currently on a world tour in support of his album "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" (I Should Have Taken More Photos). "It was a very exciting album," musicologist Lauron Kehrer told AFP. "It touched on so much in terms of thematic material and musical material," Kehrer said, pointing to the allusions to decolonization and use of traditional Puerto Rican rhythms.

The 31-year-old Latin megastar, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, will headline the Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys, where he is up for six awards. Last year, he completed a three-month residency in his native Puerto Rico and hosted the season opener of "Saturday Night Live." His "Un verano sin ti" (2022) was the first Spanish-language album nominated for Album of the Year honors. A win on Sunday would give Bad Bunny another mention in the history books.

Lady Gaga, 39, made a splashy comeback to touring with "Mayhem," her collection of pop bangers with a dark edge that embraces her dramatic side. She has seven nominations. She has 14 Grammys to her name, but a win for Album of the Year would complete her hat trick of top awards. She took Record and Song of the Year honors seven years ago for the soundtrack hit "Shallow," from "A Star is Born" -- which also earned her an Oscar.

This time around, Song of the Year -- which honors songwriting -- is a crowded category that includes Carpenter's "Manchild" and "Golden" from the Netflix animated smash hit "KPop Demon Hunters." Many pundits believe the energetic K-pop hit will triumph. Up for best new artist are Alex Warren, girl group Katseye, Britain's Olivia Dean, TikTok dancer-turned-singer Addison Rae, The Marias, sombr, Lola Young and Thomas -- who was already a Grammy winner two years ago for producing a song by SZA. For musicologist Kehrer, the infusion of rap, reggaeton and K-pop in the top Grammy categories reflects changes in the composition of the Recording Academy's voting group.

More than 3,800 new members have been admitted. Half of those new members are age 39 or younger, and 58 percent of them are people of color, the academy says. Invitations were also offered to all members of the Latin Recording Academy. "The Grammys are more reactionary than anything else," said Kehrer. "These artists winning those major awards is more of an indication of climate, rather than trying to move or change the climate." The Grammy Awards will once again be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. The main broadcast begins at 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday), but many of the 95 awards will be handed out at a pre-gala event.

Shuvo explains that the role is more than a single-person story—it embodies the struggles, frustrations, and perseverance of the youth in society. “This character mirrors those who stumble repeatedly but always rise again,” he adds.

To portray the role authentically, Shuvo interacted directly with the people of Mirpur, the film’s setting, where he himself grew up. “Being a local made it easier to connect with them. They helped me and gave me a close-up view of their everyday lives, which was invaluable in building the character,” he says.

This preparation ensured that his performance carries a genuine sense of realism. Shuvo notes that his own experiences of trusting people blindly and facing repeated setbacks helped him relate to the role. “During some scenes, it felt like I was acting out my own life story,” he reveals.

During filming, Shuvo became so immersed in the character that he could not stop crying in a particular scene. “It was emotionally overwhelming and quite traumatizing,” he admits.

Shuvo believes this role allows him to showcase a different side of his acting. “I’m not focused on winning awards from a single film, but through this character, the audience will see a new aspect of my craft. It’s a completely unique project for me,” he explains.

Shuvo adds that every person makes different choices in real life—some collapse after setbacks, while others rise again. “Ultimately, each decision is personal,” he notes.

Cut-Piece is not just entertainment—it’s a story of youth, struggle, hope, and resilience. Through his performance, Sifat Shuvo becomes a mirror reflecting the lives of young people who keep rising, no matter how many times they fall.

The recently released poster of the drama reflects its emotional and nostalgic tone. The aesthetic blend of red and white, the symbolic rose, and the presence of two central characters hint that this is not just a love story — it is a narrative about memories, time, and emotions that never truly fade.

The drama is written and directed by Babu Siddiqui. The cast includes Babu Siddiqui, Maya Rahman, Tushar Bhuiyan, Sheikh Swapna, Ribbon, Maria, Nasir, Tushar, Zakir, and others. Cinematography is handled by Emon Israr, editing by Robin, with Saidur Rahman Riyad serving as assistant director. Costume design is by Maya Rahman, art direction by Preet Biswas, music by Pranto Ghosh, management by Faisal Dada, and production support from Bishwophul Media.

According to those involved with the project, “Purano Diner Prem” tells the story of a kind of love that does not change with time but remains alive as memory within people. The drama contrasts modern relationship complexities with the simplicity, emotional depth, and sincerity of love from earlier days.

Speaking about the project, producer Foyez Hridoy said: “I have always believed in story-driven content. My goal is to create dramas where audiences can see reflections of their own lives. ‘Purano Diner Prem’ is not just a romantic story — it is a story of emotions and memories. Even though this is one of my early works as a producer, I made sure not to compromise on quality. In Sha Allah, viewers will find something meaningful here.”

When asked why he moved from assistant direction to production, he added: “For a long time, I wanted to work from within the core of storytelling — not just as part of the technical process, but from the conceptual stage to execution. This drama marks the beginning of that journey.”

Industry insiders believe Foyez Hridoy’s focus on story-oriented production could bring a refreshing change to television content. The poster has already started circulating on social media, generating curiosity among drama enthusiasts.

Although the broadcast date remains unannounced, “Purano Diner Prem” is gradually becoming a project that audiences are looking forward to. Foyez Hridoy’s transition from assistant director to producer signals a promising new chapter in his media career.

At first glance, Cut-Piece appears to be a story about the jhut (garment waste) trade—an industry often overlooked despite its deep entanglement with the country’s textile economy. But according to the filmmaker, the film is far more than a depiction of a specific sector. It is, instead, a metaphor for a broader social structure defined by power imbalance, exploitation, and systemic inequality.

“The world of jhut business is a reflection of a larger social framework,” Momo explains. “It’s a space where power is always concentrated in the hands of a few, while the majority struggle every day just to survive. This is not limited to one industry—it exists across many layers of our society.”

In Cut-Piece, the jhut market becomes a microcosm of that reality. Decisions are made at the top; consequences are borne at the bottom. The film examines how invisible power networks operate quietly, shaping lives without ever announcing themselves. By bringing these dynamics to the screen, Momo aims to make the unseen visible.

For a first full-length feature, selecting such a raw and underexplored subject is a deliberate risk—one the director is fully aware of. She describes the choice as both a conscious attempt to challenge audience comfort and a response to what she sees as a creative gap in mainstream Bangladeshi cinema.

“Real life is not always glamorous or comfortable,” she says. “But cinema often avoids that discomfort. I believe art has a responsibility—not just to entertain, but sometimes to confront.”

At the same time, Momo argues that the mainstream film landscape still leaves little room for grounded, socially rooted narratives. Cut-Piece is her attempt to step into that empty space—to tell a story that resists embellishment and instead embraces lived reality.

Central to the film’s philosophy is a belief that audiences are evolving. According to the director, today’s viewers are increasingly interested in stories that reflect their surroundings—stories that ask questions rather than provide easy answers.

“The audience is changing,” she says. “They are no longer satisfied with spectacle alone. They want to see reality, to question it, to locate themselves within it. Cut-Piece is an attempt to begin that conversation.”

Rather than offering clear moral resolutions, the film invites reflection: Who holds power? Why do the most vulnerable always pay the highest price? And where do we, as viewers, stand within this structure?

In that sense, Cut-Piece functions not only as a film but also as a social document—capturing a moment, a system, and a set of lives often absent from cinematic narratives. By centering an informal economy and the people who sustain it, the film challenges the boundaries of what mainstream cinema considers worthy of attention.

Whether Cut-Piece ultimately reshapes audience expectations remains to be seen. But its ambition is clear: to move beyond comfort, beyond convention, and toward a cinema that reflects society not as it wishes to be seen—but as it is.

The giant in the world of haute couture died at his home in Rome, just four months after the death of fellow Italian great Giorgio Armani. In a sign of industrial renewal, however, French designer Jeanne Friot will take her first steps on the daunting Paris calendar on Monday, with the young stylist telling AFP it was a "quite an unusual joy and stress" to take part. French designer Veronique Nichanian will meanwhile present her last collection for Hermes on Saturday after 37 years at the helm.

The 71-year-old Parisian -- one of the few women designing in menswear -- will leave behind a brand in tremendous financial shape with an image of timeless, refined masculinity that she has helped shape. Her successor, London designer Grace Wales Bonner, who is of English and Jamaican heritage, represents a generational and stylistic shift for the classic family-run French house. Many fashionistas will be casting an eye on the Christian Louboutin show on day two where Jaden Smith -- son of US rapper-actor Will Smith -- will present his debut collection.

The model and musician, 27, was unveiled as the creative director of the famed French brand last September by founder Louboutin, who appears to be preparing to hand over the reins to the Gen Z trendsetter. The choice is seen as a bold bet on relatively inexperienced youth by the veteran maker of red-soled stilettos, whose ready-to-wear menswear and accessories are estimated by analysts to account for about a quarter of his sales. On Wednesday, much-hyped Dior designer Jonathan Anderson will unveil his second Homme collection, having made his debut in June last year with a widely praised show of unisex styling.

But the 41-year-old's womenswear collection in September didn't convince everyone, and some observers expect him to put a more decisive mark on Dior and cement the new identity he's begun sketching out. "There's a lot of anticipation," Alice Feillard, men's buying director at Paris department store Galeries Lafayette, told AFP. The luxury fashion industry has undergone a wave of changes over the last 12 months at a time of weak international growth following the bumper buying frenzy of the post-Covid period.

Slowing demand from China, US tariffs on imports and uncertainty about the global economy have all weighed on sales of European brands. New faces such as Anderson, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci or Sarah Burton at Givenchy represent the elevation of a new stable of couturiers who look set to dominate the major houses over the next decade. Elsewhere over the week, Japanese brands from Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake to Mihara Yasuhiro will be out in force.

LVMH-owned Kenzo, will hold a presentation instead of a runway show on Tuesday inside the vast Parisian house of late founder Kenzo Takada in the French capital's trendy 11th district. The four-storey modernist building, which features a Japanese garden, will host a day-long gathering of design, food and music curated by chief creative Nigo. US designer Willy Chavarria, who is one of a handful unafraid to express political views, also returns for his third season in Paris and might have something to say about Donald Trump's presidency on Friday.

Warner Bros is the target of a fierce bidding war between Paramount Skydance and Netflix. Yet despite the struggles of its parent company Warner Bros Discovery, the storied movie studio has enjoyed a banner year, bucking Tinseltown's obsession with sequels and backing original fare from auteur filmmakers. "Sinners," a blues-inflected period horror film about the segregated US South, comes from "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler. It is expected to land a best actor nomination for Michael B. Jordan, who plays two twins battling vampires and racists in 1930s Mississippi, plus everything from screenplay to score.

According to Variety awards expert Clayton Davis, "Sinners" could break the all-time record for most nominations by a single film -- currently 14, by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land." Coogler is "rewriting the math entirely," and could enter "a statistical stratosphere no filmmaker has ever touched," Davis wrote. But so far this awards season, Paul Thomas Anderson -- whose formidable, eclectic filmography runs from "Boogie Nights" to "There Will Be Blood" -- has won almost every prize going for "One Battle After Another."

A zany thriller about a retired revolutionary looking for his teen daughter against a wild backdrop of radical violence, immigration raids and white supremacists, it broke the all-time record for nominations by Hollywood's actors guild. Former best actor Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio is all but certain to secure his seventh acting nomination from the Academy. Netflix has its own hopefuls in Guillermo del Toro's monster horror flick "Frankenstein," tragic Western pioneer drama "Train Dreams" and animated musical sensation "KPop Demon Hunters."

By contrast, rival Paramount's awards hopefuls shelf is noticeably bare. "Hamnet," a tragic literary adaptation that imagines William Shakespeare coping with the death of his son, is likely to land a bagful of nominations. Jessie Buckley, who plays the Bard's long-suffering wife Agnes, appears a lock for a best actress nomination. She is likely to be joined by Emma Stone playing an alien -- or is she? -- in conspiracy theorist drama "Bugonia," and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve in arthouse darling "Sentimental Value." With the Academy's overseas voter base rapidly expanding, "Sentimental Value" is one of a trio of non-English-language films that could contend for best picture.

Along with Persian-language Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just An Accident," there is also Brazil's "The Secret Agent," though "space feels limited" for all three to make the list, wrote Davis. "The Secret Agent" star Wagner Moura, playing a scientist on the run from Brazil's 1970s dictatorship, is expected to vie with DiCaprio and Jordan for best actor. But that category's frontrunner is Timothee Chalamet, whose turn as a bratty, talented and fiercely ambitious ping pong player in 1950s New York in "Marty Supreme," has already won a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award and more.

This year sees the introduction of a new Oscar for best casting, honoring the experts who attach actors to projects long before future blockbusters or indie hits begin production. With no precedent, it is unclear what exactly voters will be looking for. "Is it star power? Ensemble cohesion? Finding a discovery?" asked Davis. The nominations will be unveiled Thursday at 5:30am (1330 GMT) in Los Angeles, with the 98th Oscars ceremony to follow on March 15.

The Globes, long billed as Hollywood's biggest party, and the raucous forerunner to the awards season finale Oscars, were beset by scandal and accusations of racism that led to the Globes not even being aired in 2022. The gala was ultimately dropped by long-time broadcaster NBC, but relaunched with CBS in 2024 under new ownership, and has undergone significant reforms aimed at stamping out perceptions of corruption and racism.

Sunday night's bash saw Hollywood's best and brightest out in force for an evening fronted by comedian Nikki Glaser, whose acerbic opening monologue was watched nearly 14 million times on social media over the first 36 hours, organizers said. Among her zingers was a jab at the US Department of Justice, which she said should be in line for the Best Editing Award for its handling of the heavily redacted files on President Donald Trump's one-time friend, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

As well as significant victories for "One Battle After Another," key winners on the evening included William Shakespeare family tragedy "Hamnet," which won best drama film and a best female actor prize for Jessie Buckley as a distraught mother. Timothee Chalamet and Brazilian Wagner Moura added to their awards season momentum with prizes for "Marty Supreme" and "The Secret Agent," respectively. The Golden Globes are seen as a leading indicator of success in the Oscars, which take place in Hollywood this year on March 15.

But the Bulletproof Boy Scouts -- as their name means in Korean -- haven't toured or released music since 2022 as they underwent the national military service required of all South Korean men under the age of 30. Now that all seven members have completed their military service the band's label announced on New Year's Day they would release a new album in March before heading on tour the following month. Spanning 34 cities with 79 performances, it will be the largest-ever single tour by a K-pop group in terms of total shows and the "widest regional reach for a South Korean artist," according to the band's agency, HYBE.

The world tour will kick off in South Korea's Goyang on April 9, with two additional concerts in the city before moving on to neighbouring Japan. They will then head to the United States and Europe, with the tour ending in March 2027 in Manila. The band's label said that more cities will be announced, including additional stops in Japan and the Middle East. Their new album -- as yet unnamed -- will be their first since the anthology "Proof", which became South Korea's bestselling record of 2022.

BTS's famously loyal fanbase -- known as ARMY -- reacted with elation at news of the world tour. One fan wrote in response to the news on Facebook that to buy a ticket their "Right kidney is waving". "Army hunger games are about to start," another wrote, drawing a comparison between fans trying to get tickets and a series of popular young adult novels in which contestants fight to the death. BTS is big business in South Korea -- before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) for the country per year, according to Seoul's Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP. HYBE's shares traded higher at Wednesday's market open on news of their world tour, rising around three percent. And investment bank IBK Securities on Wednesday projected the firm's operating profits this year would soar tenfold compared to 2025. "Based on the full tour schedule, around 4.5 million people are expected to attend," said analyst Kim Yu-hyuk.

Gomez was not alone in striking an understated pose, with lots of stars opting for black or dark, wintry hues. Teyana Taylor, a winner for her searing turn as a leftist revolutionary in hotly-tipped film "One Battle After Another," scorched the carpet in a cut-out backless black Schiaparelli gown with a halter neckline -- and a cheeky crystal bow on her backside. Ariana Grande ("Wicked: For Good"), who competed with Taylor for the award for best supporting actress, turned heads in a black textured Vivienne Westwood ballgown with an asymmetrical neckline and a bubble silhouette before trailing to the floor.

Her hair was swept into her signature ponytail, and she kept the jewelry simple with a diamond choker. Amy Madigan, also in their category for her villainous turn in "Weapons," went for a tuxedo look with cropped pants and patent leather boots. Nominee Jenna Ortega embraced the goth chic of her title character in "Wednesday" in a black high-neck Dilara Findikoglu gown with glittering epaulets and cut-offs that revealed a bit of side boob... and part of her hip bone.

Among the male stars in attendance, Colman Domingo was as usual a standout, wearing head-to-toe black Valentino, with silvery appliques scattered from his left shoulder down his lapel to his waist.

- Naked ambition -

Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to strong fashion statements. Her plunging green Versace gown at the Grammys in 2000 is still a reference for winning the red carpet by adopting the "less is more" rule. On Sunday, Lopez -- whose turn in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" was overlooked by Globes voters -- wore a figure-hugging sheer gown with bronze patterns snaking over her body, ending in a mermaid fishtail. Jennifer Lawrence --nominated for best drama actress in a film for "Die My Love" -- got the memo as well, rocking a barely-there sheer nude Givenchy gown with only a smattering of strategically placed flowers.

- Stars slam deadly ICE shooting -

Hollywood never quite has a night out without a bit of politics coming into play. On Sunday, some of the stars including nominee Mark Ruffalo wore pins with the messages "BE GOOD" -- a reference to Renee Good, the Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent. Comedian Wanda Sykes wore the same pin on her lapel, while actress Natasha Lyonne, a nominee for her TV show "Poker Face," attached one to her clutch handbag. The campaign is endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the country's most prominent civil rights organizations.

"Whilst we do not suggest in any way that Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi," it said in a statement. The festival board said it was "shocked and saddened" by the December 14 mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people, and its decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah was not taken lightly. But the shunned author and academic said it was a "blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism".

It was a "despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre", she said in a statement. Her legal representatives, Marque Lawyers, sent a letter to the festival on Sunday demanding it identify statements by the author that justified excluding her. Marque Lawyers' managing partner Michael Bradley said the festival had "trampled" on Abdel-Fattah's human rights and the board would have to answer for it.

- Festival chair resigns -

Abdel-Fattah has faced criticism over some statements including a post on X in October 2024 saying: "The goal is decolonisation and the end of this murderous Zionist colony". Local media said her exclusion had led more than 70 participants to withdraw from the festival, which runs from February 27-March 15. They included author and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who posted a video on social media of himself tearing up his invitation. Three Adelaide Festival board members reportedly resigned their positions at an extraordinary meeting on Saturday.

On Sunday, the festival chair, Tracey Whiting, announced she, too, had resigned with immediate effect. "Recent decisions were bound by certain undertakings and my resignation enables the Adelaide Festival, as an organisation, to refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances," she said. South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was legally prevented from directing the board's decisions.

"However, when asked for my opinion I was happy to make it clear that the state government did not support the inclusion of Dr Abdel-Fattah on the Adelaide Writers' Week program," he told local media. The Adelaide Festival said it had "temporarily unpublished" the list of participants and events in Writers' Week while it works through changes to its website.

"One Battle After Another" was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards including best comedy film and best director.

- FILM -

Best film, drama: "Hamnet"

Best film, musical or comedy: "One Battle After Another"

Best male actor, drama: Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"

Best female actor, drama: Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"

Best male actor, musical or comedy: Timothee Chalamet, "Marty Supreme"

Best female actor, musical or comedy: Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"

Best supporting actor: Stellan Skarsgard, "Sentimental Value"

Best supporting actress: Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another"

Best director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"

Best screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"

Best non-English language film: "The Secret Agent" (Brazil)

Best cinematic and box office achievement: "Sinners"

Best animated feature: "KPop Demon Hunters"

- TELEVISION -

Best drama series: "The Pitt"

Best male actor, drama: Noah Wyle, "The Pitt"

Best female actor, drama: Rhea Seehorn, "Pluribus"

Best musical or comedy series: "The Studio"

Best male actor, musical or comedy: Seth Rogen, "The Studio"

Best female actor, musical or comedy: Jean Smart, "Hacks"

Best limited series or TV movie: "Adolescence"

Best male actor, limited series or TV movie : Stephen Graham, "Adolescence"

Best female actor, limited series or TV movie : Michelle Williams, "Dying for Sex"apan of "dual-use" items with potential military uses, fuelling worries in Japan that Beijing could choke supplies of rare earths, some of which are included in China's list of dual-use goods.

"His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them." Founded in San Francisco by Weir, Jerry Garcia, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann, the Grateful Dead was one of the leading music groups to emerge from the 1960s counterculture movement. Known for never performing the same show twice, the group revolutionized fan engagement, as followers -- known as "Deadheads" -- recorded and swapped bootleg tapes of the concerts in a communal, drug-addled camp environment.

The rockers disbanded in 1995, a few months after Garcia's death, but Weir went on to perform in recent years with the group Dead & Company. Following Weir's death, 79-year-old Kreutzmann became the last living member of the Grateful Dead founders. Lesh died in October 2024 at the age of 84, while McKernan died aged 27 in 1973. Weir was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame in 1994 as part of the Grateful Dead, and received Kennedy Center Honors with the group in 2024, in the final year of Joe Biden's presidency.

"As we remember Bobby, it's hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived," the family said. "A man driftin' and dreamin', never worrying if the road would lead him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas," the family said, quoting the songs "Cassidy" and "Lost Sailor," written by Weir and the late John Perry Barlow.

- FILM -

Best film, drama

"Frankenstein"

"Hamnet"

"It Was Just An Accident"

"The Secret Agent"

"Sentimental Value"

"Sinners"

Best film, musical or comedy

"Blue Moon"

"Bugonia"

"Marty Supreme"

"No Other Choice"

"Nouvelle Vague"

"One Battle After Another"

Best male actor, drama

Joel Edgerton, "Train Dreams"

Oscar Isaac, "Frankenstein"

Dwayne Johnson, "The Smashing Machine"

Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"

Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"

Jeremy Allen White, "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere"

Best female actor, drama

Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Die, My Love"

Renate Reinsve, "Sentimental Value"

Julia Roberts, "After the Hunt"

Tessa Thompson, "Hedda"

Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"

Best male actor, musical or comedy

Timothee Chalamet, "Marty Supreme"

George Clooney, "Jay Kelly"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "One Battle After Another"

Ethan Hawke, "Blue Moon"

Lee Byung-hun, "No Other Choice"

Jesse Plemons, "Bugonia"

Best female actor, musical or comedy

Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"

Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked: For Good"

Kate Hudson, "Song Sung Blue"

Chase Infiniti, "One Battle After Another"

Amanda Seyfried, "The Testament of Ann Lee"

Emma Stone, "Bugonia"

Best supporting actor

Benicio Del Toro, "One Battle After Another"

Jacob Elordi, "Frankenstein"

Paul Mescal, "Hamnet"

Sean Penn, "One Battle After Another"

Adam Sandler, "Jay Kelly"

Stellan Skarsgard, "Sentimental Value"

Best supporting actress

Emily Blunt, "The Smashing Machine"

Elle Fanning, "Sentimental Value"

Ariana Grande, "Wicked: For Good"

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Sentimental Value"

Amy Madigan, "Weapons"

Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another"

Best director

Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"

Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"

Guillermo Del Toro, "Frankenstein"

Jafar Panahi, "It Was Just An Accident"

Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value"

Chloe Zhao, "Hamnet"

Best non-English language film

"It Was Just An Accident" (France)

"No Other Choice" (South Korea)

"The Secret Agent" (Brazil)

"Sentimental Value" (Norway)

"Sirat" (Spain)

"The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia)

Best cinematic and box office achievement:

"Avatar: Fire and Ash"

"F1"

"KPop Demon Hunters"

"Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning"

"Sinners"

"Weapons"

"Wicked: For Good"

"Zootopia 2"

Best animated feature

"Arco"

"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba -- Infinity Castle"

"Elio"

"KPop Demon Hunters"

"Little Amelie or the Character of Rain"

"Zootopia 2"

- TELEVISION -

Best drama series

"The Diplomat"

"The Pitt"

"Pluribus"

"Severance"

"Slow Horses"

"The White Lotus"

Best male actor, drama

Sterling K. Brown, "Paradise"

Diego Luna, "Andor"

Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses"

Mark Ruffalo, "Task"

Adam Scott, "Severance"

Noah Wyle, "The Pitt"

Best female actor, drama

Kathy Bates, "Matlock"

Britt Lower, "Severance"

Helen Mirren, "Mobland"

Bella Ramsey, "The Last of Us"

Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"

Rhea Seehorn, "Pluribus"

Best musical or comedy series

"Abbott Elementary"

"The Bear"

"Hacks"

"Nobody Wants This"

"Only Murders in the Building"

"The Studio"

Best male actor, musical or comedy

Adam Brody, "Nobody Wants This"

Steve Martin, "Only Murders in the Building"

Glen Powell, "Chad Powers"

Seth Rogen, "The Studio"

Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"

Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear"

Best female actor, musical or comedy

Kristen Bell, "Nobody Wants This"

Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear"

Selena Gomez, "Only Murders in the Building"

Natasha Lyonne, "Poker Face"

Jenna Ortega, "Wednesday"

Jean Smart, "Hacks"

Best limited series or TV movie

"Adolescence"

"All Her Fault"

"The Beast in Me"

"Black Mirror"

"Dying for Sex"

"The Girlfriend"

Best male actor, limited series or TV movie

Jacob Elordi, "The Narrow Road to the Deep North"

Paul Giamatti, "Black Mirror"

Stephen Graham, "Adolescence"

Charlie Hunnam, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story"

Jude Law, "Black Rabbit"

Matthew Rhys, "The Beast in Me"

Best female actor, limited series or TV movie

Claire Danes, "The Beast in Me"

Rashida Jones, "Black Mirror"

Amanda Seyfried, "Long Bright River"

Sarah Snook, "All Her Fault"

Michelle Williams, "Dying for Sex"

Robin Wright, "The Girlfriend"

- FILMS WITH MOST NOMINATIONS -

"One Battle After Another" - 9

"Sentimental Value" - 8

"Sinners" - 7

"Hamnet" - 6

"Frankenstein" - 5

"Wicked: For Good" - 5

According to the organizers, the festival is usually held in February but has been advanced to January this year due to the upcoming national parliamentary elections and the month of Ramadan. Festival Director Supin Barman said that awards will be given in seven categories, including International Short Film, Feature Film, Documentary, Animated Film, Open Door Short Category, and National Film Competition. Along with Best Film awards, an Honorable Mention Award will also be presented.

An experienced jury board has been formed to select the winning films. The Bangladeshi jury members include filmmakers Khandaker Suman, Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Antu Azad, cinematographer Sheikh Rajibul Islam, Assistant Professor of North South University Dr. Shariful Islam, and lyricist and journalist Mahmud Manjur. The international jury includes Russian film expert Anaskin Serge, Indian film curator Shantanu Ganguly, Iranian filmmaker Mariam Ghasemi and Santosh Subedi, Chairman of the Nepal Cultural International Film Festival.

In addition to film screenings, the festival features master classes, workshops, and open discussions on filmmaking. Filmmaker Rajibul Hossain will conduct a master class, while a three-day documentary filmmaking workshop will be held conducted by filmmaker Mohammad Rakibul Hasan. An open discussion session will include Bangladesh Film Federation General Secretary Nurullah Mohammad, filmmaker Antu Azad, and filmmaker Jiban Shahadat.

Films will be screened at Madhuban Cineplex today and tomorrow from 3:00 pm, and on January 10 from 10:00 am. At the same time, screenings at the District Shilpakala Academy auditorium will run today and tomorrow from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. All screenings are open to the public. This year, around 45 filmmakers and artists from six countries are attending the festival. Marking the birth centenary of legendary sub-continental filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, the festival has been dedicated to his memory.

A special segment titled "Photo Reels", showcasing the works of internationally acclaimed photographer Touhid Parvez Biplob, has also been included in the festival program. President of Pundranagar Film Sangsad Paushram Sarkar and Festival Chairman M Rahman Sagar expressed their gratitude to all participants and thanked the district administration and police administration for their support, expressing hope for the festival's overall success.

The contest will remain open until January 20, 2026, and participants are required to submit one original photograph, taken with smartphones or professional cameras, reflecting the theme of development in Bangladesh, said a press release today.  The entries must be shared from the participant’s personal Facebook profile, which must be set to public, accompanied by the hashtags #MyBangladeshMyDevelopment and #JICABangladesh. The photo also must be submitted via the designated google form, along with a photo description explaining how the photo relates to development and conveys the story behind the moment captured.

Content that is downloaded, plagiarized, or generated with AI tools will not be accepted. Entries will be evaluated by a panel appointed by JICA Bangladesh. Judgment will be based on several criteria, including relevance to the theme, technical quality, editing, originality, storytelling, creativity, and overall composition. The reach of the Facebook post will also inform the decision-making process.  Shortlisted entries will be digitally exhibited by JICA Bangladesh and the top four photos will receive cash prizes. Some of the shortlisted entries may be featured on JICA’s website, social media platforms, and other communication materials around the world, with proper credit given to the photographer. 

JICA Bangladesh encourages participants to prioritize their safety while taking photographs and to ensure that all photographs are taken within the boundaries of ethical and legal standards. Through this project, JICA aims to document and showcase the development stories of Bangladesh as recorded by the Bangladeshi people.

NPC President Mohan Raihan read out the official statement announcing the festival.  He said the council was formed during the mass movement against military autocracy in the 1980s and that the first National Poetry Festival was held on February 1-2, 1987, under the slogan "Poetry for Liberation from Chains."

Since then, he said, poetry has played a historic role as a voice of protest, resistance and inspiration in democratic and cultural movements. Over the past four decades, the festival has grown into a broad cultural movement grounded in humanism, secularism and linguistic freedom. Raihan noted that, coinciding with the month of the Language Movement, the festival has traditionally been held in February and has evolved into an international platform with the participation of poets and writers from home and abroad.

Expressing concern over the current national situation, he said defeated anti-liberation forces and their allies are once again attempting to spread fear and violence in society. He reaffirmed a firm commitment to safeguarding the country's sovereignty, saying liberation and independence were achieved through the sacrifices of millions of martyrs and would never be surrendered to reactionary and anti-cultural forces.

He added that poets would once again rise to defend the country's inclusive cultural heritage, which embraces diverse traditions and communities regardless of religion, ethnicity or identity. This year, the festival will be held at the Central Shaheed Minar instead of Dhaka University. Mir Mostafizur Rahman, father of July uprising martyr Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdha, will inaugurate the festival, while Cultural Affairs Adviser Mustafa Sarwar Farooki will attend as the chief guest.

The two-day event will feature seminars, poetry recitations, elocution, music and dance performances, with participation from leading poets, writers, intellectuals, cultural activists and political figures from across the country and abroad. An office for the festival has been set up at the Swimming Pool area of Dhaka University's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) to facilitate registration for interested poets. Registration will remain open daily from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm with a fee of Tk 200. Online registration is also available through the links https://npcbd.com/utsob26 and https://jatiyokobitaparishad.com/utsob26. NPC General Secretary Rezauddin Stalin, along with other council leaders and poets, was present at the press conference.

Trump, whose administration has backed anti-immigration parties in Europe, said that Paris was welcome to the "Ocean's Eleven" star, a long-term Democratic supporter, fundraiser and a vocal critic of the president. "Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

The news of Clooney and his family becoming French comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1. A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron's government had also criticised the decision to award passports despite Clooney speaking poor French. "Personally, I understand the feeling of some French people of a double standard," Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior interior minister, told the France Info radio station.

"We need to be careful about the message we're sending." Her boss, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, and the foreign ministry however defended the decision. The civil code states that "French nationality may be conferred by naturalization, upon the proposal of the minister of foreign affairs, to any French-speaking foreigner who applies for it and who contributes through their distinguished service to France's influence and the prosperity of its international economic relations."

