This year's Eurovision Song Contest has taken place in Vienna.

The BBC's Emma Saunders was in the Austrian capital to report from behind the scenes.
So it's goodbye to Vienna.
Before leaving for the airport, I managed to clarify the frankly very confusing situation regarding the votes from Macedonia and Montenegro, and it's all a bit of an anti-climax.
Turns out the EBU took 100% of those countries' votes from the televotes i.e. from Joe Public, and disqualified the juries' votes. It should have been 50/50. So ultimately, it made no difference to any of the scores. Thank goodness for that.
Host Austria woke up with a big hangover this morning - from Conchita mania to nul points in one fell swoop. Eurovision can be brutal. At least Austrians could share their pain with their neighbour Germany, who also went home with zilch.
The so-called big five - including the UK - were left largely disappointed, bar Italy, who came third.
No doubt there will be more soul-searching after another poor show for the Brits, despite Electro Velvet's valiant efforts. Deja vu. Again.
So that's it from me - auf Wiedersehen. See you in Sweden.
So Sweden's Mans Zelmerlow wins Eurovision - he's been the favourite pretty much all the way through, so not a huge surprise.
It's the sixth time Sweden has won the competition. Pretty impressive.
The inspired graphics coupled with a contemporary Aviici-style dance track clearly appealed across the continent, not least in the UK, which was one of many countries to give it 12 points.
It was a three-horse race between Russia, Italy and Sweden until near the end but Zelmerlow looked blown away when the presenters announced that they'd "done the maths" and Sweden were the winners.
He was given a huge hug from Conchita as she handed over her Eurovision crown.
"I have so much to say... I'm so extremely happy," Zelmerlow said as he accepted the award.
"We are all heroes, no matter who we love , who we are or what we believe in."
It was yet another disappointing night for the UK, who managed to get just 5 points, leaving them in 24th position.
So the voting is well underway and Twitter has been in overdrive since the contest started. Here's some funny ones to keep you amused while you wait for the results.
On Georgia
@PIXELATEDCROWN  "Woah can't believe they let an actual raven compete in eurovision I hope they win."
On Eurovision in general
@Louisxmichael "Hungary has made me hungry for better music #eurovision."
On Spain
@richardosman  "Nice reworking of 'Old McDonald Had A Farm' #spain #Eurovision"
On Latvia
@popbangcolour "You know those toilet roll covers your gran has, Latvian lady has dressed like one of those... #Eurovision."
On Montenegro
@Lozbotron "No one in the world is more embarrassed of their dad than some kid from Montenegro right now."
On Austria
@Cleverdever "Piano fire just got put out. Because there's way too much hairspray in this arena for that to go on for long"
Hungary - After all that drama, Hungary's delicate and soulful ballad comes as something of a relief. Boggie's Wars for Nothing is an acoustic number which builds up vocally as she's joined by four harmonising backing singers.
It's got a traditional Eurovision peace message (clue is in the title) which could go in its favour. Again, it's all about the voices but there is a very impressive constellations image projected on to the floor during the first half of the song. Thank goodness for aerial cameras.
Georgia - Nina Sublatti has a strong voice and she looks pretty scary as she belts out her anthem Warrior wearing a Goth-style leather jumpsuit with thigh high boots. And she's taken epaulettes to a whole new level - frankly, it looks like two ravens are poking out of her capped sleeves.
She says her song is about feminism, Georgian women's history, and honesty. Good on her. And it's another entry that's offering something different from the pop and ballads on offer. I just wouldn't want to be the one to tell her she hasn't won.
Azerbaijan - Hour of the Wolf isn't a bad song but I'm afraid I was so distracted by the contemporary dancers  in harem pants swirling around Elnur Huseynov that it's hard to comment. And one of them was bare-chested, shock, horror.
But I do recall it had a hint of Hozier about it, at least in the verses. It's not Elnur's first time at Eurovision - in 2003, as part of duo Elnur & Samir, he came eighth. I'm not sure he'll be able to top that tonight.
Russia - Polina Gagarina's A Million Voices is now one of the favourites to win. Some commentators in Vienna feel it sticks in the craw a little, given the song's message of peace and tolerance opposite Russia's handling of the crisis in Ukraine and its anti-gay stance. But that's not Polina's fault.
The song is very Eurovision and although she looks a bit nervous, her voice doesn't suffer for it. It will be some turnaround if Russia do take the Eurovision crown after last year's entry was booed by some members of the audience.
Albania  - Gosh, this was a hard one to sing. The notes are all over the shop.  Elhaida Dani gives it a good crack though. The staging could have been a bit more interesting.
Again, not a bad song but it's probably going to get lost in the penultimate spot, especially sandwiched between big hitters Russia and Italy.
Italy - any Il Divo fans out there? You're going to love Il Volo. Some think the fact it's sung in Italian could go against it but it's a beautiful language so I can't see it myself. Simple staging for this trio - the music speaks for itself.
It's been a favourite for months and should feature highly even if it doesn't win. I doubt the boys will be too bothered if they don't - they've already sold one million records and collaborated with Placido Domingo and Barbra Streisand.
Montenegro - This is only Montengro's second appearance in a Eurovision final. Knez is a huge star in his home nation and his Eurovision entry Adio has a traditional regional feel, featuring a folky instrumental opening that transports you straight to the shores of the Adriatic.
And actually, that's no bad thing. A bit of old school Eurovision never hurt anyone. We were also treated to some traditional dancing with his five lovely backing singers. What's not to like?
Germany - Sophie Ann stepped into the breach when the contestant that won the selection contest in Germany earlier this year shocked presenters by telling them he didn't want to go to Eurovision after all.
So instead of Andreas Kummert's acoustic ballad, we get to hear Black Smoke, a funky number from a singer who grew up in Hamburg, was born in London and studied in New York. How very international.
The song isn't unpleasant but it all feels just a little bit dated. And she spends the entire first verse with her back to the audience - how rude. "We're only left with black smoke," Sophie Ann smoulders. I'm still worrying about that piano.
Poland's entry, Monika Kuszynska, was very emotional about getting through to this year's final. She was in a rock pop band who were involved in a serious car accident in 2006, which left her paralysed from the waist down. "Sometimes we can only see the dark side but many beautiful things can go with a terrible event," she said after making it through the second semi-final.
In the Name of Love is another ballad, written by Monika herself, about how she overcame the trauma she suffered. The melody is pretty run-of-the-mill but it's hard not to feel moved by the sincere performance. And she blows a little kiss to the audience at the end. Nice touch.
Latvia - This is very different to everything else on offer and has polarised opinion here in the Austrian capital. Aminata's Love Injected is an electro ballad, which the 22-year-old penned herself. I reckon Aminata could be Latvia's answer to La Roux. She certainly sounds like Elly Jackson, particularly during the verses.
Aminata is wearing a red dress that wouldn't look out of place on Diana Ross but she does own the stage (I'm back in Cowell mode). And she should be applauded for entering something unusual.
Romania - Yet another pared-down set, this time for Romanian artist Voltaj with his song De La Capat (All Over Again). The stage is scattered with strategically placed suitcases though. Is he hoping to make a quick getaway? But I like the way he chops and changes between Romanian and English throughout his performance.
The song is about supporting children whose parents have to leave their homeland to work abroad and he finishes with a message to the audience: "Don't leave the children behind". Er, I think he might be aiming this at me. Kids, I'll be back from Vienna on Sunday. Promise.
Spain - now this, folks, would be just another ballad if it wasn't for the costume gimmicks! Bring it on! Edurne - David de Gea's girlfriend for the footy fans amongst you - starts off by climbing over a man lying on the stage. Good start. And it gets better. So she's wearing a red evening dress with a Kylie-style snood hood that she pushes back before launching into the strong chorus.
Meanwhile, the long train of her dress is billowing behind her thanks to a bit of wind machine action and the man who was lying on the floor has recovered himself sufficiently to pull the train, resulting in Edurne's dress flying off to reveal a glittery gold number underneath!
I was worried there might be a Madonna moment as he tugged on the train but they must have sensibly opted for Velcro. Well, it worked of Buck's Fizz. Not only that, there are also some ambitious dance lifts a la Strictly (Len would definitely NOT approve).
Cyprus - John Karayiannis says his influences are Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, although to be honest, you wouldn't know it by listening to his Eurovision entry, One Thing I Should Have Done. Personally, I think he sounds more like Will Young. This is probably the most traditional ballad in the contest.
It does have quite an old-fashioned feel so maybe that's why the first verse was broadcast in black and white. Members of the audience wave their obligatory phone torches in time to the music and John looks like he's about to cry by the end of the song. Oh dear. John says his eyesight is so bad he can't see further than the end of his nose but he has 9 spare pairs so he should be alright.
Australia - This is the perfect antidote to Cyprus (no offence but there are a LOT of ballads in this year's contest). This year's wildcard has split opinion in terms of whether it should have been allowed to enter but lighten up people! The Aussies love Eurovision and this is a really decent pop song from established artist, Guy Sebastian.
We're not quite sure why he's got the M6 backdrop behind him - it's not saying exotic Gold Coast to me - but we're loving the jaunty hat and the dancing's not bad either. Tonight Again could land top five.
Belgium - Loic Nottet came second in the 2013 Belgium version of The Voice as part of BJ Scott and this entry, Rhythm Inside, is a bold effort and has more than a touch of Lorde's hit Royals about it. Australian artist Sia recently re-tweeted Loic's version of her hit Chandelier, which must say something.
There's a teetering pirouette in the middle which looks pretty risky plus one of the dancers appears to be doing a floor workout gym-style for some inexplicable reason. The track might be too cool and edgy for Eurovision's audience but it made it through the first semi-final so watch this space.
Austria - Conchita is a hard act to follow and this year's Austrian act has been somewhat in the shadow of the 'Queen of Austria' this week in Vienna. Rock band The MakeMakes are giving it a good crack with their song We Are Yours!
It's pretty low key after the whirlwind that was Conchita but they certainly haven't disgraced themselves on the big stage in front of a home crowd. And they do all have facial hair to keep the beard theme going. And we have another gimmick - woo hoo! The piano is set on fire! Er, health and safety anyone? Where are the EU regulations when you need them?
Greece - Phew. They've either put out the piano fire or they've wheeled in another for Maria Elena Kyriacou's  entry, One Last Breath. This is another typical Eurovision ballad, with a predictable 80s-style drum beat joining in for the second verse.
She's got a fine pair of lungs on her though and the wind machine is in full action as she builds up to the finale. Maria Elena co-wrote the song herself. Before winning a Greek talent show, she was a professor so at least that's something to fall back on if the wind doesn't blow in her favour (sorry!)
Armenia - Genealogy, had to change their song title from Don't Deny to Face the Shadow after it was deemed too political by the powers that be with its apparent reference to the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago. Not quite sure what the point was given the lyrics remain unchanged.
But anyway, it's a powerful rock ballad sung by a six-strong group, featuring opera-style warbling plus your more standard pop voices. There's some pretty impressive harmonies here, too.
Lithuania's upbeat This Time comes from yet another male/female duo, Monika Linkyte and Vaidas Baumila. The song can certainly hold its own and there's a three-second kiss between the pair midway through the performance which seems to go down very well with the audience. There's definitely chemistry there.
Serbia's entry has the perfect ingredients for a Eurovision hit. Big diva voice, spooky dancers with masks who strip off to reveal new costumes, reminiscent of Bucks Fizz, and an "I am what I am" message from its plus-size singer, Bojana Stamenov. Beauty Never Lies starts off as a ballad before building into a classic Euro discobeat dance track that is sending audiences wild in Vienna.
