Global Pulse

分类： entertainment

  • In pictures: Hayden Panettiere’s life and career, from child actor to Scream star

    In pictures: Hayden Panettiere’s life and career, from child actor to Scream star

    The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of one of its most recognizable stars, Hayden Panettiere, the American actress who won global acclaim for roles in hit series *Heroes* and *Nashville*, has passed away at the age of 36. In an official statement confirming her death, her father Skip Panettiere remembered his daughter as an “incredible light and a force of nature” that touched the lives of countless fans and colleagues alike.

    Born in August 1989 in Palisades, New York, Panettiere grew up in a family tied to the entertainment industry: her mother Lesley Vogel was an actress and producer, while her father Skip was a former firefighter. She shared her childhood with younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who also worked as an actor before his death in 2023 at the age of 28, a loss that weighed heavily on Panettiere in her later years.

    Panettiere’s entertainment career began when she was just a toddler; her mother brought her to auditions when she was only eight months old, and by the age of four, she landed her first major role on the long-running US soap opera *One Life to Live*. By five years old, she had already appeared in more than 50 television commercials, launching a three-decade career that never slowed through her childhood and into adulthood. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Panettiere had built an impressive resume of credits, ranging from a voice role in the beloved Pixar animated film *A Bug’s Life* to guest appearances on hit series including *Ally McBeal* and *Malcolm in the Middle*.

    As a young adult, Panettiere rose to wider prominence with a string of high-profile film roles: she starred opposite Kate Hudson in the 2004 romantic comedy *Raising Helen*, and earned a cult following among teen audiences as Britney Allen in the 2006 cheerleading comedy *Bring It On: All or Nothing*.

    That same 2006 marked Panettiere’s definitive career breakthrough, when she was cast as Claire Bennet in the NBC sci-fi drama *Heroes*. The role, a high school cheerleader with the extraordinary ability to rapidly regenerate damaged cells, turned Panettiere into a household name. *Heroes* ran for four seasons until 2010, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations and becoming a defining pop culture hit of the 2000s.

    Following the end of *Heroes*, Panettiere landed another career-defining role from 2012 to 2018, starring as the ambitious, talented young country singer Juliette Barnes in the musical drama *Nashville*. The role earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, and her musical performances from the show landed 11 tracks on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, showcasing her range as both an actor and a vocalist. She also remained a staple of the horror genre, joining the iconic *Scream* franchise as Kirby Reed in 2011’s *Scream 4* and reprising the fan-favorite role in 2023’s *Scream VI*.

    Off-screen, Panettiere was open about the personal struggles that shaped her life and career. She dated former Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko for nearly a decade, welcoming their daughter Kaya in 2014 before the couple split in 2018. After Kaya’s birth, Panettiere publicly shared her experience with postpartum depression in a 2015 appearance on *Live With Kelly And Michael*, noting that the condition was a common struggle that many women face, and entering a treatment facility to address her symptoms.

    In early 2025, ahead of her death, Panettiere released her deeply personal memoir *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, where she detailed the unique challenges of growing up as a child actor in Hollywood, as well as her lived experiences with addiction, emotional and physical abuse, and her journey toward recovery. In a May 2025 interview with CBS News, she reflected on how her career started almost before she could remember, saying “It went from there and progressed into 50 commercials by the time I was five… It just never stopped.”

