United News of Bangladesh

A 55.6-metre statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to be the tallest of its kind in Europe, was inaugurated Saturday in a small Polish village in the presence of former Polish President and anti-communist icon Lech Walesa. Hundreds of people attended the consecration ceremony in Konotopie, a central Polish village with fewer than 150 residents. Priests in white robes celebrated Mass as helicopters dropped small red roses over the gathering. The ceremony also featured performances of traditional Polish music and dance by the renowned Mazowsze folk ensemble. The statue rises 55.6 metres (182 feet) above the village, including a 15-metre crown-shaped pedestal. It is taller than Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, which stands about 38 metres including its pedestal, and also exceeds Poland’s Christ the King monument in Swiebodzin, which reaches roughly 52 metres including the mound beneath it. A larger statue of the Virgin Mary, measuring about 98 metres, stands in the Philippines. However, the newly unveiled monument in Poland is believed to be Europe’s tallest statue of Mary. Walesa, 82, who led Poland’s anti-communist movement as head of the Solidarity trade union, attended the inauguration from the front row. “I started with the Virgin Mary and I end with the Virgin Mary,” Walesa told The Associated Press, reflecting on the causes he has championed throughout his life, including democracy and Catholicism. During his years leading the Solidarity movement, Walesa was known for wearing a pin depicting the Black Madonna and has frequently spoken about the role of his Catholic faith in his opposition to communist rule. Catholicism has traditionally played a major role in Polish public life. The country is home to St John Paul II, who served as pope from 1978 until his death in 2005. However, the influence of the Catholic Church has declined in recent years, particularly among younger people and urban residents. The Church remains especially influential in rural areas and among older generations. Bishop Wieslaw Mering, who attended the ceremony, said he was concerned about the declining influence of the Church and the growing number of people moving away from Catholicism. He said the history of Christianity has experienced both periods of strength and decline, but described the new monument as a reminder of the enduring role of the Virgin Mary in Poland. The monument was commissioned and financed by Polish entrepreneurs Roman and Grazyna Karkosik, who live in a nearby palace. Roman Karkosik built his fortune through business ventures and investments on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and became one of Poland’s wealthiest people. The couple said they built the monument as an expression of gratitude to God. Grazyna Karkosik said the statue was intended for everyone and expressed hope that visitors would use the experience to reflect on their lives as well as their faith. Local authorities hope the monument will attract pilgrims and tourists to the small village. A viewing platform has been built inside the statue’s pedestal, adding a tourist attraction to the religious site.

The scars of vandalism remain clearly visible at the ‘Swadhinata Sangram’ sculpture complex on Fuller Road at Dhaka University nearly two years after August 5, 2024, with most of the sculptures still lying broken.

Grammy-winning Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey’s annual fan celebration, “A Very Laufey Day,” has grown into a global event designed to bring her listeners together offline through music, art and community activities. Laufey launched the event in 2023 ahead of the release of her second album, “Bewitched.” She wanted to encourage fans to leave their homes, explore places she had enjoyed and experience what she described as her idea of a “perfect day” while connecting with other listeners. Each year, Laufey creates itineraries for participating cities, directing fans to places such as museums, bookstores, cafes and music venues. What began as a small idea has expanded significantly, with fans also embracing the event by wearing vintage outfits inspired by the singer and treating the occasion as an unofficial holiday. The fourth edition of “A Very Laufey Day” will take place on Aug. 23 and feature activities in 75 cities across 25 countries under the theme “A Celebration of the Arts.” The programme will include performances and cultural events featuring symphony orchestras, ballet, jazz, opera and theatre. Fans will also be able to take part in activities organised with libraries, bookstores, coffee shops and yogurt and ice cream stores. Laufey’s concert film, “A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl,” will be screened at selected cinemas as part of the celebration. The singer has also partnered with museums and cultural institutions around the world, including New York’s Guggenheim, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, London’s Tate Modern and National Gallery, Chile’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and Seoul’s Daelim Museum. Some participating venues and businesses will offer limited-edition merchandise and special Laufey-themed drinks. Laufey said this year’s event focuses particularly on making arts and cultural institutions more accessible to her predominantly Gen Z and Gen Alpha audience. She said she wanted to reduce the barriers that can make younger people hesitant to visit museums, galleries or attend classical performances and other forms of “high culture.” “These spaces don’t have to be intimidating,” she said, adding that she wants to make such cultural experiences enjoyable and accessible for her fans. The singer described organising the event as a “fun puzzle” each year, with its international reach continuing to expand.