And hats off to the backing vocalists/dancers for presenting the chorus in sign language while leaping around the stage. This could be a surprise winner.
Norway's entry is a real grower and duo Morland and Debrah Scarlett have to be one of the coolest acts in this year's final. Some songs don't need gimmicks and this is one of them. Their song, A Monster Like Me, is creeping up in the betting odds and it's a really hard one to call - it could be too slow for voters hearing it for the first time and it's not typical Eurovision fare. Then again, that could work in their favour.
Kjetil Morland comes from southern Norway but has spent most of his adult life in the UK, after moving there to study. This of course explains his very English accent which threw me off guard in yesterday's press conference. So worth cheering them on along with Electro Velvet if you like the UK connection. (Don't tell anyone but this is my favourite).
Sweden is favourite to win this year's contest with Mans Zelmerlow's Heroes and it's not hard to see why. The Aviici-style track is being belted out by Eurovision fans across Vienna (including on a tram last night on the way back the press centre) but its trump card is the stunning background graphics.
The innovative and interactive projections wouldn't look out of place at the Brits or Grammys. Whether the graphics should be as important a factor as the song itself is a debate that will no doubt rumble on should Sweden win.
Slovenia - This was a slick opening performance from married duo Marjetka and Raay. Their act is called Maraaya, a combination of... you've got it, Marjetka and Raay. Here For You has a genuine contemporary edge with a catchy chorus that should see it do well tonight. And it can't be easy kicking off a show watched by nearly 200m people on TV.
Not sure if the huge headphones paired with a wedding dress is a good look but anything goes at Eurovision.  Their act also features a very energetic dancer playing an imaginary violin, plus Raay making love with the camera from his piano seat. Whatever floats your boat.
France - Not one act who has been placed second in the line-up at Eurovision has ever won. So it's a tough ask for France's Lisa Angell. Let's hope her lucky routine is in place - when her daughter is backstage with her, Lisa kisses her on the forehead and if she's not there, she keeps a picture of her close by. Bless.
Lisa's a fantastic and powerful singer live but I can't see this ballad doing the business, despite the men in uniform flanking her on either side. It's one of the few entries this year to be sung in a native tongue, titled N'oubliez Pas. Or Don't Forget. Sorry Lisa, we just might.
Israel - Golden Boy, Nadav Guedj, certainly lives up to his name here in the press centre. They absolutely love the 16-year-old bundle of energy who intends to prove he's "the king of fun". For his tender years, he oozes confidence and totally owns the stage (I'm channelling my inner Simon Cowell).
And check out his bling winged gold trainers. His track covers all angles, starting off with a ballad-like solo which morphs into a Justin Timberlake-style dance track before it leads into a Middle Eastern-influenced chorus. Hold on to your hats.
Estonia - Elina Born and Stig Rasta certainly have their country behind them - they picked up 79% of the vote from Estonian TV viewers in the selection contest. Goodbye to Yesterday has some pretty odd lyrics in places ("I'm all alone, lying here naked waiting by the phone" for starters). Songwriter Stig rarely sings himself, he usually just writes for other people. And you can tell.
Don't get me wrong, he can hold a tune but Elina definitely has the stronger voice. However, the song is strong and the pair will be hoping for a second win for Estonia in Vienna. The piece de resistance is a clever illusion which sees Stig "disappear" into thin air at the end of the performance. Hurrah, the first real gimmick of the night!
United Kingdom - Rolling Stones tribute act singer Alex Larke and vocalist Bianca Nicholas are really enjoying the ride here in Vienna. Their song, Still In Love With You, has been the subject of much debate on social media and Alex himself has described it as a "Marmite" song i.e. you either love it or hate it. But it's a fun ditty and in a Eurovision Song Contest sadly lacking in gimmicks this year, Electro Velvet's performance should stand out.
Keep your eye on those costumes, that's all I'm saying. Not to mention Bianca's fabulous hair extensions and some pyrotechnics for good measure. Don't forget, Sandie Shaw won in Vienna in 1967 with Puppet On A String. Let's hope it's a good omen.
The show is being hosted by three women, Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler and Arabella Kiesbauer but Conchita is clearly the lady of the moment as she pops up out of a podium in a sparkling pink number - and now the 'Queen of Austria' is flying across the stage!
All the contestants walk up to the stage surrounded by their respective flags.
I'll be giving you my thoughts on each entry.
The show is just about to start, and the noise has really ramped up in the last 15 minutes or so. We'll be lucky to hear the performances at this rate!
And if you're having a party, get in touch with Graham Norton and he might just give you a shout-out.
So hold on tight, here we go...
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more - I've arrived at the press centre and will be here for the duration.
Just before leaving the hotel, I saw Electro Velvet dashing back out, presumably on their way to the arena.
And I literally bumped into Graham Norton as I came out of the lift - or should I say, he bumped into me. He looked in a bit of a rush. For your information, the beard is looking well-groomed ahead of the final.
On the way to the arena, I passed dozens of fans streaming out after the final dress rehearsal, soaked to the skin.
It's rained pretty much solidly since I arrived - I bet the sun comes out tomorrow just as I board the plane.
Flags are flying already inside the press room and elbows are out. A French radio station has already stuck its label on the BBC's allocated table. This could be war!
On a lighter note, I've just been introduced to Terry Vision - a puppet who is a reporter for unofficial Eurovision website ESC Insight.
Hmmm. Do you think he might be based on someone closer to home with a strong Eurovision association?
Eurovision fans, it's the day you've been waiting for - the grand final!
It's raining here in Vienna (just for a change) but that isn't dampening anyone's spirits.
I've just spotted Alex from Electro Velvet in the hotel foyer looking relaxed ahead of the final dress rehearsal this afternoon and the place is swarming with fans - I bumped into several members of one unofficial fan club from London who did an impromptu dance routine in the hotel reception complete with LED light gloves, presumably in honour of Electro Velvet's illuminating stage show.
Not to mention their specially made T-shirts carrying the slogan: "Sounding Good, Sugar", a line from Still In Love With You.
The bookies' odds have made interesting reading during the week, with fluctuations aplenty following each semi-final.
According to Oddschecker this morning, which compiles all the big bookmakers, Sweden are still out in front, followed by Russia - who have edged past Italy, now lying in third.
Belgium and Australia are also in the running.
Electro Velvet are somewhere in the middle.
But who knows? Last year, it was predicted that the UK would claim a top five place but we ended up coming a disappointing 17th.
The Eurovision experts here in Vienna have also been sharing their thoughts about how it might go tonight.
Paul Jordan, best known as Dr Eurovision, told me: "Sweden is one to watch, they usually do well.
"It's not the best song but it's contemporary and his performance is really innovative.
"Russia could do well. Given the wider political context it will be interesting to watch the reaction for this [they were booed last year]."
That's unlikely to happen this year, though.
According to The Moscow Times, Eurovision organisers have "sound-reducing" technology at the ready to silence the audience should any booing occur this evening.
In Copenhagen last year, Russia's Tolmachevy Twins were repeatedly booed, although they ended up in seventh place.
The pair took the flak for their mother country's stance on Ukraine and Russia's record on gay rights.
We'll find out tonight if Russia's entry this year, Polina Gagarina, with her song about tolerance and peace, will suffer the same fate.
Just bumped into Kathrin Zechner, director of television at ORF, Austria's state broadcaster.
She was responsible for choosing Conchita to represent Austria at last year's contest and is in charge of the show's production.
"We went for the most challenging and she has a wonderful voice. She is so laidback and wise for her age.
"I told her to present six songs and Phoenix just stood out."
"Tears, happiness and pride! When they said Austria was in the lead, I nearly fainted!"
"The theme of the eye is about the vision of life and keeping an eye on the people around you.
"We've put the green room in the middle of the room, so it's really part of the show, as are the audience.
"The Building Bridges theme is about diversity, between old and young, women and men, different races, sexuality.
"I'm the only female director on my board, so that's my focus. Men will never give a place to women for free, you really have to push.
"We wanted three Austrians who are multi-lingual, from different ethnic groups. They're all professionals and all working mums."
"Keep an eye on your neighbour, Austria is a great place to visit and we built the longest, sparkly bridge - to Australia and back!"
We're all a bit bleary-eyed in the press centre this morning after the semi-final last night but thankfully, one of the BBC producers has come armed with PG Tips to keep us going. I managed to grab UK hopefuls Electro Velvet for a quick chat ahead of the first dress rehearsal for the final.
Bianca: "We just can't wait to get up there. The nerves are starting to come a little, but that's a good thing. It just means that you care a lot about it."
Alex: "I think we'll be quite pumped on the night, there'll be a lot of adrenaline!"
Bianca: "All that stuff is totally outside of our control. If you focus on where you're going to come, how you're doing in the odds, it can distract you from the performance which is the most important thing."
Alex: "We've put ourselves in our own little bubble, so we're not communicating with the outside world. We're just getting on with making sure our performance is tip top and then hopefully the rest will fall into place."
Bianca:  "I hope we'll feel on top of the world and feel proud of what we've done wherever we come."
Alex:  "There might be a glass of wine!"
Bianca: "We're quite lucky we're on early so we can then enjoy everyone else's performances. We've made some really good friends, it's like one big family. So we'll get to see some of our friends' performances and we're rooting for them, too."
Alex: "We did a little stint on the ukulele (at last night's semi-final). When they announced the UK, the place went nuts - it's been great, it lifted me."
Bianca: "It's so nice that a complete stranger wants to approach you and wish you good luck. It's really encouraging."
Bianca: "Eurovision is very fan-led, the staging is getting better and better and we're using state-of-the-art technology in our performance, it's just moving with the times."
More and more fans are descending on the Austrian capital as Grand Final day looms and I caught up with Mike and Louise, a couple from Nottingham, who are first-timers at Eurovision.
Michael: "We wanted to come to Vienna anyway so we thought, 'let's kill two birds with one stone'. We're more festival-goers really, we're off to the Isle of Wight later this year. It took us two days to get here because Louise doesn't fly!
Mike:  "I think it's OK, I think it was wrong to put in the old has-beens - Englebert and Bonnie - in it.
Louise: "Electro Velvet were just put together for this, it's just one record and we might not hear from them again."
Mike:  "We went to the first semi-final. Most of the songs were big ballads or very poppy and I think Electro Velvet have been quite clever, it's slightly off-beat.
Louise: "I think the song's catchy."
Mike:  "They played it live in the auditorium and it came across OK with the sound system beefing it up."
Louise: "Everyone was cheering. You can never tell!"
Louise: "It's me really! It's always been there since you were young. In the last 8-10 years it's changed again, young people are having parties. In England we always know we're never going to win. Good bands don't want to be part of it."
Michael: "If Take That or Blur entered, they wouldn't win... It's all political."
Louise: "I love Italy but having seen Serbia, I think with the lyrics, the big ballad start-off and then the beat, it's got all the ingredients.
Michael: The Australian one was good. That's a good pop song.
So we now have the order of the 26 acts in grand final. The UK is in fifth - Alex from Electro Velvet told me just now he was pleased with the slot, adding that many of the upbeat songs are in the first half. They are sandwiched between a strong track from Estonia and Armenia's moody protest ballad. France had better start worrying though - no-one who is second in the line-up has ever won Eurovision. Here's the list in full.
1.Slovenia
2.France
3.Israel
4.Estonia
5.United Kingdom
6.Armenia
7.Lithuania
8.Serbia
9.Norway
10.Sweden
11.Cyprus
12.Australia
13.Belgium
14.Austria
15.Greece
16.Montenegro
17.Germany
18.Poland
19.Latvia
20.Romania
21.Spain
22.Hungary
23.Georgia
24.Azerbaijan
25.Russia
26.Albania
27.Italy
