United News of Bangladesh

Colombian superstar Shakira has pledged to help build at least 10 new schools in a remote and severely affected region of her home country following last week’s devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of people and damaged thousands of educational facilities across western Colombia. The globally acclaimed singer made the commitment Monday during a surprise visit to Quibdó, capital of the province of Chocó, where she toured damaged schools, hugged students and posed for photos with them. “What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told reporters. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.” She was accompanied by Howard Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and a longtime donor to Colombia who has previously helped Shakira establish schools in the country. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation will work with Shakira’s Fundación Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, on the project. “When she calls, I come,” Buffett said during the visit. Shakira also announced $500,000 commitments from Global Citizen and Live Nation to support the initiative. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck a large part of western Colombia on Aug. 10, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 homes, according to authorities. The government has reported 194 people missing, while other civilian-run databases put the number at more than 4,100. The quake’s epicenter was in Chocó, one of Colombia’s poorest regions. According to the latest report from the regional government Monday, at least 3,100 homes were destroyed and more than 265 educational facilities were affected. “It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” Shakira said in a video posted on X by Colombian news outlet La FM. Her foundation, which works to improve educational access for young people in Colombia, has operated in Chocó for 22 years and runs two schools from which hundreds of students have graduated, she said. “I really want to see it rebuild again,” she said. Aid organizations have faced difficulties assessing the full extent of the damage in Chocó, an area roughly the size of Switzerland where communications are challenging. The province has limited road connections with the rest of Colombia, while many towns and villages are accessible mainly by rivers and unpaved roads. About 600,000 people live in Chocó, most of them in poverty, according to figures released last year by Colombia’s national government. The province is largely home to Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. “There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” Shakira said during a visit to a large high school in Quibdó. “But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, to not abandon El Chocó like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives like they deserve and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve,” she said. The Grammy-winning singer, known for hits including “Whenever, Wherever” and “La Tortura,” as well as the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai,” has long supported education initiatives. She told reporters Monday that she planned to devote all her “personal efforts” to rebuilding a local technological university in Chocó. Shakira, 49, has drawn significant attention to both her music and philanthropic causes. She headlined the halftime show at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in July and performed in May at Brazil’s Copacabana Beach before an estimated crowd of 2 million people. Following Venezuela’s twin earthquakes in June, Shakira announced that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would provide $500,000 for education recovery efforts there. Her latest pledge is among several commitments by prominent Colombians and other Latin American artists to support earthquake relief efforts in Colombia and Venezuela. On Sunday, Marc Anthony and Chayanne joined dozens of other artists at a benefit concert and live fundraiser in Miami for the two countries. Colombian singer Karol G pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her three-night performances at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles last weekend. She is also scheduled to join Maluma, Sebastián Yatra and others at a benefit concert in Bogotá on Sunday. The Colombian Football Federation and South American Football Confederation jointly pledged $1 million last week to Colombian First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda’s “Colombia, one heart” recovery fund.

Hayden Panettiere, star of popular television series including “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died. She was 36. Panettiere’s father, Skip, announced the actor’s death in a statement provided to ABC News on Sunday. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” his statement said. No cause of death was announced, and a publicist for Hayden Panettiere did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press. Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on Friday, began her career as a child actor in commercials and soap operas. Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in “Heroes” propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” “I think ‘Heroes’ is really hot because it’s just a really great combination of everything that people love — they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like X-Men where they get to dream of something bigger,” Panettiere told The Associated Press in 2008. “And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it’s just grabbed everyone in every age group.” She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie “A Bug’s Life.” Panettiere later played a brash country upstart opposite Connie Britton on “Nashville,” which aired on ABC for four seasons before being canceled and revived on CMT. She did her own singing in the show, which scored some hits on country charts, spawned U.S. tours and earned Panettiere two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations. Panettiere had 11 songs recorded for “Nashville” appear on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts during the show’s run, including two featuring Britton. Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen, who was also an actor, died of a heart condition in 2023, at age 28. She had been open about her struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, including after the birth of her daughter with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after her memoir came out in May, Panettiere talked about the custody arrangement for her 11-year-old daughter, who lives full-time with Klitschko in Ukraine. News of the 2018 decision prompted headlines about Panettiere giving up custody of her daughter. “I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said. “That could not be farther from the truth.” Panettiere said Klitschko suggested their daughter live with him full-time when the child was 2, as Panettiere struggled with mental health challenges and addiction. She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness.” She entered rehab in 2015, while filming “Nashville.” “I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning,” she said in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine. On Shetty’s podcast, Panettiere recalled the explosion of her fame when she was cast on “Heroes,” including the first time she was tracked by the paparazzi. When she’d imagined the moment as a younger actress, she’d planned to look chic. Instead, she said, “it was just sheer terror.” Panettiere also appeared in two of the “Scream” movies, starred as the title character in the 2009 film “I Love You Beth Cooper” and played the young daughter of a football coach in “Remember the Titans.” She had spoken positively about her experience filming “Remember the Titans,” saying she felt so similar to the character she played — Sheryl Yoast, the opiniated, football-loving daughter of Will Patton’s Coach Bill Yoast.

Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have been served show-cause notices by Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, which authorities say may indirectly promote pan masala banned in the state. The three actors appeared together in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement in 2024. Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued the notices on Aug 11, directing the actors to immediately stop participating in the campaign and remove promotional material related to the advertisement from their official social media accounts. According to the nine-page notice, the advertisement appears to promote the Vimal brand, which is primarily associated with pan masala, the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of which are prohibited in Maharashtra. Mundhe said the use of the name “Vimal Elaichi” in the advertisement appears to create a connection with the Vimal pan masala brand and could mislead consumers or indirectly promote the identity of a prohibited product. The notice said that if the use of the Vimal brand for elaichi or a similar product is intended to maintain or strengthen its association with pan masala or tobacco-related products, the campaign could amount to surrogate promotion of a restricted product rather than an advertisement for an independent product. The FDA chief also asked the actors to provide complete copies of their endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment details and documents showing that due diligence had been carried out before joining the campaign. The action was taken under consumer protection laws and Maharashtra’s prohibition on pan masala. Authorities said misleading endorsements could result in fines ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, while endorsers could also be barred from promoting products for up to three years. Mundhe has been leading enforcement efforts against the manufacture and sale of gutka and other banned tobacco products in Maharashtra. The latest action is not the first controversy involving Bollywood stars and the Vimal Elaichi campaign. In 2022, actor Akshay Kumar apologised after facing widespread criticism for appearing alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. At the time, Kumar said he did not endorse tobacco products and announced that he would withdraw from the campaign. He also said he would donate his endorsement fee to a charitable cause. He added that the advertisement could continue to be broadcast for the duration of his existing contractual obligations but promised to be more careful about his future endorsements. Source: NDTV

Adam Driver is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the supervillain Mister Sinister, while rising star Inde Navarette will portray Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming “X-Men” reboot. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the new cast members Friday night at Disney’s D23 convention in Anaheim, California. Driver’s former “Girls” co-star Christopher Abbott will play Professor Charles Xavier, while Maya Boyd has been cast as Storm. The film, directed by Jake Schreier, is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2028. “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and “The Bear” co-showrunner Joanna Calo are writing the screenplay. Driver’s involvement in the “X-Men” project had been widely rumored for years, with speculation often suggesting he might portray Magneto. During the D23 presentation, Driver appeared on a large screen while the rest of the newly announced cast members appeared on stage. “Kevin and I had been talking for years about my joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I think we finally found the perfect film,” Driver said. He jokingly announced that he would play Magneto before correcting himself and revealing that he would instead portray Nathaniel Essex, the character better known as Mister Sinister. Navarette, who has quickly gained attention following her performance in the horror film “Obsession,” was also the subject of considerable casting speculation before her role as Rogue was confirmed. Previously announced cast members at the event included Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Kit Connor as Scott “Cyclops” Summers and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey. Sink’s role was revealed through her appearance in this summer’s Marvel hit “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Feige noted that many of the actors had only met one another backstage shortly before appearing before the audience. Marvel’s incorporation of the “X-Men” into the MCU became possible after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox’s film assets in 2019. The D23 presentation also featured updates on Disney’s upcoming “Star Wars” projects. Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy promoted “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is scheduled for release in May 2027. Gosling will play Kade Auberon, a character described as a man from the less privileged side of the galaxy whose fate becomes connected with a powerful starfighter. Gosling said his early association with Disney played an important role in his career and described his return to the company decades later as life-changing. The event also featured appearances by “Star Wars: Ahsoka” star Rosario Dawson and Hayden Christensen, who will return as Anakin Skywalker in the second season of the Disney+ series. Marvel veterans Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell also appeared to promote “Avengers: Doomsday,” scheduled for release on Dec. 18. Downey, now playing Doctor Doom, is shown battling Thor, while Evans returns as Captain America. The trailer also features Ian McKellen as Magneto. Hugh Jackman appeared in a video message and suggested he may return as Wolverine, though Marvel has not definitively confirmed his participation. Disney also offered a preview of the upcoming Disney+ series “Visionquest,” starring Paul Bettany as Vision and James Spader as Ultron. The evening included a presentation for “Frozen 3,” with Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel performing for fans despite technical problems involving audio, video and stage doors. Josh Gad also performed a song as Olaf, while the cast of “The Greatest Showman” presented musical numbers from the stage adaptation of the 2017 film.