As heatwaves sweep across China during the summer, the country's southwestern karst regions are turning their naturally cool caves into unconventional tourist attractions, offering visitors a respite from the heat while creating new business opportunities. Guided by a local expert, tourist Chang Ting recently entered a natural cave in Guizhou Province. After walking about 100 metres along a narrow, rocky passage, she lost mobile phone reception. “It felt like stepping into a crack in time, and all the noise faded away,” said Chang, who is from Xi'an, capital of northwestern Shaanxi Province. Cave exploration has emerged as a new summer tourism trend among young Chinese travellers. The growing interest is providing visitors with novel sightseeing experiences while helping boost local consumption. Videos featuring cave exploration in Guizhou have gone viral on major lifestyle and short-video platforms, collecting more than 5 million likes, while related topics have attracted hundreds of millions of views.

With temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius outside, Chicago native Michael Shedd visited a hotpot restaurant located inside a former air-raid shelter in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. In front of him was a bubbling, intensely spicy broth, but the heat and humidity did not seem to bother him. “I feel it’s cool as I get inside, just like there are air conditioners, but there are not. This is amazing,” Shedd said. Thousands of air-raid shelters were carved into Chongqing’s mountainous terrain in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Once used as refuges for civilians during China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, many have since been converted into hotpot restaurants, teahouses and venues for Sichuan Opera performances. The shelters offer visitors a naturally cool environment while preserving an important part of the city’s history. “The temperature inside the shelters remains around 25 degrees Celsius all year round,” said Wang Jing, marketing director of the restaurant. During summer weekends, the restaurant serves more than 300 tables a day, with about one in six diners coming from overseas. “I feel like eating in history. The food is also good. You are never gonna find something like this anywhere in the world,” Shedd said, describing the restaurant as “legendary.” As a severe heatwave sweeps across parts of the world this summer, such unusual destinations have helped make “China Cool” a popular term on overseas social media, following the earlier trend of “China Travel.” By late July, bookings for inbound summer trips to China had increased by more than 20 percent from a year earlier. Data from Trip.com showed that European countries accounted for 30 percent of the top 20 source markets for inbound tourism to China this summer. Orders from Europe surged 275 percent year on year, while ticket sales increased by more than 2,000 percent. Natural Retreats China’s vast territory and diverse climate provide numerous natural destinations for visitors seeking relief from the summer heat, ranging from high-altitude plateaus and forested mountains to coastal areas. Huangshizhai, a scenic area in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in central China’s Hunan Province, stands more than 1,200 meters above sea level. Its dense forests and mountain breezes provide a naturally cool environment. Data from the past five years show that average summer temperatures at major tourist sites in the park ranged between 16 and 25 degrees Celsius from June to August. “For me, it’s been a wonderful trip. I’m here with my family, surrounded by nature and spending time with Chinese friends. It feels great,” said French tourist Isabelle Sala Jaboule while walking along a trail in Huangshizhai. “It’s very hot in France right now, but here we can breathe fresh air and feel so much cooler,” she said. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park received more than 100,000 international tourists in July, up 46.78 percent year on year, with visitors from 148 countries and regions, according to local authorities. A similar increase has been recorded in northeast China. At the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area in Jilin Province, located on the “golden summer escape” belt around 42 degrees north latitude, daily visitor numbers have exceeded 30,000 since the summer peak began in July. The number of overseas tourists has risen 38 percent compared with the same period last year. “This summer, we’ve seen notable growth in tour groups from Europe, the United States and the Republic of Korea,” a staff member at the scenic area said. “Overseas visitors have shown a strong preference for nature-based activities such as forest hiking and splashing in mountain streams, with the area’s consistently cool temperatures the key draw,” the staff member said. “Yesterday we visited the west slope of Changbai Mountain, and today we came to the north slope. We’ve been greeted by waves of