The Netherlands’ Eurovision entry Joost Klein is under investigation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) due to an unexplained “incident” – and will not be rehearsing again until “further notice”.

The Dutch singer, 26, missed his slot in the show’s penultimate dress rehearsal in Malmo, Sweden, on Friday, where he had been due to perform his track Europapa in fifth place, ahead of Israel’s Eden Golan, 20, with her song Hurricane.

It is not yet clear if Klein will be performing in the Eurovision Song Contest’s grand final on Saturday.

The EBU said in a statement: “We are currently investigating an incident that was reported to us involving the Dutch artist. He will not be rehearsing until further notice.

“We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”

Klein had been part of the flag parade at the start of the rehearsal, and walked around the stage in full costume, but then failed to arrive on stage for his performance around 30 minutes later.

He had been vocal in a news conference on Thursday night, which brought together the 10 acts from the second semi-final selected for the final, including Israel and the Netherlands.

Some 26 countries, including UK entry Olly Alexander, 33, with his track Dizzy, and Ireland’s Bambie Thug, 31, with the song Doomsday Blue, are due to battle it out for the coveted Eurovision glass trophy on Saturday.

A clip of Klein’s offering – happy-hardcore inspired Europapa – was played out in the recap clips of all 26 songs throughout the rehearsal show, but with a clip of a previous Klein rehearsal.

The track, which is one of the most memorable of the show and was described by one critic as “so bad” it will “put you off music forever”, is among the current favourites to win.

Towards the end of the news conference, Golan was asked was asked by Polish radio outlet 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 did not have to answer the question if she did not want to.

Klein shouted out loudly: “Why not?”

Golan responded to the question, 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 met with a round of applause.

Golan’s song Hurricane was reworked from a previous track called October Rain, which was thought to reference the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.

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At the start of the news conference, Klein had also draped what appeared to be a Dutch flag around his head completely, sitting like that for a short while before the questions began.

Sky News has emailed Klein’s representatives for comment on his absence in the dress rehearsal.

There are more pro-Palestinian protests planned in Malmo to coincide with the Eurovision grand final, amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Security is high in the host city, with extra police being drafted in from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

Over the last few months there have been demonstrations and calls for acts to boycott the show, after the EBU refused to remove Israel from the competition, insisting it had broken no broadcasting rules.

During an earlier rehearsal on Wednesday, 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.

On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called protests against Israel’s participation in Eurovision “wrong,” adding “scenes we’ve seen here [in Malmo] have been outrageous”.

Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part in a march on Thursday which began in Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before travelling through the city for a rally in a park several miles from the Eurovision venue, the Malmo Arena.

During the march – which included families with young children, and people with dogs and bicycles – smoke canisters in the colours of the Palestinian flag were set off, with some protesters carrying signs displaying images of Gaza civilians who have been injured amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.

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There was also a banner done in the style of Eurovision with the word “genocide” on it – an accusation vigorously denied by Israel amid the war with Hamas.

Among those in the crowd was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Meanwhile Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent his support to Golan, telling her in a video message: “When they boo you, we are cheering you.”

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

A woman alleged to be the inspiration for the stalker character of Martha in hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer has branded the show “defamatory” and plans to sue.

Fiona Harvey said she had been “forced” to come forward after receiving online death threats from “internet sleuths”.

In the Netflix drama series inspired by the real-life experiences of comedian and writer Richard Gadd, his character Donny is stalked by a woman named Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works.

But in an interview with Piers Morgan posted on YouTube, Ms Harvey repeatedly denied being a stalker and described the series “a work of fiction”.

The 58-year-old said the show has “taken over enough of my life. I find it quite obscene. I find it horrifying, misogynistic. Some of the death threats have been really terrible online, people phoning me up”.

She added: “It’s been absolutely horrendous. I wouldn’t give credence to something like that, and it’s not really my kind of drama.”

When asked if she will “categorically be taking legal action”, she replied: “Absolutely, against both him (Gadd) and Netflix.”

In the opening sequence, viewers are told in an on-screen message: “This is a true story.”

It later adds: “This programme is based on real events: however certain characters, names, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes.”

Both Gadd and Netflix have been approached for comment.

In her interview, Ms Harvey disputed several of the incidents and details depicted, including where the character Martha admits to intimidating Gadd’s character and receives a nine-month prison sentence.

“That is completely untrue, very, very defamatory to me, very career damaging,” she said.

“I wanted to rebut that completely on this show – I am not a stalker, I have not been to jail, I’ve not got injunctions – it is complete nonsense.”

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Ms Harvey said she met Gadd when she visited a London pub for a meal. Unlike in the show, she said, Gadd never offered her a cup of tea.

She said she had never heckled his comedy show, visited his home or contacted his parents.

Pressed over her contact with Gadd, she said she had sent a handful of emails, tweeted him about 18 times and written him one letter.

She said she never texted him or messaged him on Facebook as portrayed in the series.

Asked about the show’s title – a nickname that Martha gave Donny – Ms Harvey said she did own a baby reindeer toy as a child.

She said her joke mentioning it to Gadd inadvertently gave the show its name.

After the show’s popularity boomed, viewers began to speculate over the real people who inspired the events behind the series.

It led Gadd to post a message to his Instagram story asking fans to stop with their guesswork.

But Ms Harvey told Morgan: “Saying ‘don’t speculate’, wow, that’s a bit rich now, isn’t it? Fans do speculate.”

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.