Latest news with #Shaman
Russia Today
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Apple Music partially restores sanctioned Russian artists
Apple Music streaming service has restored profiles with biographies of some of the most popular Russian artists, who were blocked after being sanctioned by the EU as part of curbs against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. Despite the profiles of such pop-stars as Shaman, Polina Gagarina and others being brought back, their music catalogs still remain inaccessible to users, Russian media reported on Sunday. Brussels sanctioned numerous Russian musicians after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, accusing them of performing patriotic songs and supporting the country's armed forces. This led to the profiles of the restricted artists being removed by Apple Music and Spotify. Shaman, whose real name is Yaroslav Dronov, and Gagarina were blacklisted as part of EU's ninth sanctions package against Moscow in June 2024. The bloc explained its decision by saying that Shaman has 'repeatedly participated in Kremlin-organized concerts including the Kremlin's anniversary event for that war,' while also performing 'as part of troop entertainment events for the Russian Armed Forces.' According to the EU, Gagarina, who finished second in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with her song 'A Million Voices', has also been 'generating significant revenue' from concerts sponsored by the Russian authorities. Shaman, who made a name for himself with his 2022 hit 'Ya russkiy' (I am Russian), will represent his country at the 2025 Intervision Song Contest. The a Soviet-era event, which had been revived by Russia as an alternative to Eurovision, is scheduled to take place in Moscow in September, gathering musicians from two dozen nations, including China, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, Serbia, South Africa and others.
The Review Geek
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Squid Game – K-drama Season 3 Episode 2 Recap & Review
Episode 2 Episode 2 of Squid Game Season 3 begins with Player 246 waking up. No-eul kills the doctor and decides to disguise 246 as a guard. Back to the game, the Red Team enters the arena. Each member has 30 minutes to kill at least one Blue Team member. Gi-hun goes after Dae-ho who narrowly avoids him every time. The Shaman and her followers go the way the 'ghosts' tell her. However, we see that she just avoids the noisy paths. Player 100 realises his key doesn't fit all the doors. He teams up with a Blue Team member who has a different key. Hyun-ju deduces the same, that there are 3 locks with 3 keys. Fortunately, the women have one of each key. Geum-ja and Jun-hee even give their key to Hyun-ju to save time. Myung-gi and Nam-gyu aka Player 124 kill two players at the same time, so they cannot betray each other. However, Nam-gyu drops Thanos' pill box and Min-su grabs one. He keeps hearing how he is a coward and he takes a pill. 226 runs into the three women and tries to negotiate with Hyun-ju to let him kill Jun-hee or Geum-ja. It seems that Hyun-ju may give in but she ends up killing him. Player 100 betrays his ally to escape a Red Team member and then later steals his key. Once it is announced that Myung-gi has passed, Jun-hee is hopeful that he will come to protect her and the women. However, Nam-gyu convinces Myung-gi to kill all the Blue Team members. That way, the Red Team members who fail to reach the quota will also be killed. And the prize money will increase for them and Jun-hee. Gi-hun ignores every Blue Team member who is not Dae-ho. Coincidentally, a Red Team member attacks Dae-ho but is accidentally killed. Dae-ho takes his knife and hides. Meanwhile, the women hide in a room as Jun-hee fractures her ankle. To make matters worse, she goes into labour. Yong-sik corners an injured Blue Team player. He is the one who dragged Yong-sik away from his mother during the Mingle game. The Blue Team player attacks but another Red Team player kills him while Yong-sik looks in shock. The Shaman accidentally leads her followers into an ambush set by Myung-gi and Nam-gyu. As she escapes, she runs into Gi-hun. Turns out, she is on his hit list as well. To save herself, she tells him about an injured Dae-ho leaving a trail of blood. Gi-hun leaves her and starts following the blood. She finally finds the exit but it needs all 3 keys to unlock it. Yong-sik comes across an injured Blue Team player but is unable to kill her. Player 100 plays dead and is almost killed by Nam-gyu, who is called away by Myung-gi. The Shaman finds 100 and since he has the remaining keys, she takes him to the exit. Geum-ja and