Denmark's Emmelie de Forest wins Eurovision

Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won the Eurovision Song Contest with a barefoot performance backed by flutes and drums.

The 20-year-old won with the song Only Teardrops, competing against 25 other countries in a final held in Malmo in southern Sweden.

Denmark was widely tipped to win the annual music competition and delivered in a glittering ceremony watched by an estimated international audience of 125 million people.

The Scandinavian country last won the contest in 2000 with Fly on the Wings of Love by Olsen Brothers, also in Sweden.

De Forest performed the winning entry barefoot - as has been her trademark since she...

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The Eurovision Song Contest brings the countries of the European Broadcasting Union together through music. Each country enters a song that is performed live. Then listeners in each country vote. This year an artist from Denmark won. Watch the video and see what you think.

Uncle Wes changing lives in western Sydney

To 17-year-old Blake Ellis, Aboriginal elder Uncle Wes is the "the biggest role model in Mount Druitt".

Blake Ellis' childhood was hard and as a boy he sought refuge with Uncle Wes and his family.

"I was only young when I was staying with him and spent more time with him than my own family," he said.

As Uncle Wes puts it: "They've got to have someone they can talk to, someone they can depend on."

Wes Marne is 91 and for the past 30 years, he has been an Aboriginal elder in western Sydney.

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Uncle Wes is an Aboriginal elder who shares his wisdom with his community. Hearing about his work made me think about all that I have learned from those who came before me....

Humanoid robot shows off advances in technology, dances to Gangnam Style

Our humanoid friends and help-mates have just celebrated National Robotics week - with special events such as a Robot Zoo, and a Robot Block Party.

They may be the stuff of science fiction, but robots are now widely used in industry. And more and more they take on such dangerous tasks as defusing bombs or flying aircraft over hostile territory.

Smoke billows at the Los Angeles Korean Festival, rising from enormous grills, skillets of dumplings, fried potato pancakes — for a one weekend a year, a small park in central Los Angeles becomes a fairground. Vendors sell food, Korean groceries, and makeup. And L.A.’s Korean population — the largest outside Korea — turns out by the thousands.

But in one corner, the hubbub is something quite different.

Two of Dennis Hong’s postgrad students take turns working on a...

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The Gangnam Style by the South Korean musician PSY has attracted  international attention. A couple of young researchers at a graduate school in the US are even making a humanoid robot mimic the moves of the dance.

Rocket reaches space station in record time

A new Russian-American crew has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) after an express trip from Earth of under six hours, the fastest ever journey to the orbiting laboratory.

A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts opened the hatches of their Soyuz-TMA spaceship and floated into the ISS to a warm welcome from the three incumbent crew.

Russia's Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin and American Chris Cassidy are now expected to spend the next five months aboard the station after a hitch-free launch and docking.

Their record-breaking trip from blast-off at Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to docking with the ISS lasted just...

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The newest arrivals to the International Space Station made it in record time - less time than it takes to go from Tokyo to Nagasaki on the Shinkansen.

In Austin, film offers global perspective

International films often challenge American viewers to look at life from different perspectives. That was obvious at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, where many films from other countries were being featured.

Movies such as the Turkish film "Zayiat," or Casualties, is the story of a son searching for his father.

Audience members watch "Big Easy," a film at the Paramount Theater during the South by Southwest festival, Austin, Texas, March, 17, 2012. ​​Staying with relatives in Istanbul and using friends as
actors, New York-based director Deniz Tortum made what he calls a no-budget film.

“The budget of the film was two thousand dollars, so it was pretty much no budget," he says, explaining that he shot in neighborhoods where...

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An aspiring young director from Turkey caught the attention of his audience at a film festival in the US. He shot the film in places he grew up in with the help and support of friends and family.

Rock musicians 'Carry On' in Pakistan

Rock and roll never really died in Pakistan. But it did fade away.

Pop and rock bands used to play in clubs across Pakistan in the more liberal 1980s, but have largely receded from the public eye. One band is still playing and reaching out to other musicians, though, in an effort to keep Pakistani rock and roll alive.

Drummer Allan Smith of the band "RockLite" says 20 years ago there were dozens of bands playing in clubs, discos and parties across the country. Now he says there are only five.

"A lot of people went abroad from Pakistan. And, we have this whole new group of people that have come into Pakistan and...

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Some say music is a universal language. This report about Rock bands in Pakistan certainly makes it seem true.

For the brain, the benefits of being bilingual

Good news! Your years of studying English will not only give you access to information and opportunities in the future, they will also help your brain work better.

Twitter hit by 'sophisticated' cyber attack

Twitter says the passwords of about 250,000 users have been stolen stolen in a sophisticated cyber attack similar to those that recently hit major Western news outlets.

Twitter's information security director Bob Lord says the security breach appeared to be similar to attacks suffered recently by other American media and technology companies including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

"This attack was not the work of amateurs, and we do not believe it was an isolated incident," Mr Lord said in a blog post.