And breathe... now we know the entire line-up for Saturday's grand final.
The biggest cheers went up in the press room for performances from Azerbijian, Montenegro, Slovenia, Israel, Norway and Sweden during the second semi-final - and that was reflected in the vote tonight, as they all went through.
They were joined by Lithuania, Poland - which seemed to be something of a surprise to some - Cyprus and Latvia.
Everyone held their breath as they waited for the last act to land a place in the final -  and it went to Israel's 16-year-old Nadav Guedj.
Sadly, the other 16-year-olds in the competition - San Marino duo Michele Perniola and Anita Simoncini - will not be joining him.
Multiple-Eurovision winner Ireland also missed the cut, as did Malta, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Iceland.
I spoke to Eurovision expert John Kennedy O'Connor after the results were announced: "Heartbreak of course in Ireland. It's 20 years now since their run of incredible Eurovision glory was halted and for the second year in a row, they didn't make the final.
"The poor Czechs were bounced out again and they are yet to ever appear on the final stage. San Marino of course disappointed and the youngest singers in the contest couldn't capitalise on their experience in the junior event last year."
So who is responsible for the outcome?
Viewers at home were able to vote in the semi-final if their country was performing in it. The UK are one of the "Big Five" who will go straight through to the final but Brits were allowed to vote on Thursday night.
The public determined half of the vote and the other half was down to the national juries of all the countries taking part or allocated to the semi-final.
As the results came through, the betting odds online began frantically changing before my eyes as we finally knew for definite who would be singing on Saturday night.
Russia, Belgium and Serbia are looking good while Sweden and Italy are still the favourites. Australia, Estonia, and now Norway, could also be in the running.
There was a jubilant atmosphere at the press conference that followed the show - the losers and their supporters must have sneaked out the back.
I think I was the only Brit among a sea of excitable Israelis surrounding me on all sides of the seating area, and it wasn't long before they broke into a spontaneous rendition of Guedj's Golden Boy.
Poland's entry, Monika Kuszynska, was very emotional about getting through. She was in a rock pop band who were involved in a serious car accident in 2006, which left her paralysed from the waist down.
"I feel I've got something to say, a message to put in my songs. Sometimes we can only see the dark side but many beautiful things can go with a terrible event. I always look on the bright side, that's why I'm here."
Sweden's Mans Zelmerlow said he was feeling "happy and relieved" after going through  before admitting, "I could have done some things better tonight. I was a bit rushed in the second verse, so I hope I'll be in the running to be champ!"
Don't worry Mans, you have three dress rehearsals before the big event to make it perfect.
There's a frisson in the air today in the Eurovision press centre as the 'Austrian Queen', aka Conchita, is in the house.
Her press conference was crammed to the gills with journos and Eurovision superfan bloggers. She didn't disappoint, entering the room wearing a dress slit to the waist to the strains of her single You Are Unstoppable.
What's it like hosting the green room at the semi-finals, ahead of Saturday's grand final?
"Three days ago I thought: 'Why would I agree on doing this? Last year, the last thing I wanted was for anyone to ask me how I felt! But I really do enjoy it, it's a new experience. I'm pushing my boundaries - I have just one minute and 48 seconds for each contestant."
How have you dealt with the fame that came with your win last year?
"I'm still not used to being a known person outside Austria. It's something I really appreciate."
And you've written a book about your life already!
"I'm just 26, it was too early to write my memoirs - there weren't that many! But then we came up with a concept that everyone liked, a book that I myself would like - with many pictures!"
Midway through proceedings, the MD of Sony Records in Austria surprised Conchita with a platinum award for her self-titled album.
Conchita: "What are you doing here? Am I fired? [Then] Thank you so much, gosh, that's unbelievable, thank you so much to my fans, that's huge."
How do you feel about Conchita lookalikes?
"I'm flattered people copy my look at carnivals etc - it's easy, a man just doesn't have to shave!"
Why are you known now just as Conchita, not Conchita Wurst?
"I heard the only way you get an Oscar is to drop your surname!"
You're a very positive person but some things must make you angry?
"Any negativity in the last year was about me and my character and I really don't care about other peoples' opinions.
With things in society - all I can do is reach as many people as possible through a camera and hopefully reach other people who have more influence than I do.
"I would love to meet President Putin. I would love to spend a week with him to understand what it's like to be President Putin, but I don't know if it's going to happen!"
Do you have a favourite in this year's contest?
"I do and I won't tell you!"
Guten morgen from Vienna.
The Australian fans are the big story at Eurovision this year, as Guy Sebastian vies to take the Eurovision crown beyond Europe's shores for the first time in the competition's history.
I caught up with an Aussie family - mum, son and daughter - who had travelled from Queensland to join the party.
So what's brought you all the way from Australia?
Nick: "We're here because Conchita won and we love Conchita."
Michaela (mum):  "I was born in Austria so for me, Conchita's win was a huge thing. That's why I had to come back and they came with me."
Have you always been big Eurovision fans?
Michaela: "Yes. I used to make them sit and watch. I grew up with Eurovision in the '70s, so they just had to listen - there was no escape!"
How did you feel when you found out that Australia were going to be part of the competition this year?
Eloise: "It was pretty exciting as we were coming anyway."
What do you think of Guy's song, Tonight Again?
Nick: "I think he'll do really well, it's a good song, everyone likes it over here and he's a great performer. We voted for him when he was on Australian Idol."
Have you had a good reception here in Vienna?
Eloise: "Everyone loves Australians (we're kind of a novelty)."
Michaela: "Everyone is friendly and we've come from afar. There have been mixed reactions to us being in it, but such is life."
Nick: "They think it's kind of weird we've come all the way - it is a bit odd as we're not in Europe. I think a lot of people are perplexed as to why we love it so much."
Why do the Australians love Eurovision so much?
Nick: "It's the immigrant population: Greeks, Italians, English, Austrian.
Michaela: "For the older generation, it's like a part of home for us. When we watch it, it brings Europe a bit closer. I think that's why a lot of the immigrants like it - and then their children either grow up liking it or hating it!"
And do you have any other Eurovision favourites this year?
All (in unison): "Belgium, we love Belgium!"
After a whirlwind introduction to the craziness of the press room, we raced down to Vienna's beautiful City Hall Square - home to the Eurovision Village all this week. Crowds had gathered and the stage was set for the "Big Five" contestants (France, Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain) plus wildcard Australia to prove themselves ahead of Saturday's grand final.
The square was packed with fans from across the continent and beyond, despite the heavy rain which decided to make an appearance just as the bizarre warm-up acts - lindy hop and flamenco dancers anyone? - got going.
Guy Sebastian was first up, receiving a raucous welcome, not least from a substantial group of Aussies who clearly felt it was worth the air fare and 24-hour flight to join the party.
"You guys are awesome for staying in the rain. We love Eurovision in Australia  and we are super-excited to be taking part."
Guy chose to perform an acoustic rendition of Tonight Again, saying he wanted to save the full show for Saturday.
French contestant Lisa Angell was up next, with one of the few Eurovision entries this year not to be sung in English, N'oubliez Pas (that's "Don't Forget" to me and you).
So does she want to win? "If I want something, I want something," she said. "If I want bread, I want bread, if I want cheese, I want cheese, so if I want to win, I want to win." Er, ok.
It was soon time for the Brits to cheer as Electro Velvet - Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas - arrived, complete with the obligatory apology from Alex for "bringing the weather with us".
With the rain now streaming down, the lyrics "Don't go out in the pouring rain / You might get wet, I'd be upset" seemed just a little ironic.
For some reason, Germany's Ann Sophie wasn't present so we had to make do with the video that accompanies her track, Black Smoke.
Italy and Spain rounded off the evening, with Italian trio Il Volo belting out their Il Divo-esque Grand Amore. It got the biggest ovation of the night and many here believe it's a serious contender for the Eurovision crown.
Spain's Edurne then belted out her gutsy number Amanecer as the rain finally cleared up and the crowds began to disperse.
So I've made it into the frankly massive Eurovision press centre - 800 square metres with 800 separate work spaces.
A dress rehearsal for tomorrow night's second semi-final is just about to begin. Nerves are jangling, as the elimination of PKN at last night's show proved no-one is safe.
The rehearsal is being beamed across the press centre on giant screens but, sadly, I'm not allowed to give you any updates - none of the rehearsals can be reported on.
Meanwhile, Vienna itself has gone Eurovision crazy. The city's Madame Tussaud's now has a wax figure of last year's winner, Conchita Wurst, and there's even a display in the Leopold Museum titled Nul-Pointers.
The exhibition contains - you guessed it - a portrait of each of the 34 Eurovision participants whose performances did not earn them a single point. According to the museum, "they represent icons of failure".
Talk about a back-handed compliment.
Earlier, I spotted my first gay-themed pedestrian traffic light (see above). They were due to be removed in June but Maria Vassilakou, in charge of traffic issues in the local council, has said they will now remain.
Right, it's time for me to hop off to the Euro Village to see the "Big Five" performing. I'll report back later.
Malta's enigmatic singer Amber has been spreading the Eurovision message of peace and equality ahead of her performance at the second semi-final on Thursday.
Yesterday, she was seen sporting a "Yes" badge when she met Ireland's Molly Sterling in Vienna, to show her support for the marriage equality referendum - which takes place on Friday in Ireland. It's the world's first referendum on same sex marriage and is, of course, being closely followed by the many gay fans of Eurovision.
Earlier today, Amber was spotted at Vienna's Learning Cafe, a free service for kids and teenagers from refugee families.
Amber plans to become a primary school teacher after Eurovision, so at least she has something to fall back on should her song, Warrior, not make it through to the grand final.
Press accreditation sorted, with much excitement surrounding the goody bags handed out to journalists - salami, sausages, you name it. Shame I'm vegetarian. Still, the chocolate and random shoe polish makes up for it.
I've not even left the airport lounge yet and the first big shock of Eurovision 2015 has happened without me. PKN, Finland's hotly tipped and much-hyped punk outfit, failed to make it through the first semi-final last night.
Shame - their song made a change from the plethora of power ballads on offer this year (even if it wasn't that easy on the ear).
The Netherlands may be four-times Eurovision winners, having last won in 1975, but any hopes of adding to that tally were also dashed on Tuesday night when they fell at the first hurdle.
Four other contenders will also be going home disappointed - Moldova, FYR Macedonia, Belarus and Denmark.
But it's not all bad news - Moldova's early exit means Eduard Romanyuta can go back to his PhD thesis on Ukranian tax policy. I kid you not.
Here are the 10 countries that did make the grade:
See you in Vienna!
And we're offâ€¦ 16 countries will go head-to-head at the first Eurovision semi-final tonight live from Vienna, with 10 lucky acts going through to Saturday's grand final.
Among those could be Finland's punk rock outfit PKN, Russia's Polina Gagarina - with a song about unity, fairness and equality - and Estonia's ones to watch, duo Elina and Stig.
This year's competition has a lot to live up to after Conchita Wurst stormed to glory in 2014 in Copenhagen.  The self-styled "bearded lady" will Rise Like a Phoenix once more to host this year's green room in both the semis and the final itself.
And never fear, the UK's entry, Electro Velvet, has a guaranteed slot on the stage this Saturday. As one of the "Big Five" which contribute the most money to the European Broadcasting Union - along with Italy, Spain, France and Germany - the UK goes through automatically. Phew.
As last year's winner, Austria also gets a bye into the final as does this year's surprise package, Australia, which has been invited to take part to celebrate the song contest's 60th anniversary.
You can watch both semi-finals (the second takes place on Thursday) on BBC Three at 20:00 BST tonight and on Thursday.


