MOSCOW \u2212 Vietnam was crowned the winner of the Russian-hosted\u00a0Intervision<\/a> song contest\u00a0in the early hours of Sunday morning, a competition backed by President Vladimir Putin<\/a> and conceived as a geopolitical and socially conservative rival to Eurovision<\/a>.<\/p>\n In February, Putin ordered the revival of Intervision, a Soviet-era regional musical contest based on “traditional family values,” after Moscow was excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 following Putin’s decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kyiv, a city in Ukraine, has described the event as “an instrument of hostile propaganda.”<\/p>\n Shown live on Russian TV and broadcast across parts of Asia, Africa, South America and Europe, Intervision was held at an arena outside Moscow with singers hailing from more than 20 countries accounting for 4 billion people, half the world’s population, including China, India and Brazil.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump says he is ready to place ‘major’ sanctions on Russia if NATO nations stop buying oil<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Vietnam’s Duc Phuc, whose song was based on a folktale about a king famous for repelling an enemy army, was crowned the strongest act by a jury made up of participating countries.<\/p>\n Duc Phuc, who represents Vietnam, performs during the Intervision International Music Contest 2025 in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 20, 2025.<\/p>\n 1<\/span> of 98<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n September marks the end of summer and the start of fall, and Hollywood A-listers are gearing up for spooky season. But before they get in the Halloween spirit, they’ll have to get red carpet ready for the MTV VMAs, the 2025 Emmy Awards and dust off their favorite fits for New York Fashion Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s what celebs are up to this month, starting Spanish actor Javier Bardem making a statement as he arrives for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 2025. Scroll through for more. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n His reward for strong vocals and a slickly-produced performance featuring pyrotechnics: a cash prize of 30 million roubles ($360,000) and a trophy.<\/p>\n Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, was awarded second place, with Qatar third.<\/p>\n Russia’s entrant \u2212 ultranationalist singer “Shaman,” whose real name is Yaroslav Dronov \u2212 asked the jury to disregard his performance due to Moscow being the host. The organisers said that Saudi Arabia had agreed to host the contest next year.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Prince Harry visits Ukraine with soldier rehabilitation charity<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Saturday’s competition featured acts from countries Russia considers friendly, including Belarus, Cuba, South Africa, the UAE and Venezuela.<\/p>\n President Vladimir Putin<\/a> opened the final with a video statement saying the world was changing fast.<\/p>\n There was controversy, though, about who would represent the United States, a geopolitical outlier. “Vassy,” an Australian-born singer who also has a U.S. passport, dropped out at the last minute after coming under “political pressure from the government of Australia,” the organisers said in a statement. There was no comment from Australia.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Disney stars Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Pascal speak out to support Jimmy Kimmel<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Vassy was already a stand-in for U.S.-born R&B singer Brandon Howard, who dropped out days earlier, citing family reasons.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a pre-contest news conference, spoke of the importance of “preserving traditions and national cultures, as well as religious, spiritual and moral constructs.”<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Charlie Kirk, cancel culture and conservative concerns over Jimmy Kimmel and a brash FCC<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Duc Phuc, who represents Vietnam, holds the trophy after winning the Intervision International Music Contest 2025 in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 21, 2025.<\/p>\n He took a sideswipe at Eurovision, which he said had once been won by “a bearded man in a dress,” an apparent reference to Eurovision’s 2014 winner, Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst.<\/p>\n The King and Trump: <\/strong>President and first lady welcomed in largest state visit to UK<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In Russia, stringent rules ban any actions deemed to promote homosexuality, and “the international LGBT public movement” is branded an extremist organisation.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Lindsay Lohan, Hannah Einbinder and Javier Bardem: Best celeb photos from September<\/h2>\n
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