  • Movie that went viral for terrible animation becomes China box office hit

    Movie that went viral for terrible animation becomes China box office hit

    In an extraordinary turn of events that has upended expectations for China’s summer movie season, a micro-budget animated feature has climbed from total box office obscurity to become one of the most talked-about hits of the year, all fueled by viral internet chatter over its notoriously poor quality.\n\nTitled *Niu Lai*, which translates roughly to “Ox Coming,” the 80-minute animated film centers on a surreal dream sequence following a cow. When it first launched in theaters earlier this month, the unpublicized, low-key production made barely a ripple: over its first 10 days on screens, it grossed just 7,705 yuan, equal to roughly $1,140, according to Chinese movie tracking platform Mao Yan.\n\nBut everything shifted when clips and commentary about the film’s confusing narrative and low-quality hand-drawn animation began spreading wildly across Chinese social platforms. Audiences latched onto the movie’s “so bad it’s good” charm, turning it into a must-see cultural event. As of mid-August, its total box office has surged past 11.4 million yuan, enough to hold its own against major Hollywood blockbusters currently screening in Chinese cinemas including *The Odyssey* and *Spider Man: Brand New Day*.\n\nThe viral frenzy around *Niu Lai* has spawned countless creative takes on why the film has resonated so deeply with audiences. A widely shared social media post summed up the collective urge to watch it, saying: “You may regret for 80 minutes if you watch it, but if you don’t, you’ll regret it for life.”\n\nFor many viewers, the film’s janky handcrafted animation has become a selling point at a moment when generic AI-generated content dominates social media feeds. Many netizens have celebrated *Niu Lai* as a refreshing antidote to what they call “AI slop,” pointing to its unpolished visuals as proof that no artificial intelligence was used in its creation. “That’s some serious craftsmanship,” one Weibo user joked, while another labeled it “pure handmade” and the summer season’s biggest dark horse.\n\nOther fans have latched onto the film’s name for good luck tied to Chinese stock markets, where “bullish” growth is described using the character for ox (niu). Many social media users have promised to see the film to cheer on a coming market rally, with one writing: “If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow I will go to the cinema to support this movie.” Another comment summed up this perspective: “It is a terrible movie but has a great name.”\n\nSpurred by skyrocketing audience demand, cinemas across China have responded by adding dozens of extra screenings of the low-budget title. A film industry Weibo account noted that *Niu Lai*’s rags-to-riches box office trajectory is “unprecedented and will likely remain so.”\n\nNot all observers have welcomed the film’s unexpected success, however. Over the weekend, a commentary published by the state-owned *Beijing News* warned that adding widespread screenings of a poorly made film like *Niu Lai* risks eroding audience trust in cinemas if operators continue to lower their quality standards. The commentary argued that *Niu Lai*, which joins a string of past films widely mocked for low quality, “has once again lowered the bar for audiences’ expectations of poorly made films.” It called on cinema operators to act as quality gatekeepers for audiences, “clearly reject films that are obviously not up to standard instead of letting films like Niu Lai run rampant.”

  • Is this cave in Turkey where Homer wrote ‘The Odyssey’?

    Is this cave in Turkey where Homer wrote ‘The Odyssey’?

    Nestled on a sunlit hillside overlooking olive-draped slopes outside Turkey’s Aegean coastal city of Izmir, a rugged, rock-choked cave has been venerated for generations by local residents as the very spot where the ancient bard Homer composed his legendary epic *The Odyssey*. As renewed global interest in Homer surges following the release of Christopher Nolan’s hit blockbuster of the same name, scholars, local officials and residents in Bornova’s Homeros Valley are reigniting centuries-old debate over the cave’s legendary connection to one of Western literature’s most iconic figures.

    While no definitive concrete evidence has ever confirmed the cave as Homer’s creative workspace, the link between Homer and the Izmir region — anciently known as Smyrna — stretches back millennia. As far back as the 2nd century CE, Greek geographer and chronicler Pausanias recorded that Smyrna’s residents guarded a grotto along the Meles River where Homer was said to have written his works, cementing a mythic connection that has persisted to the modern day. Though other sites, most notably the Greek island of Chios, also lay claim to Homer’s origins, researchers in Bornova have recently unearthed new clues they argue lend unprecedented weight to their region’s claim.

    Turkish researcher Altan Altin, who has authored a full book on the subject of Homer’s connection to Bornova, argues that a 3rd-century BCE bas-relief frieze depicting Homer’s deification contains exact, matching geographic details that mirror the layout of the Bornova cave — a connection no scholar had previously identified. “This is the first time such a detailed geographical confirmation of the cave has come to light,” Altin explained, noting that ancient Ionia, the historic Greek region that encompassed both Smyrna and Chios on Turkey’s Aegean coast, is Homer’s true geographic home. “For me, there’s no doubt: Homer is from Bornova, and at the very least, he is from these lands.”

    Archaeological evidence from the region further supports this cultural connection, according to local archaeologist Mehmet Akif Erdem. Excavations have uncovered ancient coins minted in Smyrna that bear Homer’s likeness, indicating the city’s ancient residents already claimed the poet as their own centuries after his death. Additionally, the Ionic and Aeolic ancient Greek dialects used in both *The Iliad* and *The Odyssey* align with the language spoken in the Smyrna region during Homer’s purported lifetime, Erdem added.

