Jonida Maliqi of Albania performs during the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest second semi-final in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, May 16, 2019. (Sebastian Scheiner/Associated Press)TEL AVIV, Israel — The Eurovision Song Contest has decided the final 10 contestants who will battle to be crowned Europe’s best pop act, following the event’s second semifinal Thursday. The countries advancing to the cumulative show, held Saturday in Tel Aviv, are Netherlands, Sweden, North Macedonia, Albania, Russia, Azerbaijan, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Malta. Five European countries sweep straight through to the final because they contribute the most money to the competition. Thousands of screaming fans watched in the Tel Aviv hall and on giant screens streaming the show outside the venue.

Source: Washington Post May 16, 2019 21:22 UTC