cool mountain air. I just want to etch all the scenery before my eyes deep into memory,” said Choi Suk-rye, a visitor from the Republic of Korea. “This is my first time in China, and I hope I can come back often,” said another South Korean traveler, Ahn Sun-mi. Urban Chill China’s cooling infrastructure is also becoming part of the summer travel experience. By 2025, China had 150.6 air conditioners for every 100 households, or more than 1.5 per household, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Over the years, cooling facilities have expanded beyond homes into public spaces, including shopping malls, neighborhood cooling stations, underground shelters and transport hubs. At Huaqiangbei, a large electronics market in Shenzhen, French visitor Jocelyne spent more than an hour exploring a shopping mall. “There’s air conditioning everywhere in China. It’s very comfortable,” she said, pointing to a portable fan she had found. “I’d like to get a few to take back for my friends.” “For European visitors from places where air conditioning is not yet ubiquitous, the sheer availability of cool, air-conditioned spaces almost everywhere in China can be quite a revelation,” said Yang Yong, who works for an international travel agency. At The Ring shopping mall in Chongqing, visitors encounter a lush indoor rainforest rather than rows of conventional stores. Misting systems and specially designed lighting help maintain the temperature at around 21 degrees Celsius. “The scenery in the mall has become quite popular on overseas social media, so I came here to see it for myself,” said Avidar, a visitor from Jordan. “It’s not only a cool place to escape the summer heat, but also a feast for the eyes,” he said. In Chongqing’s historic Mountain City Alley district, a 400-meter pedestrian walkway has also been turned into a “cooling corridor.” Misting systems and shaded areas lower the perceived temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, 23 subway stations in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, have established cooling areas with benches since June 21. The facilities are open to everyone without requiring a ticket or transit card and will remain available until the end of September. Deeper Stays  China’s expanding visa-free transit arrangements and improved travel facilitation have contributed to a noticeable change in inbound tourism this summer, with visitors staying longer and exploring beyond traditional tourist routes. For many international travelers, “China Cool” means more than escaping high temperatures. It represents a different kind of travel experience combining cultural discovery with modern innovation. Visitors are practicing traditional exercises such as Baduanjin, drinking tea, exploring intangible cultural heritage, traveling on high-speed trains, making mobile payments and visiting technology hubs. In southwest China’s Yunnan Province, a popular destination for international tourists, travelers staying four to seven days accounted for 35 percent of visitors, while 23 percent stayed for more than a week, according to a Trip.com official. Juan Antonio of Spain is among them. During his eighth trip to China this summer, he traveled to Yunnan after reading several books about the province before his arrival. In Kunming, the provincial capital, he visited Yuantong Temple, a Buddhist site dating back 1,200 years. “Here, an ancient temple gazes calmly across at a high-rise a hundred meters away. That’s the China I came to understand,” Antonio said. His itinerary includes traveling from northwest Yunnan to the south, with stops in Dali to experience ethnic tie-dye, Lijiang to see traditional Naxi homes, Shangri-La to watch the sunrise over snow-capped mountains and Yuanyang to admire its famous rice terraces. For Dutch visitor Bilal Badri, a trip to Chongqing was inspired by the video game “Cyberpunk 2077.” At an observation deck atop a skyscraper, he stepped out over the edge in a safety harness and posed against the city’s illuminated nightscape for what he described as a “once-in-a-lifetime shot.” “The whole city looked very cyberpunk,” he said, adding that Chongqing’s distinctive experiences offer visitors opportunities to explore the city beyond conventional sightseeing. Similar experiences are being reported across China as the summer travel surge reflects the country’s continued growth in inbound tourism. Data from the National Immigration Administration showed that China recorded 22.91 million inbound visits by foreign nationals in the first half of this year, up 20.4 percent year on year. Of those visitors, 77.7 percent benefited from visa-free entry arrangements. “A China that pursues peaceful development, buzzes with innovation, and pulses with cultural richness is winning ever-greater trust and recognition around the world,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing in late July. “We welcome more international friends to come and feel the warmth and vitality of a Chinese summer for themselves,” he said.