But Clooney has admitted that his French remains poor despite hundreds of lessons. Under the new immigration rules from Thursday, applicants will need a certificate showing they have a level of French that could get them into a French university. They will also have to pass a civic knowledge test. Clooney has a property in southern France and said he has hailed French privacy laws that keep his family largely protected from international media intrusion.

"I love the French culture, your language, even if I'm still bad at it after 400 days of courses," the actor told RTL radio -- in English -- in December. His wife, an international human rights lawyer and dual UK-Lebanese national, speaks fluent French. Clooney bought the Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate, near the Provence town of Brignoles, in 2021. He said it is where his family is "happiest".

Nunez, the interior minister, said he was "very happy" with the actor and his family becoming French, saying the country was lucky to have them. The French foreign ministry said the passport allocation for the Clooneys "meets the conditions set by law" for naturalisation. The family "followed a rigorous procedure including security investigations, regulatory naturalization interviews at the prefecture, and the payment of tax stamps," the ministry added.

It highlighted the Clooneys had a French home and they "contribute through their distinguished service to France's international influence and cultural prestige" through the actor's role in the film industry. This "can only contribute to maintaining and promoting France's position in this essential economic sector", it said.

Amal Clooney is "a renowned lawyer" who "regularly collaborates with academic institutions and international organisations based in France", the ministry added. Around 48,800 people acquired French nationality by decree in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.

Clooney is not alone in wanting a French passport. Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch announced on Friday that he was also applying, telling French radio that he wanted "a place to where I can escape the United States".

Expressing her profound shock and sorrow, actress Jaya Ahsan wrote on Facebook: “Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at a very difficult time. People are waiting for elections and the restoration of democracy. The value of her presence was immense.” She added: “Begum Zia was a central figure in the anti-military rule and pro-democracy movement, remarkable for her courage and leadership. With her passing, a chapter in the country’s long political struggle has come to an end. May her soul rest in peace.”

Over the death of Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi singer-songwriter and guitaris Nagarbaul James wrote: “With profound condolences and humble respect, we express our deep sorrow over the death of Begum Khaleda Zia, the three-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the leader of the nation.” He prayed for granting her the highest position in Jannatul Firdaus.  Actress Pori Moni in her Facebook status said, “She (Begum Zia) has left . . . She tolerated, she remained. This is how she remained on this map. Begum Khaleda Zia, you won the race actually....” 

Filmmaker, screenwriter and actor Ashfaque Nipun wrote, “May Allah grant you heaven (Jannat). Despite being deprived of human dignity at the hands of your opponents, you were a symbol of determination, beauty and uncompromising. Now have rest in peace, this nation will always remember you with pride.” Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon wrote with deep respect: “We pay with due respect for the sad demise of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia. She is an integral part of our country’s political history; her leadership and public service have left a lasting impact on Bangladesh.”

Meanwhile, many other stars from the entertainment world have expressed their profound sorrow and shock at the death of Khaleda Zia, praying for her eternal peace. Of them film actress Apu Biswas, Shabnam Bubli, Nusrat Faria, film actors Siam Ahmed and Chanchal Chowdhury passed their respective remarks over BVNP chairperson’s death. Besides, from the music world, Imran Mahmudul, Porshi and Minar Rahman and some other prominent figures from the showbiz industry, including producer Redoan Rony, expressed their deepest condolences through the social media.

"Quiet, intensive, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, 'Teddy' was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story." It added: "Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family, he will be very greatly missed." The Cure -- whose 66-year-old frontman Robert Smith is famous for his innovative approach to music as well as on-stage stamina -- has transformed itself throughout its prolific decades-spanning existence. When The Cure formed in 1976, Bamonte was initially part of its roadcrew from 1984 before enjoying two stints as a musical member, playing guitar, six string bass and keyboard.

The first, from 1990, spanned 14 years; the second stint was from 2022 onwards. In its statement, The Cure noted he had helped create numerous albums, including "Wish" (1992), "Wild Mood Swings" (1996), "Bloodflowers" (2000), "Acoustic Hits" (2001), and "The Cure" (2004). He performed in more than 400 shows during his first 14-year period in the band, and then played another 90 after rejoining three years ago, it added.

Those later gigs were "some of the best in the band's history", the statement said. Led by Smith's plaintive, wailing voice and rich guitar textures, The Cure helped shape Goth rock with albums including 1982's "Pornography", which was full of suicidal imagery. The band later had hits with much cheerier material, including "Friday I'm in Love".

It had kept up touring but before last year's release of "Songs of a Lost World" had not released a new studio album since 2008's "4:13 Dream". The band's former drummer, Lol Tolhurst, said in a tribute posted on Instagram that he was "so sad" to learn of Bamonte's death, adding that he and his wife "send our condolences to all that knew him". "Farewell Teddy," he added. Bamonte was also the bass player in supergroup Love Amongst Ruin, which has released two studio albums.

In his post, Biswas highlighted Rahman’s symbolic gestures—touching the soil of the country upon arrival and walking barefoot on dew-covered grass—as expressions of a deep emotional and moral connection with the land, rather than mere political theatrics. He further noted Rahman’s respectful acknowledgement of ordinary citizens and senior political figures as a reflection of grounded leadership.

Biswas paid particular attention to Rahman’s behavior on stage. Instead of occupying a pre-arranged seat of power, Rahman chose to sit on a simple plastic chair, a gesture Biswas interpreted as a conscious rejection of political arrogance and an affirmation of equality. According to him, such actions communicate leadership through humility rather than dominance.

The actor also emphasized Rahman’s deliberate avoidance of obscene or aggressive language, as well as his refusal to capitalize on the towering political legacy of his parents. Instead, Biswas wrote, Rahman focused on offering assurances about rebuilding Bangladesh and outlining a vision for the country’s future—an approach that resonated strongly with many observers.

“Through these choices,” Biswas stated, “he earned our trust, gained our confidence, and found a place in our hearts.” Following the post, social media users engaged in widespread discussion, with many praising Biswas for articulating a longing for civility and dignity in political leadership. Political analysts note that when voices from the cultural sphere weigh in on political behavior, it often reflects broader public fatigue with confrontational rhetoric and power-centric politics. Observers believe Biswas’s remarks underscore a growing demand for ethical conduct, respectful language, and people-centered leadership in Bangladesh’s political landscape.

Manilow continued by saying he was planning to undergo surgery to remove the cancer, cancelling shows scheduled for the rest of December and January as a result. "The doctors do not believe it has spread and I'm taking tests to confirm their diagnosis," Manilow said. "No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns."

The soft rock singer, best known for his series of hits during the 1970s including "Copacabana" and "I Write the Songs," said he intends to return to performing by mid-February 2026. "I'm counting the days until I return to my home away from home at the Westgate Las Vegas for our Valentine's weekend concerts on February 12-13-14," he said in his statement. "Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!"

A spokesperson of the award-giving organisation, Natyatirtha, said Samiun Jahan Dola’s work in acting, direction, research and training has significantly enriched Bangladesh’s theatre movement. Noted theatre personality Bakar Bakul, who attended the ceremony as a guest, said, “Dola is not only an actress or director, but a shaper of theatrical thought for a generation. This award is a rightful recognition of her long journey.”

The Natyutsob (theatre festival), organised with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, began on December 21 and will continue until December 26, featuring productions by veteran and emerging directors, along with seminars, honours and cultural programmes.

Wanda is, after all, a donkey. She's played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including "La Boheme" and "The Barber of Seville" since 2022. In Act II of "La Boheme" -- Puccini's popular if heartbreaking portrayal of 19th-century Paris -- Wanda joins hundreds of performers including diners, shoppers and vendors. The donkey pulls the colorful cart of Parpignol, who peddles toys to children in the spectacular street market scene that also literally features a horse-drawn carriage.

But Wanda and her colleague Max -- the elegant brown horse who takes the stage after the donkey exits -- are pros, calmly hitting their marks. Their handlers don cloaks alongside the animals during the performance, while Wanda's costume includes a magenta cone hat with multi-colored gems and a frilly collar.

As they wait in a holding area for their cues, Max usually naps, handler Angelina Borello told AFP during one performance. Wanda gets visits and pets from people including actor Gregory Warren, who plays Parpignol. Wearing elaborate clown make-up, he pats his co-star lovingly.

"I think it comforts them a little bit just to know who's there and who's dressed like a clown," Warren said. "She's very chill. It's a lot of fun." "It adds an energy, I think especially for the kids on the stage, to get to see a live animal in action in the middle of it all." Wanda debuted at the Met after her predecessor Sir Gabriel retired to Maryland, where he lives on a farm as a companion to a mare whose partner passed.

When she's scheduled for several opera roles in a short period, Wanda lives at stables in the New York borough of the Bronx to minimize her time on the road. When she has longer stretches off, she resides in upstate New York. She also has regular gigs in Palm Sunday processions in Manhattan.

"She's fabulous," said Nancy Novograd, the owner of the agency All Tame Animals. Animals well-disposed to show business have similar qualities as people born to perform, Novograd said. "What I'm looking for is confidence. I'm looking for an animal that can walk into an unusual environment and maintain its focus," she told AFP. On any given day, Novograd's agency might be working on a commercial shoot with horses on the beach or waxworms appearing in a television show.

Stage manager Hester Warren-Steijn said the logistics of working with live animals is an intricate dance -- much like everything else backstage at the Met, home to a complex revolving stage with hydraulic lifts. There's always a Plan B in case something goes awry, she said. The occasional allergy to equine hair crops up -- those singers stay away to protect their voices. Warren-Steijn said part of the job of including animals onstage at the Met is ensuring that "they are well-treated" and "taken care of."

Animal rights advocates over the years have protested the use of live animals in stage productions, especially in Europe. The German arm of PETA notably convinced the Berlin State Opera in 2022 to stop using guinea pigs in several performances of Wagner's "Ring Cycle." At the Met, Warren-Steijn said the live animals in beloved productions like "La Boheme" are part of the grandeur and world-building that "this company does so well." "People want to see it," she said. "This is the Met at its Mettiest."

According to Novograd, some animals simply aren't right for performance. When that's the case, it's quickly evident to her and the trainers she works with. When "it's overwhelming," she said, "they should not be working." But for some animals, "it's something different, it's stimulating," she continued.

"They get to be with the people they like to be with. They see new and different things." When Wanda's done performing, the donkey, like many high-caliber artists, demands refreshments -- ideally lots of starlight peppermints. But she gets her treats only after her stroll across the stage, which lasts approximately a minute. Otherwise, Novograd said, "she'll be asking for them constantly."

A character actor who often played men with troubled pasts, Ransone was born in Baltimore, Maryland -- the primary setting for "The Wire," which followed police officers and the drug dealers they investigated during the early 2000s. He played a dock worker-turned-dealer in 12 episodes of the award-winning show's second season.

In addition to his work in television, Ransone starred in several Hollywood films, including horror flicks "It: Chapter Two" and "The Black Phone." His last on-screen apperances this year were in the Peacock television show "Poker Face" and "Black Phone 2."

Reports put Amazon's licensing deal for the film at around $40 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that Melania, who served as executive producer, will receive 70 percent of that sum -- a figure that has raised eyebrows among her critics. Amazon MGM promises "unprecedented access" in the documentary which chronicles the 20 days leading up to Inauguration Day in January, from transition planning to closed-door meetings and off-stage moments.

The brisk trailer oscillates between choreographed grandeur and scenes that feel intentionally awkward. The first lady glides through the White House and the couple's Florida estate in sharply tailored looks -- sunglasses, stilettos, a strapless inaugural ball gown -- while stepping in to fine-tune her husband's rhetoric as he rehearses a speech. "Peacemaker and unifier," she interjects as Trump practices a line about his proudest legacy being that of a "peacemaker."

One exchange has already sparked intrigue for what it suggests about the couple's dynamic. In a gilded high?rise office, Melania calls to applaud her husband for the speech -- "Hi Mr. President. Congratulations," she says -- and, when he asks, "Did you watch it?" replies: "I did not... I will see it on the news." Elsewhere, the footage flashes through a January photo shoot in the White House, travel shots, and more intimate moments -- including placing a white flower at a graveside.

Amazon says the film offers a rare glimpse "inside Melania Trump's world" as the first lady reenters public life, with "exclusive footage" of critical meetings and private conversations. The documentary will debut in theaters worldwide on January 30, followed by a three-part companion series and a streaming run on Prime Video. "Melania" is directed by Brett Ratner. It is his first major project since multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017, allegations he denies.

Broadcaster CNN reported that a spokesperson for the family had confirmed Reiner and his wife had died. Los Angeles police did not confirm the identity of the deceased but did say detectives were investigating a death. "No one has been detained. No one is being interviewed as a suspect," said LAPD deputy chief Alan Hamilton. "I'm not going to confirm whether someone's being interviewed at this time or not. We're going to try to speak to every family member that we can to get to the facts of this investigation," he added. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also said that the investigation was ongoing.

"I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob and his wife Michele. I knew Rob and have tremendous respect for him," she said. "An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others," she added. The Los Angeles Fire Department told NBC a man and a woman, approximately 78 and 68 years old, were found deceased inside the home. Neighbors confirmed property records that indicate Reiner and his wife live in the home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood, NBC reported.

Reiner rose to acting fame as the oafish son-in-law Michael "Meathead" Stivic on groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," before transitioning to directing with rock mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" in 1984. Reiner directed the 1989 romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

The British singer-songwriter, who enjoyed meteoric global success, died a month later from alcohol poisoning, aged just 27. Winehouse was a distinctive figure with her beehive hairdo, heavy black eye makeup, multiple tattoos and smoky voice. She shot to international fame with her Grammy Award-winning 2006 album "Back to Black" which included the track "Rehab", charting her battle with addiction. According to court documents, Winehouse believed that any sums collected from the sales organised by Los Angeles-based Julien's Auctions would be due to him.

The auctioneers had also been told that a third of the proceeds would be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation -- a charity set up in the singer's name working with young people to foster hope and self-reliance. However, Winehouse's team accused the women of failing to donate the share of proceeds to the foundation. Ted Loveday, lawyer for Gourlay, said that most of the objects had been given or lent to the two women by the singer, even if there was no proof.

"If a 19-year-old gives a scarf or a pair of earrings to their friends, no one signs a contract," he told the court on Monday, stressing the singer's generosity. Gourlay and Parry met Amy Winehouse in the early 2000s, before she shot to fame. Parry went on to create some of the singer's most iconic looks -- including the green bamboo dress worn on the June 2011 tour which sold at auction for $243, 200. Beth Grossman, the lawyer for Parry, said the two "women are not thieves and they are not dishonest".

She accused Winehouse of bringing the lawsuit against the women out of "petty jealousy", which he strongly denied on Tuesday, saying "you're wrong". Grossman also highlighted the financial differences between the multi-millionaire Mitch Winehouse and the two women who are "living pretty much hand to mouth". The hearing is set to last until Friday, with a judgement due at a later date. 

Here is what you need to know about the new film which premiered in Hollywood and Paris this week:  Viewers find the hero Jake (Sam Worthington), who has since become Toruk Makto, a warrior with legendary status, and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), mourning the death of their eldest son Neteyam on their planet Pandora. They are attempting to rebuild with their three children, including Kiri, an adopted Na'vi teenager played by Sigourney Weaver, and a human, Spider (Jack Champion), considered part of the family by all except Neytiri.

"We're seeing the children coming up and trying to find their place in a world when they're mixed-race children - mom is 100-percent Na'vi, dyed-in-the-wool, traditionalist. Dad is from another star system," Cameron told a Paris press conference on Friday. "We're dealing with a refugee family, essentially immigrants displaced. People can relate to that," the 71-year-old Canadian added.

On their travels, the heroes encounter the Mangkwan, the Ash People, a Na'vi community whose territory was destroyed by a volcano and who now survive through pillaging. The Mangkwan are led by Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin. She reveals a darker side of the Na'vi, until now portrayed as virtuous and living in total harmony with nature, in contrast to money-obsessed humans who are intent on looting their resources. Once again, the inhabitants of Pandora must resist the "sky people", the humans of the Resources Development Administration, who are preparing a new offensive.

The RDA wants to hunt the Tulkuns, gigantic and sentient marine creatures, to extract amrita from their brains -- a substance of immense commercial value. The original Avatar story was written by Cameron in 1995 and "was very environmental in its messaging, much more nakedly so than the more subsequent stories," said the director. Cameron "really rips off the veil of any mystery about the way this corporation is going about killing" the Tulkuns, Weaver told the press conference.

She draws a parallel with our own world, where we "feel the emergency rising in our world because the ocean is really suffering, and we won't be able to live without the ocean," she added. Filming for the second and third Avatar films took place between 2017 and 2018 over 18 months, well before the rise of generative artificial intelligence. Another two installments are in production to be released later this decade.

"I'm not negative about generative AI. I just wanted to point out we don't use it on the Avatar films. We don't replace actors," Cameron told US website ComicBook.com. The director has defended his "performance capture" technique, which he devised and which sees actors movements captured and then transferred on to the features of the Na'vi on screen. Reaction has been limited but broadly positive so far, with critics unable to publish full reviews until closer to the release.

Some US reviewers have been allowed to publish short opinions on social media, with most of them agreeing Cameron had delivered another gut-wrenching visual feast. The main criticism has been about the script and reprising of familiar themes from the first two films. "I've only ever had about five good ideas in my life. I just keep repackaging them," Cameron joked.

But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said after a meeting in Geneva that there had been "clear support" among members for reforms implemented to "reinforce trust and protect neutrality". "A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place," a statement read. Moments after the release of the EBU statement, public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands -- who had all backed Israel's exclusion -- said their countries would not take part next year.

- 'Unconscionable' -

"The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, makes it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event," said Alfonso Morales, the secretary general of Spain's RTVE. Ireland's RTE said its participation would be "unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk". AVROTROS in the Netherlands said a Dutch presence at next year's event "cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation".

A statement from Icelandic broadcaster RUV posted on its website said: "The board of RUV will discuss on Wednesday whether Iceland will participate in the competition next year, despite Israel's participation." Iceland had previously threatened to withdraw. Belgium, Finland and Sweden had also said they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza. But on Thursday evening, Sweden's public broadcaster SVT said it backed the new rule changes, and understood that next year's host country Austria took the security concerns seriously. "Therefore, SVT will participate in Eurovision next year," it added.

- Voting scrutiny -

Israel's President Isaac Herzog welcomed the EBU decision and said his country "deserves to be represented on every stage around the world". Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also welcomed the news, in a post to X. "I am ashamed of those countries that chose to boycott a music competition like Eurovision because of Israel's participation," he added. "The disgrace is upon them."

In the run-up to the meeting, held behind closed doors and under tight security in Geneva, EBU members appeared divided on the issue, with Israel winning support notably from Germany. "Israel is part of Eurovision just as Germany is part of Europe," Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer was quoted by the newspaper Bild. German broadcaster SWR and Austria's ORF -- host of the next competition -- hailed Thursday's decision.

Eurovision voting arrangements came under scrutiny after Israel's Yuval Raphael -- a survivor of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack -- surged into second place after the public vote at the last edition this year. Similar concerns about voter manipulation were raised the previous year when Israel's Eden Golan was catapulted into fifth place despite lacklustre scoring from national juries. Eurovision entries are scored first by professional juries, then the public by phone, text or online, which often radically alters the leader board.

Countries cannot vote for their own entry, but AVROTROS accused Israel of "proven interference" at the last event this year by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.

In an emotional post, Debashish wrote:
“Had you not been born, Bangladesh would never have received a filmmaker named Dilip Biswas. Had you not been born, parody songs would never have found their place in our country. Had you not been born, the struggling Kolkata film industry of the 1990s might never have revived. Had you not been born, I would never have found the greatest teacher, or the best father in the world.”

This powerful reflection highlights the extraordinary influence Dilip Biswas held throughout his multifaceted career.

Dilip Biswas is remembered as one of the most prominent commercial filmmakers in Bangladesh. Rising to popularity during the formative years of the nation’s film industry, he directed numerous box-office successes that helped shape mainstream Bangladeshi cinema. His films were known for combining mass appeal with strong storytelling—an approach that set him apart from his contemporaries.

Apart from directing, Biswas was widely regarded for his mastery in film music, particularly parody songs in Bangla cinema, a genre he popularized long before it became mainstream. His creative experimentation gave the industry several iconic musical moments that remain memorable to this day.

Dilip Biswas’s influence extended beyond Bangladesh. During the 1990s—an era when the Kolkata (Tollywood) film industry struggled with declining popularity—Biswas worked on key collaborative projects that helped revive audience interest. His directorial style and commercial instincts were credited by colleagues as instrumental in bringing renewed energy to Bengali cinema across the border.

For Debashish Biswas, himself a notable filmmaker today, the legacy is not only professional but deeply personal. In his post, he wrote of his father not merely as an industry icon but as a mentor who shaped his worldview and artistic sensibilities.

“Had you not been born, I would never have found the greatest teacher in my life,” he wrote, reflecting on the profound father-son bond that nurtured his own journey in films.

Even years after his passing, Dilip Biswas remains an inspirational figure in South Asian cinema. Filmmakers and audiences continue to celebrate his work, while his son carries forward the family’s cinematic heritage.

Debashish ended his message with a simple but deeply emotional wish: “Happy Birthday, Baba.”

Deputy Commissioner Dr Mohammad Abdul Salam will attend the discussion as the chief guest. Born on February 20, 1903, in Dumdi village under Narail Sadar upazila, Bijoy Sarkar wrote around 1,800 songs, including Jari, Sari, Kirton, Bhajan and Bhatiyali. He also composed poems and spent his life devoted to music and simple living.

His philosophical songs on nature and humanity continue to inspire new generations of singers. Bijoy Sarkar received the Ekushey Padak in 2013. He died on December 4, 1985, at Keutia in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The parent company of HBO, CNN and the Warner Bros film studio officially put itself up for sale in October after receiving multiple unsolicited offers, setting aside a planned split into two separate entities - one focused on streaming and studios, the other on traditional cable networks. Warner Bros Discovery was originally targeted by Paramount -- recently acquired by the billionaire tech family of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, one of the world's richest men.

His son David Ellison, a movie producer, is the Paramount CEO and had made three consecutive offers for the entertainment group before Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav launched the official sale process. Netflix, the world's largest streaming service with over 280 million subscribers globally, is working on a bridge loan totaling tens of billions of dollars to finance its potential acquisition, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

The deal would bulk up Netflix's already considerable content production capabilities and secure premium assets like HBO and Warner Bros studios. It would also likely face close scrutiny by antitrust authorities in the United States and potentially in other major markets. Top Hollywood players have voiced their preference to see Warner Bros not end up in the hands of Netflix, citing concerns that the streaming company largely seeks to limit theatrical releases of its film productions.

"Titanic" director James Cameron told podcast "The Town" recently that a takeover of Warner Bros by Netflix would be "a disaster." Requests for comment to Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery were not answered at time of publication.

Visitors said they enjoyed finding books by different authors together and had already purchased their preferred titles and some just came to see the carnivals. Jannatul Naeem who came to visit the carnival said the book fair was her favorite place to visit, adding that books were available at a 71 percent discount. Another visitor, Zubair Helal from Uttara, said he came to the carnival with his friends after hearing about the event.

Sihab, a seller at 'Nirbachito' stall, an affiliate of the Oitijjhya Publication, said sales were going well as the event marked their 25th silver jubilee.  He noted fewer buyers during the day but higher turnout in the afternoon and evening, especially students from Dhaka University and nearby areas.

He said books by Bangladeshi, Indian and international authors, including American and Oxford titles, were in demand, with supply struggling to keep pace. He added that most books at the fair were by Bangladeshi authors, with discounts of up to 71 percent attracting strong sales. Children's books, as well as books on the July Uprising, Liberation War and Language Movement, were also selling well.

Fair manager Mohammad Hossain Khan Kajal said the annual fair was being held again on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, with a slightly expanded scope this year. He added that the Oitijjhya has several branch institutions across the country, including Nirbachito, Kakatua, Sutar (a children's publication), Grifar English Publications, and Ilham Islamic book publications, and that works by more than 30 authors were available at the fair. On the occasion of the carnival, 30 new books were released.

However, the publication arranged several diverse programmes to drag readers and the visitors. The programmes included staging theatre drama, open quiz, live Q&A sessions, book-reviews competition, Tea with Publisher, Talk with Writers, Book Influencer Get Together, July Kobita Sondhya, and Oitijjhya Folk Mehfil. These programmes brought together readers, writers and bookworms all together serving urges to produce interacting community who love books across the country. 

"He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language," it said. Rock legend Mick Jagger led the tributes on social media. "Tom Stoppard was my favourite playwright," Jagger posted on X. "He leaves us with a majestic body of intellectual and amusing work. I will always miss him," added the Rolling Stones frontman.

To non-theatre-goers, Stoppard is best remembered for cinema work that included the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" franchises and an Oscar in 1999 for his screenplay for "Shakespeare in Love". Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, he fled his home during the Nazi occupation and found refuge in Britain. After leaving school, Stoppard became a journalist and later a playwright. Over a six-decade career, he wrote for the theatre, TV and radio, as well as film, winning multiple awards. In 1997 he was knighted for his services to literature. Stoppard was married three times and had four sons, one of whom Ed Stoppard, is an actor.

RU Vice-Chancellor Prof Saleh Hasan Naqib presided over the programme.  RU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Farid Uddin Khan, UNESCO Chair at Durham University in the United Kingdom Prof Robin Kanigham, Dhaka University Liberal Arts Professor Shahnaz Husne Jahan, and British Council Bangladesh Country Director Stephen Favors also addressed the event. VRM Director Prof Kazi Mustafizur Rahman welcomed participants.

In his remarks, Prof Naqib said the traditions of the Barind tract stand as a vivid example of Bangladesh's cultural diversity. He noted that VRM-established in 1910 as the first museum in the erstwhile East Bengal and now operated by RU-remains a popular destination, particularly for archaeology enthusiasts.

Located in front of Hetamkhan Sadar Hospital in central Rajshahi, the museum preserves evidence of civilizations spanning several thousand years, including the Pala, Sena, Maurya and Gupta periods. The museum was founded in 1910 through the efforts of Zamindar Kumar Sarath Kumar Roy of the Dighapatia royal family of Natore, lawyer-historian Akshay Kumar Maitreya and Ramaprasad Chandra, a teacher at Rajshahi Collegiate School.

The VC added that from the late 19th century, an aware section of society became increasingly committed to preserving history, tradition, literature and culture.  This movement contributed to the establishment of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, which played a key role in collecting and promoting nearly forgotten literary, historical and archaeological materials.

"She leaves a magnificent legacy that will continue to inspire, bring joy and challenge us to live beyond the confines of convention," they said in a statement, accompanied by a photo of the designer, dressed in gold and white and wearing her signature red lipstick. While not revealing the cause of death, the family thanked staff at a hospice in east London, saying Hogg died surrounded by friends and family.

They did not give her age -- which she had always kept under wraps -- but the Guardian newspaper believed her to be aged 66. Tributes have been paid including by actresses Rose McGowan and Patricia Arquette, the band Blondie and designer Roksanda Ilincic.Born in the Scottish town of Paisley, known for its textiles industry, Hogg studied in the city of Glasgow and at London's Royal College of Art.

She unveiled her first collection in 1981 and was often compared to Vivienne Westwood, another queen of British punk-rock culture, who died in 2022. Kate Moss and Beyonce were also among the stars to have worn Hogg's designs. In the video for her 2007 song "2 Hearts", Kylie Minogue wore a black, metal-studded catsuit by the designer. Hogg also played in several bands, including Doll, which opened for Debbie Harry in the 1990s.

A plastic surgeon accused Jakapong of fraud and concealing information when persuading him to invest in her JKN Global Group, which co-owns the contest. Also Wednesday, the federal prosecutor's office in Mexico said the other co-owner of the pageant, Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu, was under investigation for arms, drug, and fuel trafficking. "Key information is being obtained that will allow the federal public prosecutor's office to continue and delve deeper into this investigation," the agency said in a statement.

The agency added that arrest warrants had been issued for 13 defendants but did not identify them. Mexican media reported that Rocha was among those sought by police. Local media have also accused him of alleged business dealings with the father of the newly-crowned Miss Universe, Fatima Bosch. Bosch's father, Bernando Bosch, a senior executive at state-owned oil company Pemex, denied any connection to Rocha.

Bosch won widespread acclaim after leading a dramatic walkout from a meeting between the contestants and the pageant's Thai director, Nawat Itsaragrisil. Nawat was filmed singling her out over her apparent failure to post promotional content on her social media accounts, calling her a "dumbhead." Bosch won praise for standing up to Nawat, including from her country's first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

On Tuesday, the 25-year-old beauty queen said she had received "insults, attacks, and even death threats" over the allegations of her father's links to the contest. The Miss Universe contest was formerly owned by US President Donald Trump. Jakapong's JKN Global Group bought it for $20 million in 2022, but later sold half its stake to Rocha Cantu's Legacy Holding Group USA for $16 million.

Maximal Nostalgia, the Instagram account that regularly puts out such content, basks in a hugely idealized vision of the 1980s and 1990s. The soft-focused fantasy land comes thanks to generative AI tools like OpenAI's Sora, Google's Veo or Luma AI's Ray that enable creation of strikingly realistic videos that are, at first glance, difficult to distinguish from real footage from the past.

Channels on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube look back in time through the AI-tinted lens, depicting pre-iPhone young people as being more present in the everyday, outdoors and eager to connect with others in real life. Among the creators bringing this vision of the 1980s to life is Tavaius Dawson, a 26-year-old entrepreneur behind the account who was born nowhere near the time in question. "People who were born in an era of smartphones and social media kind of wish they'd lived in a time when they didn't have to worry about this stuff," Dawson told AFP.

An expert eye familiar with the era could sniff out some of the anachronisms and subtle absurdities common to AI. Bike lanes in New York City back then? But the decade has proven to have a particularly powerful allure in the AI nostalgia trend that is appreciated by young people born long after the period. Maximal Nostalgia and other channels like it, such as Purest Nostalgia or utopic.dreamer, depict peaceful suburbs or city streets, reminiscent of feel-good movies from that period.

Signs of the rising inequality, AIDS epidemic and crack cocaine addiction of the 1980s are absent. Styles captured in the faux videos instead pay tribute to big hair, bright clothing and padded shoulders for which the decade is known. "You have people look at the 1950s or 1960s through rose-colored glasses, forgetting a lot of tumultuous things that were happening at those times," North Carolina State University psychology professor Anna Behler said of collective nostalgia.

"Now, we're seeing the same thing with the '80s." Dawson was adamant that his videos aren't meant to be seen as history but simply a way to make people happy. Harmless intentions aside, AI video quality is so realistic that it could "blur the line" between authentic scenes from the past and fiction, Behler noted with concern.

While AI is a futuristic technology, it draws from the past for nostalgic visions that bring comfort in a lonely age. "Nostalgia isn't a gimmick; it's emotional survival," said Simon Parmeggiani, creator of the Neptunian Glitter Ball channel that mixes a touch of fantasy with its look back at the 1980s. Alicia West Fancher, a cosmetics industry sales director, remembers living through the 1980s and found herself deeply moved by the videos.

"I teared up," Fancher told AFP. "It's definitely not a fantasized version; that's how it was." Dawson is now ready to trade up from AI to making live-action content set in this idealized version of the 1980s or 1990s. "One thing we're certain of is that nostalgia doesn't fade," Dawson said.

A police statement said Dharmendra died this morning and funeral arrangements are being made at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Ville Parle suburb of Mumbai.  An ambulance and several cars left Dharmendra's Juhu residence and Hema Malini, Esha Deol, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were seen at the crematorium. Salman Khan and his father, scriptwriter Salim Khan, were also spotted at the crematorium.

