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“When you win, bring it back to Malibu”: Sean Penn loans Oscar to Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">Actor Sean Penn has shown his support for Ukraine in its war with Russia by loaning one of his two Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling him it could stay on one condition: “When you win, bring it back to Malibu”.</p> <p dir="ltr">A video of the encounter between Zelenskyy and Penn, who is making a documentary about the Russian invasion, was shared by Zelenskyy’s office online and described the gift as “a symbol of faith in the victory of our country”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It will be in Ukraine until the end of the war.”</p> <p dir="ltr">During his most recent visit to Ukraine, Penn told Zelenskyy that every time he leaves he feels “like a traitor”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But if I know this is here with you then I will feel better and stronger for the fights,” he said before presenting the leader with his award.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8089cf48-7fff-1c78-0b94-e0072bc02a66"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“When you win, bring it back to Malibu. Because I feel much better knowing there is a piece of me here.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CktdU1RLvIQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CktdU1RLvIQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Володимир Зеленський (@zelenskiy_official)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">After initially hesitating, Zelenskyy accepted the statue and quipped: “We have to win, quick.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Wednesday’s meeting, which marked Penn’s third visit to Ukraine since the invasion began, also saw the actor accept an award from Zelenskyy.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Mystic River</em> star was presented with the Ukrainian Order of Merit of the third degree, which is given to citizens for outstanding achievements in economics, science, culture or military or political activity.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was with great pleasure that I presented Sean Penn with the Order of Merit of the III degree,” the caption of the clip shared on Zelenskyy’s official Instagram read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you for such sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization (sic) of Ukraine in the world!”</p> <p dir="ltr">The video also showed the pair walking around Kyiv and arriving at Constitution Square where there is a “Walk of the Brave” - a walkway lined with plaques for world leaders who have supported Ukraine.</p> <p dir="ltr">Penn also has a plaque laid on the ground along the walkway, engraved with his name and the date February 24, 2022, which was the start of the invasion, as Penn was one of the first people to visit Ukraine after Russian troops moved in.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pointing to the plaque, Penn said there were three sources of pride for him in the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The place where my daughter was born, the place where my son was born and this. Thank you,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e58f0d92-7fff-56d3-d8c3-2674483699ac"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Why tourists are flocking to Chernobyl

<p><span>Tourists have flocked to the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in droves after the release of a new hit TV show.</span></p> <p><span>The new HBO miniseries <em>Chernobyl</em> has attracted travellers to Pripyat, the Ukrainian ghost city that was evacuated after one of the Chernobyl power plant’s reactors exploded, releasing radiation across a large part of Europe.</span></p> <p><span>Since the show went on air in May, travel interest in the infamous Ukrainian site has surged, according to local travel operators. Reports say demand for tours in the area have increased by up to 40 per cent.</span></p> <p><span>“Most of the people say they decided to book after seeing this show,” Victor Korol, director of tour company SoloEast told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chernobyl-tv-tourist-attraction/index.html"><em>CNN</em></a>. “It’s almost as though they watch it and then jump on a plane over.”</span></p> <p><span>The five-part HBO show focuses on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear incident, along with the cleanup efforts and the inquiry that followed.</span></p> <p><span>Last April marked the 33<sup>rd</sup> anniversary of the blast, whose radiation fallout was estimated to affect <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20403-how-many-died-because-of-the-chernobyl-disaster-we-dont-really-know/">thousands of people</a>.</span></p> <p><span>However, Korol said Chernobyl is now safe to visit. “It’s the most popular question visitors ask,” said Korol, who has been taking up to 200 visitors to the area on the weekends since the series hit screens. </span></p> <p><span>“But it’s absolutely safe. The government would never allow tourists to come otherwise. The radiation [visitors] are exposed to on a tour is less than on an intercontinental flight.”</span></p> <p><span>According to tour guide Victoria Brozhko, the amount of radiation visitors can expect to get from their excursion to the Chernobyl exclusion zone is similar to the level they would get from “staying at home for 24 hours”.</span></p> <p><span>Craig Mazin, the creator of the <em>Chernobyl </em>series has described his visit to the place as a “religious” experience.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m not a religious man, but that’s as religious as I’ll ever feel,” Mazin told an HBO podcast.</span></p> <p><span>“To walk where they walked felt so strange, and also being under that same piece of sky you start to feel a little closer, in a sense, to who they were.”</span></p> <p><span>However, the behaviour of some other visitors has been met with criticism following the surge of photographs on social media showing tourists posing inappropriately among the ruins. In one picture, a woman could be seen posing on top of an abandoned building in her underwear.</span></p> <p><span>Mazin has urged travellers to behave “with respect” in a Twitter post. “It’s wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I’ve seen the photos going around,” he wrote.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">It's wonderful that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChernobylHBO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChernobylHBO</a> has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I've seen the photos going around.<br /><br />If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.</p> — Craig Mazin (@clmazin) <a href="https://twitter.com/clmazin/status/1138576162781683712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span>“If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.”</span></p>

