Eurovision song contest canceled because of coronavirusMarch 18, 2020 - 17:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The 65th edition of the popular pan-European singing competition Eurovision has been canceled due to health concerns connected to the spread of the respiratory illness known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), The Hollywood Reporter says. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the annual event, said it was canceling Eurovision 2020, making it the latest media event to be dropped as the coronavirus continues to spread across Europe. Concerns first emerged March 4 when a European Broadcasting Union employee tested positive for COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus, after returning from northern Italy, a hotspot for the infection in Europe. Several EBU employees were placed in quarantine. Eurovision 2020 was scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands from May 12 through May 16, following the country's victory at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, with the song "Arcade" performed by Duncan Laurence. It would have been the 65th Eurovision Song Contest and the fifth time that the Netherlands hosts the event, the last being in 1980. This marks the first time in Eurovision history that the contest has been canceled. Launched in 1956, Eurovision is a wildly popular, if also widely mocked, event that regularly draws huge ratings across the continent. Eurovision 2019 attracted 182 million viewers across 40 markets, according to the EBU. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. Mkhitaryan raises arrest of former Karabakh leaders in Azerbaijan Inter Milan star Henrikh Mkhitaryan has shared a news story about the extension of the arrest of former Karabakh leaders. |