Hyun-ju help Jun-hee give birth to her child. A Red Team member attacks and Hyun-ju fights back. They tussle but she kills him. She finally notices her surroundings and sees that she is at the exit. She unlocks the door as she has all 3 keys. She suddenly remembers Jun-hee and Geum-ja. She goes back to them but Myung-gi kills her. He finally notices Jun-hee and their child. He covers for them and leads Nam-gyu away. Player 100 betrays the Shaman and locks her out once he exits. She is cornered by a stoned Min-su looking for Se-mi. She tries to use her shamanic act to put him down, but it just reminds him of Nam-gyu. He kills her and then panics when he hallucinates killing Se-mi. Gi-hun finally finds Dae-ho who starts apologising and rambling. He never served in the army and lied so he could team up with him and Jung-bae. He also wanted to help bring the magazines but got scared during the rebellion. He begs for his life but then grabs his knife and attacks Gi-hun. He goes as far as to claim Gi-hun tricked them so he could get everyone killed and take all the prize money. Having had enough, Gi-hun chokes Dae-ho till he dies. Jun-hee and Geum-ja finally reach the exit, but while unlocking the door, Yong-sik finds them. With only a minute left on the clock, he needs to kill someone or he will be killed. He decides to kill Jun-hee and Geum-ja begs him to kill her instead. He refuses, going after Jun-hee and a desperate Geum-ja stops him by stabbing him with her hairpin blade. He apologises before the guards kill him for failing. At the end of Squid Game Season 3 Episode 2, Gi-hun convinces himself that it is his fault. Before he can kill himself, the guards stop him. The Episode Review Seems like the original Squid Game charm is indeed back. This game goes as far as to remind us of the marble game in Season 1, where fan-favourites were betrayed and/or killed off in bulk. It is completely action-packed and gory as even the Blue Team members fight back. The Old Man's motto of man being inherently selfish is seen in this game with players betraying even their allies. Maybe Hyun-ju should have been selfish; at least she wouldn't have been stabbed in the back, literally. The emotional quotient is even higher than the marble game, given that the characters had a whole season to be fleshed out and relatable. We already knew it was a bad move for Geum-ja and Jun-hee to switch with Yong-sik and Myung-gi, respectively. But we do wish Dae-ho could have been redeemed, as that would have made his death even more impactful. Instead, he does a complete 180 turn from his Season 2 personality, making him cruel without any set-up except for the previous episode's outburst. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Russia Today
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Australia sanctions Russian pop singer among other public figures
Australia has sanctioned the Russian pop singer Shaman, along with 36 other individuals and seven organizations, according to the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The list, published on Thursday, also includes renowned actor and TV presenter Vyacheslav Manucharov. The people and enterprises were targeted for 'engaging in an activity or performing a function that is of economic or strategic significance to Russia.' Those blacklisted are barred from entering the country and face asset freezes, meaning any holdings in Australia will be blocked. The list of sanctioned individuals includes the head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov; Russia's First Deputy Energy Minister, Pavel Sorokin; media producer Anton Zlatopolsky; journalist Aram Gabrelyanov; and three-time Olympic synchronized swimming champion and Moscow City Duma deputy, Maria Kiseleva. The Moscow-based semiconductor and nanotechnology firm Minatekh, insurance major Soglasie, and Pravfond, a legal-aid foundation defending the interests of Russians living abroad, are among the entities added to Australia's updated list. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the move 'reflects our close coordination with international partners,' adding that Canberra seeks to deprive Russia of the ability to fund its conflict with Ukraine by imposing sanctions. Earlier this year, the Australian authorities targeted 70 individuals and 79 entities in what they identified as the largest package of Russia sanctions since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Moscow has targeted hundreds of Australian political and public figures with travel bans in response. Russian authorities have dismissed Western sanctions as illegal and counterproductive, insisting that they have backfired on the countries that imposed them.
Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
US ‘will take part in Russia's version of Eurovision'
The United States has congratulated Russia on its national Russia Day holiday for the first time since the Kremlin ordered tanks into Ukraine in 2022, in another sign of warming ties between Moscow and Washington under President Trump. 'On behalf of the American people, I want to congratulate the Russian people on Russia Day. The United States remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future,' Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said in a statement. 'We also take this opportunity to reaffirm the United States's desire for constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine,' he added. 'It is our hope that peace will foster more mutually beneficial relations between our countries.' As a sign of improving relations, there are reports in Russia that a performer from the United States would take part in the Intervision Song Contest, a Kremlin-backed alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest that will take place in Moscow in September. Russia will be represented by Shaman, a pop singer whose videos have drawn comparisons to Nazi propaganda. Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 as western organisations cut ties with Moscow over the war. However, Putin signed a decree in February ordering Russian officials to revive the Intervision, a separate event that took place in eastern Europe during the Soviet era. Although Russia participated in Eurovision up until 2021, the LGBT-friendly event faced increasing criticism in Moscow as Putin sought to depict his country as a bastion of 'traditional values'. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has said there will be 'no perversions' at the Intervision. A Kremlin official has said that 20 'friendly countries,' including Belarus, Brazil, Cuba and India will take part. It is unclear who will represent the US. An Intervision organiser told Tass, a state news agency, that a competition would soon be held in the US to determine its contestant. The Times was unable to verify the report. Aside from Belarus, Serbia is the only other European country planning to take part, Moscow said. It comes after a poll revealed this week how the attitudes of ordinary Russians towards Americans are changing. Only 40 per cent of Russians believe that US is the 'most hostile' country to Russia, compared to 76 per cent before Trump's election victory in November, according to the Levada Centre, an independent polling agency in Moscow. The poll found that the most hostile countries to Russia are now considered to be Germany, Britain and Ukraine, with the US in fourth place, Levada said. It is the first time that America has not occupied the number one spot since polling began in 2005. In contrast, almost 90 per cent of Ukrainians now say they distrust Trump, according to another poll that was published in April by the New Europe Centre. Sporting ties between Russia and America are also improving under Trump, who has often boasted of his 'great relationship' with Putin, a former KGB officer who has been in power for 25 years. After talks between Putin and Trump in March, the two leaders announced that Russian and US ice-hockey stars would play a series of friendly matches. The games would prove a boost to Russia, which was banned from most international sports events after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. No date has so far been given for the matches. Rubio's comments were covered by Channel One, Russia's main television station, in a news programme dedicated to the national holiday, which also included a congratulatory message from a Russian policewoman in Melitopol, a Ukrainian city that is under the control of Moscow. 'Victory will be ours!' said a masked Russian national guard officer. 'After three years of silence, the United States has again congratulated Russians on Russia Day,' wrote Olga Skabeyeva, a Channel One TV presenter who has been sanctioned by the US for promoting Kremlin propaganda. The broadcast of Rubio's comments followed days of deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. At least 14 people, including children, were injured in Russian strikes overnight on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, officials said. Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, also offered his congratulations to Moscow on Russia Day, pledging that Pyongyang would always 'stand with' Russia in what he described as its 'sacred war' in Ukraine. Congratulatory messages were also sent to Moscow by the autocratic leaders of Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, among others. Iryna Voichuk, a Ukrainian journalist, accused Washington of shaking Russia's 'bloodstained hand', while Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, posted a vomit emoji next to Rubio's statement. The Russia Day holiday was first celebrated in Russia in 1992 to commemorate the country's declaration of sovereignty after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Three years ago, Antony Blinken, Rubio's predecessor as US secretary of state, used the occasion to express support for Russians opposed to the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent.
Pink Villa
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
4 new Malayalam movies releasing in theaters this week (May 26 - June 1): Soothravakyam, Shaman to Moonwalk
Theaters across Kerala are gearing up for a fresh round of Malayalam film releases. This week brings an exciting mix—some films will tug at your heart, while others might leave you at the edge of your seat. With each story offering something different, there's plenty to look forward to on the big screen. So, what are you waiting for? Continue reading to know all about the upcoming Malayalam movies releasing in theaters this week. Malayalam theatrical releases this week 1. Soothravakyam Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Vincy Aloshious, Deepak Parambol Release date: May 30, 2025 The film follows the life of Christo Xavier, a circle inspector known for his unique approach to policing. Alongside his duties, he takes on the role of a mentor to a group of 11th-grade students. He turns his police station into a space that serves the children of the town. However, things take a serious turn when a person goes missing. This incident leads to an intense investigation. 2. Once Upon A Time There Was A Kallan Cast: Sreenath Bhasi, Kottayam Nazeer, Tini Tom Release date: May 30, 2025 Once Upon A Time There Was A Kallan tells the story of an elderly man living all alone in a big and quiet house. One night, a thief sneaks into his home but ends up getting trapped inside. Instead of reacting with fear or anger, the old man chooses not to call the police. He decides to talk to the thief, and an unexpected friendship begins. 3. Shaman Cast: Pious Paul, Athulya S Release date: May 30, 2025 Shaman revolves around the life of a woman who, after facing a personal loss, goes on a trip with her friends to find peace. However, her dreams start to reflect strange real-life events. As the mystery deepens, she struggles to tell what is real and what is illusion. The truth seems to exist beyond her own imagination. 4. Moonwalk Cast: Anunath VP, Siddharth Babu, Sujith Prapanchan Release date: May 30, 2025 Moonwalk is set in a remote Kerala village during the late 1980s. The film draws inspiration from true events. It follows a group of young people who want to learn and perform breakdance. The story shows the challenges they encounter on their journey to master the dance. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates!
