Results as Israel, Greece, Austria and Malta vie for grand final - Austria, France, and Australia also performed at the evening’s event

Eurovision band Ziferblat of Ukraine sings their national anthem with Ukrainian people during a family meeting in a park in Basel as part of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest week, in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday, May 15, 2025. Credit: AP/Martin Meissner BASEL, Switzerland — Ukraine’s musicians can’t escape war, even at the Eurovision Song Contest.

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It’s a moment that would have been unthinkable 19 months ago, when Raphael was nearly murdered on the darkest day in Israel’s modern history.

Finnish politicians have long used saunas, relaxed but exposing, as an ideal setting for hard talks, a practice known as “sauna diplomacy.” KAJ wear drab suits onstage in tribute to Urho Kekkonen, a long-serving Finnish president who famously deployed the technique in talks with Finland’s overbearing neighbor the Soviet Union.

It's the event that many music fans look forward to every single year and the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week with a whole host countries aiming for glory in Switzerland, including the 16 who are performing in Thursday's second semi final.