Bulgarian Singer Dara Brings Home Nation's First-Ever Eurovision Win

Bulgarian singer Dara became the first-ever Eurovision winner from her nation last night, taking home the grand prize with her explosive hit "Bangaranga."

Eurovision is one of the world's most-watched events, drawing around 166 million viewers each year– more than 40 million more than the NFL's Super Bowl in the United States. The contest sees nations all over Europe select one artist to perform for them in the competition, where they perform one performance backed by a song of their own.

This year, Bulgaria's Dara won Eurovision for her country, marking the first time the Eastern European country has seen a contestant bring home the grand prize. Her performance, which featured her hit song "Bangaranga," was described as "high-octane," "heavily stylized," and a "tornado" onstage, leaving judges and audiences in awe.

Noam Bettan, Israel's contestant, was set to win, but a slew of public sentiment towards the very end of the contest pushed Dara to the win, leaving Bettan in second place. Similar to last year, Israel's contestant was faced with a host of boos during their performance, and many viewers argued that Israel should not have been able to compete in this year's event at all.

Broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia refused to telecast Eurovision at all after all three countries withdrew their contestants, boycotting the competition as a way to protest Israel's involvement. Meanwhile, Iceland and the Netherlands withdrew from the contest but continued to broadcast it. Some broadcasters even replaced Eurovision's time slot with Palestinian movies or documentaries, further spreading their message against Israel's brutal tactics across the Middle East.

Gaza continues to be bombarded by Israeli missiles and bombs, with Israel confirming the killing of another Hamas leader as of yesterday. Netanyahu and his administration have also continued their war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, having effectively annexed the southern half of the country. Israeli forces are now working to systematically obliterate all infrastructure in southern Lebanon that could be used by Hezbollah, crippling the region even further.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The most difficult Chinese character requires between 56 and 70 total strokes to write, depending on the variation of the word. The word, biáng, mimics the loud, rhythmic thwack-thwack sound a chef makes when stretching and slamming thick noodle dough against a wooden work surface. The character is also exclusively used to name biangbiang noodles, a famous, wide, flat noodle dish originating from the Shaanxi province in China. 

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs. (Farrah Gray)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Kiki (noun, KEE-kee) - Kiki is a slang term used for an informal gathering among close friends, especially to share lively gossip or frank conversation. It can also refer more broadly to gossipy conversation.

In a Sentence: The performers had a kiki backstage before the show.

Image credit to AFP