Yash-starrer action thriller Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is set to arrive in cinemas on August 26, with the film securing an 'A' certificate from India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film was certified by the CBFC’s Bengaluru regional office on August 13, 2026. According to the certification details, Toxic is in Kannada and has a certified length of 194.12 metres. The official synopsis describes the film as the story of a gangster grappling with loyalty, morality and the search for redemption in post-independence Goa, where violence and jealousy dominate. Set against a dark and atmospheric backdrop, the film features intense action and morally conflicted characters while exploring the sacrifices involved in love and the pursuit of redemption. Toxic is produced by Venkat K Narayana under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, with Geetu Mohandas directing. The film has been written and filmed in Kannada and English and will also be released in dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. The movie features an ensemble cast led by Yash and including Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. #Source: NDTV

The everyday and often invisible barriers that hold women back from leadership are at the heart of ‘Bihan’ (The Beginning), a new fiction film produced by Oxfam in Bangladesh under its ‘Rise & Lead’ initiative. Directed by Hemanta Sadeeq and featuring Dilruba Hossain Doyel and Nishat Priom in the central roles, the film follows two working women whose professional ambitions are shaped by expectations surrounding behaviour, care responsibilities, confidence and power. The film will be released on Oxfam in Bangladesh’s social media platforms on August 14 at 8pm, according to a media release issued on Thursday. Developed under the supervision of Md Sariful Islam and written by Shawon Koiri, the film also features Bappy Ashraf, Nazmul Hasan, Aadnan Chowdhury, Prionmoyi Prio and Sayan Rahman.

Emraan Hashmi-starrer Awarapan 2 appears to have gained an early advantage over Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 ahead of their box-office clash on Aug. 14. The two films are set to release on the eve of India’s Independence Day. Early booking trends show Awarapan 2 leading the race, helped by nostalgia surrounding Hashmi’s popular 2007 film Awarapan and his strong fan following. Meanwhile, Batwara 1947 is relying on Sunny Deol’s established appeal among mass and family audiences. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala told NDTV that Awarapan 2 currently has the upper hand in the opening-day battle. “Awarapan 2 has the edge in the opening battle, thanks to strong nostalgia and Emraan Hashmi’s cult following. But Batwara 1947 could score big with the mass and family audience. Ultimately, word of mouth will decide the Independence Day winner,” Bala said. He said the sequel has nostalgia and a loyal fan base working in its favour, while Batwara 1947 benefits from Deol’s strong mass appeal. According to early advance-booking figures, Awarapan 2 has sold nearly 68,000 tickets and generated about ₹2.20 crore in advance sales, compared with around 37,600 tickets for Batwara 1947. Bala said the difference represents an 81% lead in ticket sales for Awarapan 2, reflecting the anticipation surrounding the film. “The first round of the Independence Day clash clearly belongs to Awarapan 2,” he said, adding that the stronger advance booking gives the Hashmi-starrer a better platform heading into its opening day. He said Awarapan 2 is setting the pace before release, with advance ticket sales almost twice those of Batwara 1947. Sunny Deol’s film, however, could narrow the gap through stronger walk-in audiences. Trade analyst Sumit Kadel also expects Awarapan 2 to lead the opening battle. He told NDTV that the Emraan Hashmi film could earn nearly twice as much as Batwara 1947 on its opening day and over the weekend. However, the final winner of the Independence Day box-office clash is expected to depend largely on audience response and word of mouth.

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has married his longtime partner, model and influencer Georgina Rodríguez, in a civil ceremony in Portugal, according to Portuguese media. The couple reportedly got married on Aug 11 in the coastal town of Cascais, near Lisbon, with their five children attending the ceremony. Ronaldo shared a photo on Instagram showing two hands wearing wedding rings, apparently his and Rodríguez's. He described the occasion as the "wedding of the year." The post received more than 3 million likes within 30 minutes. Ronaldo and Rodríguez have been together for about 10 years. They met at a Gucci store in Madrid, where Rodríguez was working while Ronaldo was playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid. The couple announced their engagement on Aug 11 last year after Rodríguez shared a photo of a large diamond ring and wrote in Spanish, "Yes I do. In this and in all my lives." Ronaldo has five children, including two with Rodríguez. She has also helped raise his other three children. The family currently lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their first daughter together, Alana Martina, was born in 2017. Their second daughter, Bella, was born in April 2022. Bella's twin brother was stillborn. Ronaldo, 41, has scored nearly 1,000 goals during a career that has included spells at Sporting in Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. The Portugal captain recently appeared at his sixth and final World Cup, matching Argentina's Lionel Messi for the most appearances in the men's tournament. Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times, second only to Messi, who has claimed the award eight times. Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2022. The Saudi club confirmed last year that he had signed a new two-year contract, keeping him at the Riyadh-based side until 2027. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Ronaldo's wealth at $1.4 billion last year, making him the first football player to reach billionaire status. With inputs from BBC

Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is stepping into a new role as a recording artist with his debut album, “Life Is a Dream,” featuring 12 compositions he has written over six decades. The album, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, was recorded at London's Alexandra Palace in April. Decca Records will release it on Aug 21. For Hopkins, 88, music has always been more than a hobby. “My first love, or vocation really, is music,” he said, recalling how music influenced him while growing up in postwar Wales. He began playing the piano at age 4 and wrote his first composition, a waltz, in 1960 when he was 22. Hopkins said composing gives him greater freedom than acting. “Acting is a discipline, you have to know your stuff,” he said. “But music for me is a freewheeling kind of art form.” He has already composed music for several films, including “Shadowlands,” in which he played author C.S. Lewis. He later worked on the music for “August,” “Slipstream” and “Elyse,” films in which he also acted and, in some cases, directed. Album draws on childhood memoriesHopkins said “Life Is a Dream,” named after a play by Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca, reflects his childhood, teenage years and life growing up in Wales. The album also carries a sense of sadness and nostalgia, he said, reflecting on the passing of time and the realities of life. “From the moment we're born, we begin to die,” Hopkins said, joking about the rather gloomy thought. The album's first single, “1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: II. Bracken Road,” is part of a three-part suite inspired by a summer in South Wales. Hopkins said the piece carries a feeling of melancholy and nostalgia, particularly through its cello sounds. He described the song as reflecting “the strange, whimsical pain of life” and the human sense of longing. Another composition, “Stella Aria,” is named after his wife, actor and director Stella Hopkins. The piece explores loneliness but ultimately leads toward happiness, he said. Hopkins has also been looking back on his life in his memoir, “We Did OK, Kid,” released last year. Reflecting on his career, he said he never expected to achieve the success that came after choosing acting about 70 years ago. “I couldn't have planned any of this,” he said, adding that he initially became an actor partly because he did not know what else to do. Hopkins said he is grateful for his long life and has no fear of death. “I'm just so grateful I've lived this long,” he said. Bradley Cooper helped connect Hopkins with DudamelActor Bradley Cooper played an important role in bringing Hopkins and Dudamel together. Cooper had seen Hopkins' music performed by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under conductor Michael Seal several years ago and introduced him to Dudamel. When Hopkins later attended the recording session at Alexandra Palace, he admitted he was surprised by the complexity of his own compositions. “I'm sitting there thinking, ‘How the hell did I write this?’ I have no idea,” he said. Dudamel, however, praised the music and described Hopkins as a composer with a strong sense of storytelling and emotion. “The same depth of imagination, humanity and emotional truth that has defined his extraordinary work on stage and screen is present in his music,” Dudamel said. Hopkins hopes to perform liveWith the album set for release, Hopkins is already considering live performances, with Carnegie Hall at the top of his wish list. The venue has special meaning for him because of the 1947 film “Carnegie Hall,” which he remembers from his childhood. He also recalls his mother telling him that one day he would perform there. Now, decades later, Hopkins says playing at Carnegie Hall is a dream he still hopes to fulfil. END/UNB/SB

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan playfully called out actress Preity Zinta for not responding to his birthday wishes during the premiere episode of the 18th season of popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Preity Zinta, actor Sunny Deol and filmmaker Aamir Khan appeared as special guests on the opening episode of the show. During the episode, Bachchan reminded Zinta that he sends her a birthday message every January 31 but has never received a reply. "I have a complaint with you. I wish you every January 31 on your birthday, but you never reply to me," Bachchan said. Zinta quickly responded that she does reply, but sometimes takes about a week to do so. Bachchan then displayed an old post from his X account on the show's big screen, in which he had wished Zinta a happy birthday while joking that she had not replied to his message. The exchange left Zinta momentarily speechless and drew laughter from the audience. Bachchan and Zinta previously worked together in Karan Johar's 2006 film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. During another light-hearted moment, Zinta revealed that Bachchan is especially popular with her children — but not because of his films. She said her children enjoy one of Bachchan's songs and refer to it as the "sherwala gana". Bachchan responded by saying that parents often tell him their young children recognise him as "KBC uncle" whenever they see him on television. Zinta, who has worked in the film industry for more than two decades, joked that despite her long career, her children do not remember her by any particular character, while Bachchan is widely recognised through KBC. Bachchan has hosted the quiz show for most of its run and has become closely associated with the programme, which has attracted viewers across generations. The 83-year-old actor has also spoken about the demanding schedule involved in filming the latest season. In a recent blog post, he said he worked for 24 hours, starting at 7am one day and finishing at the same time the following morning. He said he had to complete the work on time because KBC's new season was scheduled to begin broadcasting the following day. Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 airs on Sony Entertainment Television and is also available on Sony LIV. Source: NDTV