Rachel Riley backs her Russian husband Pasha Kovalev as he breaks his silence on Ukraine

A Ukrainian art student is desperate to return to her 'second home' in Glasgow after fleeing her war-torn country from Russian invasion.

Ukraine, people around the world have been in awe of the work ordinary Ukrainian citizens have done to protect their homes.People taking up modern arms to defend their homes is one thing, but it seems there's even a role for older technologies, as the work of one local medieval blacksmith shows.The 'Art of STEEL workshop' in the city of Rivne, which normally uses traditional techniques to produce medieval armour replicas and swords for roleplayers, has now turned its forges towards defending the city.The forge shared photos of the 'caltrops' (or 'hedgehogs') it is making to stop the advance of Russian vehicles. The large, spiked steel constructions are designed to block roads and burst tyres. The forge said: "A little help in improving the defence of our city.

Mandy Moore is back in the music game!

Art Brut will perform their debut album ‘Bang Bang Rock & Roll’ in full at a special show in London in the autumn.The band are set to play their 2005 record in its entirety at the capital’s Heaven venue on October 27. They’ll also treat fans to live airings of “assorted greatest hits” from across their career so far.“Shouty talky indie music is fashionable again,” frontman Eddie Argos wrote to announce the one-off UK gig.

Rachel Riley has taken to Twitter to tell Russian men who have been involved in the war in Ukraine to "stick their flowers" in light of International Women's Day this year.The maths genius, 36, made the remarks on the celebrated day in light of the Russian troops "separating women and kids from their partners and fathers" and just days after expressing support for her Russian beau, Pasha Kovalev, as the war in Ukraine continues.In view of her 695,000 followers, the star shared her views on the ongoing war.Rachel wrote: "In Russia International Women’s Day is big thing, more like Mother’s Day, but for all women.

Fresh Prince alums Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson are set to return as guest stars in Bel-Air, the Peacock reboot of the 90’s hit sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.

Julie Andrews is remembering her late ex-husband Tony Walton.

“He was a Titan of the Arts.

Countdown star Rachel Riley and her husband, ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Pasha Kovalev, have shared a statement on the current Russian invasion of Ukraine on their Instagram accounts.The couple, who have been married three years, responded to the ongoing conflict, reposted a statement from Rise Up With The Arts.The arts project was set up by Pasha and Anya Garnis, his dance partner, to support performers throughout the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.The page, run by the Russian dancers, wrote: "The current situation in Ukraine hits too close to home for the both of us as Russian nationals.""Our passports may say one thing but our hearts are with our family, friends and everyone still in Ukraine that are fighting for their freedom and lives."They went on to explain that their upcoming show "will focus on donating funds" to Save The Children who "help children and young people affected by this terrible conflict".The message ended by saying: "Let’s make art, not war," as they signed off.Pasha shared it on his personal Instagram account to his 46,000 followers and added his own words: "We will need your support now more than ever.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA and sponsor, telecommunications provider EE, are celebrating a 25 year partnership with a trailer that is playing across U.K. cinemas from Friday. The partnership is one of the longest running arts partnerships in the U.K.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Yi Zhou is turning a collection of four of her short films into NFTs, and will donate all proceeds generated to United Nations Crisis Relief to support Ukraine.

Stephill84 penned: “It’s truly heartbreaking. Love to you and yours.

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has opened up about the conflict currently in Ukraine, and branded the war as “too close to home”. Pasha, who hails from Russia but moved to the UK in 2011, took to social media on Thursday 3 March to encourage his 46,000 Instagram followers to “come together and make a difference through art”. Pasha, 42, and his Russian dance partner Anya Garnis created a new show named Rising Up With The Arts in the wake of the pandemic's detrimental effects on the entertainment industry, as theatres doors were closed for months on end.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRussian feminist punk group Pussy Riot has become as well known for its public broadsides against Vladimir Putin’s government as its music, and the group’s Nadya Tolokonnikova put that reputation to work by joining forces with Trippy Labs and members of PleasrDAO to create UkraineDAO, which via an NFT of Ukraine’s flag has raised more than $7.1 million as of early Thursday.According to a rep, in just five days some 3,271 contributors bid on the 1/1 NFT, hosted as a PartyBid auction, a tool allowing people to pool resources and bid collectively for group ownership of the NFT. People can still continue to donate directly to the DAO via UkraineDAO.eth.Tolokonnikova said in a statement: ​​”We purposefully avoided adding our own art to this release; in a way it’s our strong conceptual artistic statement.

RT America, the sister network to Russia’s state-sponsored RT, is ceasing production, after being dropped by DirecTV and Roku following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Toronto Film Festival said Thursday that it will suspend participation by film organizations and media outlets supported by the Russian state for its next festival, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ellise Shafer The Toronto Film Festival has banned all official Russian delegations from its 2022 edition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but will welcome work from independent Russian filmmakers into their programming.“As an arts organization dedicated to transforming the way people see the world through film, we support artists and their freedom of expression. TIFF will continue to include films from independent Russian filmmakers in our programming at the Toronto International Film Festival and year-round at TIFF Bell Lightbox,” festival organizers said in a statement to Variety on Thursday.

Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has broken his silence over Russia's invasion in Ukraine, which has saddened the world. The Russian-born dancer - who is married to Rachel Riley - confessed the heartbreaking conflict was "too close to home" in an emotional post.MORE: Motsi Mabuse issues heartbreaking plea over 'racism' experienced amid Ukraine crisisIn an announcement, posted on Instagram on Wednesday, he wrote: "The current situation in Ukraine hits too close to home for the both of us as Russian nationals.WATCH: Rachel Riley melts hearts with adorable video of Pasha with their daughters"Our passport may say one thing but our hearts are with our family, friends and everyone still in Ukraine that are fighting for freedom and lives."MORE: Dan Walker forced to apologise after 'difficult' BBC Breakfast coverageDONATE NOW: What can you do to help Ukraine?Pasha, who has co-created Rise Up With the Arts with Anya Garni, explained how the proceeds from their performances will go to Save The Children charity."It only feels right that our show - Rise Up With the Arts, along with 3 charities that we are already supporting, will now focus on donating funds raised to the Save The Children charity that helps children and young people affected by this terrible conflict," the message continued."They say it takes a village to rise a child but this time it will take the whole world to make the change happen and end this madness.

Dior’s affirmed feminist designer Maria Grazia Chiuri used the male gaze, as reflected in female oil portraits across the centuries, to make a fashion statement on female empowerment and subjugation.

More…

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Venice Biennale, which is the multidisciplinary arts organization behind the Venice Film Festival, has announced that in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fest plans to bar Russian delegations but not independent Russian filmmakers and their works.The Biennale “intends to express its full support to all the Ukrainian people and their artists,” the org said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing that it’s making every effort to ensure that, despite the war, Ukraine will be able to participate at the upcoming Biennale Art exhibition which kicks off in April with a national pavilion. As previously announced, Russia proactively pulled out of the art Biennale.