But the family, which had criticised the media for declaring Dharmendra dead earlier this month and requested for privacy, has kept quiet so far. Several media houses had carried reports that Dharmendra had died on November 11 but the actor was discharged the next day and has been treated at home since then.  Many celebrities including Karan Johar, Kajol, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor mourned the actor's death on social media with Johar calling Dharmendra's death as the end of an era. 

Born in a village in Ludhiana in 1935, Dharmendra made his film debut in 1960 with the romantic drama "Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere". He established himself as a leading romantic hero in the 1960s with films such as "Bandini", "Ayee Milan Ki Bela", and "Khamoshi", before gaining critical acclaim for his performance in Chetan Anand's war drama "Haqeeqat" (1965). His breakthrough as a box-office star came with "Phool Aur Patthar" in 1966. Over the next two decades, Dharmendra starred in some of Bollywood's biggest hits, including "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Chupke Chupke", "Sholay", and "Yaadon Ki Baraat". In the 1980s, he transitioned into action roles and ensemble casts, earning the nickname "He-Man of India."
Later in his career, Dharmendra successfully took on character roles in films like "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya", "Johnny Gaddaar", and "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani". He also shared the screen with his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol in the "Yamla Pagla Deewana" series and "Apne".

Dharmendra was last seen in "Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya", starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. His upcoming film, "Ikkis", featuring Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda, is scheduled for release on December 25. Dharmendra is survived by his wife Prakash Kaur, Hema Malini, sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and daughters Vijeta, Ajeeta, Esha and Ahana.

His pale features and theatrical intensity quickly set him apart in the independent and underground film world. Kier once claimed to have eaten only salad leaves and water for a week in a bid to rapidly lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) for the Dracula role, spending time in a wheelchair due to weakness. He also appeared in several films directed by Danish director Lars von Trier, including "Manderlay", which tells the fictional story of a 1930s Alabama plantation that still practised slavery, as well as 2013 erotic art film "Nymphomaniac".

But Kier was equally at home in mainstream cinema, appearing in a string of Hollywood titles including "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "Armageddon", and "Blade", often playing stylish villains, oddballs or otherworldly figures. Born Udo Kierspe in Cologne in 1944 and rescued from the rubble after an Allied air raid hit the hospital, Kier grew up in the austerity of postwar Germany before moving to London aged 18 to learn English. He shuttled across Europe and the United States over the course of his career before later settling in Los Angeles and then Palm Springs.

Known for his flamboyant personality and love of nightlife, Kier once quipped: "I liked the attention. That's why I became an actor." He died in Palm Springs, reported Variety magazine, quoting Kier's partner, artist Delbert McBride. No cause of death was given.

Grande's co-star Cynthia Erivo then rushes to her defence. The man is grabbed by security guards and dumped back over the barricade. Wen was charged Friday with "being a public nuisance", Singapore court documents posted online showed. Wen represented himself and said he would plead guilty, added the documents.

He is to appear in court again on Monday. If sentenced, Wen faces a $1,500 fine, three months in jail, or both. Singapore's public prosecutions office could not immediately be reached for comment. The movie launch went ahead on Thursday night, with the movie cast huddling around Grande before continuing down the yellow carpet. Grande, 32, began her career as a teen on Broadway before embarking on a hugely successful pop career.

At perhaps the height of her meteoric pop fame, in 2017, one of her concerts was bombed. The Manchester Arena attack killed 22 people, wounded more than 1,000 and left Grande with PTSD. 

Rajib was involved in various film-related institutions and organisations. His production company was Friends Movies. He served as the manager of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC). He also served as the president of Jatiyatabadi Film Council. Before starting acting in films, Rajib worked at Titas Gas Company.

Apart from acting, Rajib also possessed outstanding leadership qualities. In addition to his duties as the managing director of BFDC, he was the founding organising secretary of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas), a cultural affiliate of BNP. Later, he served as the general secretary and president of the organisation. Rajib won the National Film Award four times in the "Best Supporting Actor" category.

The Spotify spokesperson said over 390 million users have already watched a video podcast on the platform. "We'll have more details to share soon," the Spotify spokesperson added. "In our previous announcements about music videos in other markets, we announced that they were for Premium users."

Once added, users will be able to switch between audio-only and video modes. Spotify's foray into music video streaming encroaches on the domain of YouTube, which for nearly 20 years has been the primary site to watch such content.

The 700-page novel is the longest vying for the prize and took Desai nearly two decades to write. The shortlist, selected by a judging panel that included chair and former winner Roddy Doyle and "Sex and the City" actor Sarah Jessica Parker, features authors of four different nationalities. The winner of the £50,000 ($65,500) prize is due to be announced later Monday at a glitzy ceremony in London. Last year's prize was won by British writer Samantha Harvey for her short novel, "Orbital", following six astronauts as they contemplate Earth from the International Space Station.

The Booker is often considered a talent spotter, but this year's shortlist mostly features authors with at least five books under their belt. As well as one previous winner, two other authors on this year's list -- David Szalay and Miller -- have also made the shortlist before. Oddschecker, a leading bettings odds comparison site, on Monday had Miller's "The Land in Winter" as the 6/4 favourite, followed by Desai as second favourite with 2/1 odds. Two decades after she won in 2006 with "The Inheritance of Loss", Desai's shortlisted novel is an epic about love, family, immigration and modern loneliness.

Set in the mid-1990s, Desai has described her novel as a "present-day romance with an old-fashioned beauty". "This is book is a lot about painful loneliness but also about the solace of being alone," Desai said during an event on Sunday before the prize ceremony. The Booker panel noted it for its "rich intricacies and the sheer bounty each page offers".

Miller's novel explores the tensions within two marriages shaped by Britain's so-called Big Freeze of 1962, as they navigate personal and seismic post-war changes. As winter deepens its icy grip, the lives of the protagonists start to unravel in a compelling and atmospheric snapshot of a country teetering on the brink of profound cultural change but still reckoning with the past. In "Flesh", meanwhile, British-Hungarian Szalay follows up his 2016 Booker shortlisted "All That Man Is" with another tautly written, largely unflattering exploration of masculinity.

Others on the shortlist are US-born Susan Choi for "Flashlight", which tells the story of a family whose life is forever changed by a disappearance. The novel blends family narrative with reflections on identity, absence and secrets, set against a backdrop of the phenomenon of abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s. Katie Kitamura's "Audition" also made the cut with her tense and at times unsettling novel about how an actress's life is thrown into disarray after she meets a young, troubling man for lunch.

The story of two halves dissects relationships, questions how much of our lives are a performance, and how well we really know our loved ones. The "Rest Of Our Lives" by British-American author and former professional basketball player Ben Markovits completes the list with his tale of a midlife crisis and the challenges of long-term marriage. 

New Yorker Lauper, who burst onto the pop scene with colorful punk looks and infectious tunes like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "True Colors" and "Time After Time," was inducted by "Pink Pony Club" singer Chappell Roan. Praising her "four-octave range" and unapologetic style, Roan thanked Lauper for being an icon for any artist who may be called "too much, too loud, too eccentric or all of the above -- their honesty becomes their greatest strength."

To induct Detroit rock band The White Stripes -- known for sports arena favorite "Seven Nation Army" and "Fell in Love with a Girl," among others -- singer Iggy Pop gave an exuberant speech peppered with curse words and his own screeching impressions of the band's raucous sound. "The White Stripes music was coming from a foundation of love, not revolution," Pop said. Singer-guitarist Jack White accepted on behalf of himself and drummer Meg White, who did not attend. He named a long list of industry heavies and bands before adding: "To the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten, we always say thank you."

Other inducted American performers included Atlanta's hip-hop duo Outkast, who topped charts with "Hey Ya," "Ms. Jackson" and "The Way You Move," and Seattle's grunge band Soundgarden, who had hits with "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman." English singer Joe Cocker, who died in 2014, was inducted posthumously to honor his bluesy music, including "You Are So Beautiful," his cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" and the Grammy-winning duet with Jennifer Warnes "Up Where We Belong."

Other inductees included arena rockers Bad Company, who sang "Can't Get Enough," and "The Twist" singer Chubby Checker. Groundbreaking New York hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa was honored with a Musical Influence Award for their hit songs "Let's Talk About Sex," "Push It" and "Shoop," which celebrate women's independence with playful sexuality in a male-dominated genre.

"These three women are the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together," Grammy-winning singer Missy Elliott told the audience before introducing their performance. "They gave us their shoulders to stand on." English session pianist Nicky Hopkins was honored with the Musical Excellence Award for his work with superstars including The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie and The Beatles. "That song started off as a kind of slowish song, and then Nicky started playing this samba piano with this percussion, that's like the hook of the song," Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger said of Hopkins's work on the song "Sympathy for the Devil."

Along with awards and heartfelt acceptance speeches, the event featured performances by Elton John; Bryan Adams; Olivia Rodrigo; Twenty One Pilots; Doja Cat; Tyler, the Creator; and many more. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, now features an exhibit with artifacts and memorabilia from this year's inductees.

Markle starred in legal romp "Suits" for seven seasons before her fairytale wedding to the second son of Britain's King Charles. But she has not acted in seven years, after indicating she was giving up the profession. The couple, who live in California after a bust-up with the British royal family, no longer have access to the public purse, relying instead on a pricey deal with Netflix and Markle's nascent lifestyle brand.

The Netflix deal has spawned the popular, if much-mocked, series "With Love, Meghan," which features Markle as a thriving domestic maven in a fictionalized home, hosting guests, harvesting honey and mixing bath salts. Despite being blasted by critics as "pointless," it has been extended for a second season, and a holiday special is due in December.

The couple have struggled to capture the public's imagination since "Harry & Meghan," a six-episode tell-all about their relationship and exit from the House of Windsor, which drew 23 million views in its first four days -- a record for a Netflix documentary. Harry and his wife stepped away from royal duties in 2020 as relations with his family -- especially his brother William -- spiralled.

His blockbuster memoir "Spare" in January 2023 upset Buckingham Palace with its criticism of family members, including William's wife Catherine and his stepmother Queen Camilla. He has since voiced hopes for a "reconciliation" and in September met Charles, 76, in London, months after it was revealed the monarch is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer.

Harry's uncle, Andrew, was stripped of his royal titles last month, after years of scandal over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a one-time friend of US President Donald Trump.

"My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother passed with me beside her this morning at her home in Ojai, California," Laura Dern wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Born in Mississippi in 1935, Southern belle Ladd appeared in many television and stage shows before Scorsese gave her a breakout role as a sassy waitress in 1974's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."

Lynch cast Ladd to play the murderous, vengeful mother of Dern's Lula in his surreal, Cannes Palme d'Or-winning black comedy "Wild At Heart" in 1990. Ladd once again shared the screen with her daughter in the following year's "Rambling Rose," a period drama set in the Deep South during the Great Depression.

Ladd's other film credits included "Chinatown" and "Inland Empire." "She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created," wrote Dern. "We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now." No cause of death was provided.

At the start of the music video for "The Fate of Ophelia", from her latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," Swift appears in what seems to be a mock-up of the work, lying in a white dress -- before the painting comes alive, and she begins to sing. Since the single's release last month, the Wiesbaden museum has been flooded with Swift fans seeking to get a glimpse of the work.

"It's incredible that this picture, which inspired Taylor Swift, is hanging here in Wiesbaden," Corinna Greiner, a 47-year-old office worker attending Sunday's event with her daughter, told AFP. "When I found out, I was simply overwhelmed." About 200 Swift fans flocked to the sold-out event, which started with a lecture from one of the museum's experts about the painting.

"The Fate of Ophelia" was then blasted from speakers, and the fans got to their feet to dance in front of Heyer's painting, before lining up to snap selfies with it. "I really love art, and I wanted to see the connection between the Ophelia painting and Taylor Swift in real life," Isabelle Bastian, a 26-year-old student who was attending the event, told AFP. "The atmosphere is great -- it's like a mini-concert."

Heyser is thought to have completed the work featuring Ophelia -- a noblewoman from Denmark in Shakespeare's play, who goes mad and drowns -- in around 1900. It has been in the Wiesbaden museum's collection since 2019. But the museum had no idea it was going to feature in Swift's video until their social media channels lit up after the release of "The Fate of Ophelia" in October.

"We were very surprised," museum director Andreas Henning told AFP. "We had no idea that Taylor Swift would choose this painting, and we had no inkling of what that would mean. "The Swifties are coming from Germany, France, and England -- it's a big phenomenon."

The museum has not heard from Swift or her management about the link between her hit, which is the lead single from her album "The Life of a Showgirl", and Heyser's painting. But fans are keen for her to pay a visit. "Taylor, come to Wiesbaden!" they chanted in unison at the end of Sunday's event.

Ritwik Ghatak is celebrated for his timeless masterpieces that explored the pain of Partition, human resilience and social realities with poetic depth. Among his most acclaimed works are Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star), Komal Gandhar, Subarnarekha and Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (A River Called Titas). His films, marked by powerful storytelling and emotional intensity, continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles across generations.

Members of the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society in Rajshahi said various programmes, including film screenings and discussions, will be organised to pay tribute to the visionary director on his centenary. Ahsan Kabir Liton, President of the society, said, "Ritwik Ghatak's years in Rajshahi played a formative role in shaping his creative vision. The city's environment, the Padma River and its rich cultural heritage left a lasting impression on his work."

The film society has been observing Ghatak's birth anniversary every year since 2009, celebrating his enduring legacy as a filmmaker, thinker and humanist whose art continues to speak to the struggles and hopes of humanity.

More than two decades in the making, the ultra-modern museum anticipates five million visitors annually, with never-before-seen relics on display. In the run-up to the grand opening, Egyptian media and official statements have hailed the "historic moment", describing the museum as "Egypt's gift to the world" and a "new chapter in the history of Egyptian civilisation".

Preparations for the much-delayed inauguration have been shrouded in secrecy. Authorities have not named the dignitaries expected to attend, but have promised "kings, princes, heads of state and government leaders". Organisers have also been tight-lipped on the new display for the iconic gold mask of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun. Starting Tuesday, the museum will be open to regular visitors who can view 4,500 of about 5,000 funerary objects previously scattered across the country, including at the colonial-era Egyptian Museum in central Cairo.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday held a high-level meeting "dedicated to advancing preparations" for the inauguration, according to an official statement. During the meeting, Sisi urged enhanced coordination to ensure the opening ceremony is held "in a manner befitting Egypt's position, reflecting its leadership in the field of museums and global culture, and contributing to the promotion of tourism in the country". "Emphasis was placed on the symbolic dimension of GEM, which is set to become an international cultural and scientific hub, contributing to enhancing tourism promotion in Egypt," the statement added.

During a final inspection visit to the site on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the event reflected Egypt's role "as a cradle of civilisation and a global leader in culture and museum innovation". The inauguration had been set for July 3, but was postponed when Israel attacked Iran on June 13, sparking a 12-day war that closed airspace across much of the Middle East.

Even before that, the project had faced a series of setbacks, including political unrest and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a bid to reach the widest audience possible, Egyptian state-linked conglomerate United Media Services announced a strategic partnership with TikTok seeking to "share Egypt's unparallelled civilisational story with audiences across the globe".

Following years of instability, Egypt's tourism industry -- which accounts for about 10 percent of the country's workforce -- has been recovering. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, tourism revenues stood at $14.4 billion, up 34.6 percent compared to the previous year. Around 15 million tourists have visited Egypt in the first nine months of 2025, accounting for $12.5 billion in revenues and marking a 21 percent increase on the same period last year.

The Daily Tribunal: How did your journey as an artist begin? How did your passion for dance and modeling develop?
Nikki Ahmed: I began taking dance lessons at a very young age under Saiful Islam Rana at Rajshahi Shilpakala Academy. The seed of my dream was planted by my mother—she wanted me to become a renowned dancer of Bangladesh. Over time, that dream became my own. Now, dance isn’t just a profession for me—it’s my identity. I’m constantly learning and want to stay alive in people’s hearts through creativity.

The Daily Tribunal: Growing up in Rajshahi, how did that environment shape you as an artist?
Nikki Ahmed: Moving from Rajshahi to Dhaka wasn’t easy. It was full of challenges, but honestly, I enjoyed every moment of it. The uncertainty, the excitement—it was a kind of sweet pain that motivated me. In the beginning, I faced criticism from relatives and neighbors; they felt ashamed to say I wanted to become a dancer. But now they’re proud. InshaAllah, I’ll achieve even more to completely break their old misconceptions.

The Daily Tribunal: Many people still don’t see dance as a real profession. How did your family and society react at first?
Nikki Ahmed: Fortunately, I didn’t face any restrictions from my family because my father was a singer. We were always an artistic family. However, the financial side was tough. In the early days, stage shows didn’t pay much, and there were times I thought of quitting. But I couldn’t—because I knew nothing else and didn’t want to do anything else. Today, Alhamdulillah, I’ve built an international identity through dance, and all that struggle feels worth it.

The Daily Tribunal: As a dancer and model, how do you define your true self?
Nikki Ahmed: I truly feel myself when I’m on stage. There’s a strange energy, a happiness that I don’t find anywhere else. For me, identity means soul—and my soul finds peace when the audience claps, cheers, and appreciates my performance.

The Daily Tribunal: How has art changed you—your personality, your thoughts, or your outlook on life?
Nikki Ahmed: Dance has taught me everything—from communication and confidence to balancing personal and professional life. I’ve faced jealousy and criticism, but also love and admiration. Performing abroad was another battle—sometimes I wasn’t treated with the same respect as others. But I proved myself through my work, and that journey of constant learning has shaped who I am today.

The Daily Tribunal: You once said, “I love creating something new.” How do you bring that sense of innovation into your work?
Nikki Ahmed: New ideas come from freedom. When I feel mentally free, creativity flows naturally. I’ve always loved challenges; maybe that’s why newness comes so effortlessly to me.

The Daily Tribunal: Tell us about your experience working at Bimurt Cultural Academy.
Nikki Ahmed: Bimurt is one of the most respected institutions in Rajshahi. I worked there as a dance instructor for about four years. Those years built my confidence—I learned to take responsibility and trust my abilities. Later, when opportunities came from Kolkata, I decided to move to Dhaka with bigger dreams.

The Daily Tribunal: You love shooting in new locations. Is there a special reason behind that?
Nikki Ahmed: I’ve always loved traveling. Whenever I see a beautiful location, I imagine how it would look on camera. That’s how my photoshoots are born—and my fans love them. Honestly, I enjoy collecting beautiful photos; it’s a part of my artistic expression.

The Daily Tribunal: Between stage performance and photoshoots, which one feels more ‘you’?
Nikki Ahmed: Photoshoots can be a bit artificial—there’s makeup, lights, and filters. But the stage doesn’t let you hide. It’s raw, it’s real. The stage is my comfort zone and my first love. If I ever had to choose, I could live without photoshoots, but not without the stage. Without it, I’d fall sick.

The Daily Tribunal: The modeling world is highly competitive. How do you make yourself stand out?
Nikki Ahmed: I don’t follow any secret formula. I prepare myself in my own way—staying happy, sleeping well, and thinking positively. These keep my mind and skin healthy. Maybe that’s what makes me a bit different from others.

The Daily Tribunal: As a woman working in a field often judged by society, how do you stay mentally strong?
Nikki Ahmed: I faced criticism from relatives and neighbors since childhood, but that only made me stronger. Many of those who once mocked me now feel proud. I learned that you can succeed without paying attention to negativity. My mother’s support and my inner willpower have been my biggest shields.

The Daily Tribunal: What’s your message to the young generation who want to pursue a career in dance or modeling?
Nikki Ahmed: Keep learning. Never compare your progress with others. Someone else’s success or failure shouldn’t distract you from your own path. Consistency and patience are the real keys to success.

The Daily Tribunal: You said, “I want to learn new things and give them to Bangladesh.” Can you explain that?
Nikki Ahmed: Society still looks down on dance in many ways. I want to change that mindset by introducing new styles and presentations. I’m blending our traditional dance with modern concepts—like remix performances. That’s why I’m currently training in belly dance in Mumbai and Bangkok. I believe people will welcome this evolution soon.

The Daily Tribunal: Any plans to step into films?
Nikki Ahmed: Yes, but only through dance. I’ve already done two item songs in movies and several music videos. In the future, I’d love to do dance-based films or elegant item performances that add artistic value.

The Daily Tribunal: What’s your ultimate goal—as an artist or beyond art?
Nikki Ahmed: My first goal is to make the world recognize Bangladesh through my dance. I’ve already represented my country in 13 countries and brought home awards. Beyond art, I want to be a successful entrepreneur—but always through honest, halal work.

The Daily Tribunal: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Nikki Ahmed: I want people to know me the way they know Shakira. That’s the dream I’m chasing.

Nikki Ahmed’s story is one of persistence, passion, and pride. Her voice carries a powerful message—that no matter where you come from, with talent, discipline, and courage, you can dance your way onto any stage in the world.

Limp Bizkit was formed by Rivers and Durst in 1994 and went on to release its debut album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all" in 1997. Building on their successful sophomore album, the band's third outing "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold more than a million copies in the first week of its 2000 release. Rivers left the band in 2015 because he had "liver disease from excessive drinking", he reportedly said in a book by rock writer Jon Wiederhorn.

Rivers rejoined Limp Bizkit in 2018 and featured in the band's most recent release, the 2021 album "Still Sucks." Band members lauded Rivers as a "true legend of legends" in their Saturday tribute. "We love you, Sam. We'll carry you with us, always," they wrote. "Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends." DJ Lethal said in a comment that "we are in shock" and called for respect for the family's privacy.

Her first foray on the Metropolitan Opera stage was the result of a happy accident: the storied institution's general manager offered her the role after seeing her perform Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in the open-air theater in Central Park this summer. "To move into a stage this grand, and to move into the heights of what opera is, and really it's to be in rehearsal with some of the greatest artists...is something that's very, very rare," she reflects. "I wanted to try that experience. And I do try and do that in my life and in my career, to just try things that are new, things that mostly scare me," added the 54-year-old.

What surprised her most was the "crazy" pace of the production, at odds with the "slow or gentle" way audiences experience opera: "You have sets that are moving all the time, people who are just coming, and you have people who are telling you exactly where to be all the time. And while it is divine, it's bananas," she said. There's little doubt that the presence of a bona fide small screen star at the Met will attract a larger audience than usual -- a boon for an institution struggling financially since the Covid pandemic and eager to modernize its programming.

Sandra Oh's entrance on stage -- in a purple gown, her hair adorned with feathers, and waving a fan -- drew cheers and excited shouts from New York schoolchildren invited to the dress rehearsal. The winner of two Golden Globes, among other awards, for her roles as a talented surgeon in "Grey's Anatomy" and an intelligence agent obsessed with an assassin in "Killing Eve" is delighted by the prospect of these youngsters and her fans to "see the opera and to experience what storytelling is in a grand scale, what music is, and to see the top artists in the world."

On the wide stage, the actress herself more than holds her own. Far from the subtlety required before a camera, her powerful voice and exaggerated gestures fill the space -- and draw peals of laughter. "In a special stage this big, you do have to be very conscious of all your gestures," she sums up, noting that on screen, it's the quality of an actor's expressions that the lens captures. "As an actor, you should be able to do all of it." As it happens, Oh is also set to appear in US theaters starting Friday, alongside Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer in the comedy "Good Fortune." "I'm in my comedy phase, and everything is like, feel good, it's a comedy. And, you know, bring a bit of joy," she concludes.

"When we first launched Tilly, people were like, 'What's that?', and now we're going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months," said Van der Velden, according to Deadline. The AI-generated Norwood has already appeared in a short sketch, and in July, Van der Velden told Broadcast International the company had big ambitions for their creation. "We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that's the aim of what we're doing.

"People are realizing that their creativity doesn't need to be boxed in by a budget -- there are no constraints creatively and that's why AI can really be a positive." AI is a huge red line for Hollywood's creative community, and its use by studios was one of the fundamental sticking points during the writers' and actors' strikes that gripped Hollywood in 2023. "Scream" actress Melissa Barrera said performers should boycott any talent agent involved in promoting the AI actress.

"Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$. How gross, read the room," she wrote on Instagram. Mara Wilson, who played the lead in "Matilda" in 1996, said such creations took work away from real people "And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn't hire any of them?" she said on social media. In a lengthy post on Norwood's Instagram page, Van der Velden defended the character, and insisted she was not a job killer.

"She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work - a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity. "I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool... AI offers another way to imagine and build stories." The use of AI has become increasingly visible in recent months in the creative industries, generating controversy each time. The virtual band "The Velvet Sundown" surpassed one million listeners on streaming platform Spotify this summer. In August, Vogue magazine published an advertisement featuring an AI-generated model.

Among over hundred cultural ministers, Farooki joined the Forum as the Head of Bangladesh delegation and spoke at first plenary on Cultural Rights and Economy of Culture. He further underlined the historic cultural fault lines that have been politically exploited over many decades against the interest of the communities and created a fractured society.  He reiterated Bangladesh interim government's commitment to carefully address these and creating an inclusive cultural scenario.

Farooki cited example of the recently celebrated Anondo Shovajatra that included all ethnic groups to celebrate traditional New Year centrally which was not the case in the last 54 years. At the same time, he said the government has been pursuing a neutral cultural policy centering on religious festivals. This year's initiatives of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs centering Durga Puja, Eid and Buddha Purnima stand as testimony to that, he added. He also highlighted the importance of public-private partnership in innovative cultural financing.

Calling upon the international community to come forward, Farooki urged them to utilize digital platforms and OTT services to promote cultural content. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was joined by the Cultural Ministers of Finland, Paraguay, Malta and Poland who have appreciated the vision that Bangladesh is pursuing over last one year.  MONDIACULT is the largest pilgrimage of the Cultural Ministers and policy makers in the world. The Forum aims at drawing political prioritization of culture in the post-SDG framework to which a declaration will be adopted on the next Wednesday.

This year, Netflix's popular "Knives Out" whodunit franchise returns, with former 007 actor Craig back investigating the latest murder in "Wake Up Dead Man" in a Saturday night world premiere, alongside Glenn Close, Mila Kunis and Josh O'Connor. Josh Brolin plays an unnerving demagogue with a cult following in a film that "tackles current issues in a fun, locked-room, classical-plot way," said TIFF director of programming Robyn Citizen. Sweeney aims to pivot from her recent jeans ad controversy to Academy Award contender with Friday's premiere of "Christy," a gritty, raw biopic of US female boxing pioneer Christy Martin.

In another harrowing true-life tale, launching Friday, McConaughey rescues schoolchildren from California wildfires in the emotionally searing action-thriller "The Lost Bus." For the festival's 50th anniversary celebrations, stars Russell Crowe, Paul Mescal, Angelina Jolie and Anya Taylor-Joy will all hit the screenings and soirees. TIFF "started out as festival of festivals, choosing the best work from around the world to show to Toronto audiences," Citizen said. While it has increasingly prioritized discovering new filmmakers, "certainly our public audience is what distinguishes us as a big festival," she said. French directors are sure to bring a European flair.

Matt Dillon appears in Claire Denis' drama "The Fence," about a mysterious death on an African construction site, while Arnaud Desplechin launches love story "Two Pianos" starring Charlotte Rampling. Alice Winocour directs Jolie for Paris fashion drama "Couture." Romain Gavras's celebrity climate-change satire "Sacrifice" stars Taylor-Joy and Chris Evans as an eco-terrorist and a waning movie star, respectively. Elsewhere, Crowe gives what organizers describe as a nuanced and eerily charismatic performance as Nazi Hermann Goering on trial in historical drama "Nuremberg," opposite fellow Oscar-winner Rami Malek.

"You don't expect to be disarmed by this person, who you know has done horrible things," said Citizen. "And then, through the course of the movie, you are." Keanu Reeves plays an incompetent angel in Aziz Ansari's body-swapping farce "Good Fortune," while Channing Tatum portrays a real-life fugitive who lives clandestinely inside a toy store in "Roofman." Brendan Fraser plays a lonely actor for hire at funerals and weddings in Tokyo-set "Rental Family." Toronto follows hot on the heels of the small but influential US-based Telluride festival, and invites a selection of movies to make a bigger, second splash.

Among them, Mescal plays a young William Shakespeare in literary adaptation "Hamnet" from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao -- though the focus is squarely on the Bard's long-suffering wife Agnes, played by a "transcendent" Jessie Buckley, says Citizen. The film earned rave reviews and plenty of Oscar buzz in Telluride. Director Edward Berger, on a hot run after "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Conclave," will present Colin Farrell as a down-on-his-luck gambler in "Ballad of a Small Player." And fresh from Venice, director Guillermo del Toro brings his reimagining of "Frankenstein," while Dwayne Johnson will promote "The Smashing Machine," which has already drawn gushing predictions of a first Oscar nomination for the former pro wrestler known as "The Rock." TIFF runs until September 14.

Among the world premieres, Crowe gives what organizers describe as a nuanced and eerily charismatic performance as Nazi Hermann Goering on trial in historical drama "Nuremberg," opposite fellow Oscar-winner Rami Malek. "The unexpected part of this performance is you don't expect to be disarmed by this person, who you know has done horrible things," said TIFF director of programming Robyn Citizen. "And then, through the course of the movie, you are." Sweeney aims to pivot from her recent jeans ad controversy to Academy Award contender with "Christy," a gritty, raw biopic of US female boxing pioneer Christy Martin.

"I think this is the role that's going to make people take notice again of the actor that she is," predicted Citizen. In another harrowing true-life tale, McConaughey rescues schoolchildren from California wildfires in the emotionally searing action-thriller "The Lost Bus." With an estimated 400,000 annual attendees, the "audience-first" Toronto festival traditionally showcases splashy crowd-pleasers alongside awards fare.

This year marks the return for a third time at TIFF of Netflix's popular "Knives Out" whodunit franchise, with former 007 actor Craig back investigating the latest murder in "Wake Up Dead Man." Josh Brolin plays an unnerving demagogue with a cult following in a film that "tackles current issues in a fun, locked-room, classical-plot way," says Citizen. Several French auteurs are set to attend this year's fest. Matt Dillon appears in Denis' drama "The Fence," about a mysterious death on an African construction site, while Desplechin launches love story "Two Pianos" starring Charlotte Rampling. Alice Winocour pairs with Jolie for Paris fashion drama "Couture."

Gavras's celebrity climate-change satire "Sacrifice" stars Taylor-Joy and Chris Evans as an eco-terrorist and a waning movie star, respectively. Elsewhere, the festival's comedy selections contain some of its starriest names. Keanu Reeves plays an incompetent angel in Aziz Ansari's body-swapping farce "Good Fortune," while Channing Tatum portrays a real-life fugitive who lives clandestinely inside a Toys R Us store in "Roofman." Brendan Fraser plays a lonely actor available for hire at funerals and weddings in Tokyo-set "Rental Family." Toronto follows hot on the heels of the small but influential US-based Telluride festival, and as usual invites a selection of movies from that intimate event to make a bigger, second splash in the Canadian metropolis.

Among them, Mescal plays a young William Shakespeare in literary adaptation "Hamnet" from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao -- though the focus is squarely on the Bard's long-suffering wife Agnes, played by a "transcendent" Jessie Buckley, says Citizen. Director Edward Berger, on a hot run after "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Conclave," will present Colin Farrell as a down-on-his-luck gambler pursued through the casinos of Macao by Tilda Swinton's investigator in "Ballad of a Small Player." And fresh from Venice, Guillermo del Toro brings his reimagining of "Frankenstein" to Toronto.

Latino reggaeton megastar J Balvin makes his movie debut, playing a 1980s cop chasing cocaine smugglers to the remotest reaches of Nova Scotia in "Little Lorraine." "Brat" singer-songwriter Charli xcx has two new films -- Gavras's "Sacrifice," and Polish arthouse drama "Erupcja." And Baz Luhrmann will premiere "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," featuring long-lost footage of The King that the director unearthed while making his 2022 biopic "Elvis." TIFF runs from Thursday through to September 14.

