Latest news with #Gru
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision fans left baffled as they spot huge movie star in performance
The Albanian hopefuls in this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland impressed fans at home with their powerful performance, but viewers pointed out an apparent resemblance The Eurovision Song Contest hopefuls put on an impressive show on Saturday evening - but it wasn't the singing that had some fans talking. As 26 countries took to the stage in Basel, Switzerland, it was the last duo that had viewers at home saying the same thing. While Albania's impressive vocals saw viewers praise their efforts, some couldn't unsee an uncanny resemblance with a popular cartoon character. Electro-pop duo Shkodra Elektronike's song Zjerm was a crowd favourite pre-vote. But one of the duo was continuously likened to a character from the Minions movies. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one user wrote: "Albania is serving Gru #Eurovision2025 #eurovision," while putting a comparison of the singer and the cartoon. Another joked: "We got Gru performing for Albania #Eurovision2025." A third added: "Good to see Gru representing Albania #Eurovision2025," while sharing an image of the animated villain. And it wasn't just the UK audience making the comparison, with a number of posts in other languages sharing the same view. Some weren't keen on his addition, though. One user complained: "Albania - I'll take it without Gru and his random drumming and talk rapping #Eurovision2025 4/10" Earlier in the show, fans were quick to comment on Tommy Cash's performance of Espresso Macchiato. He performed the catchy tune for Estonia. The performer, whose real name is Tomas Tammemets, performed in the Swiss capital of Basel after the 33-year-old singer was chosen to be the country's act following his Eesti Laul 2025 victory with his dance-pop hit. The star has been performing since 2012 and already has a loyal fan base, but not all Eurovision viewers would have heard of him. And they quickly took to Twitter/X to let their feelings about his song be known. One confused fan wrote: "Vocally could be better, but this is one of the funniest songs, artists and performances of the year and as a person needing coffee, I relate." Another added: "I love the funky Eurovision songs and Estonia gave me what Eurovision is all about!" However, there was controversy following Israel's performance. Two people tried to rush the stage during Israeli singer Yuval Raphael's entry, organisers confirmed. A spokesman for SRG SSR said: 'At the end of the Israeli performance, a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage. 'They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.' It was claimed that the competition's bosses also chose to drown out the sounds of booing when she performed New Day Will Rise for a rehearsal on Friday night. Shortly after the performance on Saturday, bosses released a statement. It read: "For the Eurovision Song Contest, the host broadcaster SRG SSR is working with the 'audio sweetening' method, which is common practice for major international productions. This process helps to harmonise the sound of the transitions between moderations, video clips and the individual acts and to create a consistent soundscape for the TV audience. "It is used exclusively for the technical rounding off of the programme. This process is used equally and identically for all acts. The competition and its results are not affected in any way."
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed "The Minions", were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for Russia. The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was "industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. - Working for GRU - Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. - Like a 'spy novel' - Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm". mhc/jkb/lcm/giv
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Time of India
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed "The Minions", were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for . The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was " on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. Working for GRU: Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. Like a 'spy novel': Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm".
France 24
07-05-2025
- France 24
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was "industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. Working for GRU Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. Like a 'spy novel' Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm".
Int'l Business Times
07-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Six Bulgarians Face Long UK Jail Terms For Spying For Russia
Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed "The Minions", were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for Russia. The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was "industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm". Austrian fugitive Jan Marsalek, former head of payments firm Wirecard, was said to have acted as a go-between between the Bulgarian cell and Russian intelligence services AFP The group also kept the US military barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance AFP