The Welsh Conservatives would aim to cut the basic rate of income tax in Wales by 2p in the pound if they win the assembly election.

Powers to vary income tax will be devolved to Cardiff Bay under plans published by the UK government.
This is expected to happen within the next five-year assembly term.
The Tories previously suggested a 1p cut in the basic rate, and are offering a 5p cut in the higher 40% rate.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: "This election is a watershed moment for Wales, with the assembly set to receive powers to vary income tax levels for the first time.
"At last we will have a mature, accountable legislature, and an executive which is forced to take responsibility for some of the money it spends and raises. A bona-fide Welsh parliament."
The Conservatives would not raise any income tax levels, he added.
"It is my aim to make Wales the low tax capital of the UK. When powers on tax are devolved, it is our ambition to reward taxpayers," he said.
"A 2p cut to the basic rate should be within reach."
The basic rate of income tax is currently 20p, and the higher rate, levied on annual income above £43,000, is currently 40p.
Cutting the basic rate of income tax in Wales by 1p would cost around £180m a year, with a 2p cut costing around £360m.
The Conservatives have not released detailed costings of the tax plans, but the party's policies on tuition fees and means-testing prescription charges would represent savings in the Welsh Government budget.
Mr Davies said last month that only health spending would be protected if his party won the election.
Welsh Labour, which has promised not to change income tax rates over the next five years, said the Tory policy was a "desperate last throw of the dice".
"They have already taken £1.2bn out of Wales and today's announcement would see a further £360m lost," said Jane Hutt, the finance minister.
"This uncosted promise would drive a bulldozer through Wales' finances and would mean huge cut to critical public services."
Plaid Cymru say they would not increase income tax, but they would introduce a new "middle rate" of income tax, representing a small cut in the current higher rate.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats back a 1p cut in the basic rate, while UKIP wants a referendum to be held before the tax is devolved.
Chancellor George Osborne announced he was scrapping the requirement for a referendum on the issue while presenting his autumn statement in November.