Del Toro's film is an elaborate, evocative production the director said he had been dreaming about making since he was a child. In one early rave review, the Hollywood Reporter said the film "transcends horror in an emotionally charged take on Mary Shelley". "I've been following the creature since I was a kid," the director told journalists at the Venice Film Festival ahead of the premiere.

"I always waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively and in terms of achieving the scope that it needed for me to make it different, to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world," Del Toro said. "And now I'm in post-partum depression." It was surely no accident that the film got its premiere on what is know as Frankenstein Day -- the August 30 birthday of the novel's author, Mary Shelley. Starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his creation, the film is a no-holds-barred Gothic spectacle.

Following the scientist obsessed with inventing his own living creature, it explores themes of humanity, vengeance, unbridled will and the aftermath of that all-consuming hubris. The film's rich visuals include the imposing tower where Frankenstein performs his experiments and the gruesome anatomical parts from which his creature is stitched together. Not everyone was convinced however. "Variety" said the film "cost more than 'Titanic' and still looks like it was made for TV".

Since James Whale's seminal 1931 "Frankenstein" starring Boris Karloff, there have been a string of adaptations, testimony to the appeal of the story. They range from serious takes such as "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" of 1994 from Kenneth Branagh, to Mel Brooks's 1974 spoof "Young Frankenstein". For Del Toro, Mary Shelley's novel tries to answer the question "What is it to be human?", he told journalists. "I think that the movie tries to show imperfect characters and the right we have to remain imperfect. And the right we have to understand each other under the most oppressive of circumstances," he said.

"And there's no more urgent task than to remain human in a time where everything is pushing towards a bipolar understanding of our humanity," he said, referring to the modern world. The Netflix-produced film will have a limited theatrical release in October before streaming in November. While "Frankenstein" is the biggest production launching Saturday, "The Last Viking" by Danish director and writer Anders Thomas Jensen and "Below the Clouds" by Italian documentary maker Gianfranco Rosi drew enthusiastic applause at their press screenings.

"The Last Viking" is a darkly comic, sometimes disturbing drama about mental health and identity politics, featuring Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as a suicidal man with a personality disorder. "Below the Clouds" is a sumptuous black-and-white rendering of the gritty and historic Italian port of Naples by Rosi, one of Europe's most acclaimed documentary makers who won the main prize in Venice in 2013 with "Sacro GRA". On the sidelines of the festival on the Lido Saturday, several thousand protesters marched against Israel's siege of Gaza, a demonstration called by left-wing political groups in northeast Italy.

The Gaza war was one of the main talking points in the lead up to the festival due to an open letter denouncing the Israeli government and calling on the festival to speak out. The letter, drafted by a group of independent directors called Venice4Palestine, has garnered more than 2,000 signatures from film professionals, organisers told AFP. 

Shchedrin, husband of late ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya, was "one of the greatest contemporary geniuses", whose "operas, ballets and symphonies are played on the world's greatest stages", the theatre said in a statement.

"Rodion Shchedrin was a unique phenomenon and marked an entire era in world musical culture." Born December 16, 1932 in Moscow, Shchedrin gained fame in the West with "Carmen Suite" (1967), in which Plisetskaya starred at the Bolshoi, cementing the pair's status as a Soviet-era cultural power couple.

Plisetskaya, whose mesmerising performances won her the title of "prima ballerina assoluta" at the Bolshoi, died in 2015 aged 89. Drawing on Russian literature and fairy tales, Shchedrin also composed the ballets "The Little Humpbacked Horse", "The Seagull" and the opera "Lolita". He composed more than 80 works overall, including symphonies and concertos, leaving behind "a priceless artistic heritage... that echoes in audience's hearts", the Bolshoi said.

Clooney had little research to do for the role which sees him play a famous Hollywood actor, albeit one going through an identity crisis, with Sandler playing his manager. The film is the first of three Netflix-produced features at the festival, with the heavy-hitting US streaming giant seen as desperate to find a strong contender for a first Best Picture award at the next Oscars. Its big hope at this year's ceremony -- "Emilia Perez" -- saw its campaign for Academy Award glory derailed by a racism scandal involving leading actor Karla Sofia Gascon.

Having sat out Venice in 2024, the platform has two other productions in the 21-film top competition, "A House of Dynamite" by Oscar-winning thriller specialist Kathryn Bigelow and a star-studded remake of "Frankenstein" by Guillermo del Toro. Adding to the Tinseltown firepower on Thursday will be "Bugonia" by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos who has teamed up again with Stone, hoping to repeat the successful formula from 2023 when they landed Venice's top prize for "Poor Things".

In their latest collaboration, Stone plays a high-powered pharmaceutical executive kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy theorists convinced she is an alien in the zany remake of the South Korean film "Save the Green Planet!" from 2003. Alongside the glitz came protest on the festival's opening day, with demonstrators near the red carpet unfurling a "Free Palestine" and "Stop the Genocide" banner to denounce Israel's war in Gaza.

A group of Italian film professionals have also called on festival organisers to openly condemn Israel's bombardment and siege of Gaza, while a larger protest is scheduled for Saturday. The festival's artistic director, Alberto Barbera, has called the movie showcase a place of "dialogue", but has ruled out rescinding invitations to pro-Israel actors.

The festival has selected a film about the war for its main competition -- "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which has the backing of Hollywood A-listers from Pitt to Joaquin Phoenix. It will premiere next Wednesday. Jury president Alexander Payne ("Sideways") dodged questions on Wednesday about his personal views on the war in Gaza and he questioned aloud whether films could really "change society or culture".

"I don't know. Doubtful. At least though, when we make films which are relevant to the times, we leave a document that someone was thinking about it," he said. German arthouse giant Werner Herzog spoke passionately about his search for "truth in unusual ways" as the acclaimed documentary maker received a lifetime achievement award during Wednesday night's opening ceremony.

"I have always tried to strive for something that goes deeper beyond what you normally see in movie theatres, a deep form of poetry that is possible in cinema," the 82-year-old told the star-studded audience in an acceptance speech. The second day on Thursday will see the premiere of his latest documentary "Ghost Elephants" about a mythical herd in Angola.

The main event in Wednesday evening's opening ceremony was Francis Ford Coppola awarding a Lifetime Achievement award to German director Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man", "Fitzcarraldo") for his canon of more than 70 films. Herzog, who said he always searched for the "sublime" in his films, will showcase his latest documentary, "Ghost Elephants", about a lost herd in Angola, on Thursday.

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's "La Grazia" -- about an Italian president grappling with doubts over whether to sign a euthanasia bill into law -- was the first main in-competition movie presented on Wednesday. "Dwelling on doubt and then allowing that doubt to mature into a decision is something that is increasingly rare," Sorrentino told journalists.

"Mother", a film depicting Mother Teresa as a sometimes ruthless figure struggling to reconcile her views on motherhood and abortion, opened the secondary Orizzonti section. Eyes were set to quickly turn to Hollywood's favourite leading man, Clooney, who stepped off a water taxi in Venice with his wife Amal on Tuesday.

On Thursday, he will be seen in the premiere of Netflix-produced comedy "Jay Kelly", directed by Noah Baumbach, in which he plays a top Hollywood actor with an identity crisis. On the same night is the premiere of sci-fi comedy "Bugonia" from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, which stars Emma Stone as a pharmaceutical executive kidnapped by people who mistake her for an alien.

Roberts, meanwhile, will appear at Venice for the first time on Friday in the out-of-competition cancel-culture drama "After the Hunt", from Italy's Luca Guadagnino. Winners of the festival's prestigious Golden Bear top prize often go on to Oscar glory, such as "Nomadland" or "Joker" in previous years. Though the festival and this year's jury president Alexander Payne ("Sideways") were keen to focus on the roster of movies making their world premieres in the next 11 days, world events dominated their day-one press conference.

Protesters held up a "Free Palestine" banner in front of the festival's main building, while a group of Italian film professionals have called on organisers to openly condemn Israel's invasion and siege of Gaza. A demonstration to condemn Israel and the war in Gaza has been called for Saturday in Venice by hundreds of local political and rights groups. The festival had already declared "huge sadness and suffering vis-a-vis what is happening in Gaza and Palestine", its director Alberto Barbera told reporters. But he ruled out rescinding invitations to pro-Israeli actors.

Israel's nearly two-year bombardment of Gaza also featured prominently during the Cannes film festival in May where hundreds of movie figures signed a petition saying they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity" about the war. The festival has selected a film about the war for its main competition -- "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Franco-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which reconstructs the death of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab who was killed last year by Israeli forces. The flurry of premieres to be screened in Venice also include Guillermo del Toro big-budget remake of "Frankenstein", starring Oscar Isaac, or Bigelow's political thriller "A House of Dynamite", starring Idris Elba.

In one of the boldest casting choices, British actor Jude Law will try his hand at Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas's "The Wizard of the Kremlin", while Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portrays mixed martial arts champion Mark Kerr in much-hyped "The Smashing Machine" from Benny Safdie. Jarmusch marks his first time in Venice's main lineup with "Father Mother Sister Brother", bringing together Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, while Taiwan-born model and actress Shu Qi makes her directorial debut with "Nuhai (Girl)".

"I have always tried to strive for something that goes deeper beyond what you normally see in movie theatres, a deep form of poetry that is possible in cinema," Herzog told a star-studded audience in an acceptance speech. Guided by a search "for truth in unusual ways", he added: "I always try to do something which was sublime, or something transcendental." Herzog has made more than 70 movies, rising to fame in the 1970s and 80s with sweeping films about obsessive megalomaniacs and struggles with the natural world.

The German director and daredevil explorer has made a series of documentaries in recent years, many in exotic locales, while continuing to make film appearances, including cameos in "The Simpsons". Herzog "has never ceased from testing the limits of the film language," said festival artistic director Alberto Barbera in announcing the award in April. Born in Munich in 1942, Herzog began experimenting with film at age 15, going on to make his name as a writer, producer and director.

A long and contentious collaboration with German screen icon Klaus Kinski resulted in epic films like 1972's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", about the search for El Dorado in the Amazon jungle, or 1982's "Fitzcarraldo", about a mad dreamer hellbent on building an opera house in the jungle -- in which Herzog had the extras haul a huge steamship up a hill. Other noteworthy films include 1979's gothic horror film "Nosferatu the Vampyre", the 2005 documentary "Grizzly Man" and "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" in 2009, with Nicolas Cage.

An inveterate traveller, Herzog is known for shunning studios for the outdoors, shooting in the Amazon, the Sahara desert or Antarctica. Often placing himself at the centre of his documentaries -- a genre for which Herzog is particularly noted -- the director strayed dangerously close to active volcanoes in 2016's "Into the Inferno", while entering death row in Texas for "Into the Abyss" in 2011.

A prolific opera director -- including at Bayreuth and La Scala -- Herzog has also published poetry and prose, including his 2021 novel "The Twilight World", a 1978 diary and a memoir in 2023.

His outfit, inspired by Venezuelan writer Miguel Otero Silva's novel "Casas Muertas," which depicts a town's decline amid disease and the discovery of oil, featured earthy and cream tones, a deep neckline, a crop top, a long white skirt with a train, and a belt crafted from multiple scarves. "Fashion in Venezuela has a rich tradition, tied to our colonial heritage, racial diversity, and American influences," Castro added. The event, centered on urban and street culture, featured rap performances. "We want to promote culture and inspire more people," said organizer and fashion designer Miguel Soriano.

Many outfits were sourced from used material or at low cost due to the prohibitive price of designer clothing. For the participants, fashion lay not in big brands but in the creative combinations of garments. Some even blended cinematic fantasies with cultural styles borrowed from other countries to set trends. Wearing a white overcoat, 20-year-old Anjuliet Duran quipped: "I felt like the Phantom of the Opera." She later layered an Asian-style dress over it, dubbing herself "the Chinese Phantom of the Opera." 

Vienna, which previously hosted the glitzy TV extravaganza in 1967 and 2015, edged out its competitor Innsbruck, the capital of western Tyrol province, to stage next year's contest.

A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine -- an anesthetic -- in his system. Last month, Dr Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine in the weeks before Perry's death. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, admitted last year to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. "I wonder how much this moron will pay," Plasencia wrote in one text message.

According to her plea agreement, Sangha worked with a middleman, Erik Fleming, to sell 51 vials of ketamine to Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that Sangha supplied, including on October 28, 2023, when he administered at least three shots of Sangha's ketamine, which killed the actor. The Justice Department said when Sangha heard news reports about Perry's sudden death, she tried to cover her tracks. "Delete all our messages," she instructed Fleming. When investigators raided Sangha's home they found methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, and counterfeit Xanax pills, as well as a money counting machine, a scale, and devices to detect wireless signals and hidden cameras, according to the Justice Department.

Sangha is expected to plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. "She's taking responsibility for her actions," her lawyer Mark Geragos told AFP. Sangha could face decades in prison when sentenced. The other people involved in the supply of drugs to Perry are expected to appear in court over the coming months to learn their fates. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug.

"Friends," which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," Perry described going through detox dozens of times. "I have mostly been sober since 2001," he wrote, "save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps."

He wrote, “Exactly 11 years ago on this very day, I became a father! Today is the happy birthday of my only son, ‘Debojit.’ I request everyone to bless him with all their heart so that, amidst the crowd of the inhuman, he may become a true human being and a forerunner in the struggle to uphold humanity.”

This is more than just a birthday wish — it reflects a father’s deep love and his strong hopes for his child’s future. In an era marked by contradictions, moral decay, and acts of inhumanity, Debashish’s message resonates as a call for his son to grow up with integrity, courage, and compassion, and to remain steadfast on the path of truth.

Close relatives share that Debojit’s birthdays have always been marked with special celebrations. This year is no exception, with a school celebration alongside friends, followed by a family gathering and cake-cutting at home — moments filled with laughter, joy, and affection.

On this special day, relatives, friends, and countless well-wishers are sending their heartfelt blessings. Their collective hope is simple yet profound — that Debojit grows up healthy, fulfills his parents’ dreams, and becomes a beacon of positive change in society.

The album cover for that version shows the 14-time Grammy winner partially submerged in slightly grubby-looking water, wearing what appears to be a rhinestone-studded top. Only the star's mouth, nose, eyes and forehead and a blinged-out wrist are above the water. The tracklist, which was also unveiled on Wednesday, shows 12 entries, including the title track which it says features Sabrina Carpenter. Swift's last major release, "The Tortured Poets Department" came in April last year. Just hours after it dropped, the "Shake It Off" singer expanded it into a double album called "The Anthology" which dominated charts for the year.

The 35-year-old has recently wrapped up a nearly two-year world tour, with a $2 billion dollar take that shattered records. The 149 shows of the Eras Tour were typically more than three hours long, delighting fans who had shelled out big bucks for the chance to see one of pop's biggest ever stars. Though Swift is famed for singing about heartbreaks with her famous exes, her two-year relationship with Kelce, one of the NFL's most bankable players, has further inflamed her celebrity. However her endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris in last November's US presidential election, was not enough to tip the scales -- though it did anger winner Donald Trump, who declared on social media "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT."

The delegation joined a two-hour interactive session with Chinese officials, who also including Zeng Zhing, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Xie Hongbin, deputy director of the Department of Medical Administration, and Han Rui, director of the International Medical Department. In the interactive session, Chinese officials responded to many queries regarding the language barrier, accommodation for attendants, travel expenses, access to Bangladeshi credit cards, liaison offices, follow-up treatment and billing process, and the high cost of carrying the dead body back to Bangladesh. “We are aware of the issues that Bangladeshi patients face. We are trying to resolve it,” Wang Jiankun said.

Bangladesh delegation head Azad Majumder urged the Chinese authorities to allow more Bangladeshi students to their medical universities in China so that they can support Bangladeshi patients overcome the language barrier.“We expect the support of Chinese authorities more Bangladeshi patients will seek treatment in China,” he said. First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University officials said 67 Bangladeshi patients took treatment for diseases such as liver cirrhosis, breast cancer in the past six months. During a banquet hosted by the local foreign office of China in honor of the Bangladeshi delegation, they assured Bangladeshi patients of all possible cooperation to facilitate their visit for treatment. Bangladesh media delegates are expected to visit a few more hospitals in Kunming on Friday.

He began performing professionally in bands, including a two-year stint with Puerto Rican musician Tito Rodriguez. Palmieri is recognized for having revolutionized the sound of Latin jazz and salsa, with a career spanning more than seven decades. In 1961, he founded the band "La Perfecta", which redefined salsa by replacing trumpets with trombones. Four years later, his track "Azucar Pa Ti" (Sugar For You) became a dancefloor hit -- and decades later, was added to the collection of the US Library of Congress. In 1975, he became the first Latin artist to win a Grammy, for his album "The Sun of Latin Music," which won in the newly established Best Latin Recording category. Palmieri was also one of the earliest salsa musicians to adopt a political tone in his compositions. In 1969, he released the album "Justicia" (Justice), featuring lyrics that tackled inequality, social justice, and discrimination, with vocals by Puerto Rican singer Ismael Quintana and Cuban vocalist Justo Betancourt.

A few years later, in 1972, he performed at Sing Sing, a prison in New York, in front of an audience largely made up of Latino and Black inmates, according to The Washington Post. "For all humanity!" Palmieri shouted through a loudspeaker in the prison yard, the newspaper reported. He added that there should be "no walls," "no fear," and "only one thing in life: freedom in the years to come." "He was a mentor, teacher, and tireless advocate for Latin music and culture," read a tribute on his social media. "He inspired generations of musicians and moved countless listeners with his artistry, conviction, and unmistakable sound." He is survived by five children and four grandchildren. His wife, Iraida Palmieri, passed away in 2014.

"This is a good opening for an animation follow-up sequel," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. The film edged out Paramount's reboot of "Naked Gun," a slapstick comedy starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr, son of the bumbling police lieutenant from the original 1980s movie and related television series "Police Squad!" It pulled in $17 million in its opening weekend. "Superman," the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios, slipped from second to fourth at $13.9 million, Exhibitor Relations said.

That puts the global take of the film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, at $551 million. "Jurassic World: Rebirth" -- the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga -- finished in fifth place with $8.7 million. Its worldwide total stands at $765 million after five weeks in theaters. Independent horror film "Together," which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Neon, claimed sixth spot in its debut weekend with $6.8 million. "This is a very good opening for an indie horror pic," Gross said.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"F1: The Movie" ($4.1 million)

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" ($2.7 million)

"Smurfs" ($1.8 million)

"How to Train Your Dragon ($1.4 million)

Debashish wrote:

‘Shubho Bibaho’ is the only film where, despite not featuring megastar Shakib Khan, a single-sheet publicity poster was created using his still image—with his prior permission—for the sake of promoting the movie. This is a rare instance in film history and, in a way, a record! His selfless support for the promotion of my film will remain etched in my heart forever.

This act wasn’t just about a publicity tool—it reflected a deep trust and mutual respect between two stalwarts of the film industry. Debashish Biswas, known for his passion for storytelling, evidently approached film not just as a business, but as an art form that deserves creative collaboration and integrity. Shakib Khan, known for being highly protective of his brand and screen presence, offered his image without any personal gain—simply in the spirit of goodwill and respect for the filmmaker and the craft.

The film Shubho Bibaho earned appreciation from audiences for its emotional storyline and visual presentation. Yet this little-known backstory adds another layer to its legacy—making it not just a cinematic work but also a symbol of generosity and unity in an often-competitive industry.

In a time when personal interests and rivalries often take center stage in showbiz, Shakib Khan’s gesture stands as a reminder of how powerful selflessness and solidarity can be. His action sets an example for others—showing that real stardom is not just about screen presence, but also about character and contribution behind the scenes.

This extraordinary collaboration will undoubtedly inspire filmmakers, cinephiles, and the next generation of storytellers. After all, the soul of cinema lies in shared passion, trust, and a willingness to go beyond ego for the sake of something greater.

Running for six seasons, and with a Netflix film version currently in the works, "Peaky Blinders" turbo-charged the careers of leading man Cillian Murphy, alongside a stellar supporting cast including Tom Hardy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Kingsley Ben-Adir. In addition to "Peaky Blinders," Knight also co-created the wildly popular television quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and has penned four novels. The Birmingham, England-based screenwriter, producer and director's other TV credits include "Taboo," "See," "This Town," and "All the Light We Cannot See." The Bond films, based on Ian Fleming's novels, have earned more than $7 billion collectively at the global box office since debuting in 1962. No release date or title has yet been set for the film franchise's 26th installment.

And despite frenzied speculation among fans, there has been no announcement on which actor will replace Daniel Craig as the suave British super-spy. Among the actors most discussed to be the next Bond are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson, Jacob Elordi, and Ben-Adir -- but Amazon MGM has so far refused to disclose the franchise's most closely guarded secret.

"Demon Slayer" is originally a manga comic book series that has sold over 200 million copies worldwide, according to its publisher Shueisha. The work by artist Koyoharu Gotouge follows a combat adventure of boy hero Tanjiro Kamado who fights demons as he searches for a cure for his sister who has become one. The intense popularity of the series is rivalled only by global titles like "Dragon Ball", "Naruto", and "One Piece," Kyodo News said. The original manga series appeared in the popular Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 2016 to 2020.

"I've been collecting art since I was in college," Lucas, 81, told the crowd, adding that he has amassed tens of thousands of pieces in his collection. "I've been doing this for 50 years now, and then it occurred to me that what am I going to do with it all because I, I refuse to sell it. "I could never do that, it's just, it's not what I think art is -- I think it's more about an emotional connection," the director said. In his description of the museum, Lucas said the institution will feature a blend of works. They include illustrations by Normal Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith and N.C. Wyeth; artworks by Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White and Robert Colescott; and pieces by cartoonists and artists like Winsor McCay, Frank Frazetta and Jack Kirby. "This is sort of a temple to the people's art," he said in summation. The museum, housed in a sleek, curved building, will also feature items from Lucas's films and other exclusive pieces.

For the "Star Wars" mastermind, the museum aims to be a tribute to the importance of narrative art. "When you're born, the baseline is fear. And as you go through life, you're curious about things, but you're especially curious about things you don't understand, and therefore that's a threat to you. "And as a result, you make up stories to make it feel good," he continued. "Science fiction is a myth... but we've made it real because of science fiction books and art." Among the other members of the panel were Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, who shaped the aesthetic of the "Star Wars" universe for decades. "What's remarkable about George is that he leads from the heart, and this museum is him," Chiang said. Del Toro, who will release his latest film "Frankenstein" in November, said many of the museum's pieces will celebrate freedom of speech.

"We are in a critical moment in which one of the things they like to disappear is the past, you know, and this is memorializing a popular, vociferous, expressive and eloquent moment in our visual past that belongs to all of us," Del Toro said. The fantasy filmmaker also described comics as a medium with "a lot of social conscience" and joked that comic artists "were the first one to punch a Nazi" in their works. "What a panel!" said attendee Jesse Goldwater, who traveled to San Diego from Los Angeles. "They are the embodiment of Comic-Con itself, without them Comic-Con wouldn't exist."

Weir for his part said it was "so cool" to see his book come to life and complimented Gosling for giving "many layers to this character I made up." Lord and Miller, the Oscar-winning duo behind the "Spider-Verse" Spider-Man animated films, talked about the challenges of shooting a "crazy ambitious" film which takes place inside a spaceship for the most part. "We had to build an entire spaceship in two modes of gravity, and then we built this entire massive tunnel at scale," Miller said. "This is insane, to build a tunnel that was like 100 feet (30 meters) long, filled up an entire stage." The event also showcased various clips from the film, receiving a positive response from fans, who noted the bond formed between Gosling's character and an alien named Rocky. "The relationship between these two characters is the heart of the movie," Miller said. "I loved it," attendee April Rodriguez, who also read the book, gushed about the film. "I just never, like, envisioned it that way. So that was pretty cool."

Comic-Con, which bring some 130,000 fans for the convention in San Diego, California, welcomed the Star Trek universe to the main stage earlier in the day Saturday to showcase its upcoming releases. Thousands of fans filled the hall to watch exclusive footage from the fourth season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" before it premieres on Paramount+. One clip showed Captain Christopher Pike played by Anson Mount in an entire episode where the cast is depicted like puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Fans were also offered a first look of a new Star Trek series, dubbed "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" starring Holly Hunter. Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the academy's chancellor and captain of the USS Athena, who in a clip shown at Comic-Con welcomes a new class of cadets. "It was really interesting to get the offer to be the captain, but then also to combine that with being the chancellor," Hunter said. "The captain is there to analyze in emergency situations, and then to delegate. And the chancellor is there to guide, to collaborate and to have tremendous empathy. "It was just a wonderful combination of things," she added. Comic-Con continues on Sunday for its final day of events.

Trump, who accused the institution of being too "woke," also picked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance to serve as trustees. The president was met with cheers and boos at the center in June as he attended an opening night performance of hit musical "Les Miserables." Republicans have been keen to flatter Trump and help the president cement his legacy in his second term, including by introducing legislation to rename the capital region's Dulles International Airport after him. There have also been efforts in Congress to replace Benjamin Franklin with Trump on the $100 bill, to carve Trump's likeness on the iconic Mount Rushmore, to name a national holiday after him and to reimagine Washington's Metro train service as the Trump Train. The Kennedy Center change was added to legislation principally providing 2026 funding for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

But the 2,364-seat theater -- the second-largest at the Kennedy Center complex -- would only get its new designation if the change was approved by both chambers of Congress. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate and spending bills require 60 votes to pass, meaning Democrats may be able to strip the name change out of the text before any final vote.

Drummer Bill Ward said Osbourne would forever be in his heart and signed off his post with "Never goodbye. Thank you forever". Music icon Elton John praised Osbourne as "a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods -- a true legend". "He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly," John wrote on Instagram. Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood said he was "very sad" to learn of Osbourne's death. Osbourne was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal -- an offshoot of hard rock -- as Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968. Black Sabbath's eponymous 1970 debut album made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song "Paranoid". "It was Ozzy's voice that took me away to a dark universe. A great escape," Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready posted on X. "Thanks for the music, Ozzy it makes our journey in life better." Black Sabbath went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist.

He gained huge notoriety along the way for his outlandish stunts, many of them fuelled by a hedonistic lifestyle involving the lavish use of drugs and alcohol. His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly a 1982 gig in Des Moines, Iowa, when he bit the head off a bat on stage. Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a fake rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realised it was real. "I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterwards aren't fun," he told US TV host David Letterman in 1982. Osbourne is also rumoured to have snorted a line of ants up his nose and once urinated on a cenotaph commemorating war dead. His public persona took a new turn with the reality television series "The Osbournes" in the 2000s, which followed the ups and downs of his family life alongside wife Sharon, whom he married in 1982, and their three children.

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Butler in several bands before finding success with Black Sabbath. He paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery. Osbourne suffered a fall at home in 2019, which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003. He released his 12th studio album, "Ordinary Man", in 2020, followed by "Patient Number 9" in 2022, which went to number three and two in the UK charts, respectively. Osbourne brought the curtain down on a wild career on July 5, when Black Sabbath rattled through their most iconic songs in front of 40,000 adoring fans at Villa Park, home of Premier League football club Aston Villa. He was joined by original bandmates Butler, Iommi, and Ward for the concert, dubbed "Back to the Beginning" -- their first gig together in 20 years. Osbourne -- stylish to the very end -- held court from a giant leather throne, topped with a bat. "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle... Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Osbourne told the crowd after finishing the set with "Paranoid".

Filmmaker and television host Debashish Biswas wrote in a heart-wrenching condolence post: “These children probably never went near fire before. Whenever they burned their hands slightly, they would run to their mothers, who would put ice on it to soothe the pain. But this time, they died enduring temperatures of 900 to 1200°C. Yet, they couldn’t even find their mothers to put ice on their burns. They couldn’t find their fathers either.” The incident occurred shortly after 1 PM on Monday when the training jet crashed into a building of Milestone School and College. The building caught fire instantly. Many students were inside at the time, most of whom have either died or been critically injured.

In addition, starting at 9pm at the TSC (Teacher-Student Centre), films will be shown addressing anti-Bangladesh propaganda by foreign media, the contribution of women in the July Uprising and the story of Abrar Fahad.  A musical program based on songs from the July movement will also be held. On July 14 last year, students of Dhaka University chanted slogans on collaborators (razakars) and surged like a tide into the streets, injecting new life into the movement. In remembrance of it, that vivid moment will be exhibited  tomorrow night at 10pm at the Central Shaheed Minar,  Dhaka. Meanwhile, July Martyr Memorial Monuments will be established in each district to commemorate the July Mass Uprising. As part of the “Notes on July” program, selected photographs from the Uprising will be used to design postcards. Volunteers will take these postcards to the public, allowing people to write their personal July memories on them. Additionally, July-themed T-shirts and headbands will be produced and distributed.

McMahon was nominated for an Emmy in 2005 for "Nip/Tuck" (2003-2010), another hit US series, in which he played an unscrupulous plastic surgeon. Producers Warner Bros. Television released a brief statement on Facebook paying tribute to his work on the series. McMahon also appeared in a number of films, playing villain Doctor Doom in two films from the Fantastic Four superhero franchise. More recently, he appeared alongside Nicolas Cage in "The Surfer", presented at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. His final screen appearance was in the Netflix whodunnit series "The Residence", released this year, in which he played the Australian prime minister.

Shortly after her brief hospitalization, her medical report appeared on social media, sparking widespread outrage among fans and an official investigation. The Delgado Auna clinic, where she was treated, said at the time it was investigating what it called a "serious ethical breach of our code of conduct and regulations governing personal data processing." Shakira is on her first world tour in seven years, titled "Las mujeres ya no lloran" (Women Don't Cry Anymore).

The livestream attracted more than 7.3 million real-time views -- a record for the group, according to the agency. HYBE said BTS "plan to release their new album in 2026 and embark on a large-scale world tour". Group member RM said during the livestream that the new album "is officially set to be released next spring." "Starting next spring, we'll of course be going on tour, so please look forward to seeing us all around the globe," he added. Their comeback album would be their first in four years since "Proof", which was the best-selling album of 2022 in South Korea, with nearly 3.5 million copies sold.

Before their military service, BTS generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($4 billion) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. That accounts for roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP, according to official data. BTS holds the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify, and became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States. There had been debate over whether BTS should be granted exemptions from military service -- sometimes granted to Olympic medallists and classical artists who win top international awards -- but pop stars do not qualify under South Korean laws. With the lack of public consensus on the matter, the members enlisted individually, beginning in late 2022.

Mondo-Bhalo, Felani, Jhukir Matra, Jibon Gaan, Who Has Made Us Fly, Bhara Badar, 1230, Brindarani's Finger, Ekti cinemar Jonno, Dafan, Swatar, Mangso Kam, Gagan, Atithi, Boba, Odoito, Ashar Alo, Gorjanpurer Bagha, Where the Water Slips and Apasamoy. The grants are being awarded to encourage creativity and support the country's film industry. All productions will be required to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the official notifications.

But in their final argument, prosecutors tore into the defense, saying Combs's team had "contorted the facts endlessly." Prosecutor Maurene Comey told jurors that by the time Combs had committed his clearest-cut offenses, "he was so far past the line he couldn't even see it." "In his mind he was untouchable," she told the court. "The defendant never thought that the women he abused would have the courage to speak out loud what he had done to them." "That ends in this courtroom," she said. "The defendant is not a god." Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo scoffed at the picture painted by prosecutors of a violent, domineering man who fostered "a climate of fear." Combs is a "self-made, successful Black entrepreneur" who had romantic relationships that were "complicated" but consensual, Agnifilo said. The defense has conceded that Combs at times beat his partners -- but insist the domestic violence does not amount to the sex trafficking or racketeering he's charged with.

