Baku, Azerbaijan News

Sweden's entry "Euphoria" won. Laureen won the final with record figures. 700,000 of the four million people who tuned in voted for her.

Engelbert Humperdinck said he "did the best for my country" at the Eurovision song contest after the UK's hopes of breaking its competition curse came crashing down when the veteran crooner scraped into last-but-one place.

May 27, 2012 -- The song contest in Baku will take a unique place in the history of Eurovision song contest.

Irish Daily Mail May 26, 2012 Saturday Edition 1; Ireland Q. Why are there 4m-high walls everywhere around Baku? A. So the tourists can't see what's behind It's studded with seven-star hotels and futuristic towers, but just beneath Baku's modern facade lurks grinding poverty which its regime is only too eager to disguise... by Eoin Murphy TO my ... (more)

Rona Nishliu of Albania performs during the grand finale of the Eurovision 2012 song contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, early Sunday.

Sweden's Loreen has clinched the top spot at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her dance hit "Euphoria," pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer.

By PETER LEONARD Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan Sweden's Loreen has clinched the top spot at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her dance hit "Euphoria," pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer.

Juries and television viewers from across Europe awarded Loreen a total of 372 points, handing her an easy win in an event that ended in the early hours Sunday in host country Azerbaijan.

The Baku Crystal Hall is lit by lights prior to the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Saturday, May 26, 2012.

Prolific caviar eaters themselves, Russian tsars and Iranian shahs treated visiting royalty to the roe of the Beluga sturgeon.

Usually a jamboree of youthful exuberance - and questionable taste - this year's Eurovision Song Contest features a pair of elderly acts among its top contenders.

Hotels 5* Hotels 4* Hotels 3* Apartment Houses Restaurants Rent-a-car Casino Golf Resorts Mountain resorts Sea resorts Entertainment Shopping Health Clinics Public Safety Vaults Beauty Salons The police in Spain have arrested five Moldavians who have been producing fake Bulgarian and Romanian passports and IDs.

Cheryl Cole will sing live on The Voice UK tonight, following backlash from previous solo performances where auto-tune and miming was used to improve her vocals.

Engelbert Humperdinck will be carrying a prized gift from Elvis Presley to bring him luck as he performs in the Eurovision Song Contest tomorrow night.

Engelbert Humperdinck is flying the UK flag in the Eurovision Song Contest and hoping a prized gift from Elvis Presley will bring him luck.

NUL POINT FOR ENEMIES AND DOUZE POINTS FOR FRIENDS... EUROVISION IS PURE TV GOLD http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4337215/Nul-point-for-enemies-and-douze-points-for-friends-Eurovision-is-pure-TV-gold.html HOW CONFLICT HAS HIT SONG CONTEST El of a performance ... Greece's Eurovision hopeful Eleftheria Eleftheriou El of a performance ...

Pedestrians walk in downtown Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 22, 2012. The capital of this former Soviet republic has shed its dour, industrial image and evolved into a vibrant metropolis combining the old world charms of Istanbul with the architectural ostentations of Dubai.

An Emmy Award-winning comedy writer who spent much of his career working for legendary comic Jack Benny has died in Los Angeles.

But as millions turn their attention to a not-so-humble European song contest taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, let's not forget there is more to Eurovision than cheesy songs, outrageous costumes and a pyrotechnic-studded arena.

Spain's entrant into the Eurovision Song Contest Pastora Soler has revealed that she was instructed by broadcasters not to win the event in Baku, Azerbaijan because of the financial crisis in her country.