    Today, Homer’s presence permeates every corner of Bornova: a Neolithic archaeological site on the town’s outskirts hosts a marble bust of the poet inscribed with the words “I compiled *The Iliad* and *The Odyssey* epics on this land. I lived in Bornova.” The town already hosts an annual book fair dedicated to Homer and features a statue of Trojan War hero Hector in its central park, and local leaders are now moving to renovate the cave to open it to international tourists, capitalizing on the new wave of Homeric interest sparked by Nolan’s film.

    “Preserving Homer’s legacy is a duty we owe to humanity. He is one of the founding fathers of literature,” Bornova Mayor Omer Eski told AFP. “The stories he tells are about this land. The question is not whether we should claim Homer or not — his story is also ours.”

    Not all local leaders share this vision, however. In 2024, officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party sparked controversy by proposing to rename Homer’s Valley after a Turkish fighter pilot, arguing the culturally significant site should not carry a Greek name. Eski has pushed back forcefully against the proposal, arguing erasing Homer’s name would be an irreversible loss for Bornova’s cultural identity. His goal, he says, is to position the town as a global Homeric heritage destination that draws literary tourists from across the world.

    The release of Nolan’s *The Odyssey* has already had a visible impact on local interest: booksellers across Izmir report a sharp spike in sales of Homer’s epic, and members of the public say the film has helped them connect more deeply with their region’s ancient literary heritage. “I knew Homer was from these lands, but I didn’t know he was specifically from Izmir. We are incredibly lucky,” said Safak Tosun, a local teacher, outside a cinema screening the new film. “I feel proud, honoured and deeply privileged to be his fellow countryman.”

    For Altin, clues within Homer’s own works confirm the poet’s Anatolian roots: *The Iliad* is filled with specific anecdotes and cultural references that only would have been familiar to a resident of the Aegean Anatolian coast, he argues. Most importantly, he adds, the debate over Homer’s national or cultural origin should not fuel rivalry between modern Turkey and Greece. “Homer is 2,800 years old, while the Turkish-Greek border is only a century old,” Altin shrugged. “Homer is Greek. Homer is Anatolian. None of us is older than he is, not even our countries.”

  • Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere dies aged 36

    Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere dies aged 36

    Tributes are pouring in across the entertainment industry following the news that acclaimed American actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her leading roles in hit series *Heroes* and *Nashville*, has passed away at the age of 36.

    In an official statement shared with U.S. media outlets, Panettiere’s father Skip Panettiere confirmed the devastating loss, speaking of his daughter’s lasting impact on everyone she encountered. “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,” the statement read. As of press time, no specific details regarding the circumstances of her death have been released to the public. In accordance with the family’s request, privacy is being respected as they grieve this unimaginable loss.

    Panettiere’s entertainment career began unusually early: she landed her first professional acting role at just four years old, when she was cast on the long-running American soap opera *One Life to Live*. Over the course of three decades in the industry, she built a versatile resume spanning television and film, earning critical acclaim and a loyal global fanbase.

    Her breakout role came in 2006, when she was cast as Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader with extraordinary superpowers, in the groundbreaking sci-fi drama *Heroes*. The role turned Panettiere into a household name, and she went on to land a string of memorable roles in major productions, including the iconic sports drama *Remember the Titans*, the romantic comedy *Raising Helen*, the hit *Scream* horror franchise, and the rom-com *I Love You, Beth Cooper*. Most recently, she held a starring role on the country music drama *Nashville*, which further cemented her reputation as a versatile performer.

    Earlier in 2025, Panettiere released her raw, candid memoir *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, in which she opened up about the unique challenges of growing up in the public eye as a child actor, as well as her personal battles with addiction, domestic abuse, and her journey toward long-term recovery. The book was widely praised for its honesty and resonated with countless fans who shared similar experiences.

    Panettiere is survived by her 10-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shares with former partner, former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.