Fleetwood Town have signed midfielder Kyle Dempsey on a three-year deal from Huddersfield Town following a successful loan spell.

Dempsey, 21, won the young player of the season award in 2016-17, scoring two goals in 46 games to help the Cod Army to the League One play-offs.
The ex-Carlisle academy player joined Huddersfield in July 2015, and has left after one goal in 24 games.
"His displays for us haven't gone unnoticed," chairman Andy Pilley said.
He told the club website: "This is a huge signal of intent for Fleetwood Town to be able to sign a player of Kyle's calibre on a permanent basis."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


League One Doncaster upset Championship side Watford to secure a place in the third round of the Capital One Cup.

Nathan Tyson opened the scoring from the penalty spot against a sluggish Watford, who made a host of changes.
The Hornets sparked into life in the 31st minute when Lloyd Dyer scored from a smart flick from Odion Ighalo.
But after the break, Doncaster were quickly into their stride and when Liam Wakefield converted on 52 minutes there was no way back for Watford.
Doncaster travel to Premier League Fulham in the third round.
Doncaster manager Paul Dickov: "I thought we were outstanding. We've come to a very good team who are flying high at the minute and really took the game to them.
"I've just looked at some of the stats. I think they had one shot on target so defensively that shows you how good we were, especially with a really young back four.
"And I thought going forward, some of the breaks, we kept the ball, we moved the ball at pace and I'm delighted for the boys."
Watford head coach Beppe Sannino: "For me tonight, this was a night I was disappointed for a lot of people, the fans here at Vicarage Road and they deserve another show.
"Doncaster played better than us and they deserved it."


