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☆ Joost Klein: Eurovision disqualifies Dutch act over incident involving female crew member
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Matt Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Malmo CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest was thrown into fresh turmoil Saturday when organizers disqualified the Dutch entrant hours before the grand final for a backstage incident involving a female crew member. “Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said. The EBU said the disqualification of Klein did not involve any other performer or member another country’s delegation. Tensions brew in Malmo ahead of finalThe alleged incident involving Klein happened on Thursday evening after the second semi-final, the EBU said.

Persons: Joost Klein, ”, Klein’s, AVROTROS, Klein, Eden Golan, Israel, Switzerland’s Nemo, France’s, Alyona, Jerry Heil, Golan Organizations: Malmo CNN, European Broadcasting Union, Swedish Police Authority, CNN, Malmo Arena, EBU, Security, RAI, Croatia, Israel Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ Eurovision is back, but will Baby Lasagne or Nemo triumph? Your complete guide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“People are like ‘OK, Sweden is the spiritual home of Eurovision’ – I see Eurovision as this moving entity,” she tells CNN. “The whole product, ABBA, is a vibe, isn’t it?”ABBA sing "Waterloo" at Eurovision 50 years ago. But ABBA are the past; Baby Lasagne, Windows95Man and Nemo – a person, not a fish – are very much the present. This year’s slim favorite is Baby Lasagne, whose arena-pounding anthem “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” describes a brain drain affecting Croatian towns. He credits his fiancée with helping him launch his career – “She’s the lasagne, and I’m just the baby,” he tells CNN.

Persons: Paul Anka, Abba –, Loreen, –, “, Loreen –, they’ve, ” Loreen, Olle Lindeborg, Lasagne, Nemo, Sarah Bonnici, aga, you’d, Music ”, Dominic Lipinski, Marcus, Martinus, ”, – “, I’m, Switzerland’s Nemo, ” Nemo, ” Joost Klein's, Jens Büttner, Joost Klein, Teemu Keisteri, he’s, Windows95Man, it’s, Belgium’s Mustii, Bonnie Tyler’s, Sanjin, Marina Satti, Hera Bjork, ” Saba, Slimane, who’s, ” Poland’s Luna, Jeff Spicer, ” we’re, Luna “, doesn’t, we’re, ” Portugal’s, … “, Alyona Alyona, Jerry Heil, Jens Bittner, ” Joost Klein, bro, airdropped, Angelina, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, audibly, they’ll, oddballs gunning Organizations: CNN, Waterloo, Malmo, Eurovision, Getty, Pulitzer, aga … aaa, aaa, United, Music, MAG, San, ” “ Hurricanes, Israel, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, AFP, Malmo, Europe, Armenia, wail, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel could win Eurovision. That would cause major headaches for the song contest’s organizers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But this year, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event,” he said. And they are leading perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: Eden Golan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Golan, ”, Jessica Gow, ” Paul Jordan, Weeks, Johan Nilsson, Israel, Noel Curran, KAN, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, ” Curran, “, Fredrik Persson, –, ” Jordan, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Getty, TT, Agency, Reuters, Israel, RAI, United, AFP, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Malmo, Israel, Gaza, Israel's, AFP, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Eurovision braces for its most tense contest yet, as protesters and artists bristle at Israel’s presence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The competition – which tries desperately to retain its “apolitical” tag – has become the largest cultural event so far to be rocked by the repercussions of Israel’s war in Gaza. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest claim it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, Noel Curran, KAN, ” Curran, Golan, Fredrik Persson, –, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Johan Nilsson, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Gaza, Israel, Malmo, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Some Ukrainians Helped the Russians. Their Neighbors Sought Revenge.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( James Verini | Paolo Pellegrin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

It seemed obvious to me that some townspeople would have collaborated out of fear or the need to survive. (I could not reach any of the accused collaborators from Bilozerka or Volodymyr Saldo.) A researcher with a nonprofit government watchdog group in Bilozerka, Zelinska investigated Kozlyonkova for misusing state funds before the war. As far as I could determine, none of the accused collaborators had. The administrators of the partisan forums clearly wanted to raise suspicion — to let accused collaborators know that they were being monitored, too.

