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France Gets Ready to Say ‘Merci’ to World War II Veterans for D-Day’s 80th Anniversary This Year 

A World War II reenactor plants roses on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2023. (AP)
A World War II reenactor plants roses on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2023. (AP)
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France Gets Ready to Say ‘Merci’ to World War II Veterans for D-Day’s 80th Anniversary This Year 

A World War II reenactor plants roses on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2023. (AP)
A World War II reenactor plants roses on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2023. (AP)

France is getting ready to show its gratitude toward World War II veterans who will return, many for the last time, to Normandy beaches this year for 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day to mark the defeat of the Nazis.

A ceremony at Omaha Beach, with many heads of state expected to be present, will be honoring the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the US, Canada and other nations who landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that D-Day celebrations, alongside the Paris Olympics, will be "France’s rendezvous with the world."

It will be an occasion for the French to say "merci," or "thank you," to veterans, some of whom will make a long trans-Atlantic journey, despite advanced age, fatigue and physical difficulties.

"We will never forget. And we have to tell them," Philippe Étienne, chairman of the Liberation Mission, the specially created body that organizes the 80th anniversary commemorations, told The Associated Press.

As a former ambassador of France to the United States, Étienne recalled his "strong emotion" when handing veterans the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction.

"They were 18, 20, 22 when they liberated our country, when they gave us back our freedom," he said. "Now 80 years later, they’re 100, 98, 102. It’s really incredible. Those are really courageous, humble people. They must feel our gratitude."

The link between the last witnesses of the war and the youth will also be at the heart of the anniversary.

"What we want above all, when the last witnesses, the last fighters, the last veterans are still with us, is to give their testimonies to our young people," Étienne added.

In the past couple of years, commemorations also have taken a special meaning as war is raging again in Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Gen. Michel Delion, director-general of the Liberation Mission, said "that the message is more for the whole population than only for soldiers. Because the price of liberty is something that any citizen of any democratic nation needs to understand."

"The civilians were part of this (World War II) conflict because they suffered and they supported fighters. And we need to have this cohesion of our nations, of our populations to be able to answer to any question ... or any danger we could face tomorrow or today," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been present for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, wasn't expected to be invited this year. Putin didn't attend the 75th anniversary in 2019.

Countries like France that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court are obligated to arrest Putin, who was indicted for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine, if he sets foot on their soil.

Étienne said that the commemorations, including some academic events, "will surely not ignore the sacrifices of everybody who ... was involved in the liberation of Europe, including in the East, because the Nazi regime was defeated both from the West and from the East."

He stressed the fact that "populations of the former Soviet Union, Russians in particular, but also Ukrainians and others, participated in this liberation."

Other key events will include celebrations of the Allied landing in Provence, in southern France, and the liberation of Paris, both in August, as well as the liberation of Strasbourg, at the border with Germany, in November, and the commemoration in May 2025 of the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces.

Ceremonies will also allow France to pay tribute to Resistance fighters, to soldiers who came from its then colonial empire in Africa and to the civilians who suffered during the war.

Already across France, "we feel that there's a very strong mobilization to remember this very important period in history," said Fabien Sudry, deputy director-general of the Liberation Mission. "We feel it in the contacts we have, in the trips we make, with many local and regional authorities involved."

French authorities are notably considering launching a nationwide operation to collect family documents, objects and audiovisual material related to World War II that would help keep the memory alive.

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Culture

Coin Used to Pay for Bus Ticket in Leeds Found to Be Phoenician

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
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Coin Used to Pay for Bus Ticket in Leeds Found to Be Phoenician

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)

An odd-looking coin used to pay for a bus fare in Leeds in the 1950s has been found to belong to an ancient civilization from more than 2,000 years ago, reported The Independent.

The coin, handed to a local bus driver decades ago, came into the hands of James Edwards, former chief cashier with Leeds City Transport, who gathered fares and counted them at the end of each day.

Since it couldn’t be spent, Edwards took it home and gifted the ancient coin to his young grandson, Peter, who kept it in a small wooden chest for more than 70 years.

Archaeologists from the University of Leeds have now found that it came from the Carthaginians, part of the Phoenician culture, in the Spanish city of Cadiz during the 1st century BC.

“My grandfather would come across coins which were not British and put them to one side, and when I went to his house, he would hand me a few,” the now 77-year-old grandson said.

“It was not long after the war, so I imagine soldiers returned with coins from countries they had been sent to. Neither of us were coin collectors, but we were fascinated by their origin and imagery – to me, they were treasure,” he said.

Peter attempted to uncover the coin’s origin, focusing on a particular inscription.

It bears the face of the god Melqart on one side, resembling the Greek hero Herakles and wearing his famed lionskin headdress.

Experts said it came from what was once a Carthaginian settlement on the Spanish coast.

“The coin always fascinated me because it was hard to decipher where it came from,” Peter said.

“My first thought when I found out its origin was that I would like to return it to an institute where it could be studied by all, and Leeds Museums and Galleries kindly offered to give it a good home,” he said.

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries and is now part of the Leeds Discovery Centre, which includes coins and currency from cultures around the world, spanning thousands of years of history.

“It’s incredible to imagine how this tiny piece of history created by an ancient civilization thousands of years ago has somehow made its way to Leeds and into our collection,” said Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture.

“Museums like ours are not just about preserving objects, they’re also about telling stories like this one and inspiring visitors to think about the history that’s all around us, sometimes in the most unlikely of places,” Arif said.