  • Perth’s iconic C Restaurant to close after 20 years, as historic St Martin’s Tower gets hotel revamp

    Perth’s iconic C Restaurant to close after 20 years, as historic St Martin’s Tower gets hotel revamp

    After more than two decades of serving iconic skyline views and award-winning dining to Western Australia’s capital, one of Australia’s most famous revolving restaurants has announced it will permanently close its doors in early 2027, a surprise announcement that has left the venue’s close-knit team and local community grappling with sadness.

    Perched 33 stories above Perth’s central business district inside St Martin’s Tower, C Restaurant first opened its doors to diners in 2001, taking over the historic revolving space that previously housed Hilite 33, the tower’s original restaurant tenant dating back to 1978. Over its 20-plus years of operation, C Restaurant grew to become a landmark of Perth’s hospitality scene, earning a reputation as one of Australia’s earliest and most beloved revolving dining venues. It has collected a long list of industry honors, including multiple Gold Plate Awards and a permanent spot on the Western Australia Good Food Guide Icons List, all while offering guests a slowly rotating panoramic view of the entire Perth skyline.

    The closure is tied to a planned redevelopment of St Martin’s Tower, which will see the entire building converted into a new hotel, forcing the long-standing restaurant to vacate its space by January 31, 2027. In an emotional statement released this week, owner Olivier Letrone described his decades leading the restaurant as one of the greatest privileges of his life. He shared that breaking the news of the upcoming closure to his 90-person team was one of the hardest conversations of his entire hospitality career.

    To his surprise and gratitude, every single member of the team has committed to staying with the restaurant through its final day of service, a display of loyalty Letrone called humbling, and the core reason the venue has thrived for more than 20 years. “We intend to finish the way we’ve always operated: as a family, and at the top of our game,” Letrone said.

    General Manager Ann-Marie Gill echoed that sentiment, noting that her years at C Restaurant have been some of the most rewarding of her professional life. “Working alongside such a dedicated team and helping create memorable experiences for our guests has been a real privilege,” she said. “Although it’s difficult to say goodbye, I’ll always be proud to have been part of C Restaurant’s story.”

    Even as the venue prepares for its final rotation in 2027, Letrone is already laying early plans to revive the brand at a new location, noting that the team’s shared passion for hospitality will not disappear when the St Martin’s Tower doors close. While he has not confirmed whether the new venue will retain the fine dining focus that defined the original C Restaurant, he confirmed that work to identify a new space is already underway.

    For the next two years, however, the team will remain focused on what they have always done best: delivering exceptional food, warm hospitality, and unforgettable experiences for every guest who walks through the door. Letrone extended an open invitation to Perth locals and past visitors to return for one final meal before closing day, to celebrate the decades of memories created 33 stories above the city. “While its doors will close on 31 January 2027, the memories made here will endure long after the restaurant completes its final turn,” he said.

  • Corgis race, bark and sniff their way to glory at a growing international race

    Corgis race, bark and sniff their way to glory at a growing international race

    On a recent Saturday in Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius, Vingis Park played host to far more than the usual weekend picnics and joggers. More than 150 short-statured, big-personality corgis, alongside their enthusiastic owners from nine countries across Europe and North America, converged for the fifth annual Corgi Race Vilnius — an event that has grown far beyond a casual local gathering to become the largest international corgi celebration on the continent.

    What began as a small 2019 meetup drawing just 40 corgis from a single Lithuanian city has exploded in popularity year after year. This year’s milestone event marked a major first: a competitor traveled all the way from the United Kingdom, the birthplace of the Pembroke Welsh corgi breed famously adored by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Organizer Edvinas Miskas noted that the event’s expanding international reach lends new weight to the city’s playful self-title as Europe’s “corgi capital.”

    “Now that corgi lovers from the breed’s homeland are choosing to come to our event instead of us traveling to theirs, that nickname starts to feel a lot more credible,” Miskas said.

    While many attendees came to watch the 25-meter sprint that serves as the event’s flagship race, the celebration was designed to highlight far more than just the dogs’ running speed. Ninety-four corgis competed across qualifying rounds, semifinals, and a tightly contested final race, where the top three spots were split between international competitors. Taking home first place was American corgi GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog, who notched another win after a previous first-place finish at a major corgi race in Washington state. Fellow U.S. contestant Mr. Corgington finished a narrow second, just ahead of two-time former champion Moka, a local favorite from Lithuania.

