YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Switzerland sends Salvation Army to Eurovision gig

    Associated Press – Sun, Dec 16, 2012 2:13 PM EST

    GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland is putting its faith in the Salvation Army to win the Eurovision Song Contest when it is staged in Malmo, Sweden, next year.

    Television viewers chose one of the Christian missionary group's Swiss chapters, whose bass player is 94 years old, from among five national finalists late Saturday.

    The Eurovision contest is a kitschy fixture on the European cultural calendar watched by more than 100 million people across the world.

    Viewers and juries pick the winner from an eclectic mix of bubblegum pop and rock acts representing each European country.

    Political songs are forbidden and Swiss media have speculated that the Salvation Army's Christian aims might still fall afoul of the rules.

    Switzerland hasn't won the contest since Canadian singer Celine Dion represented the country in 1988.

    News for You

    • The new consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony

      NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is the last of the three big video game console makers to unveil its latest gaming system. The unveiling comes nearly eight years after the Xbox 360 went on sale. It follows last fall's debut of Nintendo's Wii U and a preview in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4 from Sony.

    • Singer Kellie Pickler named new 'Dancing' champ

      LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kellie Pickler came into the final "Dancing With the Stars" episode in second place but finished in first.

    • Woman on Trump: 'Somebody had to stand up to him'

      CHICAGO (AP) — An 87-year-old woman who alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a skyscraper-condo sale told jurors Monday she had qualms about suing the real estate mogul and TV celebrity. But, she quickly added, "Somebody had to stand up to him."

    • Restaurant learns online reviews can make or break

      PHOENIX (AP) — It was the customer service disaster heard around the Internet.

    • First Look: New Xbox elegant, but much unknown

      REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Will gamers want One?

    • Disney-owned ESPN cutting hundreds of jobs: source

      By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - ESPN, the sports channel that is Walt Disney Co's most profitable unit, is cutting 300 to 400 jobs across the company and closing a small Denver office, a person with knowledge of the cuts said. The job cuts, comprising 4 to 6 percent of ESPN's staff of 7,000, include open positions that will not be filled, said the source, who asked not to be named because the information is not public. But ESPN will continue hiring for other open positions, the person said. The channel has recently won rights to exclusive coverage of the U.S. ...

    Show More