Mr Lord referred to an "uptick in large-scale security attacks aimed at US technology and...

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We hear more and more about the activity of hackers these days and 'cyber security' is becoming an important topic. The search for a way to ensure website security is ongoing.

Government set to dump school laptops scheme

The Federal Government has indicated it will not continue funding the high school laptop program for years 9 to 12 students.

Almost 1 million computers have been issued since 2008 as part of Labor's Digital Education Revolution, but funding for the scheme is set to run out in June 2013.

Year 9 students will still receive their laptops at the start of the school year.

Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett says the Government provided the upfront investment and the states must now pay their fair share.

"The Commonwealth always said we would get this going by providing the opportunity for high school students to have access to a laptop. We've delivered on that commitment," he said.

"We'll negotiate with the states on where that can be taken, but...

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The Australian government has been providing high school students with laptop computers since 2008. From 2013, it will be up to the schools to devise a plan regarding the technology students use. What are the advantages of students using their own devices at school?

Gillard flags workplace reform for working parents

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has flagged workplace relations changes to extend the rights of parents returning from maternity leave.

Speaking before leaving New Zealand this morning, Ms Gillard said there will be announcements this week stemming from the review of the Fair Work Act.

Ms Gillard said one of the key aspects will be helping new parents return to flexible work environments.

"They will be able to request flexible and part-time work and their employer will have to respond to that request," she said.

"We already have, as part of our 10 national employment standards, a right to request.

"This is an extension to that right that Labor introduced."

Ms Gillard conceded the law will not force employers to...

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The Australian government is working on a plan to improve working conditions. One of the goals is to help parents balance work and family life.

At CES in Las Vegas, TVs were the stars

The latest in high-tech gadgets were on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. We have gotten used to bigger TVs with clearer images and it seems that the trend is going to continue.

What politicians can learn from high school debaters

Some young people in an American high school are learning how to communicate more effectively through debate. They use facts and evidence to support their arguments and listen to the opposite side in order to understand issues more deeply.

Why the US, other countries refused to sign Internet treaty

The Internet has changed the way we exchange information. National governments have particular ideas about how to regulate these exchanges. What kind of regulations do you think are necessary?

'I eat, sleep, breathe, live and love electronica'

Technology influences our lives in many ways. Consider how forms of entertainment have changed - radio, television, 3D movies, the Internet. Technology is also being used to create new kinds of music.

Should employers play the role of matchmakers?

A recent study on marriage and parenthood showed that one of the ways singles are most comfortable meeting members of the opposite sex is through their colleagues.

With Singaporeans clocking long hours at work, some experts said it makes sense for employers to play a more active role in pairing up single employees.

But just how far should the boss play matchmaker?

Public Relations agency Asia PR Werkz counts the Social and Family Development Ministry as one of its clients so it is naturally attuned to creating social opportunities for its single employees.

About 70 per cent of their employees are not married.

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An interesting trend is occurring in Singapore. Some companies are helping employees find people to date. Why do you think this trend is arising? What advantages and disadvantages do you see?

Rare marsupials found fat and happy in new home

A rare marsupial that had disappeared from Australia's mainland is thriving near Canberra, with reports the population is fat and happy.

Last year a group of 17 eastern bettongs were brought to protected forest areas in Canberra from Tasmania, their first appearance on the mainland for 80 years.

Adrian Manning, from the Australian National University, says health checks show the small members of the kangaroo family are faring well, with about 35 bettongs leaving the pouch and about 20 more young on the way.

"They've hit the ground running, digging for truffles - which is what they do - and they've actually put weight on," he said.

"The fact that six months in, most of the animals seem to...

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In Canberra, Australia, a small population of a rare relative of the kangaroo called bettongs has been reintroduced. The species disappeared a few years ago but the new community seems to be doing well.

Scorching heat stops outback trains

Trains have been halted in western Queensland amid fears tracks may buckle in the scorching heat.

The state is enduring heatwave conditions, with the mercury climbing into the 40s in many inland centres.

Queensland Rail (QR) says passengers travelling on board its Spirit of the Outback train were put onto buses at Emerald this morning to travel west to Longreach.

Similar arrangements have been made for passengers travelling from...

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As we are getting used to colder temperatures here in Japan, the people in Queensland, AUS are suffering from a heat wave. The extremely high temperatures are effecting people, land, and animals.

Students win $100,000 for traffic management system

Driving routes may soon become more efficient. A new traffic management system idea, developed by a student team from Germany, was recognized as the best one at the 3rd Annual Social Innovation Summit. The team received a large sum of money to make their plan a reality.

Prayers for nature at 'Surf City' beach

A special ceremony held on a beach on the west coast of the US attracts people of different beliefs and religions. They all come together to celebrate nature. As different as people may be, we can always find some things we share... if we look for them.

Recycling plastic: Part 1

Do you ever think about what happens to the things that we throw away in the trash? This report takes us inside one recycling plant in the US.