    Outside of the main sprint, the event featured three fun competitions that celebrated corgis’ varied skills and personalities. Thirty-eight corgis took part in a crowd-favorite costume parade, showing off outfits ranging from a full dinosaur costume to formal gowns and custom canine sports gear. It was Amigo, a corgi who has attended every single edition of the race, that won both judge and public votes for his intricately designed knight costume, taking home the top prize.

    In the “smartest nose” challenge, which tested corgis’ scent-tracking skills by asking them to locate hidden treats around the park, two Latvian corgis, Tora and Rusty, shared the first-place title. The most anticipated off-track event, however, was the competition for the loudest bark. The only British contestant at the whole event, 12-year-old Duke from Sedbergh, England, skipped the main sprint due to his age but joined the bark competition, with his owner noting he had spent his whole life training for the challenge. Ultimately, it was second-place race finisher Mr. Corgington who claimed the bark title with a particularly booming, attention-grabbing howl.

    Organizers highlighted that half of all registered corgis this year were first-time competitors, a sign of the event’s growing global popularity among corgi owners. Six dedicated returning corgis — including costume winner Amigo — have attended all five editions of the race, cementing their status as event veterans and fan favorites. For attendees and organizers alike, the event is more than a race: it’s a global gathering of people united by their love for one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved dog breeds.

  • Ariana Grande leaves problems at home as her tour hits the UK

    Ariana Grande leaves problems at home as her tour hits the UK

    As the United Kingdom grapples with its fifth heatwave of 2026, pop icon Ariana Grande touched down in London for the UK leg of her *Eternal Sunshine* tour – and even sweltering temperatures couldn’t dampen the fervor of thousands of fans who packed the O2 Arena on opening night.

    This marks Grande’s first live performance on British soil since 2019, a gap shaped by both global COVID-19 shutdowns and her burgeoning film career, which recently earned her an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch in the *Wicked* movie adaptation. Inside the arena, fans came prepared to celebrate: many showed up in playful costume, from cat ears and floral headpieces to full bridal gowns, erupting in screams when Grande nodded to widespread rumors that she has rekindled her decade-old romance with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, who confirmed their relationship on Instagram just one week prior.

    For two hours, Grande put her defining artistic talent – her staggering four-octave vocal range – front and center. While the tour boasts all the production trappings of a major pop spectacle, from elaborate large-scale sets to plumes of smoke and tightly choreographed dance routines, long stretches of the performance strip away the fanfare to leave just Grande, her live band, and her voice. This intentional focus on vocal craft is on full display during the title track *Eternal Sunshine*, where Grande builds the entire song live by looping her own vocals in multiple registers, a spontaneous, impressive display of melodic skill that echoes a famous viral YouTube clip of her arranging the harmonies for *Positions* in the recording studio.

    Beyond the vocal acrobatics, the *Eternal Sunshine* tour carries a deeply personal narrative. Named for Michel Gondry’s 2004 film about memory and heartache, the show follows Grande’s own journey of reckoning with grief: she has survived devastating public tragedy, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 of her fans, and the untimely death of her former partner Mac Miller. Where the film centers on erasing painful memories, Grande’s narrative leans into honoring them, framing the show as a process of healing and reconciliation.

    That narrative has gained new weight since the tour launched in California two months ago. Grande has confirmed to fans that after the tour wraps its 10-date London run in September, she will step away from touring for an extended period. Intense, unrelenting public scrutiny of her personal life, health, and body image has prompted the break, which Grande says she planned long ago from a “thoughtful, empowered place.”

    If the star is carrying private burdens off-stage, they never show in her performance at the O2. Grande leans into every moment of the show: teetering in towering heels, blowing kisses to the crowd, and leaning into the physical and vocal demands of the setlist. The only moment of visible emotion comes during *Hampstead*, a raw ballad about media portrayal and online toxicity, when she nearly cries reacting to a sobbing audience member, smiling through her own cracked voice to say “You’ll make me cry.”

    The setlist draws heavily from her 2024 *Eternal Sunshine* album, setting aside some of her decades-long chart-topping hits to center newer material. Still, fan favorites including *7 Rings* and her duet with Lady Gaga *Rain On Me* still bring the crowd to their feet, while her powerhouse performance of *Dangerous Woman* and the jaw-dropping vocal riffs on *Safety Net* leave audiences stunned. The show’s quietest moments land the strongest, too: on *Imperfect For You*, Grande sits face-to-face with her long-time guitarist for an intimate, delicate rendition that feels surprisingly private even in a room of 20,000 screaming fans.

