Politics has thrust its way into this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with several of the finalists referring ongoing global disputes while speaking about their progression into the final stage of the competition.

Latvian act Dons, whose song Hollow is about insecurity, was the first to use his platform to shine a light onto the troubled geopolitical landscape.

Appearing at a news conference following the selection of the final 10 acts on Thursday, he responded to a question from Latvian media asking him, “What was your message tonight?” by saying: “Today was a special day in my life. I’ve never been so proud to be part of the Latvian nation.

“Latvia is the only country in the world that is in the shape of a butterfly. Butterflies symbolise hope and freedom because to be a butterfly you have to fly and you have to be free. Every country in the world deserves to be free.”

He received a loud round of applause within the room.

The competition – which is the largest music contest in the world – is taking place against the backdrop of two wars, with ongoing fighting in both Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in 2022 and in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Russia has been banned from the contest for the last two years, with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) saying it was removed from the competition after repeatedly using its broadcasting channels as a tool for political propaganda.

This year tensions have been running high, with people calling for Israel to be banned from the contest due to actions in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

However, the EBU has said that unlike Russia, Israel has not broken any broadcasting rules and so will remain in the show.

Pro-Palestine groups held large-scale protests across Malmo, Sweden – the host city – as the second semi-final took place today.

Security is high around Malmo, and extra police have been drafted in from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

Speaking at the end of the briefing, Eden Golan – who will compete for Israel in the grand final – was asked by Polish radio’s Newsletter whether she thought she was causing a security risk for other participants by attending the event.

The moderator of the conference, Swedish presenter Jovan Radomir, told Golan she didn’t have to answer the question if she didn’t want to.

The 20-year-old singer responded by saying: “I think we’re all here for one reason, and one reason only. And the EBU is taking all safety precautions to make this a safe and united place for everyone. And so, I think it’s safe for everyone or we wouldn’t be here.”

Her response was also met with a round of applause.

Following Israel’s progress into the final stage, their betting odds have shot up, putting them in second place to win.

Golan was also asked what the most difficult part of her performance was and answered: “I wouldn’t say any part is difficult. I enjoy performing, my everything is performing.

“I feel like I was born for this, and I was given a gift from God to share and make people feel something and touch people’s souls. And this is exactly what I’m doing.

“Of course, there’s stress and nerves and excitement and many, many things around and thoughts. But at the end of the day, I’m very focused and I go on stage and just try to forget about everything around me and give my all and enjoy my time and for what’s next. This is just the beginning.”

She performed her song Hurricane dressed in a white dress, flanked by five backing dancers and centred around a large wheel-like prop in the centre of the stage.

During a rehearsal earlier in the week, Golan was met with boos and cries of “Free Palestine”, and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.

She has previously said she hopes to unite people through music, echoing Eurovision’s motto, “united by music”.

The moto was also the theme of a question directed at Netherlands act Joost Klein, who was asked, “Do you think that your song can unite us all by music?”

The 26-year-old performer quickly responded: “That’s a good question for the EBU.”

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His song Europapa – one of the biggest earworms of the show and described by one critic as “so bad” it will “put you off music forever“.- is a favourite to win.

Meanwhile, Greek act Marina Satti inadvertently wandered into dangerous ground when answering one of her questions.

She jokingly answered, “world peace”, when asked about the relevance of tourism in her song’s video, before realising that she could be seen to be referring to the current state of contentious geopolitics.

The 37-year-old singer quickly explained: “I’m kidding. No, it’s just because, such questions [are usually] in the beauty contests, usually world peace is the answer. Sorry. Cringe. Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

Hollywood actress Malin Akerman and Swedish comedian Petra Mede are the hosts of this year’s shows – which culminate in a grand final on Saturday when 26 countries will battle it out for the coveted Eurovision glass trophy.

Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the contest as it happens.

Israel has made it into the Eurovision grand final, despite calls for the country’s entry to be banned from the contest.

Israel’s success in reaching the final stage of the show – which will take place on Saturday – comes against a backdrop of large protests across Malmo, Sweden, which is this year’s host city.