Li Chen-hsiu faced questions about her nationality, identity and loyalty to Taiwan just a day after taking her oath as a member of Taiwan's Legislature. Li, who was born in China and became a Taiwanese citizen through marriage, is known as a “mainland spouse.” She is among around 369,000 Chinese-born people in Taiwan whose status has come under greater scrutiny as tensions with China continue to rise. For two months, Li was the only China-born lawmaker in Taiwan who had moved to the island through marriage before she was forced to leave the legislature. “It’s only because of Taiwan, which has this free and democratic system, and the Taiwan People’s Party, which was willing to give a political newcomer a chance, that I could have this opportunity,” she told The Associated Press in July. But growing fears of a possible Chinese military attack have made life more difficult for mainland spouses. The group includes people from different generations and backgrounds, ranging from women who married former Chinese soldiers to younger and more educated people who married Taiwanese citizens after cross-strait travel restrictions eased. Decades of tensionChina and Taiwan split after a civil war in 1949, when the Nationalist government fled to the island. The two sides cut off most contact for decades until Taiwan allowed residents to visit relatives in China in 1987. Tensions have risen again since 2016, when independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen took office and Beijing ended official communication with Taipei. China now regularly sends military aircraft and naval vessels near Taiwan and has increased efforts to isolate the island diplomatically. Beijing has also kept Taiwan out of international organisations and used disinformation campaigns against it. The growing threat has intensified debate over who can be trusted in Taiwan. A New Taipei court on Tuesday sentenced Hsu Chun-ying, head of an organisation that supports mainland spouses, to seven years in prison for allegedly working for Beijing to spy on Taiwan and interfere in its politics. Older generation came to Taiwan after marriageMi Zhengrong, 72, is among the older generation of mainland spouses. She met her first husband through relatives in China's Hubei province. He was a former soldier who had fled to Taiwan during the civil war. After cross-strait visits were allowed, some veterans returned to China and married women there before bringing them to Taiwan. Mi married her husband and lived with him in China before they moved to Taiwan in 2002 because he missed the island. He died after 12 years of marriage. Mi later married a neighbour in Taiwan and cared for him for nearly a decade after he became paralysed. She is now seeking his military pension, but he died 13 days before their marriage reached the 10-year requirement. Although the military initially granted her the pension, it later withdrew it after finding that the couple had been married for less than 10 years. Mi now survives on about 10,000 New Taiwan dollars ($330) a month, with around one-third going toward rent. Despite her difficulties, she said she wants to remain in Taiwan. “How many of us want to go back?” she said. “No one wants to go back.” Taiwan had previously introduced measures to help mainland spouses integrate, including reducing the waiting period for citizenship and allowing them to work. But authorities have recently begun tightening those policies. Last spring, Taiwan deported three Chinese-born women who had used social media to advocate reunification with China by force. The Mainland Affairs Council said they posed repeated threats to Taiwan's national security and social stability. Immigration authorities have also asked around 12,000 mainland spouses who already hold Taiwanese citizenship to prove they had cancelled their household registrations in China. Those who fail to provide the documents could lose their Taiwanese citizenship. Li's case sparks debateLi entered the legislature in February with the Taiwan People's Party but quickly faced strong opposition. Taiwan's interior minister said she could not serve because she had not provided documents showing she had given up her Chinese citizenship. The Mainland Affairs Council also said she failed to provide proof on time that she had held only one nationality for the previous 10 years. Li argued that she had been a Taiwanese citizen since 1999 and had cancelled her Chinese household registration that year, which she said