Persons: Bilozerkans, Putin, Anatoliy Korniev, John of Kronstadt, Korniev, weren’t, Oleksandr Guz, he’d, Volodymyr Saldo, Alyona Zelinska, Zelinska, Kozlyonkova, ”, ” Kozlyonkova, Andriy Koshelev, Koshelev, Oleksandr Shcherbyna, ” Shcherbyna, “, Andriy Dibrova, Alina, Bilozerka Organizations: Russian Orthodox Church, Telegram Locations: Soviet, NATO, St, Russia, Bilozerka, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Kherson

☆ Russia-Ukraine War: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Hundreds of people have placed flowers, photographs, candles and flags — including some bearing the private military group’s skull design — at a small sidewalk memorial near Red Square in Moscow. Like many who agreed to be interviewed, Alyona did not want to give her last name because of the political sensitivity surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, who frequently criticized how the war was conducted and launched a brief rebellion against the military’s leadership two months ago. “No one ever abandoned me; they helped me, they did everything that was necessary and provided me with everything that was needed,” said Prapor, who added that he had personally met Mr. Prigozhin. But in a country where little is said about the casualties, the sidewalk memorial became a rare place for people to mourn publicly. Mr. Prigozhin, Alyona said, was unique in his generation in his ability and willingness to openly discuss the issues plaguing Russian society.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, ”, Alyona, Prigozhin, didn’t, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, “, Prapor, Dmitri Utkin —, —, Kirill, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “ Wagner, Natalia, Sergei K, Shoigu —, Vladimir V, Putin, “ Evgeny Prigozhin, Shoigu, Sergei, ” Sergei, Aleksei A, Elena, “ I’ve, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Dugina, Lenin, Stalin, Milana Mazaeva Organizations: ” Volunteers, The New York Times, The New York, ., Kremlin, Police, Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense Locations: Red, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin ., Mariupol, Russia, St . Petersburg, Washington

☆ Mourners in Moscow wept for Yevgeny Prigozhin, comparing him to Lenin and Stalin. It shows how the mercenary leader's popularity endures even after he clashed with Putin.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Moscow to mourn the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin, who led a mutiny against Russia's military, was killed last week after a jet crashed outside Moscow. The public mourning of Prigozhin shows how his popularity endures even after clashing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. People pay tribute to late head of Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, on August 27, 2023. Even some Wagner fighters appeared at the makeshift memorial to pay their respects to Prigozhin.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Heartbroken grievers, —, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA, Alyona, didn't, Lenin, Stalin, Sergei Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, New York Times, Getty, Times, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, AFP

☆ Wagner Mourners in Moscow Reflect Prigozhin’s Appeal Among Russians
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | More About Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I’ve been following the activities of Wagner Group leaders. The improvised memorial predates Mr. Prigozhin’s death but has grown rapidly in recent days. Mr. Prigozhin, Alyona said, was unique in his generation in his ability and willingness to openly discuss the issues plaguing Russian society. “In our history, there was only one Lenin, one Stalin and one Prigozhin,” she said. “If someone else like Lenin, Stalin, or Prigozhin appears, we will consider ourselves lucky.”Milana Mazaeva contributed reporting from Washington.

Persons: ”, “ I’ve, Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Dugina, Mr, Alyona, Lenin, Stalin, Milana Mazaeva Organizations: Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense Locations: St . Petersburg, Russian, Washington

☆ Darfur: Hundreds of people fleeing El Geneina were killed in a day-long massacre, body collectors and survivors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi Allegra Goodwin Nima Elbagir Celine Alkhaldi | Tamara Qiblawi | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

A picture taken on June 16, 2023, shows bodies strewn outdoors near houses in the West Darfur capital El Geneina. A video shared on Twitter on June 14, 2023, showing hundreds of refugees from El Geneina walking towards Chad. “The fighters had DShK’s (Soviet-era heavy machine guns) and other heavy weaponry,” said Khamiss, the lawyer from El Geneina. Zahra Adam, a women’s rights activist from El Geneina, told CNN she had saved two young boys from drowning. When asked whether the ICRC had alerted third parties to evidence of a mass atrocity in El Geneina, Synenko said they had not.

Persons: El Geneina, ”, “, Masalit, Jamal Khamiss, Khamiss, ” Jamal Khamiss Khamiss, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —, Gen, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Wagner, Zohra Bensemra, Dr, Papi Maloba, Maloba, Mohammad Ghannam, RSF, West, Khamis Abbakar, ” Khamiss, Zahra Adam, Adam, General Abdelrahman Juma —, General Abdelrahman Juma, YouTube Juma, Mujeeb Rahman Muhammad Rezk, Alyona Synenko, Synenko, Chad The, ” Zahwi Idriss, Zahwi Idriss Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, West Darfur, Getty, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Twitter, Hemedti, United Nations, Reuters, Sans, MSF, Chadian, El, Teaching, Crescent, YouTube, Support Forces, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, SRC, International Committee, ICRC, Darfur, UN, Geneina Teaching Locations: West Darfur, El, West, El Geneina, AFP, Chad, Sudan, “, Geneina, Darfur, Chadian, Shukri, Khartoum, Adre, Ardmata, Wadi Kaja, RSF, tarpaulins, Africa, ”

☆ Opinion | A NATO Invitation Will Make or Break Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Alyona Getmanchuk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Perhaps more to the point, nobody is more reluctant to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine into World War III than Mr. Putin himself. The Russian Army has no chance in a military confrontation with NATO; it is barely coping with the armed forces of Ukraine. So what about the risks of not inviting Ukraine to join NATO? As long as Ukraine remains in NATO limbo, Putin will attack Ukraine again and again with the hope of creating a new Russian Empire. Finally, should NATO members fail to act this week on Ukraine, the alliance will be discredited in the eyes of Ukrainians and millions of other residents of NATO member states who support inviting Ukraine to join.