Israel‘s song Hurricane – sung by 20-year-old Eden Golan – had to be reworked after an initial version titled October Rain was ruled too political by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which believed some lyrics referred to the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

Some believe that some lyrics in the current song – including “Dancin’ in the storm… I’m still broken from this hurricane,” still refer to attacks seven months ago which killed more than 1,000 people and resulted in hundreds of hostages being taken.

During an earlier rehearsal on Tuesday, Golan was met with boos and cries of “Free Palestine,” and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.

The EBU has said only flags that represent countries taking part, and the rainbow flag, can be brought to the event.

They have said other “flags, symbols, clothing, items and banners being used for the likely purpose of instrumentalising the TV shows” will be removed.

Golan performed her song Hurricane dressed in white and flanked by five backing dancers. The performance centred around a large wheel-like prop in the centre of the stage.

She has said she hopes to unite people through music.

Condemnation of ‘harassment’ and ‘abuse’

In the run-up to the competition – which is the world’s largest live music contest – there have been demonstrations and calls for Israel to be banned over their ongoing ground offensive in Gaza.

However, the EBU – which says it is an apolitical organisation – has ruled that Israel can take part, saying it has not broken any broadcasting rules.

The EBU has also condemned the “harassment” and “abuse” of any acts taking part in the show.

This week, the EBU was forced to apologise after former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who is reportedly of Palestinian origin, wore a keffiyeh around his wrist while he sang in an earlier rehearsal.

On Tuesday, ten acts were chosen for the final in the first semi-final: Ireland’s Bambie Thug, Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, Finland’s Windows95Man, Serbia’s Teya Dora, Cyprus’s Silia Kapsis, Lithuania’s Silvester Belt, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, Slovenia’s Raiven, Portugal’s Iolanda and Luxembourg’s Tali.

The other nine acts who made it through from Thursday’s semi-final were Greece’s Marina Satti, Switzerland’s Nemo, Austria’s Kaleen, Armenia’s Ladaniva, Latvia’s Dons, Georgia’s Nutsa Buzaladze, Estonia’s 5Miinust and Puuluup, Norway’s Gate and The Netherlands’s Joost Klein.

The “Big Five” (the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy, who are the largest contributors to the competition) all gain an automatic place in the competition along with host nation Sweden.

In March, nine contestants – including the UK’s Olly Alexander, Ireland’s Bambie Thug and Switzerland’s Nemo – called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the “safe return” of Israeli hostages in a joint statement.

However, they said they would not be boycotting the event in a bid to “uphold this space” and “inspire greater compassion and empathy”.

As it stands, no act has withdrawn from this year’s contest over the war.

More than 34,000 people have been killed, and over 77,000 have been injured in Gaza since the conflict began, according to Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry.

Israel’s entry Golan, who has been performing since she was nine years old, left Israel when she was six to live in Russia with her family, but returned when she was 18.

Her song, which was co-written by one of the writers and producers of Israel’s 2018 winning number Toy – tells the story of a young woman experiencing a personal crisis.

It’s among the favourites with bookmakers to win the competition.

Last year Israel, who have been performing in the contest since 1973, came third with the song Unicorn performed by Noa Kirel. They have won Eurovision four times.

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The Grand Final is on Saturday night. Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the contest as it happens.

Justin and Hailey Bieber have announced they are expecting their first child.

Hailey, the 27-year-old model, posted a video and a series of photos on Instagram showing off her baby bump.

Justin, 30, is also in the social media footage and has shared his wife’s post. It racked up over 1.8 million likes in less than an hour.

The announcement did not include a caption, with Hailey simply tagging her husband in the post.

The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in New York in 2018. The Instagram footage shows Hailey in a white lace dress during an apparent vow renewal held in a field.

Kylie Jenner was among the celebrities congratulating the couple in the comments of Hailey’s social media post.

US reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, model Gigi Hadid and TV personality Chrissy Teigen also commented with their warm wishes.

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Hailey is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece of actors Alec, William and Daniel Baldwin, while Justin was discovered as a singer online aged 13 and went on to become a pop sensation with his hits including Baby, Love Me and Yummy.

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The Canadian superstar was forced to cancel the remaining dates of his Justice world tour last year amid his ongoing recovery from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that can cause facial paralysis.

He unexpectedly stepped on stage at Coachella last month to perform the 2020 hit single Essence, alongside Wizkid, during a set by Nigerian star Tems.