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'Europe is watching you' - German comedian the only voice of criticism as Eurovision brushes aside human rights

Sun, 27 May 2012 16:26:49 +0100

Despite its long track record of human rights abuses there was barely a hint of condemnation during this weekend’s Eurovision final in Azerbaijan.

Greece's sex industry hit by economic crisis

Sun, 27 May 2012 13:04:38 +0100

Greece's once-thriving sex industry has become the latest victim of the country's debt crisis as Greeks spend less on erotic toys, pornography and titillating underwear.

Eurovision just doesn't get The Hump

Sun, 27 May 2012 11:27:01 +0100

So, even enlisting the help of a singer who has sold more than 150 million records wasn't enough. Not even Engelbert Humperdinck, not even The Hump, could do it for us. Europe once again looked the other way last night as the United Kingdom's soul searching quest for a Eurovision Song Contest winner threatened to go on and on and on. Humperdinck, with the song "Love Will Set You Free", mustered just 12 points at the Crystal Hall in Baku – a solitary chip from Belgium, two from Latvia, four thrown our way from Ireland and a welcome five from Estonia.

Chuka Umunna: 'It is plain, Camerkozy austerity is not working'

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

This Chuka Umunna is cheeky. First, he set the hare running by forcing the controversial Beecroft report out into the open, prompting accusations that Vince Cable is a "socialist and anti-business".

Günter Grass attacks Merkel for Athens policy

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The world's leaders and economists, having put in their euro's worth on Greece and currency union – to no great discernible effect, so far – yesterday, one of the planet's most respected literary figures joined in. Germany's Nobel literature laureate Günter Grass criticised the treatment of Greece in the debt crisis, describing it in a new poem as a "country sentenced to poverty".

The Great Stradivarius Fiddle

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

A piece of wood hewn from an Alpine fir is among the evidence that has led a renowned collector and authority on rare instruments to be labelled a con man, suspected of masterminding the world's biggest violin scam.

Where are our Eurovision heroes now?

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The idea that kitsch and absurd costumes can unify a continent for a few hours got its annual outing last night. The Eurovision Song Contest's setting was the £85m Crystal Hall concert venue in Baku, Azerbaijan, a country more familiar to Amnesty International than the music press.

Greek opinion poll shows pro-bailout party leading

Sat, 26 May 2012 11:52:34 +0100

Police arrest Finland gunman who killed two

Sat, 26 May 2012 09:40:55 +0100

An 18-year-old gunman killed two people and wounded seven others in what appeared to be a random shooting in a southern Finnish town, police said today.

Protesters bundled away on eve of Eurovision

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The stage is set for Europe's kitschest music festival tonight, with Engelbert Humperdinck, a group of Russian grannies and other novelty acts ready to perform in Azerbaijan. But just outside the grand Eurovision hall, protesters daring to cry "freedom" on the streets of Baku were last night being dragged away by police into waiting buses.

Hollande visits the French troops he's taking home

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The French president François Hollande continued his whirlwind introduction to office yesterday with a snap visit to Afghanistan to defend his early withdrawal of French troops.

What the Pope's butler saw – aide arrested over Vatican leaks

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Vatican police yesterday seized Pope Benedict's butler in connection with a series of embarrassing leaks on alleged corruption, infighting and mismanagement that have emerged about the Holy See over the past year.

Top priest testifies in abuse trial

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The child abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in the United States turned a new page this week as Monsignor William Lynn, of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, below, testified at his trial on charges of child endangerment and conspiracy.

Lindt's trademark hopes felled by lawyers' rabbit punch

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Lindt & Sprüngli, the Swiss confectioner that has produced gold-foiled and be-ribboned chocolate rabbits for the past 60 years, has been dealt a crushing blow by the European Union's Court of Justice.

Spain races to bail out bank as debt fears stalk Europe

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Spain's economic crisis intensified yesterday as Madrid prepared to pump at least €15bn (£12bn) into the country's fourth-biggest bank, sending the euro plunging on a fresh day of turmoil for the eurozone.

French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy calls for West to intervene in Syria

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:30:16 +0100

Bernard-Henri Lévy is calling for France and the West to intervene in Syria as his new documentary The Oath of Tobruk debuts at the Cannes Film Festival tonight.

Brawl in Ukraine parliament over Russian language bill

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:58:09 +0100

A violent scuffle erupted in Ukraine's parliament yesterday evening over a bill that would allow the use of the Russian language in courts, hospitals and other institutions in the Russian-speaking regions of the country.

Francois Hollande defends early Afghan pullout

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:50:30 +0100

French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan today to visit some of the French troops he wants to pull out later this year, defending his plan for their early exit after meeting his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.

Las Vegas grocer deported over Bosnian war crimes allegations

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:49:48 +0100

A man accused of commanding a police squad that rounded up Bosnian Muslims for slaughter in 1995 fashioned a new life in Las Vegas as a modest grocery store owner before being arrested and deported to his native country, a lawyer and US officials said yesterday.

Release of jailed activist gives Putin a new protest problem