Key to the prosecution's case were witnesses Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane, both of whom described abuse, threats and coercive sex in wrenching detail. In their closing arguments the defense dissected their accounts and at times even mocked them, insisting the women were adults making choices that were best for them. Speaking for the government on Friday, prosecutor Comey snapped back at that notion, saying the women were "manipulated" into "brazen" acts of sex trafficking. Ventura and Jane both said they experienced emotional manipulation and threats which made them feel obliged to meet Combs's sexual demands. Throughout the trial, jurors were shown voluminous phone records, including messages from both women that Agnifilo argued implied consent. But prosecutors said those messages do not paint the whole picture, and referenced testimony from a forensic psychologist who explained to jurors how victims become ensnared by abusers.

Central to their case is the claim that Combs led a criminal enterprise of senior employees who "existed to serve his needs" and enforced his power with offenses including forced labor, kidnapping, bribery, witness tampering and arson. But Agnifilo underscored that none of those individuals testified against Combs, nor were they named as co-conspirators. Many witnesses were given immunity orders so they could speak without fear of incriminating themselves. To convict Combs on racketeering, jurors must find that prosecutors showed beyond reasonable doubt that he agreed with people within his organization to commit at least two of the eight crimes forming the racketeering charge. On Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian will explain to them how apply the law to the evidence. Then, the eight men and four women will begin deliberating. They must reach a unanimous decision, reaching either a guilty or not guilty verdict on each count.

One of Kneecap's members wore a T-shirt dedicated to the Palestine Action Group, which is about to be banned under UK terror laws. The festival's organisers said Bob Vylan's comments had "very much crossed a line". "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," the festival said in a statement. Avon and Somerset police said Saturday that video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation". The chants about Israel's military were led by Bob Vylan's frontman Bobby Vylan, and were broadcast live on the BBC, which airs coverage of Britain's most popular music festival. "I thought it's appalling," Wes Streeting, the Labour government's health secretary, said of the chants. "I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens," he told Sky News.

The Israel embassy said in a statement late Saturday that "it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival". But Streeting also took aim at the embassy, telling it to "get your own house in order". "I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said, citing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. Festival-goer Joe McCabe, 31, told AFP that while he did not necessarily agree with Vylan's statement, "I certainly think the message of questioning what's going on there (in Gaza) is right". A spokesperson for the BBC said Vylan's comments were "deeply offensive" and the broadcaster had "no plans" to make the performance available on its on-demand service. While the BBC reported that Kneecap's set was not broadcast live over editorial concerns surrounding impartiality, it announced Sunday that an edited version was made available on iPlayer.

It said the edits ensured the content fell within the "limits of artistic expression" in line with its editorial guidelines, and they had put warnings for strong language in the video. Kneecap, which has made headlines in recent months with its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, also led crowds in chanting abuse against UK Prime Minister Starmer. Starmer and other politicians had said the band should not perform after its member Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. He appeared in court this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" after a video resurfaced of a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. O'Hanna has denied the charge and told the Guardian newspaper in an interview published Friday that "it was a joke -- we're playing characters".

The group, which regularly leads crowds in chants of "Free Palestine" during its concerts, apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative lawmakers. Israel began its offensive against Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza after the militants launched an attack that resulted in 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong was awarded best composer for his track "Twenty Three". Fong, who passed away in February, also received the jury award for another album "The Dreamer". K-pop group Hyukoh teamed up with Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and took the best music video prize for the song Antenna, in their album "AAA". Singers, songwriters and composers from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea competed in more than 20 categories at the 36th edition of the awards.

The 61-year-old actor attended the film's premiere in London this week. The property was purchased by Pitt in 2023 for $5.5 million, according to Variety magazine. Pitt is the among the most recent celebrities to have their Los Angeles homes burglarized. About $500,000 of jewelry was allegedly stolen from the home of French striker Olivier Giroud of MLS side Los Angeles FC in a burglary in February. That same month, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's residence was reportedly burglarized.

Law enforcement officials and a forensic psychologist were also among the 34 individuals to take the stand. Combs opted against testifying on his own behalf, a common strategy of defense teams who are not required to prove innocence, only to cast doubt on government allegations of guilt. The government's evidence included thousands of pages of phone and text records, and hours of testimony involved meticulous readings of some of the most explicit and wrenching exchanges. Many of those records appear to indicate distress on the part of the alleged victims. But a lot of the messages also show affection and desire -- texts the defense underscored again and again. Jurors have seen video evidence of the sex parties prosecutors say were criminal, while the defense has exhibited exchanges they said imply consent. Also in evidence are reams of financial records -- including CashApp payments to escorts -- as well as flight and hotel records. - Deliberations up next -

Since early May the proceedings have gripped the Manhattan federal courthouse where they're taking place. And though electronics -- that includes phones, laptops, and even AirPods -- are barred from the building and must be left with security, dozens of influencers and content creators have buzzed around the courthouse's exterior every day, delivering hot takes to eager social media fans. Combs is incarcerated and does not enter or exit the courthouse publicly. But some of the high-profile attendees and witnesses do, including members of the music mogul's family and figures like Kid Cudi, the rapper who testified that Combs's entourage torched his car. The marathon closing arguments are anticipated to wrap up on Friday. There is a slim chance jurors will go into deliberations that afternoon, but legal teams have indicated it's more likely the panel of citizens will get the case on Monday. Then the world waits, as 12 New Yorkers consider the future of a man whose reputation as a dynamic starmaker is now in tatters.

The rapper apologised to victim's family but their lawyer told the court he was "a public danger on the road". He has a string of previous convictions, including for a non-fatal road accident in the southern city of Marseille in 2020. His name also surfaced in relation to the escape of drug trafficker Mohamed Amra which left two prison officers dead in May 2024. Koba LaD was a childhood friend of Amra and was questioned over the case earlier this year. His lawyers dismissed the allegations, saying it was "simply based on nothing" and that a connection was made "because of his notoriety and solely on the grounds that he knows people involved in the case".

Amazon paid nearly $8.45 billion to buy legendary Hollywood studio MGM in 2022, which included distribution rights to Bond's extensive back catalog. But for the subsequent three years, the retail behemoth was met with resistance from Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, the franchise's historic producers who for decades had jealously guarded the governance of one of cinema's most valuable properties. The company run by Jeff Bezos finally reached a financial agreement with the pair in February to take creative control of the franchise. Some fans have expressed concern that the character will be exploited by Amazon through a multitude of new films, or spinoff series that go direct to its streaming platform Prime. Against this backdrop, the choice of Villeneuve, who also directed "Blade Runner 2049" and "Arrival," resonates as a pledge to purists.

"We are honored that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond's next chapter," Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM Studios, said in the statement, noting Villeneuve's track record with "immersive storytelling." "He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself." Villeneuve's two installments of science-fiction saga "Dune" were each nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. "Dune: Part Two," released in 2024, grossed $700 million globally and won Oscars for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. 

Rubaiyat Hossain and Adnan Imtiaz Ahmed produced the film under Khona Talkies Production Company and in co-operation with Cinema Cocoon. A team from Bangladesh is participating in the festival. To pay tribute to their success, the adviser announced that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs will bear the air travel expenses of one of the team and instructed the concerned to take necessary measures.

It praised him as "one of the most recognized and highest-grossing actors of all time" and noted his commitment to performing all of his own stunts. Allen, 75, was recognized for her five-decade career that has included choreographing the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and working on films including 1995 rom-com "Forget Paris." Meanwhile, Thomas was saluted for his production work on titles such as "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing."

"We warmly welcome ARMY fans from around the world who will be visiting the city," said mayor Lee Dong-hwan. Last year's FESTA, held outdoors in scorching heat with midday temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius, drew criticism from fans after dozens reportedly suffered from heat-related illnesses. "I'm so glad this time the FESTA is held indoors," Maria Wojcik, a 28-year-old fan from Poland, told AFP. Fans have also been gathering in Seoul outside the group's agency HYBE's headquarters, which has been wrapped with the slogan "WE ARE BACK". With the fan frenzy in full swing, a Chinese woman was briefly detained, police said Thursday, for a possible attempted break-in at BTS singer Jungkook's luxury apartment in Seoul, just hours after he was released from military service. BTS member J-Hope is set to hold a concert at a nearby venue on the day of the FESTA celebration, and many fans are hoping the recently discharged members will join him on stage for a special performance.

The fans may be excited for a reunion, but no one is more thrilled by the pending return to performance of BTS than their agency, HYBE, which stands to see a sharp rebound in earnings. Before their military service, HYBE's CEO Lee Jae-sang said that the band's contribution to the company's revenue was exactly 95 percent, adding that "as of 2024, it is estimated to be under 20 percent". But analysts are predicting a surge in profits with the group's return. "HYBE recorded its first earnings decline during BTS's military service period, but with the group's full return, profits are expected to grow by around 150 percent over the next two years through 2026," said Lee Ki-hoon, an analyst at Hana Securities. "With BTS resuming a large-scale world tour, HYBE's operating profit is projected to rise 71 percent on-year to 462 billion won ($340 million) next year," Hwang Ji-won from IM Securities told AFP.

The comeback also coincides with signs that China's unofficial ban on Korean pop culture -- imposed in retaliation after Seoul allowed deployment of a US-made THAAD missile defence system -- may be easing under South Korea's new administration. South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung took office after a snap election last week, promising a more pragmatic diplomacy than his hawkish predecessor. If so, experts say concert attendance is expected to soar, with China being a key market for K-pop. "Considering the scale of the tour that was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the pent-up demand, the group (BTS) is expected to draw at least 3 million concertgoers," added Hwang.

After years of active involvement in the media, Foyez Hridoy took a short break. However, his close associates confirm that this pause is part of a larger plan to return with renewed energy and original stories.

“I have four stories ready, and In Sha Allah, I plan to start working on them next year,” Foyez said. “Each project will aim to deliver something meaningful and fresh to the audience.”

The titles of his upcoming dramas are:
"Bijoyer Alo" (Light of Victory), "Dorjar Opare" (Beyond the Door), "Dujoner Jokhon Dui Pante" (When Two Souls Stand Apart), and "Shomoyer Opekkha" (Waiting for Time).
These stories are expected to highlight emotional struggles, social realities, relationship complexities, and the psychological passage of time.

Previously, Foyez Hridoy worked on several acclaimed productions as an assistant director. His notable contributions include Third Chance, Je Kotha Bola Hoyni (The Unspoken Words), Olot-Palot Prem (Topsy-Turvy Love), and Probashi Patro (The Expat Groom). His creative involvement earned praise from both audiences and industry insiders.

Though currently in Kuwait, Foyez is reportedly using the diverse surroundings and reflective solitude of expatriate life to fuel his storytelling. These personal experiences are likely to be reflected in his future work as well.

Industry insiders believe his return will bring a fresh wave of original content to the screen. Audiences, too, remain eagerly optimistic, hoping his new projects will continue the success of his previous contributions.

When asked by reporters what they wanted to do after discharge, both replied, "perform". "What we want most right now is to perform again," said RM. "We're working hard on the new album so we can return to the stage as soon as possible." In total, four BTS members will complete their service this week. Two were discharged last year, and the final member SUGA -- who has been working as a social service agent for alternative non-active-duty service -- will be released later this month. HYBE, the band's agency, urged fans not to go to the discharge location, citing safety concerns. "With the safety of both artists and fans in mind, we strongly urge fans not to go to the location in person," the agency wrote on Weverse, its superfan platform. Despite the warning, dozens of fans gathered outside V's military base, eagerly awaiting the return of their star. "Honestly, I came here with such high expectations," Yang Ho-hee, 28, told AFP outside the base. Fans had hung colourful banners to welcome the 29-year-old back to civilian life.

"Taehyung, let's never be apart again," one said, referring to V's real name, Kim Tae-hyung. "I'll follow only you, Taehyung. We are each other's strength," said another. Near the bases, on a football field where the newly released BTS members spoke, hundreds of fans from around the world gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols. "Actually, it's mixed emotions. I feel like I'm crying already," said Arlene Mendoza, a fan from the Philippines. "I've been travelling to Korea so many times, but this is actually the first time I'll see V." In addition to the army releases, Friday is so-called FESTA -- a celebration that marks the anniversary of the group's debut and typically draws thousands of global fans to Seoul. Mendoza told AFP she plans to attend fellow member J-Hope's concert on Friday, plus join other BTS FESTA events. All the band members signed new contracts with HYBE in 2023, and once SUGA is released on June 21, analysts expect profit-driving reunion activities.

"In the case of HYBE share prices, the current market consensus is seen as not fully reflecting BTS's impact," Lim Soo-jin, an analyst at Daishin Securities, told AFP. Despite an ongoing police investigation into the company chairman for suspected insider trading and a recent raid by authorities, analysts say HYBE's shares are up, rising by 10 percent over the past week through June 9. Prior to their mandatory military service, the boy band generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($4 billion) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. That accounts for roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP, according to official data. HYBE has hinted at a BTS comeback this year, but has also said the members "need time for reflection and preparation".

"Normally, the process goes from song production to album release, then a tour," Lee Jae-sang, CEO of HYBE, told a shareholder meeting in March. "But since BTS have already become global top-tier artists, we are continuing discussions about their vision and what's next," Lee added. Outside HYBE headquarters in Seoul, banners from fans read: "Thank you for making even the waiting feel joyful." The building was wrapped with the slogan "WE ARE BACK", the official logo for the upcoming BTS FESTA. HYBE shares opened nearly three percent higher Tuesday morning, reaching their highest level in two years.

But he retreated to the shadows in the early 1970s, emerging sporadically for unfulfilling concert tours, erratic TV appearances and a flopped 2006 reunion on the Grammy Awards stage. An effervescent hybrid of psychedelic soul, hippie consciousness, bluesy funk and rock built on Black gospel, Stone's music proved to be a melodic powerhouse that attracted millions during a golden age of exploratory pop -- until it fell apart in a spiral of drug use. Over the course of five years, his diverse sound cooperative left an indelible impact, from the group's debut 1967 hit "Dance to the Music" and their first of three number one songs, "Everyday People" a year later, to the 1970s rhythm and blues masterpiece "If You Want Me To Stay." For many, Sly was a musical genius creating the sound of the future. It was "like seeing a Black version of the Beatles," funk legend George Clinton told CBS News of his longtime friend's stage presence.

"He had the sensibility of the street, the church, and then like the qualities of a Motown," Clinton added. "He was all of that in one person." The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the band in 1993, saying: "Their songs were more than danceable hits -- they were a force for positive change." But Stone struggled to contain the forces and pressures that came with fame. He slid into addiction. He missed concerts. His musical output, once bankable, became erratic. The music, though, proved extraordinarily influential, laying the groundwork for Prince, Miles Davis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and OutKast. By 1973, the band imploded. Asked why by talk show host David Letterman a decade later, the elusive star was cryptic: "I couldn't make all the gigs, is what happened." Multiple drug-related arrests followed. By 2011, he was homeless and living in a van. In his 2023 memoir, Stone acknowledged he was lost in a deluge of cocaine and PCP, but that he finally went clean in 2019. Drugs gave him "confidence" and energy, he wrote.

But he regretted "the way I let drugs run my life," he added. "I thought I could control them but then at some point they were controlling me." Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart on March 15, 1943 in Denton, Texas. His parents moved the family to San Francisco's suburbs, and built ties with the Church of God in Christ. He was a musical prodigy; by age seven, Stone was proficient at keyboards, and by 11, he played guitar, bass and drums. He sang gospel in church with his sisters and joined high school bands. Stone studied music at California's Solano Community College, worked as a disc jockey and became a songwriter and record producer. He played keyboards for Marvin Gaye. By 1966 Sly and the Family Stone had emerged, with brother Freddie on guitar and vocals, and sisters Rose on keyboards and Vaetta on background vocals. White musicians Greg Errico on drums and saxophonist Jerry Martini joined them, at a time when such integration was rare. Their first album fell flat. But when influential music executive Clive Davis urged Stone to make a more commercial record, the band stormed up the charts in 1968, with "Everyday People" reaching number one.

"We got to live together," Stone belted out. It was a period of tumult in America, with civil rights showdowns, Martin Luther King Jr's assassination and anti-war riots. "I was scared. At the time it was almost too much all at once," Stone, who is survived by a son and two daughters, once told an interviewer. In 1969, Stone and his band released the album "Stand!" It was a commercial triumph including the summer smash of the same name that became a touchstone for Black empowerment. That year, they played a frenetic post-midnight set before half a million people at Woodstock. More than a generation later, the 2025 documentary "SLY LIVES: AKA, the Burden of Black Genius" shed light on one of soul music's groundbreaking figures. "Sly opened the floodgates for all musicians of color," music producer Terry Lewis said in the film, "to just do whatever they felt like."

The Daily Tribunal: What message were you hoping to convey through “Byathar Bagan”?

Iffat Jahan Momo: The story teaches us that one setback in life doesn’t define our entire journey. Being betrayed once in love doesn’t mean love won’t find you again. Family, friends—these relationships are our greatest strength. With this work, I wanted to show that someone will come into your life who truly loves you, cares for you, and stands by you.

The Daily Tribunal: What was the biggest challenge in adapting Kinkar Ahsan’s story into a drama?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Honestly, it wasn’t too challenging. His storytelling is always simple and heartfelt. He speaks directly to the audience's emotions, which is his greatest strength.

The Daily Tribunal: Do you consider yourself a socially conscious filmmaker?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Absolutely. I believe it’s crucial for a filmmaker to be responsible. Our creations influence people’s subconscious. So, I always try to embed a message in my work. For instance, during this Eid, I made Is It Her Fault?, which highlights women’s safety and freedom.

The Daily Tribunal: When making a web fiction, what element do you prioritize the most—story, acting, or dialogue?

Iffat Jahan Momo: All three are equally important. A powerful story, compelling performances, and impactful dialogues together make a work memorable.

The Daily Tribunal: How was your experience working with Tausif Mahbub and Aisha Khan?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Wonderful! Tausif bhai deserves special mention. Even though he’s a star, he’s humble and professional. During a shoot in the kans grass field, his expensive shoes got ruined, yet he never once complained. That kind of dedication is admirable.

The Daily Tribunal: Do you personally select your cast, or rely on your team?

Iffat Jahan Momo: It’s a mix of both. I consider what the story needs and what the audience wants. We create content for viewers, but I also try to bring something new and refreshing based on the narrative.

The Daily Tribunal: As a director, how much creative freedom do you give to your actors?

Iffat Jahan Momo: As a director, I believe “freedom of acting” is actually teamwork. The more directors and actors collaborate as a team, the better the output.

The Daily Tribunal: What factors do you consider when selecting a story?

Iffat Jahan Momo: I look at the message, the realism, and how well it connects with the audience. If viewers can find themselves in the story, that’s the biggest success.

The Daily Tribunal: How do you make a story resonate with viewers—through visuals or emotion?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Both. If a work doesn’t touch the heart, it won’t last.

The Daily Tribunal: You often focus on love and emotional struggles. Is there a personal reason behind this?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Definitely. These stories come from my own experiences or those of people around me. The emotions are real, and that’s where the storytelling begins.

The Daily Tribunal: How has the audience responded to your works “Muntasir” and “Byathar Bagan”?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Both received great responses. But they can’t really be compared. Muntasir is a full-length film addressing male sexual harassment, while Byathar Bagan is a drama fiction. Despite the format differences, I’m grateful for the love from the audience.

The Daily Tribunal: Have you faced any criticism or misunderstandings regarding these works?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Not really. I haven’t faced any serious misunderstandings so far. The audience has always supported me.

The Daily Tribunal: What kind of stories are you interested in making in the future?

Iffat Jahan Momo: I plan to make commercial films. My goal is to release a feature film by 2026. Of course, I’ll continue working on dramas, short films, and advertisements alongside.

The Daily Tribunal: If there were no budget limitations, what kind of project would you create?

Iffat Jahan Momo: I would definitely make a large-scale, internationally styled film—one that combines story, technology, and craft to give audiences a truly new experience.

The Daily Tribunal: Who or what is your biggest inspiration as a filmmaker?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Myself. I come from a conservative family, with no one to help me enter this industry. My struggles and experiences are my true inspiration.

The Daily Tribunal: As a female director, what has your industry experience been like?

Iffat Jahan Momo: I don’t believe in gender discrimination. I don’t see directors as male or female. Everyone has to struggle. Nothing worthwhile comes without challenges.

The Daily Tribunal: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?

Iffat Jahan Momo: I don’t like giving advice. Today’s newcomers are smart. I believe in learning through experience—even through failure.

The Daily Tribunal: Do you believe a story can change society?

Iffat Jahan Momo: Absolutely. Stories are powerful. What people see influences how they think—and that’s the beginning of change.

The Daily Tribunal: While creating, what kind of emotional state do you find yourself in?

Iffat Jahan Momo: All directors are emotional. Our experiences, the people around us, love, pain—it all comes through in our work. We are constantly reborn through our stories.

To Iffat Jahan Momo, filmmaking is not just a profession—it is a soulful journey. A strong believer in teamwork, sincerity, and emotional truth, she continues to prove that with dedication and vision, even limitations can lead to greatness. Her upcoming ventures are sure to be met with eager anticipation.

Since taking power in January, US President Donald Trump has delivered on campaign promises to tighten immigration controls and carry out a mass deportation drive -- aspects of which have been challenged in US courts. Lame holds top spot on the wildly popular TikTok social media app, with 162.2 million followers and has risen to fame for his short silent videos mocking the convoluted tutorials and tips that abound on the internet. He punctuates his videos with a trademark gesture -- palms turned towards the sky, accompanied by a knowing smile and wide eyes -- as he offers his own simple remedies. The idea for his content came to him while wandering around the housing project where his family lived in Chivasso, near Turin, after losing his factory mechanic's job in March 2020. His posts took off -- helping him gross an estimated $16.5 million through marketing deals with companies in the period between June 2022 and September 2023, according to Forbes.

Harry and Meghan have lived in California since stepping back from royal duties in 2020. Since then, they’ve publicly criticised the monarchy through interviews, a Netflix series, and Harry’s memoir Spare. These actions have further strained Harry’s ties with the royal family, particularly with his father, King Charles III, and brother, Prince William. In a recent BBC interview, Harry expressed a desire for reconciliation, although his relationship with King Charles remains difficult, especially amid disagreements over security during his visits to the UK.

Jessie J said she felt it was important to speak publicly about her diagnosis. “I wanted to be open about it. Partly because I haven’t really talked about it — I’m not processing it because I’m so busy. But also, in the past, sharing things has helped me through the love and support I’ve received, and hearing other people’s stories. I’m an open book,” she said. “It breaks my heart knowing so many others are going through the same or worse — that’s what hurts the most.” The Grammy-nominated artist is known for her powerhouse vocals and chart-topping hits, including “Bang Bang” with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande, and “Domino.” She has released five albums, the most recent being 2018’s This Christmas Day.

Jessie J has been releasing new music in 2025, including singles like “Living My Best Life” and “No Secrets,” and is expected to release a new album later this year. She is also the mother of a son, Sky Safir Cornish Colman, born in 2023. A representative for the singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

‘Sardaarji 3’ Poster Teases Vibes of ‘Stree’

Diljit Dosanjh took to Instagram to announce his next big-screen outing with a motion poster reveal. At the centre stands Diljit, wearing his signature grin, while a circle of veiled women surrounds him. Their faces hidden under traditional ghoonghats add an eerie stillness to the otherwise vibrant frame. The setup hints at an offbeat ride packed with energy, humour, and a fantastical edge. Viewers were quick to pick up on the familiarity. The imagery sparked instant comparisons with ‘Stree’ (2018), known for blending supernatural suspense with quirky charm. From the veiled female figures to the comedic undertone, the parallels felt unmistakable. Diljit’s caption deepened that impression. He playfully hinted that ghosts might shiver and witches could demand kisses. He sums it all up with three simple cues: goosebumps, laughter, and love. His words suggest a chaotic mix of romance, comedy, and spooky fun, much like Stree’s winning formula.

Audience Reaction

The unveiled poster has stirred anticipation across social media. Its eerie composition hints at more than just light-hearted fun. Shadows, mystery, and hidden identities suggest a darker twist woven into the familiar comic framework. The poster marks a significant moment for the beloved Punjabi franchise’s third chapter. The announcement came with the promise of an upcoming teaser, further intensifying the buzz. With visuals pointing to a ghostly edge, audiences are now awaiting what appears to be a bold return to the genre’s spooky roots.

A Brief Journey to the Sardaarji franchise

The franchise began its journey in 2015 with a mix of fantasy, horror, and comedy, an unusual blend for Punjabi cinema at the time. Directed by Rohit Jugraj, the first installment starred Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, and Mandy Takhar in key roles. Its imaginative storyline and genre-defying tone marked it as one of the pioneering fantasy ventures in the regional film industry.The second chapter arrived just a year later, in 2016. Though set in the same universe, it functioned as a standalone sequel. Dosanjh took on a triple role, showcasing his comic timing and screen presence with support from Monica Gill and Sonam Bajwa. Rohit Jugraj Chauhan returned to direct, continuing the blend of absurdity and thrill that defined the original. The upcoming third part signals a new chapter with director Amar Hundal taking the reins. The cast expands to include familiar and fresh faces: Neeru, Manav Vij, Saleem Albela, Nasir Chinyoti, and Monica Sharma. Initial speculation surrounded the involvement of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. Dosanjh later addressed it quietly, indicating her absence from the project. Adding to the anticipation is the reunion of Dosanjh and Neeru, coming on the heels of their recent success ‘Jatt & Juliet 3’ (2024). Their dynamic has consistently drawn audiences, and their return promises yet another engaging on-screen pairing.

Wrap Up

‘Sardaarji 3’ first look vibing Stree's horror comedy sparked instant excitement. Audiences responded with enthusiasm as the poster teased suspense and humour. While Hania Aamir’s rumoured role was ruled out, Neeru Bajwa returns, reprising her part from the original film. With Diljit Dosanjh at the centre, the franchise gears up for another thrilling entry. The film series is poised to bear an influential imprint on the Punjabi film industry.

“Cultural activists across various fields – including theatre, music, painting – have long operated with minimal resources. We strongly believe such an allocation is vital for sustainable financial support, infrastructure development, and research-based cultural practice,” the statement added. Signed by TAAD President Azad Abul Kalam and Secretary General Saif Suman, the statement further urged the government to view culture not as a luxury, but as a fundamental component of nation-building. “We call on the government to ensure proper and effective allocation to the cultural sector so that its growth and development are not hindered,” it said.

Earlier, on April 18, TAAD organised a seminar titled “Budget Review and Proposals in the Cultural Sector” at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The event featured prominent cultural figures including actor Mamunur Rashid, dancer and researcher Lubna Mariam, musicians Sujit Mostofa and Sheikh Jasim, reciter Golam Sarwar, art critic Moinuddin Khaled, photographer KM Jahangir Alam, instrumentalist Ripon Khan, and Dhaka University professor and budget analyst Dr M Abu Yusuf.

"There was this energy where people wanted to produce and create, not just in cinema, but in all the arts, you could feel it," said Zawya founder Youssef Shazli. In the time since, it has escaped a wave of closures -- some forced -- of art centres across the capital. Egypt had long been known as the Hollywood of the Arab world, but in the decades since its mid-century heyday, the domestic industry has largely been restricted to crowd-pleasing blockbusters.

"It's often said that we're lucky to have a large film industry, with infrastructure already in place," said filmmaker Maged Nader. "But the truth is this industry operates solely on a commercial logic," leaving little room for independent filmmakers, he added. Yet Zawya has survived in its niche, in part due to the relative financial stability afforded to it by its parent company Misr International Films.

Founded in 1972 by Egyptian cinematic giant Youssef Chahine -- Shazli's great uncle -- the company continues to produce and distribute films. For Shazli, Zawya is "a cinema for films that don't fit into traditional theatres". But for young cinephiles like 24-year-old actress Lujain, "it feels like home," she told AFP as she joined a winding queue into the larger of Zawya's two theatres. Since 2014, Zawya's year-round programming -- including both local and international short films, documentaries and feature films -- has secured the loyalty of a small but passionate scene.

Its annual short film festival, held every spring, has become a vital space for up-and-coming directors trying to break through a system that leaves little room for experimentation. "I didn't even consider myself a filmmaker until Zawya screened my short," said Michael Samuel, 24, who works in advertising but says the cinema rekindled his artistic ambition. For many, that validation keeps them going. "Zawya has encouraged more people to produce these films because they finally have somewhere to be seen," said the cinema's manager, Mohamed Said.

When Mostafa Gerbeii, a self-taught filmmaker, was looking for a set for his first film shoot, he also turned to the cinema. Without a studio or a budget, Zawya "just lent us their hall for free for a whole day", he said, saving the young director 100,000 Egyptian pounds (around $2,000) to rent a location. The light of its marquee spilling onto downtown Cairo's Emad al-Din Street, Zawya is the 21st-century heir to a long artistic tradition that still lingers, though often hidden away in corners of the district's broad avenues. "It's a unique neighbourhood with an equally unique flavour of artistic and intellectual life," said Chihab El Khachab, a professor at the University of Oxford and author of the book "Making Film in Egypt".

Starting in the late 19th century, the area was home to the city's biggest theatres and cabarets, launching the careers of the Arab world's most celebrated singers and actors. Today, its arteries flowing out of Tahrir square -- the heart of the 2011 uprising -- the neighbourhood is home to new-age coworking spaces and galleries, side by side with century-old theatres and bars. Yet even as it withstands the hegemony of mall multiplexes, Zawya cannot escape Egypt's pervasive censorship laws. Like every cinema in Egypt, each film must pass through a state censors before screening.

"Over time, you learn to predict what will slide and what won't," Shazli said. But even the censors' scissors have failed to cut off the stream of ambition among burgeoning filmmakers. "Around Zawya, there's a lot of talent -- in every corner," Shazli said. "But what I wonder is: are there as many opportunities as there is talent? That's the real issue we need to address."

In a recent heartfelt Facebook post, he wrote:

“It’s the silver jubilee (2000–2025) of my hosting career! I’ve devoted 25 years of my life to this craft and received much in return. Hosting made me a star—something rare in this country and in this industry.”

This statement reflects the self-assurance of an accomplished artist, his dedication, and the dignity he maintains toward his profession.

Debashish stepped into the hosting scene at a time when Bangladeshi television was still largely formal and limited in style. With his charismatic presence, fluent delivery, and sharp wit, he quickly stood out from the crowd. Shows like Pother Pachali, Star Night, CloseUp One, Music Train and others became known for his energetic and modern approach to presenting.

In the early 2000s, TV presenters were rarely considered celebrities. They were voices behind the scenes, not faces in the spotlight. Debashish Biswas shattered that mold. With his confidence, charisma, and sharp stage presence, he transformed the host into the main attraction.

Thanks to him, today's audiences often tune in just to see who’s hosting. That shift—where the host is not just a facilitator but a star in their own right—owes much to his pioneering influence.

As Debashish himself stated:

“Only a handful of us introduced modern flair to this industry, breaking away from conventional formats.”

From fashion sense and body language to vocal delivery and command over the camera—he brought an undeniable polish to Bangladeshi hosting. Many would agree: “When he appears on screen, the show comes alive.”

In his recent post, Debashish made a pointed remark:

“Never in my 25-year career did I have to ask vulgar or irrelevant questions to guests or fall back on potatoes, gourds, eggplants, cucumbers, ridged gourds, bananas or radishes!”

While humorous on the surface, this line directly critiques a worrying trend in modern talk shows where sensationalism often overrides substance and respect. Debashish’s statement is a firm reminder that good hosting blends intelligence with decency—not controversy for the sake of virality.

