Norway won the 54th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday in Moscow, when singer Alexander Rybak beat 24 other contestants in the Russian capital.
Rybak’s song Fairytale won with 387 points, beating Iceland with 218 of points and Azerbaijan with 207 points.
It was the third time Norway has won the competition, one of the most watched television shows in Europe every year.
Rybak, a 23-year-old ethnic Belarussian who grew up outside Oslo, had been the pre-tournament favourite and he wooed and charmed the crowd with his singing and violin playing in the final at a stadium built for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.
(By James Kilner and Amie Ferris-Rotman)
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