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Displaced Ukrainians Go To Eurovision Contest, Zelenskyy Can’t Address ‘Nonpolitical’ Event

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LIVINGSTON, England — The Eurovision Song Contest is taking place this weekend in Liverpool, a city teeming with Ukrainian flags, Ukrainian food, Ukrainian performers, and Ukrainian fans.

The English port city that gave birth to the modern world, The Beatles, is using the competition to give displaced Ukrainians a taste of home, free of violence and dazzling with sequins and dazzle.

After stepping in to host the glittering pan-continental music competition on behalf of last year’s winner, Ukraine, Britain is hosting it for the first time in 25 years. The event’s organizers have promised to make it a celebration of Ukrainian pride and culture.

“I want my entire life to be like this – my entire life Eurovision village and my entire life Eurovision celebration,” said Daryna Borodaikevych, 29, one of over 200,000 Ukrainians who have come to Britain since Russia invaded its neighbor over 15 months ago.

“Music brings people together,” she concluded, echoing the theme of this year’s Eurovision competition.

The final live event at the Liverpool Arena on Saturday was to have a decidedly Ukrainian flavor. Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will co-host it and include a performance by last year’s Eurovision winner, Kalush Orchestra, and other Ukrainian artists. Images of Ukraine will be shown before the 26 performances by talents from Europe and beyond.

Sanina said she hoped “that in these dark times, we can bring some joy and light to Ukrainian homes and families.”

Eurovision is Europe’s biggest musical extravaganza, and tens of thousands of music enthusiasts have descended on Liverpool, which won a battle among UK towns to serve as Ukraine’s stand-in. The city on the Mersey River has gotten into the party mood, with numerous bars and venues hosting Eurovision celebrations.

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The Eurovision Song Contest is taking place this weekend in Liverpool.

Businesses display Ukrainian flags in blue and yellow, and a Ukrainian village inside the waterfront Eurovision fan zone serves borsch soup and varenyky — potato-filled dumplings — and lectures on Ukrainian art and culture.

“We feel like (we’re) at home in Ukraine,” said Iryna Schcerbuk, 30, of Kyiv, who traveled from her new home in southeast England to witness the Eurovision semifinal on Thursday. “It’s a very beautiful atmosphere.”

Ukraine’s leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will be absent. Eurovision organizers declined his request to deliver a video message during Saturday’s final. The European Broadcasting Union, a consortium of national public broadcasters that oversees Eurovision, stated that allowing Zelenskyy to compete would violate the event’s “nonpolitical nature.”

The European Broadcasting Union said Zelenskyy’s request “to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest, while made with laudable intentions, regrettably cannot be granted by the European Broadcasting Union management as it would be against the rules of the event.”

Sergii Nykyforov, a spokeswoman for Zelenskyy, disputed that the president had requested to speak at the event, which is expected to be watched by an estimated 160 million people.

“The Office of the President of Ukraine did not address the Eurovision Song Contest organisers to offer (Zelenskyy’s) online performance during the finals or at any other stage of the contest,” Nykyforov wrote on Facebook.

Throughout Russia’s invasion and conflict, Zelenskyy has spoken at dozens of international conferences to advocate his country’s cause. He has addressed legislatures worldwide by video — and a few times in person — and crowds at Glastonbury, the Grammy Awards, and the Berlin Film Festival.

However, he was denied permission to speak at the Academy Awards in March, and Ukraine claims that FIFA, the regulatory body of international football, also declined Zelenskyy’s request to send a video message to the World Cup in November 2022.

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The government was “disappointed” by the Eurovision organizers’ decision.

Eurovision, founded in 1956 to help unite a continent torn by war, aims to separate pop and politics. Politically explicit lyrics, signs, and symbols are prohibited.

However, politics cannot be completely avoided. Russia was barred from competing after invading Ukraine in February 2022. Belarus was thrown out the year before due to its government’s crackdown on opposition.

The spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government was “disappointed” by the Eurovision organizers’ decision, but there were no plans to dispute it.

“The values and freedoms that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people are fighting for are fundamental, not political,” Sunak spokesman Max Blain stated.

Liverpool has seen its fair share of adversity. It survived World War II bombing, the loss of its once-thriving docks, and enormous unemployment before rebuilding itself as a cultural and nightlife hotspot. It’s a story of perseverance that many Ukrainians can relate to.

“Obviously, all of the Ukrainians would have preferred for this to have been hosted in Ukraine, if it was safe,” said Maria Romanenko, who has recently led more than 200 people on Ukrainian-language walking tours of Liverpool.