    After the final note, fans left the arena unanimous in their praise for the performance. Harry, a Chinese fan based in London who dressed as a daisy to tribute Grande’s latest album *Petal*, called the show a “ten out of ten masterpiece.” Poppy from Kent, who stood front row, said “When she came on stage, I was literally bawling. She’s the best singer ever.” Clare, who flew from Monaghan in Ireland for opening night, called it “probably the best concert I’ve ever been to.”

    Fans have also been overwhelmingly supportive of Grande’s decision to step away from touring for what she calls a “long, long time.” Many framed the break as a necessary act of self-care amid relentless public criticism. “I’m proud of her. She took a stand to keep away the remarks, the critics,” said Brian, a French fan attending the opening run. “The public has bullied her out of it. We’ve bullied her out of fame. I think that’s gross,” added Cory from Banbury. Damon, another Chinese fan in attendance, noted: “She needed time to recover. Maybe she will make some more movies… I love her movies. And if she comes back, we’ll be in the front row.”

    As Grande wraps the final leg of her tour, the *Eternal Sunshine* run stands not just as a showcase of one of pop’s greatest vocal talents, but as a love letter to fans – and a well-earned goodbye for the years ahead.

  • Bonnie Tyler fans line the streets of a Welsh village as her coffin is brought home

    Bonnie Tyler fans line the streets of a Welsh village as her coffin is brought home

    On a quiet Saturday in the Welsh coastal community of Mumbles, hundreds of fans and local residents filled the village streets to pay their final respects to legendary Welsh pop vocalist Bonnie Tyler, as her flag-draped coffin made its journey home following her passing at age 75 last month.

    The Grammy-nominated artist, who won global adoration for her 1983 chart-topping power ballad *Total Eclipse of the Heart*, died at a hospital in Portugal, where she maintained a second residence. She had been admitted to a Faro hospital in May for emergency intestinal surgery, just months before her death.

    Mourners traveled from across the United Kingdom and beyond to line the route of Tyler’s hearse. Many waited for hours outside her former local home, leaving vibrant floral tributes and sharing quiet memories of the star’s decades-long connection to her Welsh roots. Eighteen-year-old Carys Edwards, one of the gathered fans, reflected on Tyler’s enduring bond with her home community: “She was always coming home and making sure that she came back to her fans in Wales. Her songs really did touch a lot of people here in Wales; we loved her a lot.”

    Born Gaynor Hopkins in 1951, Tyler grew up in working-class Skewen, a small town roughly 11 kilometers outside Swansea. The daughter of a coal miner, she was raised in public housing with three sisters and two brothers, cutting her teeth on local performance stages before launching a career that would span more than five decades. Over her career, she earned three Grammy Award nominations, represented the United Kingdom at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2022 by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of her contributions to global music—honors anchored largely by the unprecedented success of *Total Eclipse of the Heart*.

    That iconic power ballad claimed the number one spot on music charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and has accrued more than one billion streams on digital platforms to date. Its popularity has experienced repeated surges in recent years, coinciding with major solar eclipses in 2017, 2024, and the recent total solar eclipse that crossed North America earlier this month. Beyond her signature hit, Tyler built a loyal fanbase with other chart-topping tracks including *It’s a Heartache* and *Holding Out For a Hero*, the latter featured on the blockbuster soundtrack for the 1980s classic film *Footloose*.

    High-profile peers including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rod Stewart, and Bryan Adams have already publicly shared their tributes to Tyler following the news of her death. A private celebration of life for Tyler’s immediate family and close friends is scheduled to take place on Monday at a Swansea church, after which her coffin will travel for a final procession through her childhood hometown of Skewen. Tyler is featured as one of the most high-profile cultural figures included in 2026’s annual year-in-review of influential global figures who have died over the past 12 months.

  • Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary is inaugurated in a small Polish village

    Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary is inaugurated in a small Polish village

    On a Saturday in central Poland, a landmark expected to draw pilgrims and tourists from across the continent debuted in the tiny village of Konotopie, population fewer than 150: a colossal statue of the Virgin Mary, now recognized as the tallest monument of its kind in Europe.

