United News of Bangladesh

The 2025 SCO (the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Film Festival will take place from July 3 to 7 in Yongchuan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, highlighting the latest advancements in film technology and production across member states, local authorities announced Monday. The upcoming film festival aims to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between SCO member states, the municipal government said at a press conference. The event will feature 11 major activities, including film screenings, cooperation forums, a film technology exhibition, and a gala concert. Ten awards will be presented at the event, including "best film" and "best director," according to Qin Zhengui, deputy director of the China Film Administration. The organizing committee has received 27 film submissions from SCO member states, with a curated selection to be screened during the event. Yongchuan, located in the western part of Chongqing, has emerged as a burgeoning hub for film technology innovation in recent years. The district is now home to over 100 film and TV enterprises and boasts cutting-edge production facilities, including a 3,000-square-meter virtual production stage and a 5,000-square-meter standardized soundstage. 

In a bewildering turn of events in the United States, a family was shocked to discover their pet dog, Lady, stranded atop a 35-foot tree after returning home to find her missing. The incident, which took place on May 22, left both the family and neighbours stunned. After searching the yard and nearby area, the family finally spotted Lady perched high on a branch, wagging her tail as they looked up in disbelief. A video of the unusual scene has gone viral, showing a man climbing the tree to reach the dog, while two women below hold out a blanket as a safety measure in case Lady fell. According to a post by Brut America, the family had initially contacted the fire department and animal rescue teams, but received no help. “I don’t know how my dog got carried up,” one of the family members is heard saying in the video. Social media users have speculated about how Lady ended up in the tree, with one suggesting she might have been picked up by a large bird of prey and dropped onto the branch. Others found humour in the situation, with one commenter saying, “Gotta keep them humans on their toes always.”   source: Indian Express

Marking the holy occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organised a festive cultural programme titled 'Ananda Utsab' on Friday night at the Nandan Mancha of the academy premises in the capital’s Segunbagicha. Supported by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the event featured an array of musical performances and festive activities. Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Md Mofidur Rahman was present as a special guest at the programme, alongside BSA Secretary and Acting Director General Mohammad Wares Hossain. The event was inaugurated with a welcome speech by Nava Mehjabeen Rahman, director of the Music, Dance, and Recitation Department at BSA. The cutural programme commenced with a qawwali performance by Samir Kawal and his troupe, followed by solo musical renditions by popular singers Atia Anisa and Parsha Mahjabeen Purna. ‘Taandob’ is Raihan Rafi’s best film yet: Shakib Khan Renowned singer Angel Noor performed a series of songs including 'Jodi Abar', 'Til', and 'Amay Proshno Kore'. She was followed by noted artist Mithun Chakra, who entertained the audience with popular tracks such as 'Swapno Jabe Bari', 'Shada Shada Kala Kala', and 'Ore Shampan Wala'.