MPs have praised the £15.8bn Crossrail project but have warned there are "considerable risks" in delivering the scheme by its target of 2019.

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said it was a "textbook example of how to get things right".
However, they added there could be risks in managing the transition from building the railway to operating it.
Rail minister Claire Perry said she had "every confidence" Crossrail would be completed on time.
The line, which is due to be finished by 2019, will see trains running from Reading in Berkshire to the west of the capital and as far east as Shenfield in Essex.
The committee said the Crossrail programme was proceeding well and was on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer.
However the MPs warned "with construction incomplete, considerable risks remain in delivering the programme by 2019, particularly managing the transition from building the railway to operating it, and delivering the Crossrail trains".
The report added that Crossrail had a benefit-cost ratio of less than 2:1, meaning that for every £1 spent there would be a £2.10 benefit - however a ratio of 4:1 is considered to offer good value for money.
The committee also said the Department for Transport had not fully realised how the scheme would benefit London businesses, meaning that it had mixed success in securing contributions from businesses.
Heathrow Airport would now only provide £70m, which is less than a third of the funding it had originally agreed, MPs said.
Crossrail infrastructure is due to cost £14.8bn and its trains will cost a further £1bn.
Committee member Richard Bacon praised the delivery of the project, but said lessons needed to be learned about how to appraise transport projects.
"Major, complex infrastructure projects are notoriously difficult to deliver on time and in budget. With Crossrail we see a textbook example of how to get things right," the Conservative MP said.
Rail Minister Claire Perry said: "We have every confidence that Crossrail will be completed on time and, alongside Transport for London, we are working closely with the delivery company, Crossrail Ltd, to ensure it meets its construction timetable."


Apple boss Tim Cook has hit back at the FBI over the handling of a court order to help unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan Farook.

Mr Cook told ABC his company first learned of the controversial request when it was reported in the news media.
"I don't think that's the way the railroad should be run," he said.
"I don't think that something so important to this country should be handled in this way."
However, a source close to the investigation told the BBC Mr Cook's claim was "simply not true", and that Apple's legal team was "the first to know".
A spokeswoman for the FBI said she did not wish to comment on Mr Cook's remarks.
Elsewhere, the New York Times reported that Apple had begun working on an upgrade to its devices which would make it impossible to break into an iPhone using the method proposed by the FBI in this case.
Mr Cook was defending the company's refusal to comply with the FBI's order that it remove security blocks on Farook's device so data on it could be accessed.
He said the FBI was asking the company to make "the software equivalent of cancer".
Farook, along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in the attack in December last year.
"I think safety of the public is incredibly important," Mr Cook told ABC.
"The protection of people's data is incredibly important.  And so the trade-off here is we know that doing this could expose people to incredible vulnerabilities."
When asked if he was concerned Apple may hinder investigations that could prevent a future attack, Mr Cook said: "Some things are hard and some things are right.  And some things are both.  This is one of those things."
The FBI has argued that Apple is overstating the security risk to its devices. FBI Director James Comey said Apple had the technical know-how to break into Farook's device only in a way that did not create a so-called "backdoor" into every Apple device.
Conflicting polls suggest the American public is divided. One poll, by the Pew Research Center, suggested the majority of those polled sided with the FBI - although the researchers noted support for Apple grew among people who owned smart phones.
A Reuters poll, conducted by Ipsos, said 55% of respondents worried that the FBI would seek to use the backdoor to "spy on iPhone users".
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC or on Facebook
Read and watch more cybersecurity stories in our special index


Ryan Taylor was told he was being released by Newcastle in a phone call from John Carver, who then asked the player to pass the phone to team-mate Jonas Gutierrez so the Magpies boss could tell him he was going as well.

United secured their Premier League status on the final day of the season.
"John Carver rang me and told me the club weren't going to offer me a new deal," Taylor told Sky Sports News.
"Then he asked me to pass the phone to Jonas, which was unbelievable."
Defender Taylor, 30, spent six years at St James' Park, while midfielder Gutierrez, 31, had been at the club since 2008.
Gutierrez, who has fought testicular cancer, scored in a 2-0 win over West Ham as Newcastle avoided relegation.
Taylor said he had some sympathy for Carver.
"I spoke to him and he seemed upset about telling two good pros, who have been there a long time, that it's come to an end," said the defender.
"I can't really blame John because he's under instructions on what to do."
The pair are currently in Belfast at a coaching course.


Two British warships are shadowing an aircraft carrier and other Russian naval ships as they pass the UK on their way to Syria.

Sources suggest the carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its task force may sail through the English Channel overnight, after leaving the North Sea.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the ships would be "man-marked every step of the way" while near UK waters.
However, Nato said Russia had the right to operate in international waters.
The Russian task force's journey comes amid heightened tension between Russia and Nato.
"We will be watching as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe," Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said.
The Ministry of Defence said at about 13:00 BST the task force was "in the middle of the North Sea heading southwards".
At that stage it was understood to be about 100 miles (160km) off Edinburgh, but the MoD has not provided any further updates.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, escorted by the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday to track the Kuznetsov group as it headed south from the Norwegian Sea,
By Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent
If, as anticipated, the Admiral Kuznetsov and its task force are heading for the eastern Mediterranean, this will be the first ever combat deployment for Russia's only aircraft carrier.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman says that the Russian flotilla could pass through the Strait of Dover on Thursday, though it could be significantly delayed if the carrier conducts flight operations or has to stop to refuel.
Two of the Russian vessels carry land attack cruise missiles and the carrier has an unknown number of aircraft on board.
These will enhance Russia's firepower off Syria but this is, above all, a demonstration of force projection; a signal from Moscow that it can deploy its military might when and where it chooses.
Russia's naval battle group: Power play or theatre?
Russia already has about 10 ships off Syria, which have fired cruise missiles during Russia's bombardment of what it says are anti-government rebels in Syria.
The deployment comes as a "humanitarian pause" in attacks on rebel-held eastern Aleppo in Syria begins.
The temporary truce is part of a plan to allow civilians and fighters to leave, and Russian and Syrian air strikes have been halted since Tuesday.
Russian actions have created alarm in the West and, arriving at her first Brussels summit as UK prime minister, Theresa May said it was important to have a "united European stance" against "Russian aggression", which included "sickening atrocities" in Syria.
Downing Street sources said Mrs May had told EU counterparts that Russia's actions had "undermined the West's efforts" to provide a political settlement in Syria.
The Admiral Kuznetsov is the only carrier in the Russian navy. It can carry more than 50 aircraft and its weapons systems include granit anti-ship cruise missiles.
Former Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told BBC Radio 4's World at One that Russian President Vladimir Putin was engaged in "risky posturing", and the West needed to respond with tougher sanctions against Russia.
"I'm not an admirer of Vladimir Putin, but he plays a weak hand rather well, because he knows that the European Union has no consensual Russia policy - so he can get away with it."


The US, backed by China, has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council aimed at imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea.