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"Beyond anything you can imagine": The brutal truth of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

<p>The launch of HBO miniseries <em>Chernobyl</em> has once again brought attention to the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Discussions have emerged as to whether the five-part show provided a realistic depiction of the catastrophe.</p> <p>While some details in the story have been contested, most experts and survivors agree that the portrayal of the radiation effects is true to life.</p> <p>Oleksiy Breus was an engineer at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the then-Soviet Union. Following the 1986 explosion at the fourth reactor, he took part in a dangerous operation to drain water from under the power station to prevent further explosion.</p> <p>The 59-year-old told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48580177" target="_blank"><em>BBC</em></a> that the physical impacts of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) were shown well in the series through the character of firefighter Vasily Ignatenko.</p> <p>Breus said he met with shift leader Oleksandr Akimov and operator Leonid Toptunov – both of whom were featured prominently on the show – hours after the incident.</p> <p>“They were not looking good, to put it mildly,” he said. “It was clear they felt sick. They were very pale. Toptunov had literally turned white.”</p> <p>Akimov and Toptunov died two weeks later from ARS. Breus said his other colleagues who worked at the ill-fated night died in hospital after their skin turned to “a bright red colour”.</p> <p>He said, “Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. My body parts not covered by clothes – such as hands, face and neck – were red.”</p> <p>This was in line with the testimony from Lyudmilla Ignatenko, wife of the fallen firefighter. In the book <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/apr/25/energy.ukraine" target="_blank">Voices from Chernobyl</a> by Russian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, Lyudmilla said she witnessed her husband’s condition exacerbate as he began experiencing serious diarrhea, hair loss and skin cracking and discolouring.</p> <p>She recalled, “I tell the nurse: ‘He’s dying’. And she says to me: ‘What did you expect? He got 1,600 roentgen. Four hundred is a lethal dose. You're sitting next to a nuclear reactor’.”</p> <p>Archaeologist and Chernobyl expert Robert Maxwell also vouched for the show’s accuracy in showing how nuclear radiation affects the human body.</p> <p>“The skin of the tongue sloughs off; the skin of the body turns black and peels way upon touch... eyes blister. The colon is covered in third degree burns,” Maxwell told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/chernobyl-radiation-poisoning/?utm_source=Mamamia.com.au%20-%20All%20Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=e78d678868-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_17_06_53&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc62997a2-e78d678868-211561537&amp;mc_cid=e78d678868&amp;mc_eid=c10f87c072" target="_blank"><em>Mamamia</em></a>. “Their depiction of ARS and its treatment during the Soviet 1980s is highly accurate.”</p> <p>The show’s creator Craig Mazin said he and his team took great care to show “total respect” to Vasily and his family in the series.</p> <p>“We had to be really careful in episode three when we showed the final stage of Vasily Ignatenko's body,” Mazin told <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/chernobyl-finale-explained-creator-craig-mazin-interview-1215670" target="_blank">The Hollywood Reporter</a></em>. “It was the most extreme thing that we showed, and our makeup and prosthetic designer Daniel Parker did a brilliant job — so brilliant, in fact, that there was a concern that we lingered on it a bit.</p> <p>“We shortened that shot by quite a bit, because the last thing we wanted was to feel like we were trading on this man's sad fate for sensationalist points on a TV show. What we wanted was for people to see the truth of what happens…</p> <p>“Those were the things we were dealing with all the time, because that man was a real person, and his wife is still alive, and the last thing we want to do is show anything other than total respect.”</p> <p>134 people were <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18049222" target="_blank">diagnosed with ARS</a> in the aftermath of the explosion. 28 of them died within months.</p> <p>The number of people affected by the disaster remains disputed, with many suspecting that the radiation may be the reason behind other health problems such as cancer and birth defects.</p>

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