Home decor's got a split personality this year: Call it “city glow” and “cottage flow.” At the two international design fairs that I attended — Maison et Objet in France, Ambiente in Germany — acres of exhibition booths were full of Art Deco furnishings, island-vibe rattan seating and lighting, and lots of emphasis on sustainably produced materials. But a couple of aesthetics drawing crowds were especially interesting. Capturing the ‘city glow’ One was an exuberant urban vibe I’m nicknaming “city glow.” It’s full of highlighter-hued throw pillows, edgy surrealism, street art and hefty, Brutalist-style furniture — lots of sharp-cornered steel or concrete consoles and lamps that loomed over rooms — as well as rugs and wallcoverings covered in graffiti-style motifs or swaths of vibrant color. Gretchen Rivera, an interior designer in Washington, D.C., sees it as a look that resonates especially with “younger generations who grew up with digital influences. There’s surrealist art, energetic colors and playful, almost toy-like design.” Interior designer Anton Liakhov in Nice, France, agrees: “For a generation clamoring for creativity and self-expression, it’s loud and in-your-face.” For surface colors, look at Benjamin Moore’s spicy orange Bryce Canyon or the bubblegum-pink Springtime Bloom. Daydream Apothecary has a whole collection of neon wall paints for intrepid decorators. Sisters Ana and Lola Sánchez use art as a bold form of self-expression at their luxe brand Oliver Gal, in South Florida. It's known for its handcrafted, statement-making pieces — including large acrylic gummy bears, graphic surfboards and wall art inspired by fashion, pop culture and modern surrealism. The result is a vibrant, edgy aesthetic. A new collection, Rococo Pop, introduces rococo-inspired frames in high-gloss acrylics paired with playful graphic imagery. “We wanted to take the opulence of 18th century rococo,” notes Ana Sánchez, “and give it a cheeky, pop-art punch.” “These frames are like little rebels in ballgowns — elegant, over-the-top and totally unexpected,” adds Lola Sánchez. The style, her sister says, “celebrates contrast. Old World charm meets modern mischief.” Following the ‘cottage flow’ The other impressive decor style at the design fairs was very different from the urban look. I’m calling this one “cottage flow,” and Liakhov describes it as evoking a “peaceful sanctuary, where you can play around with textures that are anchored in, and in tune with, nature.” India’s ‘History Hunter’ on a mission to preserve the past for future generations Think nubby woolen throws in mossy hues. Softly burnished wooden tables. Vintage quilts, and dishware. Gingham and garden florals. Landscape prints. Imagery of birds and woodland animals on textiles and wallcoverings. Etsy’s 2025 spring/summer trend report showed that searches for “French cottage decor” were up over 26,000% compared to 2024. “I see people embracing a slower pace to life where they can,” says New York-based interior and decor designer Kathy Kuo about the country cottage style. “The past two decades or so were dominated by a glorification of fast-paced ‘hustle culture’ — trends like cottagecore and coastal grandmother are evidence that the pendulum’s swinging toward taking pleasure in simpler, more nature-adjacent things in life, whether or not you actually live in a country cottage,” she says. Paint colors are also reflecting the trend. A calming sage green called Quietude is HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams’ color of the year. Little-Greene’s collection has names like Rolling Fog, Tea with Florence and Hammock. Mixing the styles Watching design show visitors excitedly discovering new finds among the aisles, I thought THIS is what’s fun about home decorating: You can think as creatively as you like when it comes to your own home. You’re all about high-octane city nightlife? Come this way. Scottish crofts, Scandi cabins and cozy porches more your thing? Right over here. And if you want to mix these two aesthetics? Go for it. There’s space to blend elements of both, says Kuo. “Design trends are so fluid. I absolutely see the potential to merge these into each other,” she says. “Many city dwellers love time in nature and have an affinity for a more rustic look, while still feeling called to honor their urban environment in their home. I see plenty of modern interior design motifs that are sleek and urban on the surface, but in the details, they’re infused with organic textures and biophilic elements.” “Really, the best designs are the ones that are personal, rather than perfect,” she adds. You could display an array of contemporary glass bowls on a curvy walnut credenza. Mix botanical patterns in vibrant, unexpected colors. Soften room elements like a sleek table and industrial-style lamp with boucle or velvet cushions and a fluffy rug. Pair polished concrete floors with vintage-inspired wallcovering. If you don’t want to mix elements in one space, consider using sliding partitions from one room to another. You’ll create a little style “journey.” If the recent international design fairs are any indication, you’re going to find loads of fun home decor in stores over the coming months. Get ready to flow.

Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it. The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have “very unhealthy” air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. What counts as bad air? The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as “healthy.” Fifty to 100 is “moderate" while 100-150 is unhealthy for “sensitive groups,” and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Buffalo's medical school. “If you have heart or lung problems, then you’ve got to be definitely more careful," Sethi said. "I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 (mask) or at least a dust mask.” Is my air unhealthy? Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe. The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist, air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings. The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. “You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don’t cost all that much anymore,” he said. What if I have to go outside? For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi. Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. “N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,” said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University’s Center for Climate and Health. “If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that’s the very best.” If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or somewhere else with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it’s good to take precautions. "If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you’re feeling short of breath, that’s definitely more concerning,” Sethi said. How do I make my air cleaner? Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, though you should make sure it's installed correctly. “If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it’s just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you’re doing most of your activities in,” said Stowell.

A hungry wild elephant caused havoc in a grocery store in Thailand on Monday when he strolled in from a nearby national park and helped himself to food on the shelves. Videos of the incident showed the huge male elephant, known as Plai Biang Lek, briefly stopping in front of the shop, located next to a main road near the Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand, before ducking his whole body inside, according to AP. The elephant stopped in front of the shop’s counter, calmly snatching and chomping snacks, and did not flinch as the national park workers tried to shoo him away. India’s ‘History Hunter’ on a mission to preserve the past for future generations The elephant later backed out of the shop still holding a bag of snacks with his trunk. He left little damage behind, except mud tracks on the floor and the ceiling of the shop. In a video posted on social media, Kamploy Kakaew, the shop owner, appeared amused as she described the moment the elephant rifled her shop. She said he ate about nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich and some dried bananas she had bought that morning.