fulfilled the requirements. The dispute remained unresolved until April, when her party expelled her. The government subsequently tightened requirements for Chinese-born lawmakers. A spokesperson for the Mainland Affairs Council said the decision was based on legal requirements, not politics. Some legal experts, however, accused the government of applying the rules selectively. Bruce Liao, a law professor and immigration law expert at National Chengchi University, said some laws were being interpreted in a distorted way. Others defended the government's approach as necessary for national security. Yen-Tu Su, a researcher at Academia Sinica, said the government has a strong interest in protecting the country and should have some authority to determine whether a foreign-born resident poses a threat to public safety. Different rules for Chinese-born spousesEven before the latest controversy, Chinese-born spouses faced different rules from spouses from other countries. Mainland spouses can apply for Taiwanese citizenship after six years, compared with four years for foreign spouses. They must also hold Taiwanese citizenship for 10 years before applying for government jobs, while foreign spouses can apply for most lower-level government positions soon after becoming citizens. The different treatment is largely linked to concerns over loyalty and China's security threats. Shangguanluan, a Chinese writer and activist who moved to Taiwan with her Taiwanese husband in 2021, said she often faces questions about whether she is working for China's Communist Party or could be a spy. She acknowledged that Beijing actively seeks information but said mainland spouses are unlikely to be its most valuable targets. “If they want some core secrets,” she said, they are more likely to target people with direct access to sensitive information, such as defence officials, technology experts, academics or senior business figures. “There’s no room for ‘mainland spouses’” among the most valuable targets for such information, she said.

Sara Tendulkar has described her brother Arjun Tendulkar's wedding as a "trial round" that helped her understand what she would and would not want for her own wedding in the future. Arjun Tendulkar married Saaniya Chandhok on March 5, with Sara sharing several moments from the celebrations with her followers on social media. In a recent interview with Vogue, Sara said attending her brother's wedding gave her a chance to think about her own preferences. "I feel like that was a great trial round for me. Now I know what I want and what I don't want," she said. Sara said she had imagined herself as a bride in pastel colours while growing up and once dreamed of a large and lavish wedding. Her preferences have changed with time, however. She now leans towards a smaller, more intimate celebration and said she might even choose a traditional red bridal outfit. "I'm a Libra, very indecisive. Who knows? Maybe I'll go with green," she joked. Sara also shared her views on relationships and marriage, saying she believes members of Gen Z are willing to walk away from relationships that no longer feel right. She said some people may realise during their engagement or before their wedding that they cannot continue with their partner or the partner's family. "I think walking away before you're married is a great step," Sara said, adding that younger people are more confident about standing up for themselves when a relationship is not working. Sara also spoke about her parents, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Anjali Tendulkar, who married in 1995 after being in a relationship for several years. She said their friendship and sense of humour are qualities she would like to have in her own future relationship. "My parents are very good friends before anything else. They have this really fun banter at home, and that's definitely something I would want in my future partner," she said. Sara also admired the way her parents maintained their relationship despite periods of long distance, noting that communication was more difficult before smartphones and apps such as WhatsApp and FaceTime became common. Asked whether she considers love to be closely connected with friendship, Sara replied, "Exactly." She said she would like to believe that romantic soulmates exist, but considers her closest friends to be her soulmates. Sara, the elder child of Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar, was born in Mumbai on October 12, 1997.