    Standing 55.6 meters (182 feet) tall from its base to the tip of its crown-shaped 15-meter pedestal, the new monument out-scales some of the world’s most famous large religious landmarks. It tops Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, which reaches just 38 meters including its own pedestal, even if the Brazilian statue holds a more dramatic cliffside location. It also exceeds Poland’s previous record-holding large religious monument, the Christ the King statue in the western town of Swiebodzin. Unveiled in 2010, that monument measures roughly 52 meters from the ground to its peak when including its supporting mound. While a far taller 98-meter Virgin Mary statue stands in the Philippines, the Konotopie monument has claimed the European height title for its category.

    The entire project was privately financed by one of Poland’s wealthiest entrepreneurial couples, Roman and Grażyna Karkosik, who reside in a small country palace just a few kilometers from the village. Roman Karkosik built his fortune starting in the 1990s, when he launched a plastic bottle manufacturing business before expanding into large-scale investments on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, growing his net worth to place him among Poland’s richest people. The couple has publicly stated the statue was created as an act of gratitude to God, constructed after Roman recovered from a serious illness.

    The inauguration of the monument takes place against a unique religious and cultural landscape in Poland. More than 80% of the country’s population identifies as Roman Catholic, and the Catholic Church has held outsized social and political influence since the collapse of communism in 1989. That influence grew from the church’s widespread prestige earned through its open support for anti-communist opposition movements during the Cold War era. Poland is also the birthplace of St. John Paul II, who served as Pope from 1978 until his death in 2005, and a smaller statue of the beloved Polish pontiff was unveiled in the famous pilgrimage city of Czestochowa more than a decade ago.

    In recent years, however, the role of religion in Polish public life has gradually shifted. Religious participation and identification have declined steadily, particularly among younger generations and in major urban centers. Even so, the Catholic Church retains significant social and political clout, especially in rural, small-town communities like Konotopie and among older age groups.

    Local civic leaders are already betting on the giant statue’s drawing power, with plans to position it as both a major new Catholic pilgrimage site and a mainstream tourist attraction. To accommodate visitors, the monument includes a public viewing platform built directly into its large pedestal, offering guests panoramic views of the surrounding central Polish countryside.

  • The Polygamist’s creator says women see themselves reflected in her Netflix hit

    The Polygamist’s creator says women see themselves reflected in her Netflix hit

    For many casual observers, Sue Nyathi’s sudden global fame looks like a classic case of overnight success. But the award-winning Zimbabwean author is quick to push back on that narrative: every bit of her current acclaim, she says, is the product of decades of unseen work, personal sacrifice, and relentless passion for storytelling. Nyathi’s journey from part-time evening writer writing after a full day in finance to a globally celebrated creator whose work tops Netflix charts across 60+ countries is a testament to how underrepresented voices can break through systemic barriers to find worldwide resonance.

    Nyathi’s breakthrough story began long before her adaptation hit streaming screens. When she first sent her debut novel *The Polygamist* to traditional publishing houses, editors uniformly rejected it, claiming there was no viable commercial market for a story centered on a polygamous Zimbabwean man and the women whose lives he upends. Refusing to abandon her project, Nyathi took the self-publishing route: she sourced her own editor, typesetter, and cover artist, and printed just 500 copies of the book in 2012. The novel defied every industry expectation, quickly becoming a word-of-mouth hit that found an eager audience across southern Africa.

    Decades later, that self-published debut has been adapted into a Netflix original series that currently ranks in the streamer’s global top 10 most-watched shows, reaching the number two spot in the U.S. market. Even A-list Hollywood star Taraji P. Henson publicly shared that the drama had her gripped, admitting she binged all 22 episodes in a single sitting.

    Contrary to common assumptions about the story, Nyathi emphasizes that her work is not a simple critique of traditional consensual polygamy – a practice deeply woven into her own family history. Growing up, her mother’s side of the family had practiced polygamy for generations: her grandfather, who died in 1979, had five wives, and her great-grandfather had 11. Her great-grandmother, the senior wife (or Unlengkulu in local culture), served as matriarch of the family farm where all wives lived together, and even helped select new spouses for her husband. Nyathi recalls that in this traditional structure, there was no infighting: roles were clear, all labor – physical and emotional – was shared, and everything operated out in the open. “Everybody knows who’s who in the zoo,” she jokes of the open traditional model.

