Madonna faces protest in Russia

RUSSIA: US pop icon Madonna found herself in hot water in Moscow on Tuesday after she waded into Russia’s fiercest controversy by calling for the release of three women in the Pussy Riot protest punk band.

The one-time “material girl” and current campaigner for human rights causes arrived in Moscow on Monday to open a new gym for celebrities and then entertain thousands at the Olimpiysky stadium the following day.

But her visit coincided with a courtroom drama pitting three women in their 20s against the growing might of Russia’s Orthodox Church and even President Vladimir Putin himself. Band members had staged a stunt performance inside Moscow’s massive Christ the Saviour Cathedral during which they belted out words to a song denouncing the Church’s backing for Putin and calling for the Russian strongman’s ouster.

AFP