It comes in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launch.
The measures would for the first time require UN member states to inspect all cargo to or from North Korea.
The US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said it would be the strongest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than 20 years.
A vote is expected at the weekend.
North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket in February and a nuclear test in January were widely condemned as a flagrant violation of UN resolutions.
Carrots or sticks for North Korea?
North Korea's missile programme
A world leader in dramatic rhetoric
How potent are the threats?
China also condemned North Korea's actions but it has previously been reluctant to endorse sanctions that could threaten its neighbour's stability.
"For the first time in history, all cargo going in and out of the DPRK (North Korea) would be subjected to mandatory inspection," Ms Power said after presenting the draft resolution measure to the Security Council.
"These sanctions, if adopted, would send an unambiguous and unyielding message to the DPRK regime. The world will not accept your proliferation. There will be consequences for your actions."
Ninety per cent of North Korea's trade is with China but the proposed sanctions do not prohibit that trade.
They might make it harder to do business if inspections of North Korean ships became bureaucratic and burdensome, but as it ordered the cargo China already knows the contents of coal ships from North Korea.
Where sanctions might bite is with aviation fuel. An effective block on fuel for Air Koryo would dent the tourist trade - and 30,000 Chinese tourists visit North Korea every year (though Air China also flies into Pyongyang).
There is a bigger question and that is whether sanctions are the best way of bringing change. One American professor in a Korean university said sanctions were like "punishing a masochist".
China may be more on board with the US now because it can see that North Korean progress towards deliverable nuclear weapons is relentless, and it might think that the US ultimately will simply not tolerate this. On this reading, the argument in Beijing may be: "we'd better stop them now before the US does it later".
On top of that, the Americans are talking about installing a sophisticated anti-missile shield in South Korea. This would see far into Chinese airspace. There may be some negotiation going on where Washington promises Beijing to hold fire on the radar system in return for serious Chinese pressure on Pyongyang.
Thursday's announcement followed weeks of negotiations between the US and China that culminated in talks in Washington this week between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The North insists its missile programme is purely scientific in nature, but the US, South Korea and even its ally China say such rocket launches are aimed at developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.
The North's nuclear test in January, which it claimed was a test of hydrogen bomb technology, was its fourth since 2006.


A stretch of the A35 near Dorchester been closed because of deep floodwater on the road.

The carriageway has been shut eastbound at Bradford Peverell between the A37 and the A354 Weymouth Relief Road.
The road is submerged in water for a distance of 50m (165ft), Dorset Police said.
Police urged motorists to avoid the area as the section of road road was likely to remain closed for several hours.
Check if this is affecting your journey
The force said the westbound carriageway remained open with only a small amount of surface water, but urged motorists to take extra care.


A veterinary practice in Hertfordshire is encouraging dog owners to donate their pets' blood for emergency surgery.

Davies Vet Specialists is holding the blood collection session at its practice in Higham Gobion.
The charity, Pet Blood Bank, collects the blood which is then stored and supplied to veterinary practices across the UK for use in transfusions.
To date, the charity has collected blood from almost 3,000 dogs.
Vanessa Ashall, veterinary surgeon at Pet Blood Bank, said: "Many people don't know about dog blood donation, but it is vital in helping to save the lives of dogs across the UK.
"One blood donation can save the lives of up to four dogs. So we would encourage dog owners who think that their dog may meet the required criteria to register their dog and come along on Saturday.
"It doesn't hurt the animal, most dogs don't even realise that they are donating blood," said Ms Ashall.
"We use local anaesthetic cream to prevent discomfort, and we find that by making lots of fuss and giving reassurance the dogs are very happy."
Not all dogs are suited to giving blood. A good temperament is essential, as the dog will need to sit quietly for about 10 minutes while the procedure takes place.
The size and weight of the dog is also important.
"You want a fit and healthy dog of a reasonable weight - a little Yorkshire terrier isn't going to donate a lot of blood," Ms Ashall said.
"We like the dogs to weigh more than 25kg (four stone)."
The charity is particularly calling for owners of negative blood type breeds such as greyhounds, boxers, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, flat coated retrievers, Rottweilers, Wiemaraners and bull mastiffs, to register their dog to give blood.
Hilary and Nick Jones, from Hertfordshire, will be taking two of their dogs, Jethro, a rare working English setter and Amos, a show-bred English setter, to the donation session.
It will be Jethro's fourth time giving blood but a first occasion for Amos.
Ms Jones said: "It's very important to us to support the Pet Blood Bank. Many years ago our setter needed major surgery as a young dog and this also involved a blood transfusion.
"If blood hadn't been available at the time we would never have had the joy of owning him for a further 12 years."
Any owners with potential dog donors can register their dog for the session on Saturday, 26 March 2011 between 1230 GMT and 1830 GMT at Pet Blood Bank UK.


A top court in the US state of Connecticut has overturned the death penalty for inmates on death row, deeming it unconstitutional.

The ruling comes three years after capital punishment was abolished in the state, but for future crimes only.
The supreme court's decision means 11 of the state's inmates still on death row will now be spared.
Connecticut has had just one execution since 1976. Thirty-one US states still allow executions.
The ruling came in response to an appeal by convicted murder Eduardo Santiago, who was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 2005.
"We are persuaded that... this state's death penalty no longer comports with contemporary standards of decency and no longer serves any legitimate penological purpose," it said.
It noted a "freakishness" in the use of the punishment, with what it said was a wide disparity in its application.
Connecticut supreme court judge Richard Palmer said the death penalty amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" and violated the state's constitution.
New Hampshire is the only north-eastern state to still keep capital punishment, though its last execution was carried out in 1939. The latest state to abolish the death penalty was Nebraska in 2015.
Source: Death Penalty Information Center
Why is the US Supreme Court reviewing the lethal injection?


Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the niece of defeated far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, is to quit politics, French media report.

Ms Maréchal-Le Pen, 27, who is an MP for the National Front (FN), had been seen by some as a future leader of the party.
She is the granddaughter of FN founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
She is one of the best known figures in the party and one of only two FN lawmakers in the outgoing parliament.
Analysts say she takes more of a hardline position than her aunt.
According to Le Figaro, Ms Maréchal-Le Pen will announce on Wednesday her intention not to stand for a new term in parliamentary elections in June. She will also quit her position as president of the FN in the south-eastern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
It is understood she wishes to spend more time with her young daughter, the newspaper adds.
The party would not confirm the report but senior FN official Bruno Gollnisch told reporters it would not be totally unexpected.
"I think it's in the works, but I will let her announce it if she wants to," he said.


A seven-year-old boy who was shot in the leg in Salford has written a letter to Father Christmas asking him to help find the gunmen.

Jayne Hickey and her son Christian were shot when two men knocked on their front door in Gillingham Road, Salford on 12 October.
Police have linked the shooting to armed feuds between gangs.
At the top of Christian's letter to Santa it says "help the police catch the people who hurt me".
Det Ch Supt Russ Jackson said the letter was "heart-wrenching".
"What happened to Christian will stay with him for the rest of his life but what we can do is try to make this up to him by finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.
"These people have absolutely no place in civilised society and we remain as determined as ever to find them," he added.
Christian and his mother have undergone surgery and are both now recovering at home, police said.
It is thought the gunmen were looking for Christian's father. No arrests have been made in the investigation.


(Open): The FTSE 100 opened stronger on Friday in the wake of new bailout plans from Greece and another day of relative recovery on Chinese markets.

Chinese shares closed up 5% as government moves that dramatically limit share sales took further affect.
Chinese shares suffered a 30% fall in the past month and rises of the past few days have not made that up.
The FTSE 100 index was up 72.84 at 6,654.47, with Intercontinental Hotels top of the gainers.
That rose almost 4% on news it was selling Intercontinental Hong Kong for almost $1bn.
Airline stocks were doing well after Ryanair said it would accept IAG's offer for its 30% stake in Aer Lingus. Rises were around 2%.
On the currency markets, the pound fell 0.27% against the euro to â‚¬1.3905 and was 0.43% higher against the dollar at $1.5446.


A body recovered from the sea off Orkney was that of a fisherman who fell overboard earlier this year.

Craig Reid, 25, from Inverness, was lost overboard from the Apollo on 18 April.
It happened about 20 miles off the coast, and a body was recovered 25 miles off Orkney on 31 July by a fishing boat.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Reid's family at this difficult time."


A man planned mass murder at his former college and a shooting spree on the Tyne and Wear Metro after building up an arsenal of weapons, a court heard.