Culture

Bangladesh Sari Weaving Tradition Hangs by a Thread

A Bangladeshi craftsman weaves fabric on a traditional handloom inside a workshop in Tangail on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
A Bangladeshi craftsman weaves fabric on a traditional handloom inside a workshop in Tangail on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Bangladesh Sari Weaving Tradition Hangs by a Thread

A Bangladeshi craftsman weaves fabric on a traditional handloom inside a workshop in Tangail on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
A Bangladeshi craftsman weaves fabric on a traditional handloom inside a workshop in Tangail on March 2, 2026. (AFP)

Bangladesh's Tangail sari is fighting for survival as weavers warn that automation and economic pressures are pushing the centuries-old craft to the brink despite its global acclaim.

The detailed designs and fine textures of the garments made in the central Tangail city won UNESCO recognition in December as intangible cultural heritage reflecting "local social and cultural practices".

But it has brought little relief to crowded local workshops where a shift to automated looms, evolving fashion choices, unstable yarn prices and a lack of government support have squeezed weavers at every turn.

Ajit Kumar Roy, who spends the day interlacing warp and weft threads while paddling the shuttle back and forth, says the honor has done little to ease his daily hardship.

"It's all hard work," the 35-year-old weaver told AFP as he worked the handloom he has operated for nearly two decades.

"Hands, legs and eyes must move together. If I make a mistake then there is a problem."

Men typically lead the weaving, dyeing and design work, while women prepare threads, apply rice starch and add finishing touches.

- High-profile clients -

Once considered a well-paying profession, weaving has suffered from a market slump that began during the Covid-19 pandemic and never recovered.

Roy said his factory owner used to run 20 handlooms but now has only 10.

"Some factories have shut down entirely," Roy said.

With demand falling and costs rising, many weavers have abandoned the craft, turning to driving or construction work to survive.

"We earn 700 taka ($6) per sari, and it takes at least two days to make one. How can a family of four live on 350 taka a day?"

Raghunath Basak, president of a local sari traders' association, whose family has preserved Tangail weaving for generations, fears the craft may end with him.

His ancestors migrated in search of weather and water suitable for weaving before settling in Tangail, nestled in a low-lying floodplain near the Jamuna River.

"I brought my son into the profession too, but I don't know how he will cope after I am gone," Basak, 75, said from his showroom, where shiny crests line the walls.

Despite high-profile clients -- from political leaders in India's West Bengal state to ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who wore his sari to deliver a speech to the UN General Assembly -- Basak says the industry is struggling.

- Cultural symbol -

A halt to land-port trade with neighboring India following a diplomatic fallout has also affected business.

"We used to export saris by road and import yarn when local prices shot up. Now land ports on both sides are sealed. Export has become almost impossible," he said.

In the 1960s, the sari emerged as a cultural symbol as Bengalis in what was then East Pakistan embraced their ethnic identity.

But consumer preference is slowly shifting.

Kaniz Neera, 45, buys two dozen Tangail saris a year, favoring their distinctive patterns and comfortable design, but worries that the younger generation is drifting away.

"Sari is integral to our identity," she said. "My mother wears sari at home and outside. I wear it mostly outside. (But) girls now wear sari only on special occasions."

But researchers remain cautiously optimistic.

Shawon Akand, author of a book on the subject, notes that the Tangail sari is a relatively recent evolution by the descendants of Dhakai muslin weavers whose creations once captivated Mughal rulers and European aristocracy.

"The Tangail weavers inherited fine yarn techniques from their ancestors and adapted with unique designs in Tangail sari," Akand told AFP.

"Tangail sari will evolve. It will endure."

Culture

Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Launches Pavilion at London Book Fair

The commission's participation aims to promote Saudi literary and intellectual output while showcasing the rapid development of the literature, publishing, and translation sectors in the Kingdom. (SPA)
The commission's participation aims to promote Saudi literary and intellectual output while showcasing the rapid development of the literature, publishing, and translation sectors in the Kingdom. (SPA)
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Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Launches Pavilion at London Book Fair

The commission's participation aims to promote Saudi literary and intellectual output while showcasing the rapid development of the literature, publishing, and translation sectors in the Kingdom. (SPA)
The commission's participation aims to promote Saudi literary and intellectual output while showcasing the rapid development of the literature, publishing, and translation sectors in the Kingdom. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission officially launched the Kingdom’s pavilion at the London Book Fair 2026, held at Olympia London from March 10 to 12. The participation underscores the Kingdom’s growing presence in the global publishing industry and reflects its expanding cultural engagement on the international stage.

Commission Chief Executive Dr. Abdullatif Alwasel said the commission's participation aims to promote Saudi literary and intellectual output while showcasing the rapid development of the literature, publishing, and translation sectors in the Kingdom.

The initiative seeks to highlight the vibrancy and diversity of Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape, presenting it as a dynamic environment that reflects the richness of the Kingdom’s cultural identity, he stressed.

The commission is working to strengthen the presence of Saudi publishers at major international events while promoting its programs and initiatives in literature, publishing and translation, he added.

Its participation also aims to establish professional and knowledge-based partnerships with leading stakeholders in the global publishing industry, thereby expanding opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange, he went on to say.

Alwasel added that the London Book Fair is one of the world’s most important platforms for networking among publishing professionals, facilitating the exchange of expertise in areas such as translation rights, publishing innovation, and content creation.

Such engagement helps boost the global visibility of Saudi cultural production and opens new markets for Saudi literary content. The Kingdom’s pavilion brings together several national institutions representing the cultural and knowledge sectors, reflecting the integrated nature of Saudi Arabia’s cultural development efforts.

Participating entities include the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance; the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex; the King Abdulaziz Foundation; the King Fahd National Library; the King Abdulaziz Public Library; the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language; Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University; and Nasher Publishing and Distribution Company.

The Kingdom’s participation reflects its ongoing commitment to strengthening its presence at major international book fairs, supporting the publishing industry, and expanding cultural and intellectual cooperation with countries around the world. These efforts align with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to promote culture as a bridge for civilizational dialogue and human exchange.