    The story instead shines a light on what Nyathi calls the “modern, perverted version” of polygamy: a pattern of deception that preys on women’s lack of autonomy in patriarchal societies. As a young professional working in Harare in 2001, Nyathi observed that many men who publicly claimed to be monogamous were secretly maintaining multiple households and partners, lying to every woman involved. This is the core conflict of her novel.

    In the story, protagonist Joyce enters what she believes is a monogamous marriage to wealthy self-made businessman Jonasi, only to slowly discover he has secretly married three other women, each with their own separate home. Even though Joyce helped Jonasi build his business empire, she remains financially dependent on him, as do his other secret wives. This power imbalance leaves all the women vulnerable, exacerbates risks like HIV transmission, and strips them of agency to negotiate their own relationships. Nyathi makes her position clear: “I’m not against polygamy. What I’m against is the lack of agency. It’s wrong for the goalposts to be shifted once you’re inside.”

    The Netflix adaptation shifts the story’s setting to South Africa and films it primarily in Zulu with subtitles, a choice Nyathi says preserves cultural nuance that could never be captured in English. Unlike the novel, which is narrated entirely from the perspectives of Jonasi’s wives, the series expands the narrative scope slightly, but the core focus on women’s lived experiences remains. Nyathi says her goal was always to center women’s voices, letting each character explain the circumstances that led her to the relationship – and the response from audiences around the world has confirmed how universal these themes are. Women regularly reach out to her to say they see their own lives reflected in the characters, with many sharing they are currently married to a “Jonasi” and want to leave. Following the series’ release, Amnesty International South Africa even published official guidance for women experiencing narcissistic abuse, noting the urgent conversations the drama has sparked. “For some people, this is not just a series,” Nyathi says. “It’s their lived reality. It holds up a mirror to society.”

    Not everyone has embraced the unflinching reflection the story provides. A Kenyan civil servant has publicly called for the series to be banned in Kenya, arguing it unfairly conflates traditional polygamy with deception, cheating and abuse. But Nyathi stands firmly by her work, noting that cultural practices evolve over time, and documenting the corruption of traditional norms is a valid, necessary perspective. She also points out that by centering affluent Black African protagonists, the story challenges harmful global stereotypes that consistently frame African life through the lens of poverty. She notes that one European reader told her he had never even conceptualized that wealthy Black Africans existed – a gap the series helps close.

    Beyond the story itself, Nyathi’s journey as a writer highlights the deep structural barriers that face many African writers, particularly women who lack outside financial support. Nyathi dreamed of writing from childhood, but her parents pushed her toward a stable corporate career, and she spent nearly 20 years working as an investment analyst. She wrote *The Polygamist* in the evenings after work, only leaving her corporate job at age 40, several years after the book’s initial self-published release, to write full-time. Now 48, she says the label of “overnight success” erases the decades of sacrifice that got her here. “The recognition is overnight, but the work has been put in over many years, and I’ve made a lot of sacrifices,” she explains.

    She notes that for most emerging writers on the continent, making a living solely from book sales is nearly impossible. Many successful African writers rely on grants, literary residencies, or spousal financial support – options that were never available to Nyathi, a single mother who juggled multiple jobs to put her son through school while keeping her writing dream alive. “Writing is a luxury that most people can’t afford,” she says, adding that this barrier means countless important African women’s voices never get heard. She also points to a persistent imbalance in global publishing: it is far easier for African writers to gain traction if they are published overseas, while domestic African work struggles to break into global markets.

    The “Netflix effect” has changed that for Nyathi, finally giving her the global visibility that eluded her across four published novels and 12 years of writing on politically and socially urgent topics. She is currently putting the final touches on the first draft of a new historical novel, which she says will carry forward the same focus on resonant, human-centered themes.

    For aspiring women writers who lack financial resources, Nyathi has one simple piece of advice: start where you are, and write for the love of the story. “Everything starts with a story,” she says. “If you think you have a book in you and you don’t have money, start with a pen and paper, and do it for love. Money should never be the motivation. The love is what will fuel you when it gets hard.”