Persons: Putin, Mr Organizations: Russian Army, NATO, Ukraine, European Union Locations: Ukraine, NATO, Vilnius, Russian, Russia

CNN —Beaches in the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa have been closed off after filthy waters from a collapsed dam washed downstream, posing a “genuine threat” to local residents, authorities say. Homes are seen underwater in a flooded neighborhood in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Celestino Arce/NurPhoto/Reuters A neighborhood of Kherson, Ukraine, remains flooded Saturday, June 10, following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam days earlier. Celestino Arce/NurPhoto/Getty Images Ukrainian servicemen use boats to evacuate people in a flooded neighborhood of Kherson on June 8. Alex Babenko/Getty Images Houses in a flooded Kherson neighborhood on June 7.

Persons: Felipe Dana, Andrey Alekseenko, Celestino Arce, NurPhoto, Evgeniy, Hanna, Oleksandr Klymenko, Vladyslav Musiienko, Alex Babenko, Angelina Kopayeva, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Tetiana, Ivan Antypenko, Alexey Konovalov, Musiienko, Nina Lyashonok, Oleksandra, Alina Smutko Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Telegram, Local, AP, Reuters Volunteers, Reuters, Getty, Anadolu Agency, Planet Labs PBC, Reuters Red Cross, AP Local, Culture, Reuters Local Locations: Ukrainian, Odesa, Russia, Dnipro, –, ”, Dnistrovskyi, Kherson, Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Nova, Mykolaiv, Kherson . Roman, Vladyslav, Nova Kakhovka, Libkos

☆ Check out the pitch deck that Ukraine startup Fuelfinance, which aims to help finance teams replace Excel with better tools, used to raise $1 million from a war zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In January, it raised $1 million in seed funding from angels at Google, Meta, and Salesforce. That's the situation Alyona Mysko found herself in as the chief executive and cofounder of Fuelfinance, a tiny accounting startup based in Ukraine. In January, Fuelfinance raised $1 million in a seed round of funding from angel investors at companies including Google, Meta, Salesforce, and Uber. Fuelfinance is taking on giants like Microsoft Excel and Pilot with its cloud-based approach to financial planning. Here's the pitch deck that Fuelfinance used to convince employees of Google, Meta, and Salesforce to invest $1 million.

☆ UN says aid trucks looted in 'volatile' Sudan, urges safe passage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mohamed Nureldin Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Aid trucks looted, says United Nations aid chiefViolence undermining chance of lasting truceGuterres says situation 'unacceptable'UN aid chief Griffiths arrives in Port SudanImproving humanitarian access is a priority -UNKHARTOUM, May 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was seeking assurances from Sudan's warring factions on the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire. The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis, with about 100,000 people forced to flee with little food or water to neighbouring countries, the United Nations said. Aid deliveries have been held up in a nation of 46 million people where about one-third had already relied on humanitarian assistance. A broader disaster could be in the making as Sudan's impoverished neighbours grapple with the influx of refugees. Caught between army air strikes overhead and RSF soldiers on the ground, many citizens feel forced to take sides.

☆ TikTok has laid off a 'significant portion' of its Russian workforce as it evaluates the 'evolving circumstances' in the region
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok laid off a "significant portion" of its Russian workforce, the company confirmed to Insider. TikTok said in statement that it "will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia." TikTok has cut "a significant portion" of its Russian workforce, many of whom were working in its Eastern Europe division, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider. The news was first reported in Russian Telegram channels and picked up by Forbes Russia. A TikTok spokesperson told Insider that these figures are "very far from accurate."

☆ Russian attacks bring terror of war's early days back to Ukraine's capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Daryna Mayer | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Ukraine — The Russian missiles that tore through Kyiv during rush-hour Monday morning shattered windows, lives and a relative calm that had permeated the Ukrainian capital. That all changed suddenly, sending residents scrambling for shelters and bringing back painful memories of the early days of the war. Speaking in Ukrainian, Gudenko, 32, said she was woken up by the sound of the first three explosions over the city. Like Gudenko, residents across Kyiv were woken by blasts in several parts of the capital, including its center. It sent many seeking shelter into packed underground subway stations, with the streets largely empty for hours as authorities warned new attacks may be coming.

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