The Eurovision Song Contest is the most-watched non-sporting competition in the world. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Azerbaijan's government sees Saturday's gala as a ticket of admission to the community of nations. Nor that President Ilham Aliyev has spent around $134m on a spanking new venue to host the event.

i Newspaper
 
TheIPaper
The Independent around the web
E-break Time
Independent Crossword
The European Championship trophy

England fans warned after gay pride parade is ambushed by 500 ultra-right hooligans in Ukraine

Gay England football fans travelling to Ukraine for Euro 2012 have been warned to keep a low profile for their own safety.

A soldier and policeman take evasive action as a supporter of ex-president Nasheed hurls back a tear-gas canister

Fury at lobbyists over lucrative work for brutal Maldives regime

Islands' government wants to 'renew' its image in UK and US after months of conflict

DJ Taylor: Fracking is a highly explosive issue

Shale mining might yield cheap gas, but there's one small problem: all fossil fuels run out. Plus, strange influences
Tara Lyle is Policy Adviser at Amnesty International UK

Tara Lyle: Is the European Court of Human Rights the villain it is being presented as?

If the European Court of Human Rights were a celebrity, it would have likely hired Max Clifford by now, and together they would have broken the record for filling the most law suits for libel and slander

There are daily clashes in Bahrain between police and protesters

Bahrain's rulers split over fate of rights activist

Shadow hangs over Formula One race as hardliners block hunger-striker's release

Activists climb roof of Bahrain Embassy to protest human rights violations and this weekend’s Grand Prix

Two activists managed to climb onto the roof of the Bahrain Embassy in London today in protest at continuing human rights violations inside the Gulf kingdom and the decision by Formula 1 to press ahead with this weekend’s Grand Prix.

Steve Crawshaw: 'The culture of denial was as disturbing then as it remains now. Painful truths need to be accepted'

Steve Crawshaw: Two decades on, Bosnia's war crimes should haunt Europe

The culture of denial was as disturbing then as it remains now. Painful truths need to be accepted

Syria continues rebel bombardment

Syrian troops have clashed with army defectors and shelled rebel districts in Homs, killing at least 11 civilians a day after the government claimed it had begun a withdrawal ahead of the deadline for an international truce plan.

Erzsebet Fodor and her partner Zoltan Koza were evicted from the centre of Miercurea Ciuc/Czikszereda in 2004, they and their ten children now live in a metallic barrack placed by the municipal authorities on the outskirts of town in Romania (2009)

Roma shown to be Europe's poorest and most reviled people

Amnesty report exposes shocking treatment of the transient population and appeals for new approach

Azerbaijan warms up for Eurovision by torturing musicians

Fresh doubts have been raised about the suitability of Azerbaijan to host May's Eurovision Song Contest, as it emerged that two local musicians who insulted the country's president during a concert may have been tortured by police over recent days.

Amnesty accuses Nato of ignoring Libya air-strike deaths

Nato has failed to properly investigate or provide compensation for civilian deaths caused by its air strikes during the seven-month operation in Libya that helped bring about the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Amnesty International says.

Assad's military has 304,000 active military personnel and 4,700 tanks

Prisoners in Syria face ordeal by torture chamber

Amnesty compiles new evidence of treatment inflicted by brutal regime

Pointing the way: Russell Brand at the Secret Policeman’s Ball at Radio City in New York

Secret Policeman's Ball: Stand-up and be counted

Russell Brand stole the show as American and British comics vied for laughs in New York

Gallery: In the face of discrimination

A photography exhibition opposing discrimination across Europe opens in Croatia this weekend. We showcase the inspirational pictures

Career Services

Day In a Page

Crossrail: Celebrating 60 years in transport

Jubilant Crossrail

Celebrating 60 years in transport
Grace Dent: If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?

Grace Dent

If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?
Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

After years of savage cuts, the Irish now face a stark choice: do they hand over control of their economy to Europe – or go it alone without the safety net of future bailouts?
Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Advances in medicine have made the impossible, possible. But an over-reliance on healthcare threatens to bankrupt the world – and make all of us sick
The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The ASA has received 430,000 complaints during its existence, with a record 31,548 in 2011
Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

From Tom Daley's six-pack to scantily clad volleyball players, Olympic athletes are being sold on their sex appeal. Why can't we appreciate talent, not totty?
Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Sir Richard Needham's resignation from the board of Lonrho brings back bad memories of the group's controversial past
Off the rails in Bermuda

Off the rails in Bermuda

Best known for beaches, it's also home to a stunning hiking trail that follows the route of an old railway line
Get ready for a royal good time

Get ready for a royal good time

There are plenty of events to help you fly the flag during the Diamond Jubilee long weekend and half term
Spain: World football's marathon men

Marathon men: Are Spain running out of puff?

They have every right to be exhausted after four taxing years of almost non-stop action but the chance to claim a unique treble is spurring them on
Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Friday's 'slow' 100m has done nothing to dent Jamaican's supreme confidence he will triumph in London
The weirdest and most wonderful Diamond Jubilee memorabilia

Weird and wonderful Jubilee memorabilia

Coronation Chicken ice cream and Jubilee jelly moulds
'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

Being a teenager is hard enough – for those with hearing loss, it can be even more complicated
A right royal trip down the river

A right royal trip down the river

A new exhibition celebrates the glory days of London's mighty Thames
The 10 Best lawn mowers

The 10 Best lawn mowers

From petrol-fuelled to self-propelled