A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert blanketed most of the Caribbean on Monday in the biggest event of its kind this year as it heads toward the United States. The cloud extended some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from Jamaica to well past Barbados in the eastern Caribbean, and some 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern Caribbean down south to Trinidad and Tobago. “It’s very impressive,” said Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert with AccuWeather. The hazy skies unleashed sneezes, coughs and watery eyes across the Caribbean, with local forecasters warning that those with allergies, asthma and other conditions should remain indoors or wear face masks if outdoors. The dust concentration was high, at .55 aerosol optical depth, the highest amount so far this year, said Yidiana Zayas, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aerosol optical depth measures how much direct sunlight is prevented from reaching the ground by particles, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The plume is expected to hit Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi late this week and into the weekend, DaSilva said. Cliffside wonders elevate tourism in east China However, plumes usually lose most of their concentration in the eastern Caribbean, he noted. “Those islands tend to see more of an impact, more of a concentration where it can actually block out the sun a little bit at times,” he said. The dry and dusty air known as the Saharan Air Layer forms over the Sahara Desert in Africa and moves west across the Atlantic Ocean starting around April until about October, according to NOAA. It also prevents tropical waves from forming during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30. June and July usually have the highest dust concentration on average, with plumes traveling anywhere from 5,000 feet to 20,000 feet above the ground, DaSilva said. In Japan, Bobtail cats bring good fortune — and Nagasaki is full of them In June 2020, a record-breaking cloud of Sahara dust smothered the Caribbean. The size and concentration of the plume hadn’t been seen in half a century, prompting forecasters to nickname it the “Godzilla dust cloud.”

Old cameras, worn-out typewriters, vintage radios, and matchboxes once used to light illicit cigarettes — stepping into Aditya Vij’s New Delhi home feels like entering a portal to another time. In a world driven by fast-changing technology and artificial intelligence, Vij has turned his house into a living museum, each corner telling a story from history. An anthropologist by profession and a passionate collector by heart, he has spent decades gathering thousands of artifacts, many centuries old, carefully documenting their historical context and cultural relevance. For Vij, every item he rescues feels like a personal triumph over time’s erasure. “The greatest joy I feel is knowing I’ve managed to save a fragment of history,” he said, speaking from a room filled with vintage cameras and gramophones. The Thrill of the SearchAmong the oldest objects in his collection are fossilized remains of fish, snails, tadpoles, and plants — millions of years old. But what he’s most obsessed with are matchboxes. His fascination with them started when he was just eight years old, after spotting one on a walk with his father. Today, at 51, he owns over 22,000 of them. Some of these matchboxes date back more than 100 years and feature illustrations reflecting religious themes and political climates from their time. “It’s not just about owning these pieces — it’s the excitement of tracking them down that keeps me going,” Vij explained. He believes matchboxes, though small, carry rich cultural and historical narratives. Saving History, One Object at a TimeSometimes, his acquisitions happen purely by chance. Once, he noticed a scrap dealer about to smash an old radio. He rushed across the street and intervened just in time. The dealer planned to sell the radio for parts, but Vij persuaded him to sell it intact. That radio now sits proudly among his other artifacts. “Thirty seconds later and it would’ve been gone. Sometimes, all it takes is being alert and acting fast,” he said. Vij sees his mission as connecting past innovations to the future. He hopes to one day turn his home into a public museum, where young people can learn about bygone eras through the very tools and objects that shaped daily life. Without such efforts, he warns, these simple but meaningful items risk being forgotten forever amid the tide of modern technology. “What once was commonplace is now rare, fading into nostalgia and memory,” he reflected. Teaching the Next GenerationVij frequently receives requests from parents eager for their children to see how things once worked — from typewriters and film cameras to rotary phones, pressing irons, and lanterns. When children tell him they had never seen or heard of these objects before, it deepens his sense of urgency. “That’s when I realize how vital it is to preserve and share history,” he said. With technology advancing at breakneck speed, many items from Vij’s youth have disappeared in just a few decades. He believes that curating and archiving them is crucial. “I hope future generations come to value history — and play a role in keeping it alive,” he said.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Another cicada invasion is here. The large Brood XIV, which emerges every 17 years, is making for a spectacular natural event as billions of periodical cicadas emerge across parts of the Eastern U.S., including in Georgia, southern Ohio, Kentucky, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Long Island, New York. When spring warms the soil to 64 degrees Fahrenheit (about 18 degrees Celsius), these cicada nymphs dig their way up to the surface after their long development period. On the right night, usually after a warm spring rain, near trees showing cicada pilot holes and chimneys, they will emerge -- so many that they can be heard crunching through the grass to climb up trees, plants, people or any vertical surface. There is a forceful quality about it. Once they find footing, they begin the molting process. They shed their nymphal skin, emerging soft, vulnerable and pale yellow. They have two large red eyes on the sides of the head, three small, jewel-like eyes called ocelli in the center, and gossamer wings. In a few hours, their bodies harden and darken, and they fly up to the treetops. Then the screaming begins — the loud buzzing, screaming sound males make when they are looking for a mate. It leaves ears ringing. Cliffside wonders elevate tourism in east China Throughout this process, cicadas serve as a source of protein for both wildlife and humans. They survive by sheer numbers. After mating, females lay eggs in tree branches and die shortly after. The hatched tiny nymphs fall and burrow into the ground, and the cycle begins again. Cicadas are part of the magic of spring when the yellow and purple irises are blooming, and the green is new and vivid. The cicada show takes place in every light of the day and the dark of night. The pull is the power and beauty of nature and time.

A much-anticipated day of rain finally brought relief and joy to the capital, after days of unforgiving, oppressive heat.