“But we’re based in the United Kingdom right now, until Ukraine wins, and we’re just glad we can come to Liverpool,” she continued. “It feels absolutely fantastic to see all of the flags and stuff that has been rolled out.”

Borodaikevych, who participated in one of the tours, expressed gratitude for the opportunity provided by Eurovision to “feel support, feel a little bit special maybe.” “I miss hearing a lot of Ukrainian language.”

“It’s a celebration, but I can’t be completely relaxed,” she explained. “I am always thinking about my people and my homeland.”

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SOURCE – (AP)

Business

Tommy Prine, 27, Doesn’t Dodge His Father’s Legacy But Makes His Own Way

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. Tommy Prine spoke about his father’s passing in front of a crowded audience in The Basement, one of Nashville’s most intimate music venues.

During a recent sold-out performance, he observed, “It stinks to lose a parent at any age — in my case, when he was the world’s greatest songwriter.”

Singer-songwriter John Prine, Prine’s father, passed away in April 2020 at 73 due to coronavirus complications. Even for a period when grieving had grown commonplace, his death sparked a flood of global mourning.

In the music industry, the heartbreak was especially severe. The bonds John Prine formed with his music were only strengthened by his generosity to budding musicians. Many others tried to digest the unthinkable by expressing their sadness through memorial songs.

It turns out that Prine’s own family was experiencing a similar situation.

Last year, Tommy Prine published “Ships in the Harbour,” a song about his father that is as heartfelt and open-hearted as ever. It resists the urge to curl up in the fetal position rather than flee from what he lost. It gets the closest of any song to properly expressing the immense weight of grief brought on by the pandemic.

Tommy Prine, now 27 years old, is set to release a whole album of songs that deal with growing up, love, and grief. The film “This Far South,” which will be released on June 23, is daring in how it faces his father’s passing head-on and how the son of a legend handles the inevitable concerns that arise from working in the same field.

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Tommy Prine keeps going and works hard on a risky project. He created a unique album, and it is captivating.

According to Prine, “honestly, even if my Dad wasn’t who he was, I feel like I would’ve made the same record,” he stated in an interview with The Associated Press. Because of who he is, “I didn’t include these songs, but I also didn’t shy away from them.”

Writing songs enabled Prine to process everything he had lost. His father’s legendary position feels almost incidental to the intimacy of that journey.

“I’m Tommy Prine, and I lost my Dad in the pandemic, and that’s going to be the focal point of what I’m trying to get across,” he said. And while I am aware that it was a fairly public event and that most people will be aware of the background, I believe that they are optional.

I believe people may just listen to it from the viewpoint of a young man who lost his father unexpectedly.

The few allusions, such as the card games and talks they avoid, are vivid without ever becoming cloying. In a lovely song called “By the Way,” he discusses the singular sensation of occasionally hearing his father’s voice.

Prine sings, “I don’t want to talk about the day you slipped away.” The tunes we used to sing still make it difficult to hear your voice.

But Tommy also has other weaknesses and is more or less influenced by those who aren’t his biological father. For instance, the anthemic flourishes and introspective lyrics on the album show co-producer Ruston Kelly’s influence. The song “Reach the Sun” begins with a manic episode in the middle of the night but eventually soars to resemble Kelly’s best work, including the excellent album he recently published.

In an interview conducted after Kelly’s performance with Prine at The Basement, Sufjan Stevens was named another artist who influenced both. Prine heard a sound that matched the wistful desperation he wanted to express while listening to Stevens’ “Carrie & Lowell” album, which Kelly had directed him towards.

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Tommy spoke about his father’s passing in front of a crowded audience in The Basement, one of Nashville’s most intimate music venues.

It was “probably the last thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” according to Prine, but it ended up being a “saving grace” for him as he dealt with the hardship of losing his father.

Listeners would do well to consider how they would react if they weren’t aware that this album was produced by the legendary John Prine’s son, given the darkness that hangs over anyone named Prine who dares to try his hand at making original music. Social media and other modern methods of music distribution make it plausible, if not probable, that Prine’s music will reach a brand-new audience. His father may not be well-known to some listeners his age or younger, but these songs will draw comparisons on their own.

But everyone who pays attention will hear the promise of a creative person who bravely followed his heart. Fans of John Prine may recognize elements of the album’s disarming honesty, but they will also hear a new voice presenting intense music that crackles.

Tommy claims that although having considered it, he rarely worries about the legacy issue. But that’s simply another thing he has arranged in its appropriate position.

“I’m just making the music I want to make, and music that is a representation of who I am as a person,” he stated. I have my tale to share because I had quite different childhood experiences than my father.