Debashish Biswas is not only an iconic host—he’s also a successful film director. His notable works include Shoshurbari Zindabad, Shuvo Bibaho, Bhalobasha Zindabad, Cholo Palai, and Shoshurbari Zindabad 2. These films earned box office success and public love, proving his versatility in the entertainment world. He is currently working on a new film titled Tumi Jekhane Ami Shekhane.

Balancing both careers—hosting and filmmaking—is no easy feat. Yet, Debashish has managed to do it with grace, proving himself as a multifaceted artist.

To remain relevant and admired in the ever-changing media landscape for 25 years requires more than talent. It takes discipline, adaptability, and a strong ethical foundation. Debashish Biswas has shown that a host can grow with time, learn, refine, and inspire the next generation.

Today, many young TV hosts openly say that they’ve looked up to him—learning the importance of poise, timing, and respect for both audience and guests.

Debashish Biswas’s silver jubilee is more than just a personal milestone; it’s a celebratory moment for the entire Bangladeshi television industry. He has shown that hosting can be glamorous, influential, and meaningful—when done with passion and integrity.

If the hosting industry in Bangladesh now commands respect and admiration, Debashish Biswas is undoubtedly one of its architects.

The title of the exhibition Signature Strokes is displaying more than 50 realistic and abstract artworks of 30 artists, promoting preservation and beauty of nature and artists’ social commitment.

Artists, including Abdul Halim, Ahsan Ahmed, Afsana Siddika Shuchi, Dulal Chandra Das, Dipro Bonik, Tareq Ahmed, Tarin Neera and Zahid Khan have participated in the exhibition.

The artworks were created in acrylic on canvas, watercolours and mixed media on paper. Besides, some prints of various artists and an installation by Md Ajrof Al Sami have also been displayed in the exhibition.  

The artist group Signature Strokes has been formed during organising this exhibition. We would like to focus on spreading art across communities, inspiring artistic expression, fostering cultural appreciation and nurturing a deep love for the arts, said Dipro Banik, an organiser of the group.

We also aim to break down barriers and bring art by organising engaging events, workshops and outreach programmes to celebrate diverse artistic forms, said Tareq Ahmed, another organiser of the group.  

He said that they would advocate for the importance of art education and its positive impact on personal development, mental well-being and social cohesion and collaborations with artists, art organisations, business organisations and educational institutions.

The exhibition, inaugurated on May 23, will conclude today.

Ophuls, who was the son of renowned German Jewish director Max Ophuls, "died peacefully on May 24", his grandson Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert said in a statement sent to AFP.

Ophuls rocked France with 1969's "The Sorrow and the Pity", about the occupied French provincial city of Clermont Ferrand during the time of the collaborationist Vichy regime.

It quietly demolished one of the country's most cherished myths -- that France and the French had always resisted the Germans -- and was banned from public television until 1981.

Through a jigsaw of interviews and newsreels, it showed how collaboration with the Nazis was widespread, from the humblest hairdresser to the top of high society.

Ophuls played down his feat, stressing that he was not trying to judge France, and was just working on a TV commission.

"For 40 years, I've had to put up with all this bullshit about it being a prosecutorial film. It doesn't attempt to prosecute the French," he insisted.

"Who can say their nation would have behaved better in the same circumstances?" he added.

Despite being over four hours long, his film struck a chord with a generation, drawing crowds to the cinemas at a time when documentaries were rarely shown on the big screen.

- Fled Nazis -

Ophuls was born Hans Marcel Oppenheimer in Frankfurt, Germany on November 1, 1927, to German actress Hilde Wall and director Max Ophuls.

He fled for France with his father and the film directors Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang, before escaping across the Pyrenees mountains and arriving in the United States in 1941.

He grew up in Hollywood, going on to serve as a GI in Japan in 1946. Returning to France in 1950, he started out as an assistant director, working on his father's last film "Lola Montes" in 1955.

He made an unsuccessful entry into fiction with "Banana Skin" in 1963, starring the star duo of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jeanne Moreau, before shifting to documentary when hired by French public television.

"Hotel Terminus - The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie" won him an Oscar for best documentary in 1989.

But his 1994 documentary "The Troubles We've Seen", about war reporting in Bosnia, was a commercial flop.

He spent several years afterwards holed up in southern France not working. His return with "Un voyageur", a travelogue, in 2013, packed the cinema at the Cannes Film Festival.

He was philosophical about the influence of his father.

"It helped me to get work. More than anything, it helped me to be modest about my achievements. I was born under the shadow of a genius, and that spared me from being vain," he said.

His first feature-length film follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein's birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty.

It is the early 1990s, the country is under crippling UN sanctions, and she and her grandmother can barely afford to eat.

The pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients.

Hadi dedicated his Camera d'Or award, which honours first-time directors, to "every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship and joy amid war, sanctions and dictatorship.

"You are the real heroes," he said.

He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival's Palme D'Or top prize for his "It Was Just an Accident", the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail.

"The President's Cake" has received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors' Fortnight section. Cinema bible Variety called it a "tragicomic gem".

Deadline said it was "head and shoulders above" some of the films in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize, and "could turn out to be Iraq's first nominee for an Oscar".

- Palestinian films -

Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film "I'm Glad You're Dead Now".

After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza.

"In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip," he said.

US President Donald Trump sparked controversy this year by saying he wanted to turn the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

Outside the main competition, Gazan twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser on Friday received a directing award in the Certain Regard parallel section for "Once Upon A Time In Gaza".

One of them dedicated the award to Palestinians, especially those living in their homeland of Gaza, which they left in 2012.

He said that, when they hesitated to return to Cannes to receive the prize, his mother had encouraged him to go and tell the world about the suffering of people in Gaza.

"She said, 'No, no, no, you have to go. Tell them to stop the genocide'," he said.

Amnesty International last month said Israel was carrying out a "live-streamed genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza, claims Israel dismissed as "blatant lies".

The latest film from the 64-year-old, "It Was Just an Accident", tells the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail.

The core of the provocative and wry drama examines the moral dilemma faced by people if they are given an opportunity to take revenge on their oppressors.

Panahi, who was banned from making films in 2010 and has been imprisoned twice, used his own experiences in jail to write the screenplay.

"Let's set aside all problems, all differences. What matters most right now is our country and the freedom of our country," he told the VIP-studded audience on the French Riviera.

The leading light in the Iranian New Wave cinema movement has vowed to return to Tehran after the Cannes Festival, despite the risks of prosecution.

When asked on Saturday evening if he was worried about flying home, he replied: "Not at all. Tomorrow we are leaving."

Iran was shaken by the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in 2022 sparked by after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for allegedly flouting dress rules for women.

The demonstrations were quashed in a crackdown that saw thousands detained, according to the United Nations, and hundreds shot dead by security forces, according to activists.

- Fairytale -

Among the other Cannes awards, Brazil's Wagner Moura -- best known for playing Pablo Escobar in "Narcos" -- picked up the best actor award for his performance in police thriller "The Secret Agent".

Its director, Kleber Mendonca Filho, also won the best director prize, making it a good evening for Brazil.

France's Nadia Melliti continued her fairytale fortnight in Cannes by clinching the gong for best actress.

Melliti, who had never appeared in a film before, plays a 17-year-old Muslim girl struggling with her homosexuality in Hafsia Herzi's "The Little Sister".

The keen football player of Algerian descent was spotted by a casting agent near a shopping mall in central Paris.

"Sentimental Value" by Norway's Joachim Trier, a moving family drama given a 19-minute standing ovation on Thursday, picked up the second prize Grand Prix.

- Sabotage -

Saturday's closing ceremony was the final act of a drama-filled day in Cannes that saw the glitzy seaside resort suffer a more than five-hour power cut.

The outage knocked out traffic lights and had visitors and locals scrambling for paper money because cash machines were out-of-order and restaurants were unable to process card payments.

Local officials said a suspected arson attack on a substation and vandalism of an electricity pylon had caused the disruption.

"Who is going to do my hair? There's no electricity, oh my God, I'm like in a panic attack," Mahra Lutfi, Miss Universe UAE, told AFP as she prepared to walk the red carpet.

German director Mascha Schilinski joked that she had "had difficulty writing her speech" because of the black-out as she accepted a special jury prize for her widely praised "Sound of Falling".

- Politics -

Panahi has won a host of prizes at European film festivals and showcased his debut film "The White Balloon" in Cannes in 1995 which won an award for best first feature.

The head of the Cannes 2025 jury, French actress Juliette Binoche, paid tribute to "It Was Just an Accident".

"This is a film that emerges from a place of resistance, a place of survival, and it felt essential to bring it put it on top today," she told reporters afterwards.

Iran's state IRNA news agency hailed Panahi's award, which is the second for an Iranian director.

"The world's largest film festival made history for Iranian cinema," it report, recalling the first win in 1997 by Abbas Kiarostami, who was also banned and jailed.

Panahi has always refused to stop making films and his efforts to smuggle them out to foreign distributors and film festivals has become the stuff of legend.

A year after being handed a 20-year ban on filmmaking in 2010 he dispatched a documentary with the cheeky title "This is Not a Film" to the Cannes Festival on a flash drive stashed in a cake.

"I'm alive as long as I'm making films. If I'm not making films, then what happens to me no longer matters," he told AFP this week.

About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell Saturday morning, electricity network operator RTE said on X. The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid.

Cannes Film Festival organizers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday and said the Palais des Festivals - the Croisette's main venue - had switched to an independent power supply.

"All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions," the statement said. "At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway."

Still, screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival's satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added.

Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10 a.m., leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train service in Cannes was also disrupted.

Authorities said restoration efforts were ongoing and urged residents to remain cautious during travel.

The casts and directors of the 22 films selected for the main competition are anxiously waiting to hear if they have won prizes, above all the Palme d'Or for best film.

AFP looks back at some of the highlights of the last 11 days ahead of the start of the closing ceremony at 1640 GMT:

- Competition favourites -

The Palme d'Or is famously difficult to predict, but critics' favourites include dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" and family drama "Sentimental Value" by Norway's Joachim Trier.

Trier's film earned an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation on Thursday.

"Two Prosecutors", a study of despotism by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, is also highly rated, as is Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague" about French director Jean-Luc Godard.

- Red carpet dress code -

The festival began on May 13 with a flap about a new dress code which states that extravagantly large dresses are prohibited on the red carpet, as well as "total nudity".

Oscar-winner Halle Berry was the first victim, with the "Monster's Ball" star forced into a wardrobe change for the opening ceremony because her dress was too long.

Although many people seemed to flout the guidelines, Indian model and influencer Snigdha Baruah was forced to remove a flowing train from her dress having been barred by security at the VIP entrance.

- #MeToo -

After years of scandals in the film industry and pressure to take a stand, the festival announced a new #MeToo policy by barring an actor in a prominent French film from the red carpet because of rape allegations.

Theo Navarro-Mussy, who appears in "Dossier 137", denies the allegations and an initial police investigation was closed last month.

This year's gathering on the Riviera marked a step in the rehabilitation of scandal-plagued star Kevin Spacey, however, who accepted a lifetime achievement award at a charity gala.

Australian legend Nicole Kidman meanwhile issued a plea for more women directors, saying their number was still "incredibly low".

Only three women have ever won a Palme d'Or.
- Actors-turned-directors -

A trio of actors made their highly anticipated directorial debuts, with differing fortunes.

"Babygirl" actor Harris Dickinson, 28, and "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart, 35, left Cannes with praise ringing in their ears for their films, "Urchin" and "The Chronology of Water".

Reviews for Scarlett Johansson's first turn behind the camera, "Eleanor the Great", would have made for more difficult reading.

- Gaza war -

There was no escaping the war in Gaza this year. Hundreds of film figures signed an open letter on the eve of the festival calling on the movie industry to call out "genocide".

Iranian film maker Sepideh Farsi's heart-wrenching documentary about slain Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, killed in an Israeli air strike on her home in Gaza last month, left its audience in stunned silence when it premiered on May 15.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange walked the red carpet wearing a t-shirt bearing the names of killed Gaza children as he promoted a documentary about his life this week.

- Trump era -

Amid the champagne and air kisses, US President Donald Trump was also focusing minds, particularly in the Cannes film market where the deals are cut for new projects.

Trump's pledge to implement 100-percent tariffs on movies "produced in foreign lands" provoked a mixture of horror, disbelief and mockery from industry insiders.

"I can't find myself taking it very seriously. It's just too surreal," American director Wes Anderson told AFP.

"Taxi Driver" star Robert De Niro slammed "America's philistine president" in his opening ceremony speech.

- Cruise show -

Tom Cruise swept into Cannes on a steamroller of hype around "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" which premiered to mixed reviews in the first week.

Director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that Cruise -- who does his own stunts -- took his risk-taking a little far during a shoot in South Africa and could have died.

"He was laying on the wing of the plane. His arms were hanging over the front of the wing. We could not tell if he was conscious or not," said the US filmmaker.

- Palm down -

The reaction of French emergency services was one of the biggest talking points among attendees this year after a man was knocked down by a falling palm tree in a freak accident on the sea-front Cannes boulevard.

He was whisked to hospital suffering from injuries, only to be discharged several days later to return home.

Here is a list of the titles vying for the Palme d'Or, which will be awarded by this year's jury president Juliette Binoche and her seven fellow judges including Oscar-winner Halle Berry and "Succession" star Jeremy Strong.

- 'A Simple Accident' by Jafar Panahi (Iran) -

A highly political but wry tale of four ordinary Iranians confronted with a man they believed tortured them in jail.

"We let the viewer decide for themselves, asking what would they do in that situation?" Panahi told AFP about his film, which was shot in secret.

- 'Sentimental Value' by Joachim Trier (Norway) -

A moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning that got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere.

The director's last feature, "The Worst Person in the World", also premiered at Cannes in 2021 without winning, but many critics see this as the 2025 frontrunner.

- 'Two Prosecutors' by Sergei Loznitsa (Ukraine) -

The maker of the 2018 "Donbass" documentary about the war in eastern Ukraine returns with a feature film about an idealistic young prosecutor working in the 1930s USSR during Stalin's purges.

Loznitsa told AFP that contemporary Russia "is different from Soviet society in the 20th century, but the essence is the same".

- 'Eagles of the Republic' by Tarik Saleh (Sweden/Egypt) -

A thriller about an adored Egyptian actor forced to make a propaganda film that takes direct aim at the country's real-life sitting president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"This film is not a satire - unfortunately," Saleh told journalists.

- 'Young Mothers' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium) -

The Belgian brothers, who have already won the Palme d'Or for best film twice, tell the story of five teenage mothers grappling to adapt to their new responsibilities in their native Belgium.

The Guardian newspaper gave the film a rare five-star review, calling it a "poignant, compassionate work of unforced social realism".

- 'Sound of Falling' by Mascha Schilinski (Germany) -

A haunting tale of trauma featuring four generations of women growing up on a farm house in east Germany.

Schilinski is little known, but her film became an early favourite, with the Hollywood Reporter saying it was a "movie that resembles nothing you've quite seen before".

- 'Nouvelle Vague' by Richard Linklater (US) -

A feel-good drama, stylishly filmed in black and white, that reimagines the filming of Jean-Luc Godard's all-time cinema classic "Breathless" in Paris in 1959.

The Hollywood Reporter has described it as a "charming and well-researched homage".

- 'Sirat' by Oliver Laxe (Spain) -

A genre-twisting road movie with echoes of cult classic "Mad Max", this inventive story with several dramatic twists is set amid the travelling rave community in Morocco.

Set to a thumping soundtrack, it had some viewers in raptures, but even director Oliver Laxe acknowledged that it wouldn't please everyone because of its experimental nature.

- 'The Mastermind' by Kelly Reichardt (United States) -

British star of "The Crown" Josh O'Connor plays a young father with a questionable plan for an art heist in a tale set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the women's liberation movement.

Variety praised it as "gorgeously rumpled", while The Guardian said it was "engrossingly downbeat".

- 'The History of Sound' by Oliver Hermanus (South Africa) -

O'Connor stars again, this time alongside Irish actor Paul Mescal, in a period drama that tells the story of two musicians who fall in love while recording American folk songs in the 1910s.

Variety has described the film as "'Brokeback Mountain' on sedatives", but Mescal called such comparisons to the 2005 film "lazy and frustrating".

- 'Die My Love' by Lynne Ramsay (Britain) -

A stifling portrait of mental health problems featuring Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence as young parents.

Lawrence delivers an unsettling performance as a mentally ill mother, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the role in pursuit of a Best Actress award.

- 'Romeria' by Carla Simon (Spain) -

The Spanish director returns to her traumatic childhood with a story featuring an 18-year-old unravelling her biological parents' drug-using past thanks to a diary and slip-ups from a band of newly discovered relatives.

- 'The Phoenician Scheme' by Wes Anderson (United States) -

A typical madcap comedy-drama by the American director about a maverick European tycoon, with an A-list cast including Benicio Del Toro, Scarlett Johansson and Mia Threapleton, Kate Winslet's daughter.

- 'Renoir' by Chie Hayakawa (Japan) -

A prepubescent girl flirts with amateur parapsychology and dial-up telephone dating during one tough 1980s summer as her father lies dying in hospital.

- 'The Secret Agent' by Kleber Mendonca Filho (Brazil) -

A man is hunted for mysterious reasons during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1970s in this thriller that has been tipped for glory by some critics.

- 'The Last One' by Hafsia Herzi (France) -

A third film from actor-turned-director Herzi, this is a coming-of-age tale centred on a teenage Muslim girl in Paris who faces a struggle with her identity and religion as she explores her homosexuality.

Winner of the Queer Palm on Friday which is awarded to the best film with a LGBTQ theme.

- 'Eddington' by Ari Aster (US) -

Joaquin Phoenix stars in this darkly satirical and violent take on America's culture wars set in a small New Mexico town.

- 'Alpha' by Julia Ducournau (France) -

Critics were left disappointed by the French director's latest film about a young girl confronted with an epidemic in the 1980s, four years after she won the Palme d'Or with "Titane".

- 'Woman and Child' by Saeed Roustaee (Iran) -

Roustaee's last film in Cannes three years ago landed him with a suspended jail term back home, while this feature about a widow in Tehran has approval from Iran's censors and struggles for depth and realism.

- 'Dossier 137' by Dominik Moll (France) -

A French investigator looks into a case of police violence during the country's "Yellow Vest" anti-government protests in 2018 in a low-budget detective thriller carried by lead actress Lea Drucker.

- 'Resurrection' by Bi Gan (China) -

The director of 2018's "Long Day's Journey Into Night", which was also presented in Cannes, returns with a sci-fi detective movie that is poetic and sensory, brimming with innovative aesthetics and long takes.

- 'Fuori' by Mario Martone (Italy) -

A biopic about Italian actor and writer Goliarda Sapienza and her friendship with former cellmates she met while incarcerated in a Roman prison from this veteran Italian filmmaker.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Faria, who portrayed ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman biopic “Mujib: The Making of a Nation”, opened up about the emotional rollercoaster she endured following her arrest, the court proceedings, and eventual release on bail.

“I’ve just gone through the most traumatic two days of my life,” she wrote. “I was mentally devastated. However, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who stood by me during this time.”

Faria was released from Kashimpur Central Women’s Jail in Gazipur on Tuesday, two days after her arrest in an attempted murder case linked to an incident during the July Uprising.

Her arrest became a hot topic on social media, with many claiming that it was linked to her role in "Mujib: The Making of a Nation". Some netizens said she was being “unjustly harassed” under the guise of a criminal case. Even some advisors from the interim government were seen weighing in on the matter.

Expressing gratitude to those who stood by her, Faria wrote: “From my colleagues to everyone in the industry, and the countless ordinary people who spoke out for me, for justice, and stood by my side, I will remember your support and love for the rest of my life. If it weren’t for you, I might not have been able to return to you so soon.”

She also extended special thanks to journalists. “I especially want to thank members of the media. Your support meant the world to me. I will always remember your kindness toward me.”

On May 18, Faria was stopped by Immigration Police at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport ahead of her flight to Thailand. She was later placed under arrest in the attempted murder case filed with Vatara Police Station.

An individual named Enamul Haque filed a complaint at Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court, accusing 283 people, including actors Apu Biswas, Nipun Akhter, Ashna Habib Bhabna and Zayed Khan. The Vatara Police Station later recorded the complaint as a First Information Report (FIR) on Apr 29 on the court’s orders.

According to the case details, during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement protests on Jul 19 last year, protesters gathered in front of Vatara Police Station. There was gunfire during the demonstration and Enamul was shot in the leg. He later received treatment at a hospital.

However, during the hearing, Faria’s lawyer Farhan Mohammad Arav said that she was not in the country at the time of the alleged incident when the plaintiff was shot.

The study found each fan would spend an average of around œ766 to attend one of the British rock group's 17 sold-out UK concerts this summer.

The total outlay, which Barclays estimates to be nearly œ1.06 billion, also takes into account purchases of new outfits, merchandise, food and drink.

"The experience economy is no longer a trend, it's a fundamental shift in how consumers determine their financial priorities," said Rich Robinson, the British bank's head of hospitality and leisure.

A chaotic scramble for the prized tickets followed the announcement in August that brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher had ended their infamous 15-year feud and were reuniting for a worldwide tour.

Oasis -- whose hits include "Wonderwall", "Don't Look Back In Anger" and "Champagne Supernova" -- kick off the reunion tour on July 4 in Cardiff before playing in their home city, Manchester, the following week.

Almost 1.4 million people combined are expected to attend the UK concerts.

Other venues include Buenos Aires, Chicago, London, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

British bank Lloyds last month reported that fans had collectively lost more than œ2 million from UK ticket scams, mostly on Facebook.

Britain's competition watchdog has meanwhile said Oasis fans may have been tricked into buying "platinum" seats that offered no additional advantage during the much-criticised ticket sale.

The Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into agent Ticketmaster following widespread public anger over the exorbitant cost of some tickets.

Ticketmaster sold more than 900,000 tickets for the gigs.

Dancing with paper fans and dressed in kimonos, the entertainers were rehearsing without the striking white make-up and sculpted hairstyles they are famous for.

But for seven days from Wednesday the women will perform in full splendour at the 100-year-old Azuma Odori festival at a theatre in the heart of the Japanese capital.

In the popular imagination geishas are often confused with courtesans, but in fact their work -- as trained masters of refined old artforms -- does not involve selling sex.

"Japanese people themselves often don't understand or have the wrong idea about what geishas do," Hisafumi Iwashita, a writer specialised in geisha culture, told AFP.

In Japanese, the word geisha means "person of the arts" - a woman or man trained in traditional Japanese performing arts. But the core role of geishas goes far beyond "just dancing and singing," Iwashita said.

Geishas in different parts of Japan are also known for different skills.

In Kyoto, where they are called geikos, "dance is seen as the most important artform," Iwashita said.

Tokyo geishas meanwhile are known for their singing and talents on the shamisen, which resembles a slim three-stringed guitar.

This year for the first time ever, geishas from 19 Japanese regions are participating in the annual Azuma Odori, as well as those from Tokyo's Shinbashi district who usually perform.

Around 180 geishas will take part overall, taking to the stage in small groups for two shows each day.

Koiku, a Shinbashi geisha, said her job first and foremost involves "welcoming and entertaining visitors at traditional restaurants called ryotei".

Entry to these expensive, exclusive establishments, found in historic geisha districts known as hanamachi, is by invitation only.

- 10 year's training -

Today around 40 geishas work in Shinbashi -- many fewer than in times gone by -- and all of them will appear at the Azuma Odori.

"Not so long ago, there were 100 of us, then 60... and the number keeps going down," Koiku said.

Life as a geisha is tough, with a strict practice schedule even for established performers.

"In general, it takes 10 years to be seen as competent," said Koiku, who was enticed by her love of music and dance.

The geishas' choreography, watched by their instructors and accompanied by live musicians at the rehearsal, includes playful touches such as miming the movements of a fox.

It is not polite to ask a geisha's age, but some taking part in the show have been performing for five or six decades.

Koiku said she is worried that if nothing changes, it will be "too late" for the waning geisha tradition.

Azuma Odori's roots date back to Japan's 1868-1912 Meiji era, when dance began to take a more central role in geisha performances.

Geishas, who would entertain government officials at banquets, played "a key role" in shaping modern Japanese culture, according to the expert Iwashita.

He thinks the main reason for the falling number of geishas in Japan is simply that they have fewer clients.

While geishas once made a living from Japan's wealthy elite, in 1993 then-prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa called for an end to government banquets in ryotei restaurants.

That was a "tough blow for the industry", Iwashita said.

Koiku agrees that the "world has changed" -- including the type of socialising where business deals are sought.

"Nowadays, companies are increasingly organising receptions in their offices or other venues," she said.

Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre, where Azuma Odori will take place, was inaugurated in 1925 with the festival's first edition.

It was rebuilt in 1948 after being destroyed in World War II, and its lavish post-war performances influenced Japanese kabuki theatre before being simplified to audience tastes.

With the future of the geisha profession uncertain, for Iwashita, "the fact that such a theatre still exists, and that it is the 100th anniversary (of Azuma Odori) is nothing short of a miracle".

Seksan Sukpimai, better known by his stage name Sek Loso, was convicted of illegal gun possession, drug use and obstructing a police officer.

The 50-year-old founder and lead singer of Loso, one of Thailand's most successful rock bands, has long been a staple of Thai gossip columns because of his colourful personal life.

He was originally arrested in 2017 after firing a gun into the sky following a concert in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The Supreme Court ruling ordered Seksan to serve two years, 12 months and 20 days in jail.

Actors behind the camera are something of a trend in Cannes this year, with "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart and British actor Harris Dickinson both unveiling their first features.

Johansson's film "Eleanor the Great" recounts the story of a grief-stricken elderly woman who moves to New York after the death of her best friend and will be screened on Tuesday evening.

One of Hollywood's most bankable stars missed the red carpet premiere of "The Phoenician Scheme" on Sunday evening, in which she has a cameo, but she won enthusiastic backing from director Anderson.

"I saw the movie, which I loved," Anderson said of Johansson's debut.

He added that he had not offered any tips to the actor who has appeared in three of his films, including "Isle of Dogs" and "Asteroid City".

"I don't think Scarlett even said anything to me (about her film)," the 56-year-old said. "Scarlett's been doing movies possibly longer than I have. She's about 20 years younger, but I think she was in a movie when she was around nine."

Nonetheless, the Oscar-nominated star of "Lost in Translation", 40, admitted to some nerves while bringing a script to life that made her cry when she first read it.

She spoke to Deadline magazine in the run-up to Cannes about how the spotlight on the director's seat is brighter than the one beamed on the actors when it comes to finally unveiling a movie.

"It's different. When you're acting in something, it's out of your hands," she said.

- In competition -

Cannes tends to draw sympathetic audiences, with film lovers and industry insiders enthusiastically giving films standing ovations that can last for minutes.

But the competition is fierce. And Johansson's movie is in the running for prizes in the "Certain Regard" secondary section for up-and-coming directors that also includes Stewart's and Dickinson's films this year.

Dickinson, the 28-year-old star of "Babygirl", asked the press to be "gentle" as he unveiled "Urchin", a touching film about a rough sleeper in London.

"It's my first film so if you don't like it, break it to me nicely," he said before the premiere.

Initial reviews have been positive.

Film bible Variety said that "you can learn a lot about an actor when they make their directorial debut. For better or worse, it reveals how they see themselves as an artist."

In Dickinson's case, his social-realist debut that has echoes of veteran British director Mike Leigh's work was "starkly effective", Variety said.

Hollywood has a long record of A-list male actors turning to directing from Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood to Mel Gibson and George Clooney.

Greta Gerwig, who broke through as an actress before hitting the directorial big time with 2023 hit "Barbie", is one of relatively few women actors to make the transition, however.

Australian screen great Nicole Kidman lamented on Sunday how the number of women directing major box office successes is still "incredibly low".

Speaking to Variety, Stewart was honest about her struggles to find financing for her film "The Chronology of Water", which is a searing examination of child sex abuse.

She said it was "near impossible" to raise money for a movie that was an original idea and not based on a proven genre or an existing franchise.

Washington, 70, was at the festival for the first time for the premiere of his latest film with New York director Spike Lee, "Highest 2 Lowest".

The two-time Oscar-winning actor was presented with an honorary Palme d'Or before the screening, where co-star A$AP Rocky and his partner Rihanna were among the VIPs.

"It's a total surprise. I'm so emotional," Washington said, a member of the audience told AFP.

Earlier the veteran actor appeared to have a testy encounter with a photographer on the red carpet.

The photographer appeared to grab the actor by the arm as he posed in front of a bank of cameras. Washington shook him off and then pointed his finger at him and appeared to say "Stop it" a number of times, videos showed.

But despite the awkward incident, Washington's mood was no doubt lifted by the rave reviews of him and Lee's film.

Loosely adapted from a Japanese master Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic, "High and Low", the Hollywood Reporter said the film has "wit, high style and kinetic energy to burn".

The Guardian praised Washington's "magnificent form" in the movie, saying he played a music mogul with "grinning monarchical assurance".

A$AP Rocky plays alongside Washington in "Highest 2 Lowest", extending an acting career that includes "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" by Mary Bronstein, which was shown at the Berlin film festival in February.

Before handing over the prize to Washington, festival director Thierry Fremaux introduced a montage of Washington's memorable performances including in "Malcolm X" and "Mo' Better Blues", both directed by Lee.

Clips were also shown from "Glory", which earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor in 1989, and "Training Day", for which he won best actor in 2002.

The cast of "Highest 2 Lowest" put on a show on the Cannes red carpet, with Spike Lee in an orange pinstripe suit, round glasses and an orange-and-blue hat, and A$AP Rocky showing off a gold dental piece.

Although Cannes usually hands out honorary awards in dedicated ceremonies, it is not unusual for actors to receive them unexpectedly -- as happened with Harrison Ford at the premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" in 2023.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque passed the order as police produced Nusrat Faria before the court and pleaded to keep her behind bars till the end of the probe.

Earlier, Immigration Police on May 18 arrested Nusrat Faria from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) while attempting to go to Thailand. She was later handed over to Bhatara Police Station, where Nusrat was shown arrested in the attempted murder case following primary interrogation.

According to the case documents, Enamul joined the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on July 19 in the city's Bhatara area. The rally came under attack, and he was shot in the leg. Enamul was rushed to the nearby hospital, where he received treatment.

Enamul filed the case on May 3 against 283 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Here are five things to know about the teen star turned Hollywood A-Lister:

- Starlet Scarlett -

When baby Johansson was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan in 1984, early signs suggested stardom was ahead.

Her parents named her after Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind", and at a young age she was drawn to tap dance and theatre.

Barely into double-digits she made her screen debut, and soon after Robert Redford cast her in "The Horse Whisperer" for her first major role.

Then, just shy of 20, she hit the big time with Sofia Coppola's art-house classic "Lost in Translation".

In the film, which unfolds in the alienating surroundings of a Tokyo hotel, Johansson manages to touch the heart of an ever-sardonic Bill Murray as well as charming spectators and critics worldwide.

- Cha-ching! -

Over the next decades, Johansson has starred in a string of hits and top directors have queued up to cast her, from Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers to Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan.

Catapulting her into movie stratosphere, she joined the Marvel universe as the indomitable Black Widow in 2010 and made eight films with the franchise.

During this collaboration she topped the Forbes list of highest-paid actresses and featured in hits including "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), one of the top-10 highest grossing films of all time according to IMDB Pro.

- Other missions -

But Johansson the box-office megastar has also missed out on, or sidestepped, plenty of big roles.

There was a potential "Mission Impossible" movie but this was shelved, officially due to scheduling clashes.

She did not land the lead in "Les Miserables", which went to Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for it, nor did she get Lisbeth Salander in "Millennium".

But she was plenty busy, often starring in lower-budget films that wowed critics and audiences.

