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Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding force of the Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78, his family announced Saturday. A statement shared on Weir’s Instagram said he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after surviving cancer but later facing complications related to lung illness.

Weir joined the band, then known as the Warlocks, in San Francisco in 1965 when he was just 17. Alongside Jerry Garcia, he helped shape the band’s signature sound through decades of relentless touring and improvisational live shows that defined the 1960s counterculture and beyond.

He wrote or co-wrote enduring songs such as Sugar Magnolia, One More Saturday Night and Mexicali Blues. After Garcia’s death in 1995, Weir became the band’s most visible torchbearer, continuing its legacy through projects like Dead & Company.

Weir is remembered as a tireless performer whose music united generations of devoted fans.

Singer and composer Arjun Sapkota has been named the most popular Nepali music artist of the past month, according to the December ranking released by music data platform “Viberate.”

Sapkota topped the list with a score of 492.4K. The platform publishes the popularity ranking on a monthly basis. His song Jhaliko, composed by Sapkota, has gained wide attention on social media. The song has received more than 19.5m views on YouTube, while thousands of users have also created videos using the track on TikTok.

The folk-style song features vocals by Melina Rai and Samikshya Adhikari alongside Sapkota, with lyrics written by Santosh Sapkota.

Maithili and Bhojpuri singer Sannu Kumar from Rajbiraj ranked second on the list with 444.7K points. Kumar enjoys significant popularity in Nepal’s Tarai and Madhesh regions.

Singer Sushant KC ranked third, followed by Tanka Budathoki in fourth place and Balen in fifth. The remaining artists in the top 10 are Sajjan Raj Vaidya, Trishna Gurung, Vten, Prakash Dutraj, and Melina Rai.

Viberate compiles its rankings using real-time data collected from major streaming platforms, social media, and radio, aimed at tracking artist popularity for musicians, managers, and record labels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made an animated appearance in a popular children’s television show to deliver a New Year greeting alongside a talking cat and dog. In the episode set in the fictional village of Prostokvashino, residents are surprised when the cartoon version of the Russian leader appears with the show’s well-known animal characters.

Reactions from parents visiting a Prostokvashino-themed park in Moscow were generally cautious but accepting. Some said cartoons allow creative freedom, while others felt that children are already familiar with Putin and may find his animated presence engaging. One visitor suggested the cameo could also attract attention from international audiences.

The appearance had been hinted at previously by the head of Soyuzmultfilm, the studio behind the show, which has been expanding the global reach of its animated content. The studio views the president’s cameo as a form of cultural promotion aimed at strengthening Russia’s influence abroad through entertainment.

Walt Disney Pictures announced the love action adaptation of Tangled will cast Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim as the roles of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Tangled–released in 2010 featured the voice of Mandy Zachary Levi which grossed more than $590m worldwide. The live action Tangle will be directed by Michael Gracey, known for “The Greatest Showman,” with a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The release date has not been announced