Russia protests Eurovision votes against Tatu

BBC News reports that Russia's Channel One, which broadcast last weekend's annual Eurovision Song Contest, is discrediting the results of the contest after the nation's lesbian pop duo, Tatu, finished third. The group finished just three points behind contest winner Sertab Erener of Turkey and received low point scores from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Normally, Irish viewers vote by phone, but since votes could not be collated in time, a jury voted Ireland's points in the competition. Channel One argues that if Ireland's public phone vote had taken place, Tatu might have scored higher. "Considering insignificant difference in points between the first and third places, there are grounds to believe that the contest results could be much different for Russia," said a statement. Little known in the United States, the Eurovision contest is hugely popular throughout much of the rest of the world, and winning is a point of national pride for the countries that participate.