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SOURCE – (AP)

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2023: Why Chrishell Stause Isn’t Wearing Wedding Ring After Marrying G-Flip

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Sunset Newlywed for sale Chrishell Stause Discusses Her Marriage and Her New Season.

A significant piece of jewelry that Chrishell Stause recently married G Flip is gone.

The Selling Sunset has been seen sans a wedding band despite getting married to the musician. Chrishell, though, has a justification.

In a video posted on her Instagram Stories on May 30, she declared, “I’m happily married, very happy.” But due to my weight increase, I’m not wearing my ring. And that’s okay with me. I CAN MAKE A REAL RING WITHOUT REVEALING ANYTHING until I have it adjusted or until we think everyone is aware.

I’m living my best life, and that’s why, Chrishell added. “Anyways, long story short, if you see me without my ring, listen, that’s why.”

The reality star wed G Flip on May 10 by posting an Instagram video showing the couple holding hands at the altar. After dating for over a year, the pair married in Las Vegas.

Recently, the couple discussed their wedding ceremony and answered questions about whether they were now legally married.

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A significant piece of jewelry that Chrishell Stause recently married G Flip is gone.

On the May 27 episode of SiriusXM Hits 1 LA with Tony Fly and Symon, Chrishell remarked, “If you don’t believe it, I don’t care and that’s the best part.” “I don’t require your consent.”

Additionally, don’t anticipate seeing the couple’s nuptials on Selling Sunset.

“I think that it’s a balance thing on a show like this, of what to share and what not to share, and I think that it’s important that we are open and we shine a light on a love that I think is so beautiful,” Chrishell stated on E! News on May 17. But even so, it’s essential to preserve some items for us.

The real estate agent also talked about how they were married unusually. We should have done the customary engagement, she remarked. “We avoided the entire situation, the paperwork, all the worries that people have, all this stuff.”

It’s been a dream come true for Chrishell.

She continued, even if their union is the least conventional regarding how things should work out. It has been the most significant and vital aspect of my life. Therefore, each person has a unique method of doing things. It was so erratically flawless.

SOURCE – (ENEWS)

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Jewish Groups And City Officials Protest Against Roger Waters Concert In Frankfurt

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FRANKFURT — Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

The co-founder of Pink Floyd has been accused of antisemitism, which he strongly refutes.

They are upset with Waters because he backs the BDS movement, which promotes economic and cultural boycotts against Israel.

At first, Frankfurt officials tried to stop Waters from performing, but he contested the decision in court and won.

The Nazis picked up more than three thousand Jews, assaulted and humiliated them, and deported them to concentration camps in the city’s Festhalle in November 1938.

“Against this historical background, the concert should not have taken place under any circumstances,” said Sacha Stawski, a member of the Frankfurt Jewish community and the head of the group Honestly Concerned, which helped organize the demonstrations.

Elio Adler, the head of the Jewish organization WerteInitiative, which supports the protest, told The Associated Press, “It’s very frustrating” that the performance is going ahead as scheduled despite the efforts of the Frankfurt government and many others to prevent it.

“His words and imagery spread Jew-hatred and are part of a trend: to normalise Israel-hatred under the protection of freedom of speech or art,” Adler continued.

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Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

Police in Berlin announced last week that they had initiated an investigation on Waters on suspicion of incitement related to a costume he wore during a performance earlier this month in the German city.

Photos of Waters firing an imitation machine gun while wearing a long black coat and a red armband circulated online. The police have stated that an investigation was initiated due to concerns that the costume’s setting could be interpreted as a justification, approval, or glorification of Nazi tyranny.

In a Facebook and Instagram post, Waters denied the allegations, writing, “the elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all their forms.”

He said, “Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated.”

Protesters on Sunday read aloud the names of 600 Jews who were rounded up at the Festhalle on November 9, 1939, the so-called Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass,” when Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria. This took place in front of the Frankfurt concert venue before Waters’ concert was set to begin.

A prayer service attended by Jews and Christians was also held in Frankfurt in memory of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. At the rally, the mayor and the Jewish community leader gave speeches.

According to the German news agency DPA, Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef has condemned antisemitism citywide. A person’s faith is not a valid excuse to despise, insult, or assault him.

jewish

Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

About 400 protesters gathered before the show to wave Israeli flags and distribute leaflets to audience members. Banners reading “Israel, we stand with you” and “Roger Waters, wish you were not here” were also seen, with the latter a reference to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” as reported by dpa.

Protesters in Munich gathered last month to oppose a jewish Roger Waters concert after the municipal council claimed it had considered canceling the show but ultimately decided against it since revoking the organizer’s contract would be illegal.

Due to Waters’ apparent sympathy for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the Polish city of Krakow canceled his concerts there last year.

SOURCE – (AP)

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