These included a stand-out performance as an alien in Jonathan Glazer's remarkable "Under the Skin" (2013), shot in wintery backstreets, abandoned houses and seedy minivans.

So far, she has not won an Oscar, but she was nominated for best actress and supporting actress in 2020 for her roles in indie favourites "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit".

- That voice -

It is unmistakable and Johansson has capitalised on it, though sometimes with unwanted repercussions.

She brought her deep, distinctive vocals to the voice of Samantha in "Her" (2013) by Spike Jonze, about an artificial intelligence system Joaquin Phoenix falls for.

But in May last year Johansson accused tech firm OpenAI of using her voice in their own generative AI ChatGPT, which responded by modifying its tone.

She can also be heard in hit animations including "The Jungle Book" and the two "Sing" films.

Johansson has also released two albums, "Anywhere I Lay My Head" in 2008 and a year later "Break Up".

They did not rock the music world, but reviewing the inaugural album, Pitchfork called it a "curio" while praising the "wide textural range" of Johansson's voice.

- Against the grain -

Never reluctant to speak her mind, Johansson has been outspoken on various social and film-related issues.

She has supported victims of harassment, pushed for gender-equal pay and spotlighted the impact of streaming on theatrical releases.

She is also willing to take more controversial stances, not least in defending Woody Allen -- who has cast her in three films -- when much of Hollywood has shunned him over a long-running sexual assault scandal.

"I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him any time," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019.

The academy is working with enthusiasm to promote the country's art and culture along with establishing the importance of art in society.

Three exhibitions - '6th National Sculpture Exhibition', 'July Uprising on Posters', and 'July: Heroic Daughter' - are currently on display.

Besides, a three-day V-R exhibition began at Dhaka Residential Model College today.

V-R (Virtual Reality) exhibitions will be organized in various educational institutions to allow students to experience the latest in information technology and contemporary Bangladeshi art. These initiatives aim to play a significant role in developing students' creativity and imaginative thinking.

Authorities sped through festivalgoers to tend to the person who laid injured and bleeding on the sidewalk. No information was immediately available on their condition.

Representatives for the festival didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The incident happened midday at the festival. Cannes, which runs until May 24, is about halfway through.

The announcement was made through a statement shared on the band’s verified social media pages, where the members expressed their appreciation to fans for their unwavering support.

“We had a fulfilling journey of nearly four years, made possible by all of you who listened and stood by us. It was an experience that exceeded our expectations, and we hope to have left a mark in your memories,” the statement reads.

“But the journey ends here, as it no longer brings peace — which was our core reason for making music. We hope both you and we continue to seek and find peace. Godspeed,” the band stated.

Established in 2021, it introduced music as an expressive medium for inmates at Dhaka Central Jail. The founding members — Asif Iqbal (also known as AiA Lemonsky), Nazm Anwr, and Alex Joven — were later joined by Soumya Anindya Riddho and Antar, forming the core lineup.

Known for their introspective songwriting and minimalistic musical arrangements, Kaaktaal carved out a space for emotionally resonant, grassroots-inspired music. Their work attracted a dedicated listenership, drawn to the band's authenticity and socially conscious themes.

During its critically acclaimed four-years-long journey, the band released six albums, including the "Kaaktaal Raw" series and "Karagarer Gaan (Karagar Versions)," reflecting their unique origins and evolving artistic vision.

Among their most recognized tracks were “Rokto Gorom Matha Thanda,” released during the student-led movements against discrimination, as well as “Ei Poth Cholar Gaan” and “Shikkhar Jobanbondi.”

Kaaktaal often performed in unconventional venues, including university campuses and public spaces, favoring an informal and direct approach to live music. This performance style helped the group build a strong grassroots connection with its audience.

With their departure, Kaaktaal left behind a legacy of music rooted in honesty, activism, and emotional depth — qualities that resonated with a generation seeking meaning beyond mainstream sounds.

Fans and admirers of Kaaktaal are grieving on social media with the band's sudden disbanding announcement; however, also expressing their gratitude to the band for thinking out of the box and making quality songs, while keeping their fingers crossed for a possible comeback of the band in near future.

Must-watch Korean Dramas Launching This June

A Woman Who Swallowed the Sun | Mystery Thriller | June 2, 2025

Screenwritten by Seol Kyeong-Eun, this thriller series boasts Kim Jin-Hyeong as its director.

The tale begins with Baek Seol-Hee, a cheerful single mother running a small eatery. Her peaceful life shatters when her daughter, once a victim, is falsely blamed. Pushed into grief and anger, Seol-Hee seeks justice. Her journey of revenge unfolds as she targets the powerful forces who twisted the truth against her child.

The cast members are Jang Shin-Young, Seo Ha-Jun, Yoon Ah-Jung, Oh Chang-Suk, Jeon No-Min, and Lee Lu-Da.

Mercy for None | Crime Action | June 6, 2025

With Choi Sung-Eun directing and Yoo Ki-Sung writing, this crime drama stars So Ji Sub, Gong Myung, Huh Joon Ho, Lee Bum Soo, and Ahn Kil Kang.

The narrative is adapted from the webcomic ‘Gwangjang,’ penned by Oh Se-Hyeong and brought to life through the illustrations of Kim Kyun-Tae.

The plot traces Nam Gi-Jun’s quiet life after leaving gang violence behind. Once feared, he now delivers drinks until his brother dies mysteriously. To uncover the truth, Gi-Jun returns to the world he escaped 11 years ago. Tension rises as he confronts betrayal, loss, and old enemies on a dangerous path back to revenge.

The First Night with the Duke | Historical Fantasy | June 11, 2025

Directed by Lee Woong-hee, this series, adapted from Hwang Do-tol’s web novel of the same title, thrives under the writing of Jeon Seon-young.

Seohyun, Ok Taec-yeon, Ji Hye-won, Kwon Han-sol, and Seo Bum-june portray the key characters. 

The story follows an ordinary college student whose soul mysteriously inhabits the body of a background character in a romance novel. As she navigates a world not her own, she awakens to find herself entangled with the story’s male lead. It begins with an unexpected night that defies every rule of the narrative.

Our Movie | Romantic Melodrama | June 13, 2025

Co-written by Han Ga-eun and Kang Kyung-min, this melodrama series flourishes with Lee Jung-heum as its director.

This series follows Lee Je Ha, a former prodigy director stuck in creative silence. As he writes a script about fleeting love, he meets Lee Da Eum, a spirited aspiring actress with a terminal illness. Their collaboration becomes personal, blending fiction and reality. Through their connection, both begin to heal and create something meaningful.

Namkoong Min, Lee Seol, Jeon Yeo-been, and Seo Hyun-woo headline the cast.

Hunter with a Scalpel | Psychological Thriller | June 16, 2025

Helmed by Lee Jung-hoon, this crime series stars Park Ju-hyun, Park Yong-woo, and Kang Hoon. Based on Choi Yi-Do’s novel titled ‘Mesureul Deun Sanyangkkun,’ the thriller series features a writing team consisting of Jo Han-young, Jin Se-hyuk, Park Hyun-shin, and Hong Yeon-yi.

This gripping narrative explores the unravelling psyche of a brilliant forensic pathologist. She is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and haunted by the spectre of the father she once killed. She finds both her professional reputation and very existence hanging in the balance as dark secrets resurface.

Head over Heels | Supernatural Fantasy | June 23, 2025

Inspired by An Soo-Min’s webcomic ‘Gyeonwoowa Sunnyeo,’ this fantasy series excels with Yang Ji-Hun as its writer and Kim Yong-Wan as the director.

The storyline weaves around Park Seong A, a student by day and shaman by night. Known secretly as Fairy Cheon Ji, she predicts a tragic fate for her crush, Bae Gyeon U. When he joins her class the next day, she decides to change his destiny, risking her secret to protect his life.

Cho Yi Hyun, Choo Young Woo, and Choo Ja Hyun embody the lead roles, supported by Kim Mi Kyung and Park Jung Pyo.

Squid Game (Season 3) | Thriller Drama | June 27, 2025

The third and final season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller television series. Created, written, and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, this Netflix original features Lee Jung-jae in the lead role. The renowned actor Lee Byung-hun portrays the main antagonist role.

The latest season also stars Wi Ha-joon, Kang Ha-neul, Im Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, Yang Dong-geun, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Lee David.

In this season, Seong Gi-hun and fellow contestants confront increasingly lethal games where failure means death. As In-ho prepares for the arrival of the VIPs, Jun-ho’s secret investigation into the island intensifies. He is unaware that betrayal lurks closer than he suspects, threatening to upend everything.

Love Phobia | Sci-Fi Comedy | June 27, 2025

A VR dating CEO, Yun Bi A, who rejects love, crosses paths with a documentary writer, Han Seon Ho, who is emotionally closed off. Their bond grows through a mix of tenderness and chaos as they confront past wounds. Blending virtual romance with sharp comedy, the series offers a fresh, universal appeal. As AI-driven love meets analogue ideals, they face hidden truths together.

With this plot in the backdrop, ‘Love Phobia’ is brought to fruition by director Wang Hye Ryung and writer Lee Se Ryeong.

Yeon Woo, Kim Hyun Jin, and Choi Byung Chan assume the roles of pivotal characters.

Bottom Line

The June 2025 K-drama lineup stands as an entertainment buffet, serving viewers an artfully curated spread of genres.

‘A Woman Who Swallowed the Sun,’ ‘Hunter with a Scalpel,’ and the much-awaited return of ‘Squid Game’ lead the thriller charge. Fantasy flares in ‘The First Night with the Duke’ and ‘Head over Heels,’ while ‘Love Phobia’ explores speculative love through a sci-fi lens. The pulse of crime beats in ‘Mercy for None,’ while ‘Our Movie’ counters with the purity of romance.

Together, these titles promise the signature charm of Korean storytelling, propelling its global craze into the final month of the year’s first half.

They made the comment while speaking at a discussion titled Dhakaiya Galpa Dhakar Galpa as a part of an on-going solo art exhibition by Munem Wasif.

The exhibition titled Kromosho comprising photographs, a film and sculptures created over two decades by Bangladeshi photographer Munem Wasif.

Inaugurated on April 18, the event was organised by Bengal Shilpalay at its Quamrul Hassan Exhibition Hall.

Director of Dhaka Kendra Mohammad Azim Buksh, writer Akter Jahan, former teacher of St Gregory’s High School Ajay Sarkar, researcher Hashem Sufi and architect Rehnuma Tasnim Sheefa spoke at the discussion moderated by Munem Wasif.

Bengal Foundation director general Luva Nahid Choudhury delivered her welcome speech at the event.

Azim Buksh said that Dhaka was a hub for sports and cultural practice which bloomed every winter.

‘Old Dhaka has a strong tradition of staging drama in every area until 1970 and the North Brook Hall later known as Lalkuthi was the centre of theatre practice,’ Azim Buksh said, adding that Farashganj Sporting Club was built by some teenagers of old Dhaka which earned acclaim both nationally and internationally.

The urbanisation of Dhaka began in 1232 and became a cosmopolitan city day by day, said Hashem Sufi.

At the event, Ajay Sarkar said, ‘We used to drink water of the River Buriganga in our childhood, but now I cannot smell its water.’

Akter Jahan, a writer who composes stories in her original Old Dhaka Sukhbas dialect, said that the Dhaka people knew Urdu and Farsi with Bangla and the storytelling session was a regular family event.

Akter also read her short story titled Din Badaler Sedma in Old Dhaka dialect at the event.

The exhibition will end on May 31.

Operatic singer JJ won ahead of Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Oct 7 attacks, who sang "New Day Will Rise" in the world's biggest music competition, which was watched by more than 160 million people across the world.

The win was Austria's third in the competition, following Conchita's success and Udo Juergens' victory in 1966.

JJ, 24, a countertenor opera singer from Vienna, combined elements of opera, techno and soprano heights in his song Wasted Love, winning the hearts of the professional juries and telephone voters.

"This is absolutely insane. My dreams came true," said the singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch. "It's out of this world."

Going into the final, the Filipino-Austrian was second favourite behind Swedish comedy trio KAJ, whose song extolling the joy of saunas had been the hot favourite with bookmakers before finishing fourth.

Switzerland, hosting after Swiss rapper and singer Nemo won last year's contest in Malmo, Sweden, finished 10th.

JJ said he wanted to give listeners an insight into his deepest thoughts when he wrote the song, and was happy it had resonated with so many fans.

"There's no wasted love. Love is never wasted. There's so much love that we can spread around, and we should use love as the strongest force on planet Earth," he added.

His success was applauded by Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, who said JJ was writing musical history.

"Dear JJ, you have moved Europe with your voice and sung Austria into the spotlight," Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said on X.

JJ told reporters he would like next year's event to be hosted in his hometown of Vienna, which hosted the 2015 final, adding he would like to be a TV host for the event.

Meinl-Reisinger and others joked about the significant cost of holding the event at a time when the government is planning to cut spending by billions of euros a year to rein in the budget deficit.

"Now we're going to have to take a look at our budget," she wrote on X. "But isn't it fantastic?"

Fans travelled from across Europe and beyond to Basel, with 100,000 people attending Eurovision events in the city, including the final.

Hermann Heyn travelled from Chile for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"We came from really, really far away for this," he told Reuters. "We are not even competing, but we needed to be here."

Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, faced controversy again this year due to the war in Gaza.

Israel's entrant, Raphael, was at the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.

The singer was the most popular among the general public to finish behind Austria, which was the most popular contestant among the juries.

Pro-Palestinian groups urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel over Gaza, where more than 50,000 people have been killed in the ensuing offensive by Israel, according to local health officials.

Around 200 protesters mounted a demonstration in Basel on Saturday evening, while two protesters attempted to get on to the stage during Raphael's performance but were halted by security officials. Nobody was injured.

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE also showed a message before the start of the Eurovision show saying "When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine".

After decades of being written off for its cheap and cheerful crowd-pleasers, Nollywood -- the frenetic film industry based in Lagos which churns out up to five films a day -- is basking in the reflected glory.

But producers admit that it is still struggling to reach audiences outside Africa beyond the diaspora despite making way more films every year than Hollywood.

Nigerians have long lapped up Nollywood's never-ending deluge of low-budget dramas about love, poverty, religion and corruption, often spiced with the supernatural and the clash between modern and traditional values. 

Not exactly known for their quality, many are shot at breakneck speed on shoestring budgets.

But that image -- which producers insist is a hangover from the days when most were shot on video camcorders -- may be about to change with "My Father's Shadow", the first Nigerian film to make the grade at Cannes, the temple of arthouse cinema.

"Getting into competition for the first time ever shows that Nigerian cinema has come of age," insisted Prince Baba Agba, a cultural advisor to Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, who is in Cannes for the premiere.

- Pivotal moment -

Akinola Davies's first feature is set during the 1993 coup, a pivotal moment in Nigeria's recent history, when the military annulled the election and General Sani Abacha eventually took power.

This "lost chance" when Akinola said the "rug was pulled away and everyone's dreams of democracy were just taken away", still marks the country.

The semi-autobiographical story, featuring "Gangs of London" actor Sope Dirisu, has two small boys following their father through Lagos as the coup unfolds.

And the film is no one-off "unicorn", Agba argued.

Editi Effiong's crime thriller "The Black Book" topped the global lists on Netflix last year, including being number one in South Korea.

"We have had films going to major festivals and we have won prizes at Sundance," he told AFP, pointing to "Shine Your Eyes" -- a hit at the Berlin film festival. 

"Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)" has been picked up by the prestigious streaming and distribution network Criterion Collection.

"It was fully shot in Nigeria, with Nigerian producers, Nigerian finance, everything," Agba added.

"We are still making an awful lot of films, but now in all the strata, from the bottom to the top," he added.

"You have people doing million-dollar productions, and you have people doing $10,000 films... all telling unique stories with the soul and heart and spirit of Nigeria," he added.

Tax breaks for filmmakers -- now passing through parliament -- could be a gamechanger, he said, boosting Nollywood's new "penetration internationally thanks to streaming and co-productions".

Big US streamers began to dip their toe during the pandemic, with Netflix picking up "Blood Sisters", "Man of God" and the musical "Ayinla" while local platforms also boomed, particularly in the Muslim north's "Kannywood", named after the city of Kano.

- 'Big challenges' -

There has since been a few big bumps in the road, however, with Amazon closing down its Africa operation last year. 

Netflix has also hit the brakes hard, industry insiders in Cannes told AFP, although officially it's still business as usual.

Big local players, however, are angling to step into the gap with the Ebonylife Group -- a Nollywood powerhouse -- about to launch its own platform.

"We will start small and we will build... We can't keep waiting on everyone else to do this for us," said its founder Mo Abudu, who is also opening a Nigerian cultural hub in London later this year.

While Agba admitted the industry faces "big technological and infrastructure challenges", particularly with mobile networks as most films are seen on phones, there has been progress.
 
"We hope to double our (cinema) screens to 300. Brazil, with a similar population, has over 3,000," he said.

Along with Afrobeats music, Nollywood is Nigeria's main source of soft power. 

One measure of its ineluctable rise is that when The Hollywood Reporter named its "40 Most Influential Women in International Film" list on the eve of Cannes, Mo Abudu was at its very top.

  An estimated 160 million people across Europe and beyond are expected to tune in for the TV extravaganza, where kitsch, drama, pyrotechnics and histrionics take centre stage.

  Sweden has long been the bookmakers' hot favourite to win the 69th edition of the glitzy contest with the comedy trio KAJ's "Bara Bada Bastu" song on the delights of sweating it out in a sauna.

  But after two semi-finals and strong performances, Austria, France, Finland, the Netherlands and Israel are fancying their chances of causing an upset at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel.

  And there could always be a surprise in store, with Estonia, Albania and host Switzerland all thought to have an outside chance when the viewers' votes come in.

  Mystery also surrounds whether Canadian megastar Celine Dion -- who won Eurovision in 1988 when competing for Switzerland -- might make an emotion-drenched return, despite concerns around her struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder.

  - Adrenaline, poetry, booming beats -

  Hardcore fans snapped up the 6,500 highly coveted tickets for Saturday's showpiece final.

  Eurovision director Martin Green said the excitement had built to a fever pitch.

  "The staff and crew are exhausted but super happy," he told AFP.

  "What energises us all is going to see those artists sing, and you just get this shot of adrenaline. Some of those performances just rip the roof off."

  The 26 songs in contention are a showcase of Europe's different musical scenes.

  They include Portuguese guitar ballads, Maltese divas, Lithuanian alternative rock, Austrian operatics, Italian singalongs, Greek power ballads, ethereal Latvian choral folk and German booming beats.

  "I find the final line-up quite diverse, with both up-tempo entries and ballads, and some slightly more poetic moments," said Fabien Randanne, a music journalist for France's 20Minutes newspaper and a Eurovision veteran.

  "It's very difficult to say which way the viewers' hearts will go," he told AFP.

  With KAJ the heavy favourites, punters are betting on a range of aspects, such as the winning language or the best performers from a region.

  "There's a lot of interest in the top five," Ladbrokes betting chain spokesman Alex Apati told AFP.

  "Sweden are priced so short, punters are looking for value elsewhere."

  - Flames and hot coffee -

  Norway's Kyle Alessandro opens the show in a burst of flames, followed by Luxembourg's Laura Thorn in an LED dolls' house, and Estonia's wobbly-legged Tommy Cash, with his light-hearted cod-Italian "Espresso Macchiato".

  After a whirlwind tour around the continent, France, San Marino and Albania have the final slots.

  The TV spectacular starts at 1900 GMT, with two hours of performances, before the nail-biting drama begins as the votes come in from around the continent.

  Separate jury and viewer votes from each of this year's 37 participating countries -- with equal weight -- plus an extra vote from the rest of the world combined, will decide who wins the coveted microphone-shaped trophy.

  The juries' votes are already in, based on Friday's untelevised full dress rehearsal held in a packed St. Jakobshalle.

  Though sworn to secrecy on the numbers, Eurovision voting supremo Thomas Niedermayer said this week's semi-finals -- when 20 countries progressed and 11 were eliminated -- had been "really close".

  "It was even much closer than the points make it appear. So it has been an exciting race and it's going to be a close race for the winner."

  - Leather-clad lust -

  Israel's participation in Eurovision 2025 has drawn small-scale protests in Basel over the war in Gaza.

  Its entrant Yuval Raphael, singing "New Day Will Rise", survived the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war, hiding beneath bodies as Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival, killing hundreds.

  A pro-Palestinian rally is scheduled in Basel two hours before the competition begins.

  Finland's leather-clad Erika Vikman has been gaining momentum during Eurovision week with the raunchy "Ich Komme", about falling into the trance of lust -- finishing with the singer hoisted in the air on a spark-emitting golden microphone, thrilling the audience.

  "I feel very loved when I'm in front of them and I want to give love to them also," she said.

  Ukraine won Eurovision in 2022 and trio Ziferblat are hoping the arena crowd response can inspire them to reclaim the trophy.

  "We need to share emotions with them -- and that will go through the television screen," guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi told AFP.

  The winning country gets to host next year's Eurovision jamboree.

The exhibition, titled "World Peace and Friendship: Celebrating Unity Through Art", was jointly organized by The Pink Jambu 2.0 and the National Sculpture Gallery (NSG), an international artists group from Bangladesh, with support from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). 

The event is being held at the Creative Media & Technology Hub (CMTHub) in Malaysia.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md Shameem Ahsan formally inaugurated the exhibition on Friday, according to a message received here today.

Associate Professor Datin Dr. Norazida Mohamed, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (International) of UiTM, and other key members of UiTM’s College of Creative Arts were present at the opening ceremony.

In his remarks, High Commissioner Ahsan lauded UiTM and the organizers for bringing together artists from across the globe, emphasizing that art serves as a powerful tool for fostering global harmony and understanding.

“This event is not just an art exhibition; it is a meaningful celebration of creativity, cross-cultural dialogue, and international friendship,” the envoy said.

Monica, Minister (Political) of Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur Mosammat Shahanara accompanied the High Commissioner.

Richard recounted an incident at Combs’ Los Angeles home in 2009 when Combs beat Ventura and dragged her upstairs by the hair. Richard then said she heard breaking glass and screaming.

“He came down the stairs screaming, belligerent, asking where his food was, and proceeded to hit her over the head and beat her on the ground in front of us,” Richard told the jury in Manhattan federal court during a fifth day of testimony.

Richard said Combs called her and others who witnessed the assault into the studio the next day, gave them flowers, and said their careers would be harmed if they reported the incident.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has been held since September in a Brooklyn jail when not in court. If convicted on all counts, he could face a minimum of 15 years in prison and potentially life behind bars.

The 38-year-old Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, told jurors earlier that Combs coerced and blackmailed her into taking part in days of drug-fuelled sex parties he called "Freak Offs"—central to the prosecution’s case.

She said she suffered years of physical and emotional abuse during their tumultuous relationship.

Richard is expected to resume her testimony on Monday. The trial, which has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs' wealth and influence in the music industry, could last up to two months.

Richard has a pending civil lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of subjecting her to inhumane working conditions, including groping and assault. The lawsuit says Richard saw Combs brutally beat Ventura on many occasions.

Before Richard's testimony, jurors were shown photos of items found during a search of Combs’ hotel room on the day of his arrest last September. The items included bottles of baby oil, lubricant, bags of cocaine, and other drugs, some prescribed to people other than Combs.

Combs placed his hand on his forehead and spoke to his lawyers while jurors were shown bags of pink powder that a law enforcement witness said tested positive for MDMA and ketamine. A prosecutor handed jurors bags of drugs and cash.

DEFENCE CHALLENGES CREDIBILITY OF RAPE ALLEGATION

For much of Friday's testimony, a lawyer representing Combs sought to undercut Ventura's claim that he raped her in 2018, showing jurors text messages indicating Ventura had consensual sex with Combs a month after the alleged rape.

The lawyer, Anna Estevao, showed Ventura texts from September 2018 in which she and Combs discussed potentially meeting up and hugging after not seeing each other for some time.

"You don't say anything to the effect of, 'Last time we saw each other you raped me?'" Estevao asked.

"Right," Ventura responded.

Ventura had previously told jurors Combs raped her in her home after they had broken up.

"I just remember crying and saying no, but it was very fast," she said, as her voice trailed off.

During follow-up questioning by a prosecutor on Friday, Ventura said she had no doubt that Combs raped her. She also acknowledged having consensual sex with him a few weeks later.

Combs, previously known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with helping turn artists like Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious BIG, and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.

'TO DO THE RIGHT THING'

Part of the criminal case stems from Ventura's November 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs. She testified that he agreed, after 24 hours, to settle for $20 million.

Asked on Wednesday why she decided to testify against Combs, Ventura said she could no longer bear the emotional burden of years of abuse and "came here to do the right thing."

Ventura told jurors she would give back the $20 million from her settlement if it meant never having to participate in Freak Offs again.

After her testimony, Ventura's lawyer Douglas Wigdor read a statement to reporters that said: "For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember, and the more I can remember, the more I will never forget."

Meanwhile, singer Justin Bieber's representative issued a statement saying Bieber was not a victim of Combs but supports others who were and are seeking justice, according to TMZ and People on Friday.

Videos of Combs and Bieber spending time together had prompted online speculation that Combs may have abused Bieber.

A trio singing for Sweden about the joys of saunas and a classically trained Austrian countertenor are among those tipped to take the microphone-shaped Eurovision trophy at the contest in Basel, Switzerland.

But at the ever-unpredictable event, the prize could just as easily go to powerful singers from France, the Netherlands or Finland - or even an Estonian who sings about Italian coffee. The final kicks off at 9pm local time.

Bookmakers say the favorite is KAJ, representing Sweden with their ode to sauna culture "Bara Bada Bastu," followed by Austrian singer JJ's pop-opera song "Wasted Love."

French chanteuse Louane has risen up the odds with "maman," as has Dutch singer Claude with soulful ballad "C'est La Vie" and Finland's Erika Vikman with the innuendo-laden "Ich Komme." Estonia's Tommy Cash is also a contender with his highly caffeinated dance-pop song "Espresso Macchiato."

Israel's Yuval Raphael has won many fans with her anthemic "New Day Will Rise," but also faced protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Acts from 26 countries - trimmed from 37 entrants through two elimination semifinals - will perform to some 160 million viewers for the continent's pop crown. No smoke machine, jet of flame or dizzying light display has been spared by musicians who are given 3 minutes to make their mark.

Dean Vuletic, an expert on the history of Eurovision, said the competition has become more diverse over the years, both musically and linguistically. There are songs in 20 languages this year, including Ukrainian, Icelandic, Albanian, Latvian and Maltese.

"In the past it was about having a catchy, innocuous pop song, usually in English," he said. But in the past decade "we've seen songs become much more socially and politically engaged, songs that present the audience with some sort of meaning."

"In recent years the formulaic approach to a Eurovision entry hasn't succeeded," he added. "An entry needs to be memorable and it needs to be authentic in order to succeed these days."

This year's contest has been roiled for a second year by disputes over Israel's participation. Dozens of former participants, including last year's winner Nemo of Switzerland, have called for Israel to be excluded.

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests have both taken place in Basel, though on a much smaller scale than at last year's event in Sweden, where tensions spilled over backstage and Dutch competitor Joost Klein was expelled over an alleged altercation with a crew member.

The European Broadcasting Union or EBU, which runs Eurovision, subsequently tightened the contest's code of conduct, calling on participants to respect Eurovision's values of "universality, diversity, equality and inclusivity" and its political neutrality.

Performers say the backstage vibe this year is more relaxed.

After a controversial ban in 2024 on flags, apart from national ones, being waved in the arena, this year audience members can bring Palestinian flags or any others, as long as they are legal under Swiss law. Performers, though, can only wave their own country's flag.

Axel Ahman, one third of favourites KAJ, acknowledged that it's tough to keep Eurovision an unpolitical event.

"The world always seeps in in some sense," he told the AP. "But we're here to represent Sweden and we have prepared for this for all our lives and want to make the best of our moment as artists in this huge and legendary competition.

"So our main focus is there, and the politics (we) try to leave that to the EBU and those actually making the decisions."

But comments by President Donald Trump this month that he will impose a 100 percent tariff on all movies produced outside the United States have alarmed the entertainment industry and some locals in Dubrovnik who fear directors may no longer film there.

"There have been huge disruptions because of the tariffs that Trump plans to introduce," said Croatian film producer Igor Aleksandar Nola, adding that budgets had already been hit by global economic upheaval.

"Part of the financing coming from banks and investment funds for audio-visual arts has been on standby because of the uncertainty," Nola told Reuters.

Central European countries and the Balkans have been used by Hollywood for years for their dramatic scenery, mix of architectural styles and cheaper filming costs. If a movie or series is a hit those locations can become hugely popular with visitors.

"The film and Game of Thrones have changed Dubrovnik for sure," said tourist guide Ivan Vukovic. About 1,000 tourists join a Game of Thrones tour every day, he said.

New souvenir shops were opened and jobs created for tourist guides and locals assisting in film productions out of season.

"All of this created a big economic boom," Vukovic said.

Trump did not provide details about the timing of tariffs, leaving executives wondering how they could be applied to the film industry.

Participants at the Cannes Film Festival, which opened on Tuesday, continued a cautious business-as-usual approach after the initial shock by the tariff announcement.

Mate Frankovic, the mayor of Dubrovnik, which receives about 1.4 million tourists a year, said he did not expect the crisis to last long or seriously affect film productions and tourism in Dubrovnik.

"I honestly cannot imagine a single serious US film and large production without including a major European city," he said.

That is Dupahiya in a nutshell: Amazon’s way to piggyback off the whirlwind success of Panchayat, by creating an off-brand version to keep the audience hooked as they wait between each season of the beloved TV show.

Just like Panchayat, Dupahiya’s story is set in a village, which is run by a female chief, Pushpalata, played by Renuka.

However, where Panchayat’s story flows organically, Dupahiya seems to be more calculated, bordering on artificial, as each subplot is strategically placed to serve as a lesson on different social issues.

True to its name, Dupahiya, meaning two-wheeler, revolves around a Royal Enfield motorbike that was bought as dowry for Dhadakpur resident Roshni’s wedding.

Dhadakpur, also known as the “Belgium of Bihar” thanks to its astonishingly low crime rate, faces its first theft in two decades when the bike vanishes days before both Roshni’s wedding and the local council election.

Right off the bat, Dupahiya characters have unusual names, like Bhugol, or geography, and Amavas, or moonless night, and even the nickname Goggle Bhaiya, who never removes his sunglasses.

This comes in as an attempt to provide some sort of comic relief to the audience, that buys the creators some buffer time to add contextual humour in the plot later on.

Except, for Dupahiya, the attempt at humour fails under the burden of adding an underlying lesson to every funny story.

The show explores different social issues, like dowry, bribery, skin whitening and gender-based power struggles, but the stories that depict them are overused, making each plot twist easily predictable. And even then, it barely scratches the surface, something that is bound to happen when trying to cram a dozen half-baked ideas into one narrative.

The lack of chemistry between the actors did little to convince viewers, with only Sparsh Shrivastava and Avinash Dwivedi standing out as wannabe influencer Bhugol and motorbike-obsessed groom Kuber.

A 40-second shot of Kuber sleeping on his dream motorbike despite being splashed by water was a rare original scene in the show, amid a sea of stale television tropes.

There is one genuinely funny moment in the entire nine-part “comedy”: when Goggle Bhaiya begins what appears to be a slow, dramatic clap during a council meeting, only to reveal he’s just mixing a bit of chewing tobacco in his palms.

Another promising subplot introduces local bike mechanic Pintu, who moonlights as a dance instructor. Sadly, it was cut short when it spiralled into a bizarre item number featuring Bhugol and Amavas in drag.