Bangladesh on Monday marked the 103rd birth anniversary of internationally acclaimed painter SM Sultan with a day-long celebration in his native Narail district, honouring an artist who once shared exhibition space with Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali yet spent his life painting barefoot farmers in a mud-walled village studio. The programmes, organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in association with the SM Sultan Sangrahashala and the district administration, were held at the SM Sultan Memorial Museum and Shishu Sworgo (Children's Paradise) and the District Shilpakala Academy in Narail. The day's events included an art camp featuring 20 local artists, a painting festival and exhibition involving more than 300 children from Shishu Sworgo, the newly launched "Sultan Sammanona Padak" (Sultan Honour Medal) presentation, a discussion on the artist's life and work, and a cultural programme. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, speaking at the event, said Sultan's stature extended far beyond Narail or the banks of the Padma. "This world-famous painter belongs not just to us in Narail, but to the whole of Bangladesh and the world," he said, announcing that the Sultan Sammanona Padak, introduced this year, will place special focus on school-based initiatives to nurture young artists from rural Bangladesh. "If children in small village schools are encouraged in art and given the opportunity, their intellect will awaken and flourish, and they will be able to stand tall," the minister said. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General, poet Rezauddin Ahmed (Rezauddin Stalin), described Sultan as the most humane and life-affirming artist Bangladesh has produced. "He is the greatest painter of agrarian civilisation, a pride of Narail, of greater Jashore, of Bangladesh and of the entire world," he said, expressing hope that children growing up at Shishu Sworgo will one day become artists in Sultan's own mould. Born Sheikh Muhammad Sultan on August 10, 1923, the artist became known simply as SM Sultan, an icon whose canvases evoke rural Bengal much as poets Jibanananda Das or Jasimuddin might have painted it, had they traded pens for brushes. Unlike abstract or cubist art, which often demands interpretation even from its own creators, Sultan's work speaks for itself at first glance. His most distinctive signature was the muscular, almost superhuman physique he gave to Bengal's peasants, a striking departure from the frail, emaciated figures typically associated with rural farmers.

More than a dozen men and women work at wooden looms, moving shuttles through rows of wool yarn and pulling each thread tightly into place as they weave Pulu, a traditional woolen fabric that has been used on the Tibetan plateau for centuries. They work at the Ethnic Huaji Handwoven Cooperative in Shannan, where artisans are working to preserve one of Tibet’s oldest weaving traditions while also providing jobs for local people. Founded in 2008 by Tibetan artisan Pasang, the cooperative employs more than 100 local residents, including people with disabilities. It also teaches younger Tibetans the traditional craft, which Pasang feared was gradually disappearing.  

Gouri Kunj, the iconic Mumbai bungalow once owned by legendary singer and actor Kishore Kumar, has entered a new chapter as part of the property now houses Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune restaurant. Located in the upscale seaside neighbourhood of Juhu, the bungalow has long been associated with Kishore Kumar, one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated singers and actors. Named after his mother, Gouri Devi, Gouri Kunj was much more than a home for Kishore Kumar. It was a private retreat where he composed music, met friends and colleagues and enjoyed time away from the busy film industry. The property was surrounded by greenery, lawns and courtyards, reflecting Kumar’s love for nature and privacy. A peaceful retreatBuilt during the height of Kishore Kumar’s career in the mid-20th century, the bungalow was designed as a quiet escape rather than a grand display of wealth. Its open spaces, natural light and garden surroundings created a relaxed atmosphere. The setting also reflected Kumar’s preference for a private and informal lifestyle despite his immense fame. The bungalow became closely linked to some of the singer’s well-known eccentricities. In a widely cited 1985 interview, Kumar reportedly said he considered the trees in his garden among his closest companions and had given names to some of them. He was also known for his strong desire for privacy. A sign outside the entrance reportedly carried the words, “Beware of Kishore.” A meeting place for music loversGouri Kunj was also associated with Kumar’s passion for music. Friends from the film industry, composers and other collaborators often visited the residence. The spacious gardens and relaxed surroundings offered a setting where Kumar could spend time with people from the industry without the formal atmosphere often associated with celebrity homes. From heritage bungalow to modern restaurantPart of Gouri Kunj was leased for Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune in 2022, bringing a modern restaurant into a property with a rich connection to Hindi cinema. The restaurant’s design retains elements that echo the bungalow’s original character, including an emphasis on natural light, greenery and open spaces. Warm wooden finishes, brass details and large glass panels are combined with indoor plants and vertical greenery, creating a contemporary setting while maintaining the property's connection with nature. The transformation has given part of Gouri Kunj a new purpose while keeping the historic property connected to Kishore Kumar’s legacy. For visitors, the site now offers a glimpse of how a landmark associated with one of Indian cinema’s most beloved artists has evolved while retaining traces of its past. Source: NDTV