After a month of its release, Dupahiya is still struggling to shed its identity as the Panchayat knock-off. It is nothing more than a placeholder for those going through withdrawals of their favourite show. A filler series through and through, it has all the parts, but none of the soul.

As it gets renewed for another season, the makers need to ditch the morality lessons, and lean into a tight plot with convincing stories. Otherwise Dupahiya risks losing its status as Panchayat-lite quicker than Dhadakpur lost its crime-free crown.

The ninth exhibition of the platform, Hills and Life in the Hills is featuring 33 artworks created on watercolour as well as acrylic and mixed media by 12 artists, said a press release on Monday.

Sponsored by City Bank PLC and curated by artist Ashok Karmakar, the artworks of Suparna Alice Gomez, Azadi Parveen, Sabia Nasrin, Elina Chakma, Tereza Isha Gomez, Flora Urmila Rodrick, Jacqueline Ria Rosario, Maleka Sultana Nupur, Shama Sayom, Mahi Farhana, Aparna Tarapadar Mou and Saria Mehsa are being displayed in the exhibition.

Artist and Dhaka University supernumerary professor Farida Zaman and actress Chitralekha Guha jointly inaugurated the exhibition.

Hosted and moderated by Jalkanya founder Suparna Alice Gomez, the opening ceremony of the exhibition also featured a cultural programme on the occasion of Mother’s Day.

The programme began with poetry recitation, patriotic songs and hill songs. Poetry was recited by Mahi Farhana and Nishat Jasmine, patriotic songs were performed by Swapna Bernadette Francis and Mahbuba Sultana, and hill songs were performed by Elina Chakma.

Chitralekha Guha said, ‘It is very difficult to fulfil the duties of a mother while working as an actress. I had to perform on stage even after leaving my sick child in the green room. And I had to do it perfectly. No one understood that my child was sick.’

Professor Farida Zaman said, ‘As mothers, we have to move forward from many difficult places. I did not study with the desire to become an artist. But I have built a career as an artist. I have raised my children in my own hands.’

The exhibition will end on Friday.

Ten suspects have been on trial since late April over the armed robbery in 2016, which saw jewellery worth some $10 million stolen from the reality TV star and influencer.

Kardashian is ready to "confront" her Paris attackers, her lawyers said last week.

"She is committed to attending in person," French lawyers Leonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattout told AFP last week, saying she would do so "with dignity and courage".

She is due to take the stand at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), and is expected to speak to the press afterwards.

On the night of October 2-3, 2016, Kardashian, then 35, was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in central Paris.

She was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped.

Lawyers have not divulged what exactly Kardashian, who has been keeping abreast of developments at the trial, will say in her court appearance.

During what the French press has dubbed the "heist of the century", masked men walked away with millions of dollars' worth of jewels.

The theft was the most valuable to target a private individual in France in 20 years.

Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records.

They have underworld nicknames like "Old Omar" and "Blue Eyes" that resemble those of old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s films noirs.

"They're quite a team," said investigator Michel Malecot.

"But they made some mistakes", he said, notably by leaving DNA that allowed investigators to identify them.

- 'Crying hysterically' -
Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as "Old Omar", has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind behind the robbery.

Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist.

In it he describes how his bag became caught in the wheel of his escape vehicle, a bicycle, causing him to fall off and have to scramble to shove the loot back in the bag.

Investigators said a man called Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian's driver in Paris, tipped the suspects off that Kardashian was "in French territory".

This allegation has been ridiculed by Madar's lawyer, who remarked that 350 million online followers were already aware of the star's whereabouts.

The night of the robbery could have gone very differently had Kardashian joined her sister Kourtney and gone clubbing, an idea she entertained before deciding to stay in the hotel, the court heard last week.

Her designated driver, Michael Madar -- whose company was billing the Kardashian/West couple up to 400,000 euros per year to provide security -- had been working non-stop for 21 hours and asked a colleague to replace him for the trip to the night club.

The replacement, Mohammed Q., and a Kardashian bodyguard, Pascal D., rushed back to the hotel after Kardashian tried to call them and then failed to pick up her phone when they called back.

"I saw that the lift was on the first floor, where Kim was staying," Pascal D. told the court.

When he found her, Kardashian "was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically", he told the court.

"I asked what had happened, and she said she'd been robbed."

Kardashian, her lawyers said, "is genuinely grateful" for the way the French authorities have handled the investigation, showing her "the utmost respect and consideration".

The US celebrity, sometimes described as being "famous for being famous", became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in a number of films.

She is among the world's most followed people on Instagram and X.

She has been named among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, and among the most powerful women by Fortune magazine.

The trial is set to close on May 23.

A 15-member executive committee was announced by former president of the platform professor Abdus Selim with film activist Zahirul Islam Kochi as president and Mohammad Nurullah as secretary general.

The council was attended by members from more than 45 registered and non-registered film societies across the country, including organisations from public and private universities. 

The council discussed challenges of organising film screening across the country, audience crises and the overall lack of good films.

The members of different film societies stressed the importance of building new audiences for good films and also promoting local talents for film making.

‘Film societies movements became weaker for different reasons but after the student-led mass uprising many societies are working for film development,’ Zahirul Islam Kochi said, adding, ‘Many government organisations and non-government institutions focus on film making and development that encourage us to strengthen film societies’ movement.’

Film Societies screening films specially independent and unconventional films to build conscious societies, organise film appreciation workshops, and also make films, Zahirul Islam said, adding,  ‘The BFFS will take advocacy of different government and non-government organisations for developing film culture of the country as well as film industry.’

Mohammad Nurullah said that the BFFS would work to organise all film clubs and societies across the country.

The event comprised a musical performance and a street play titled Jatugriha based on a true event at Tazreen Fashion, a garment factory at Ashulia, where more than 100 workers were killed in a fire on November 24, 2012.

Written by Samina Luthfa, Jatugriha was directed by Mohammad Ali Haider.

The play shows how a huge number of workers who came from across the country were burnt due to closing of the collapsible gate by the authorities during the fire.

The play also focuses on the poor condition of labour rights and shows how laws are being violated by the factory owners and the state always stands against the labour.

‘We have produced this play based on the Tazreen tragedy and we want to stage this play across the country because the life of workers is still unsafe,’ Mohammad Ali Haider said, adding that most garment workers could not get their wages and festival bonuses before the previous Eid-ul-Fitr festival.

The members of BotTala and cultural organisation Samageet also performed at the musical event. 

Introducing Sweet Home: An Apocalyptic Korean Series

Adapted from the chilling webtoon by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, ‘Sweet Home’ wastes no time pulling viewers into its bleak, relentless world.

Song Kang portrays the lead role, with the supporting cast of Lee Si-young and Lee Jin-wook.

Written by Kim Hyung-min, Hong So-ri, and Park So-jung, this horror series highlights the directing prowess of Lee Eung-bok, Jang Young-woo, and Park So-hyun.

Storyline: A Deep Dive into the World of a Grieving Teen

At the heart of the horror series lies Cha Hyun-su, a teenager barely holding on long before the world begins to unravel. Played with quiet intensity by Song Kang, Hyun-su’s life is already fractured. His family was lost in a devastating car crash, leaving him emotionally hollow and physically isolated in a decaying apartment complex. Then, just as the weight of grief threatens to consume him, something far worse arrives. One by one, his neighbours begin to mutate, grotesque forms born from rage, fear, and twisted desire. What follows is not just chaos but a grim fight for survival.

Yet, the series resists the temptation to become just another monster-horror drama. It refuses to take the obvious path. Hyun-su’s journey veers in an unexpected direction when he becomes infected, but instead of turning, he changes. His transformation gives him monstrous power, but it comes with a burden. He’s neither a hero nor a clear villain. The show deliberately muddies the waters, making viewers question who’s worth saving and what’s worth becoming.

As the seasons progress, the world grows bigger and the stakes higher. The claustrophobic horror of the apartment block gives way to a larger view of a shattered society. Survivors emerge, some with resilience, others with broken souls. Each one adds depth, offering glimpses of raw humanity and stubborn hope. It eventually includes the terrifying choices people make when the rules no longer apply.

Why The Walking Dead Fans Love Sweet Home

Fans of zombie epics, from the classic Dawn of the Dead to The Walking Dead, will find familiar ground in Sweet Home's early setup. A group of survivors barricades themselves inside a crumbling apartment complex as the world outside spirals into chaos. The infected transform into violent creatures, and desperation spreads faster than the plague. At first glance, it follows the genre’s playbook: infection, collapse, survival. But the resemblance ends there.

What sets the K-drama apart is how it reinvents the familiar. These monsters aren’t mindless husks or undead wanderers. Each one reflects the inner torment of who they once were: manifestations of repressed desires, fears, and obsessions. Some are slow and hulking; others are impossibly swift. No two are alike. Even Hyun-su, once a grieving boy, now stands at a strange intersection of predator and protector. He wields supernatural powers that make him less victim, more reluctant guardian.

This unique twist nudges the story toward superhero territory but without the polish or comfort of caped saviours. It stays gritty. It stays raw. Meanwhile, the scope gradually expands beyond the apartment’s walls. Governments respond, panic turns political, and society fractures. These threads inject a sharp socio-political edge into the Walking Dead franchise, only brushed past. In doing so, ‘Sweet Home’ doesn’t just honour the genre; it redefines it.

Frenzy Around the K-drama

Online conversations have surged with excitement as the Korean drama series continues to dominate Netflix’s charts. Across platforms, fans are praising everything from its casting to its visual effects, drawing comparisons to other genre giants. For many, the show's mix of horror, emotion, and spectacle hits a rare sweet spot.

One expressed how the series felt like a full-package experience, highlighting its gripping plot, well-chosen cast, and standout CGI. They described it as the kind of series that keeps viewers gripped from start to finish. Their excitement spilt into an eager call for the arrival of the next season.

Another compared its atmosphere to ‘Stranger Things’ (2016-present). They pointed to the execution and planning, where each element felt intentional and powerful. They believed it was just good television as well as essential viewing.

A third viewer shared how they had just started the series and were already captivated. To them, the show reinforced what makes K-dramas so uniquely compelling: bold creativity and immersive storytelling.

Together, these reactions paint a picture of a global audience hooked by monsters and the emotional core hiding beneath their claws.

In a Nutshell

As a Netflix streaming chartbuster, Sweet Home is swiftly emerging as the next The Walking Dead. The story of a grieving teen facing monsters within and beyond presents unparalleled emotional depth. Plus, with shifting genre lines and terrifying mutations, the series reshapes apocalyptic drama. Audiences worldwide are hooked, flooding social media with praise and demand for more. It’s a bold reminder that Korean content now stands shoulder to shoulder with Hollywood’s finest in scale and global appeal.

Two young girls, aged four and seven, miraculously survived the attack but were not discovered by first responders for hours.

The case triggered a sprawling, multinational investigation involving authorities in France, the UK, Spain, Israel, Switzerland, and Iraq. Hundreds of officers were deployed and nearly a thousand witnesses interviewed.

The mystery regained public and media attention last summer when French investigators officially reopened the case.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series is being produced by Carrousel — the company founded by Louis Leterrier, Omar Sy, and Thomas Benski — in collaboration with Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch and Bob Cooper’s Landscape.

“When we first came across this story, we immediately saw its incredible potential,” said Cooper. “It’s a haunting case that has everything — a compelling mystery, international intrigue, and profound human drama. It demanded to be told.”

Cécile Gaget, executive producer at Carrousel Studios, added, “This was a no-brainer for Carrousel. With the recent reopening of the case, the international resonance, and the unique cultural perspectives on the investigation, we are committed to delivering a powerful and authentic narrative.”

Filming is set to begin across France and the UK in early 2026. However, casting details remain undisclosed.

Jacqueline Fernandez, a Sri Lankan actress who has been part of the Indian entertainment industry for over two decades, is the only Bollywood actress reported to own a private island.

Located off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, the four-acre island was purchased by Jacqueline in 2012 for approximately $600,000, which was around Rs 3 crore at the time, reports Hindustan Times.

While many of her peers invest in luxury homes or international properties, Jacqueline’s decision to acquire an island sets her apart.

Reports at the time of purchase suggested she intended to build a lavish villa on the property. However, it remains unclear whether the project was meant for her personal retreat or for commercial use, such as leasing it for tourism purposes.

Although details about the island’s development remain undisclosed, Jacqueline is still believed to be the owner.

Initially slated for a theatrical debut on May 9, the Karan Sharma-directed comedy-drama will now premiere directly on Prime Video on May 16.

The shift to digital release comes amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. On May 8, production house Maddock Films shared the update via Instagram.

Their official statement read: “Given the current circumstances and the increased nationwide security measures, Maddock Films and Amazon MGM Studios have decided to bring our family entertainer Bhool Chuk Maaf straight to your screens on May 16, exclusively on Prime Video, globally.”

The statement added, “Although we were excited to experience the film with you in cinemas, national interest takes priority. Jai Hind.”

Set in the colorful streets of Varanasi, the story follows Rajan (played by Rajkummar Rao), a hopeless romantic who lands a government job just to win over Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi), the woman he loves. But things take a twist when Rajan gets stuck in a time loop, waking up repeatedly on the day of his Haldi ceremony. What ensues is a comical and touching journey about love, fate, and fresh beginnings.

This film marks the first collaboration between Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi on screen.

At a press event, Rajkummar Rao spoke about his role, sharing that his connection to such characters is rooted in his own life experiences: “I’ve lived that life, I’ve seen people like them closely. There’s something very relatable about these roles.”

Most recently, Rajkummar Rao appeared in the 2024 hit Stree 2 with Shraddha Kapoor. Wamiqa Gabbi was last seen in Baby John, co-starring Varun Dhawan.

The announcement was made at a press conference at Padma Hall at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka while she is currently visiting Bangladesh as part of a cultural tour aimed at promoting heritage, tourism, and international friendship.

Tatiana Calmell, a Peruvian actress–model and activist, also launched new products of Miss Universe Skincare at the event while national director and host of Miss Universe Bangladesh Mustafa Rafiqul Islam Duke and National Director for Miss Universe Canada Denis Martin Davila were present.

Tatiana Calmell also shared her personal journey, and highlighted the international and cultural significance of the Miss Universe platform.

Her tour comprises visits to Bangladesh’s most iconic cultural and heritage sites, showcasing the nation’s rich history, traditions, and hospitality to a global audience. 

‘The platform represents culture and tradition on a global stage,’ Tatiana said, adding that sometimes life crosses the fear and women should work for empowerment.

She also said that youths should know how to maintain their cultural practice and also their goal of what they want to achieve.

Mustafa Rafiqul Islam Duke said that Miss Universe was more than a beauty pageant as it’s a global platform that celebrates intelligence, confidence, and purpose.

Mostly black-and-white looks populated the daffodil-accented deep-blue carpet covering the steps to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Guests arrived as assistants sheltered them under umbrellas in the heavy rain.

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and actor Colman Domingo, co-chairs of the gala, were among the first of the stars of sports, music, film and television to appear.

Domingo wore a full-length royal blue pleated cloak falling from a gold-and-white casing around his shoulders. He removed the cloak to reveal a bejeweled, checkered black-and-white jacket and grey trousers. Hamilton chose an ivory suit with a beret.

The last to arrive was Rihanna, who sported a wide-brimmed black hat and a striped, corseted bodice that hugged her stomach. Her partner, musician A$AP Rocky, had arrived earlier and confirmed that Rihanna was pregnant with the couple's third child.

In between, former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris had made her way into the event. She was not spotted on the carpet, but the Democratic Party posted a photo of her on social media in a long black-and-white gown.

Andre 3000 turned heads with one of the most over-the-top looks - a replica of a piano that he hauled on his back like a backpack.

Williams, the musician and creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, wore black tuxedo pants paired with an ivory jacket adorned with 15,000 pearls.

The Met Gala, a fundraiser for the art museum's Costume Institute, has become known for its roster of A-list celebrities in extravagant outfits. This year's guests were told to dress according to the theme "Tailored for You," a nod to the exhibit called "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at the museum's Costume Institute. The exhibit focuses on an elegant Black dandy aesthetic.

The theme was chosen before the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who launched an assault on diversity and inclusion efforts during the first weeks of his second term.

Andrew Bolton, head curator of the Costume Institute, said that even though work began on the exhibit in 2022, "in this current political climate, it resonates very differently. Timing is everything."

Also on the carpet, legendary Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan wore a silk black sherwani-style jacket over black trousers with several necklaces including one with a giant "K."

"Euphoria" actor Sydney Sweeney shimmered in a fitted sparkling black gown with her hair slicked back in a bun. Her co-star Zendaya wore a white silk suit with a brimmed hat.

Some pops of color made a statement on the carpet.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles stood out in a short bright blue dress with a white collar. Director Spike Lee wore a black suit with a silver crossbody bag, orange glasses and an orange New York Knicks cap. Singer Chappell Roan donned hot pink.

Among the notable accessories, Bad Bunny carried a brown and yellow bowling-style bag and Tessa Thompson had a fan with an image of the late fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley, who many cited as an inspiration for their outfits.

Other attendees included musicians Stevie Wonder and Shaboozey and actors Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, honorary chair of the event, could not attend because of a knee injury. "Hate to miss an historical event!" James wrote on social media platform X.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro state, working in coordination with the Justice Ministry, said the plot was orchestrated by a group promoting hate speech and the radicalization of teenagers, including self-harm and violent content as a form of social belonging.

According to the Rio city hall, 2.1 million people attended the concert of the American pop icon.

"The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails," the police said in a statement.

The Justice Ministry said the recruiters identified themselves as members of Gaga's global fan base, known as the "Little Monsters."

The operation was based on a report by the ministry's Cyber Operations Lab following a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence, which uncovered digital cells encouraging violent behavior among teenagers using coded language and extremist symbolism.

A man described as the group's leader was arrested in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul for illegal possession of a firearm, while a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was detained for storing child pornography.

Authorities carried out over a dozen search and seizure warrants across the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo.

Trump said he was authorising the US Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America's movie industry was dying "a very fast death".

He blamed a "concerted effort" by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a "National Security threat".

"It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform. "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on countries around the world.

He argues tariffs will boost US manufacturers and protect jobs - but the global economy has been thrown into chaos as a result, and prices on goods around the world are expected to rise.

Ahead of his inauguration, Trump appointed three film stars - Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone - to be special ambassadors tasked with promoting business opportunities in Hollywood, which he described as a "great but very troubled place".

"They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!" Trump wrote at the time.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the latest announcement, saying "We're on it".

The US remains a major film production hub globally despite challenges, according to movie industry research firm ProdPro.

Its most recent annual report shows the country saw $14.54bn (£10.94bn) of production spending last year. That was down by 26% since 2022, though.

Countries that have attracted an increase in spending over the same period include Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK, according to the report.

Even before this most recent announcement, the US movie industry had been impacted by the fallout from Trump's trade policies.

In April, China said it was reducing its quota of American films allowed into the country.

"The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience's favourability towards American films," the China Film Administration said.

"We will follow the market rules, respect the audience's choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported."

Trump has hit China hardest with his tariffs salvo, imposing import taxes of up to 145% on goods from there.

His administration said last month that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

Beijing has hit back with a 125% import duty on goods from the US.

Other countries currently face a blanket US tariff of 10% until a pause on higher levies expires in July.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals.

He added, however, that he had no plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week - despite previous reports that Washington had approached Beijing about holding trade talks.

Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could "very well be", but gave no details.

Earlier, Trump signalled he may be willing to lower tariffs on China.

"At some point, I'm going to lower them, because otherwise, you could never do business with them, and they want to do business very much," he said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press.

First reported by Bollywood Hungama, the casting has now been confirmed by an industry insider who revealed that Kumar will portray a menacing antagonist, setting the stage for an intense face-off with Saif’s lead character. “The film centers on a high-stakes conflict between the two, and audiences can expect a tense, edge-of-the-seat experience,” the source said.

Known primarily for his roles in action and comedy films, this marks a notable shift for Kumar, adding a fresh layer to his screen persona. His collaboration with Priyadarshan also rekindles a successful partnership that previously delivered hits like Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Garam Masala—though this time, they are exploring darker, more psychological themes.

The film, an adaptation of Mohanlal’s acclaimed Malayalam thriller, is slated to begin production in August 2025 and aims for a release in the latter half of 2026. With Saif Ali Khan leading and Akshay Kumar in an unexpected antagonist role, the project is generating significant buzz.

Fans can look forward to a thrilling narrative, elevated by Priyadarshan’s storytelling and the intense dynamic between the two stars.

Known for his work on Inside Edge and the biopic Srikanth, and a BAFTA Breakthrough India participant in 2020/2021, Purohit is stepping behind the camera for the first time.

The film features a stellar cast led by ‘Scam 1992’ star Pratik Gandhi and ‘Paatal Lok’ and ‘Stree 2’ actor Abhishek Banerjee, reports Variety.

Joining them is Panchayat’s Faisal Malik and Mirzapur creator Puneet Krishna, who co-writes the film with Purohit.

Described as a sharp satire, Baaghi Bechare reflects a growing trend of prominent performers turning to independent, experimental storytelling beyond mainstream formats.

“Satire, for me, is a form of catharsis. It helps us confront truths that are too absurd to believe and too real to ignore,” says Purohit. “Collaborating with so many creative and talented people on this journey gives me hope that we can continue telling stories that are honest and unafraid to reflect the times we live in.”

Gandhi, fresh off his comedic role in Madgaon Express, speaks of the artistic freedom the film provides. “It’s refreshing to be part of a film rooted in genuine artistic collaboration and craft. There’s a rare freedom in working without the usual market pressures,” he says.

“As an actor, being in such an ecosystem is truly inspiring. You feel a responsibility to support it and be a part of its journey.”

Baaghi Bechare is produced by BE8 Films Production (Ashwani Kumar), Traintripper Films (Chippy Babu and Abhishek Sharma), with Inclusive Pictures serving as co-producer.

The action-packed ensemble film follows a group of lesser-known Marvel characters teaming up, many of whom were previously introduced in other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles.

Boosted by screenings in Imax and premium large-format theatres, the film marks a fresh direction for Marvel, steering away from traditional sequels for the first time in over a decade, according to Variety.

Despite the promising figures, Thunderbolts* signals a shift in Marvel’s box office dominance. If projections hold, it will be among the lower opening weekends in the MCU’s history, likely trailing behind 2021’s Black Widow ($80 million), which starred Scarlett Johansson and introduced key Thunderbolts* cast members Florence Pugh and David Harbour.

It also falls short of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy ($94 million), another debut featuring an ensemble of quirky heroes.

Compared to Marvel’s most recent release, Captain America: Brave New World, which earned $40.9 million on its first day and finished its opening weekend with $88 million, Thunderbolts is off to a slower start.

Director Raihan Rafi confirmed the incident, stating that Monir was declared dead by doctors at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on Saturday afternoon (May 3).

“He performed a stunt scene around noon and seemed fine afterward. He was chatting with everyone. Suddenly, after one or two hours, he began feeling unwell. When he was taken to the hospital, doctors informed us that he had passed away,” Rafi said.

The shooting of Tandob is taking place at a set built in the Hi-Tech Park area of Rajshahi city. According to the film crew, Monir began feeling unwell on set.

Rafi added, “He likely suffered a stroke in the morning but didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t share any discomfort or symptoms with others.”

Monir, a resident of Narayanganj, had been working in the film industry as a stuntman for several years.

Tandob is scheduled for release during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. The film marks the silver screen debut of popular television actress Sabila Noor, who stars opposite Shakib Khan.

“Tonight, we're making history. (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd.

The Mother Monster, as she is known, kicked off the show at around 22:10 p.m. local time with her 2011 song “Bloody Mary.” Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand.

Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show.

Lady Gaga performed her classic hits, including “Poker Face” and “Alejandro,” switching between an array of dresses including one with the colors of the Brazilian flag.

Some fans - many of them young - arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot, armed with snacks and drinks. They spent the day under a blazing sun, while others perched in trees, determined to get a panoramic view.

“Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes, a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019. “It's surreal to be here.”

Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year.

The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June.

“It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars, restaurants, and retail, generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima, the city’s secretary of economic development, in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month.

Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (some $106 million) into Rio’s economy.

Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028.

Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday. The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since, as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012. Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song “LoveGame” and gave instructions for Saturday in a video. A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out.

While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio, the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors.

More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show, more than double the initial forecast, according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport, Rio’s City Hall said in a statement on Friday.

Ingrid Serrano, a 30-year-old engineer, made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show.

“I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years.

For her, the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression - being who one wants without shame.”

Rio officials have a history of organizing huge concerts on Copacabana Beach. Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year, while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994. According to Guinness World Records, that was the biggest free rock concert in history.

To ensure fans could hear the songs, sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach.

Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3,300 military and 1,500 police officers, and 400 military firefighters.

Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017, when the artist canceled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues.

Ricardo Filho, who has been a fan since childhood, said it was worth the wait.

“She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said, as chants of “Gaga, I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him.

Terracotta Creatives, Aranyak Natyadal, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, BotTala, Samageet, Bangladesh Gana Sangeet Samannay Parishad and others paid tribute to working class people by organising the programmes.

A daylong art exhibition titled the 15th Rongottor Art Exhibition’ was organised by Terracotta Creatives at Rabindra Sarobar at Dhanmondi in the capital Dhaka on Thursday marking International Workers Day.

The exhibition, curated by Mrittika Kamal, featured 90 artworks, including paintings, photographs, performances and digital art depicting the struggles of the working class people and their everyday life, by 64 artists.

The event featured artists, including Abir Abdullah, Hasan Saifuddin Chandan, K M Asad, AFM Moniruzzaman Shipu, Morshed Mishu and Ummea Habiba.

‘The fifteenth edition of Rongottor Art Exhibition continues to reflect Terracotta Creatives’s commitment to making art accessible to people from all walks of life,’ Mrittika Kamal said.

Theatre troupe Aranyak organised an event on the premises of Central Shaheed Minar at 10:00am that included discussion, songs, recitation and two street plays.

As part of the event, Aranyak also staged its renowned theatre production titled Rarang at Experimental Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the evening.  

Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi organised a cultural programme at Satyen Sen Chattar opposite to the National Press Club. 

Organised by Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, the play was directed by Azad Abul Kalam and it was translated into Bangla by Parthapratim Chattopadhyay under the project titled German Contemporary Plays in South Asian Languages.

The play portrays bullying and exclusion where diversity doesn’t exist in a society. Dickhauuter is based on a rhinoceros called Lou who joins Class 2b and struggles to fit in. Lou is teased and excluded by the other children and their parents who see Lou as abnormal and potentially dangerous.

‘The play speaks about bullying, which deliberately happens everywhere in society, especially in classrooms and family,’ Azad Abul Kalam said, adding, ‘The play is about how we can accept diversity and make an inclusive society.’

Abu Imran, Noor E Jannat Orisha, Diana Meriline Chowdhury, Audree ja amen and Swatee Bhadra, among others, played different characters in the play.

Neel Kamrul designed music while Md Mukhlesur Rahman designed the light and Swatee Bhadra designed costumes for the play.

Tanji Kun, on the other hand, designed the stage and props and Md Sohel Rana was assistant director and production manager of the play.

The classical music evening was jointly organised by the Russian House in Dhaka and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, supported by the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory.

The concert showcased performances by Russian artistes Stanislav Chernukhin on grand piano, Karina Khovalyg on soprano and Mikhail Loginov on baritone.

Karina Khovalyg and Mikhail Loginov presented several well-known classical opera pieces from Russia and beyond, delivering vocals that evoked loneliness, grief and the emotional turmoil of wartime.

A highlight of the evening was the performance of the popular wartime song Smuglyanka, with Stanislav Chernukhin’s piano playing creating an atmosphere of romance and melancholy.

The concert is part of the Rising Stars project by the Russian World Foundation, initiated in partnership with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, introducing young Russian musical talent to international audiences and promotes cultural diplomacy through concerts and educational events.

On May 2, students and graduates of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory conducted a master class at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

At the beginning of the concert, Pavel Dvoychenkov, director of the Russian House in Dhaka, remarked, ‘Music transcends borders and strengthens the bond between our two countries. This concert is more than a performance — it is an exchange of cultural heritage.’

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy acting director general Md Wares Hossain welcomed the audience and emphasised the longstanding cultural ties and friendship between Russia and Bangladesh since the country’s independence.

The concert is scheduled to be held at the Russian Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi today.

The title, developed by Rockstar Games, was previously slated for a fall 2025 launch. The franchise is the crown jewel in Take-Two's portfolio, accounting for a significant share of revenue and player engagement, and expectations for the upcoming title have been baked into Wall Street forecasts for months.

Fans have been waiting for the game for over a decade and analysts expect it to be an instant hit. The previous entry, "Grand Theft Auto V", released in 2013 and has sold over 200 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games ever.

"We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to be a groundbreaking blockbuster entertainment experience," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said.

Delays have become commonplace in modern game development as studios grapple with rising production costs and growing pressure from players to deliver polished experiences at launch.

The postponement now pushes "GTA VI" out of Take-Two's fiscal 2026 release window and into 2027, which will likely bring down booking expectations for the next fiscal year. The company reiterated its expectations for sequential increases in net bookings for fiscal 2026 and 2027.

Investors await more details when Take-Two reports its fourth-quarter earnings on May 15.

Despite the delay, Take-Two has several titles lined up for the next fiscal year, including "Borderlands 4" and "Mafia: The Old Country," which are also expected to be big launches.

"Given that Take-Two reiterated expectations of record level net bookings in both FY'26 and FY'27, we think this alleviates some of the potential concerns around sales cannibalization in FY'26," DA Davidson & Co analyst Wyatt Swanson said.

Rockstar Games unveiled the first trailer for "GTA VI" in Dec 2023, confirming the game's return to Vice City, a fictional take on Miami, and introducing Lucia, the franchise's first female lead. The teaser hinted at a modern-day Bonnie-and-Clyde duo and drew more than 100 million views within 24 hours.

The response to the delay was mixed on social media. Some users complained about waiting longer while others welcomed the additional polish.

The move will also impact the wider industry as "GTA VI" was expected to be a major catalyst for sector growth at a time when US tariffs have driven up gaming console prices and sparked a pullback in consumer spending.

The works are now being displayed in a solo art exhibition titled Searching Light at the Gallery Bhumi at Lalmatia in the capital Dhaka.

The event, organised by Gallery Shilpangan, features 100 artworks of the artist.

With 35 small size sculptures in different mediums the exhibition also displays 65 paintings, most of which have been created by burning plastic wood.

His sculptures show details of everyday life of people including flute players, working class people, middle class people, fishermen, while some sculptures include figures of animals.

Pradyut’s painting depicts depression of daily life, especially low-income people and their loneliness.

By burning plastic wood, the artist has created textures and scratches in the background to express the disappearance of happiness in capitalist society. His landscapes portray the beauty of villages and serenity of water bodies where village women collect and use water.

‘I try to paint people’s dreams and struggles that I have collected from the soil,’ Pradyut Kumar Das said, adding that his first solo exhibition is his limited expression of a boundless journey in search of the meaning of life. 

The 12-day exhibition was inaugurated by renowned artist Hamiduzzaman Khan on April 25 while Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy fine arts department director poet-artist Mustafa Zaman and Naripokkho president Gita Das were present as special guests at the inaugural ceremony.

The exhibition will end on May 6.

Ajith, known for balancing his thriving film career with his passion for motorsports, had recently released films including Vidaamuyarchi and Good Bad Ugly before traveling to Europe for an international car racing event. 

According to reports, the 53-year-old star is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital for abdominal discomfort, although no official statement has been released by his team, including his longtime manager Suresh Chandra.

The news comes shortly after Ajith was conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours, for his contribution to the arts — a moment celebrated warmly by his family and fans alike.

His commitment to both cinema and competitive racing continues to distinguish him in the Tamil entertainment industry.

As speculation grows online, fans have taken to social media to discuss their idol's health update.