Liam Lyburd, 19, admitted nine charges relating to making five pipe bombs on the first day of his trial.
But he denies eight charges of possessing the items with an intent to endanger life.
Newcastle Crown Court heard he told police he intended to "shoot a bunch of people" and blow up Newcastle College.
The jury heard a document found on his computer read "people will die".
Prosecutor Nick Dry told the court that following concerns raised about posts he had made on Facebook in November under the name Felix Burns, police went to the house on Hamilton Place, Newcastle, where he lived with his mother and sister and searched his room.
Officers found items including a black handgun and canisters of CS gas, along with a black "kill bag" which contained a balaclava, safety glasses, elbow and knee pads and a number of pipe bombs with nails taped around them.
Laughing as he was transported to the police station, after being arrested, he told detectives that it had been a "fantasy that he had no intention of carrying out", the court heard.
The jury was told Investigations revealed images of Mr Lyburd he had taken of himself dressed for combat, armed with a Glock and brandishing a knife.
Detectives also found conversations he had on Skype with a girl in Iceland in which he spoke of his desire to kill and had referenced Norwegian killer Anders Breivik, as well as Jaylen Fryberg who shot high school five students in the United States.
He also discussed shooting commuters on the Tyne and Wear Metro system, saying he would be on "Valium at the time, and how he would resort to using his machete if the gun jammed", the court heard.
The jury was told he attended the college for five weeks in 2012, developing a hatred for the place.
Records from the college show he had been "disruptive in class and had a very poor attendance record" and had been kicked out for "shocking" behaviour.
Mr Lyburd pleaded guilty to nine charges relating to making five pipe bombs, two home-made explosive devices, possessing a 9mm Luger Calibre Glock gun, 94 jacketed hollow point expanding bullets and CS gas.
He denied eight charges of possessing those items with an intent to endanger life at Newcastle College.
Mr Dry said it was "no improbable fantasy of a naive daydreamer divorced from reality", but a "carefully planned revenge attack, constructed and resourced by an embittered yet highly skilled and savvy computer hacker".
The trial continues.


Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died on Friday, played a crucial role in shaping southern Africa's history, writes Richard Dowden, from the UK's Royal Africa Society.

In Cuba it seems there will forever be two histories of Fidel Castro.
One is the revolutionary who succeeded and became the guiding star for all who saw the world through the lens of Marxist Leninism.
The other is the brutal dictator who suppressed democracy and kept his country poor.
There is one place where Castro undoubtedly made a difference: Angola.
In 1975 a military coup in Portugal overthrew the dictatorship of Antonio d'Oliveira Salazar.
The country was tired of fighting wars in its colonies in Africa, long after the UK and France had pulled out of their African empires.
Angola's three liberation movements had been fighting the Portuguese but they were at odds with each other and soon civil war broke out.
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), backed by the Soviet Union, was largely coastal and urban.
Of the other two, Jonas Savimbi's Unita was supported by apartheid South Africa and Western countries, and the FNLA, the National Front for the Liberation of Angola, was backed by Angola's northern neighbour Congo.
The Vietnam war was just drawing to an end but here, on the West Coast of Africa, a new war began which threatened to become a proxy war for the communist and capitalist superpowers.
The Americans, whose long and bloody war in Vietnam had scarred the country's conscience, were not ready for another intervention.
From a distance they backed the FNLA and then worked with the South Africans to support Unita.
The Russians and Fidel Castro in Cuba supported the MPLA. But while the big players sought a power-sharing agreement, Castro decided to act.
The Russians sent about 1,000 advisers, money and prayers but no combat troops. East Germany also sent military assistance.
But for Castro this was not just an adventure or purely ideological. Many Cubans are of African origin and come from the Angolan coast.
Castro saw an opportunity to exert his brand of international solidarity and make a difference on a global scale.
He sent 3,000 combat troops and 300 military advisers, as well as tanks and fighter aircraft.
The battleground was Cuito Cuanavale, a small town in the south on the river Lomba and the gateway to south-eastern Angola where South Africa was training, supplying and directing Unita forces.
The first attacks were in 1983 and a full-scale battle took place in 1986 - the biggest battle in Africa since El Alamein in Egypt in 1942.
The largely white South African army took heavy casualties but held the town and stopped the Angolan offensive, preventing it from advancing south and capturing Savimbi's headquarters at Jamba.
There was a stalemate but it was not a situation that South Africa could maintain for long, even though it also controlled neighbouring Namibia at the time.
Shortly afterwards Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union and began to make overtures to the US.
I was in Washington at that time and managed to get a briefing on Angola at the Pentagon. I was shown a satellite photograph  that showed Cuban and East German airforce bases in southern Angola, some south of  Cuito Cuanavale.
I asked if the South Africans had seen them yet.
"They will find out soon enough," came the reply.
At that extraordinary moment I realised that the world had changed.
The Americans had decided that since the Soviet Union was no longer the big threat in the region, the real enemy of peace in southern Africa was the racism of South Africa.
The man whose decision to go to war in Angola had triggered this moment was Fidel Castro.


Bayern Munich suffered a surprise defeat by Mainz as Borussia Dortmund boosted their Bundesliga title hopes going into Saturday's Der Klassiker.

Dortmund, who beat Darmstadt 2-0, are now five points off Bayern and host the champions this weekend.
Bayern, who had won 17 consecutive home games in all competitions, trailed when Mainz's Jairo swept home a cross.
Arjen Robben levelled from 25 yards but substitute Jhon Cordoba scored a late winner from outside the box.
Dortmund, who have now won six of their last seven Bundesliga matches, beat Darmstadt thanks to goals from Adrian Ramos and Erik Durm.
There will be live text commentary of Der Klassiker on the BBC Sport website (Saturday, 17:30 GMT kick-off).


A man knocked unconscious while he was doing DIY at his home came round to find racist graffiti on the wall.

The man was wearing headphones as he worked in his home in Westfield Street in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, when the attacker struck on Wednesday.
He managed to call police when he regained consciousness and nothing was taken from the house.
Police said he was hit on the back of the head and treated in hospital for a minor head injury.
Any witnesses are urged to contact police.


A zoo in the Tunisian capital is to close temporarily after visitors stoned a crocodile to death.

The Belvedere Zoo posted pictures of the bloodied reptile, with a paving stone and rock next to its head, on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
It died from an internal haemorrhage, the Tunis municipality said.
More guards and environmental police will be employed at the site after "emergency cleaning and maintenance works", the environment ministry said.
Measures would be introduced to manage visitors entering and exiting, it said.
The zoo has long faced problems with litter and visitors' behaviour, and been criticised over the condition of animals.
"It's terrible. You cannot imagine what animals endure from some visitors," Amor Ennaifer, a vet at the zoo, told AFP news agency.
"Citizens leave waste and plastic bags. They throw stones at lions and hippos."


Aliya Mustafina became the first Russian gymnast to win Olympic gold in Rio by retaining her uneven bars title.

Mustafina won with a score of 15.900 to add a gold medal to the silver and bronze she had already won in Rio.
Victory took the 21-year-old's tally of Olympic medals to seven after she won four on her debut at London 2012.
Madison Kocian of the United States won silver with a score of 15.833 with Germany's Sophie Scheder taking bronze with 15.566.
The International Gymnastics Federation only announced on 4 August, the day before the Games started, that 20 Russian gymnasts had been cleared to compete in Rio.
This was the first women's gymnastics gold medal in Rio not be won by the United States.


The Confederation of African Football president will be limited to three terms in office from next year's election in March 2017.

Junior Binyam, Caf's media spokesman, confirmed to BBC Sport that the new ruling was approved at Thursday's Extraordinary General Assembly.
It is a major change for the governing body, whose incumbent president Issa Hayatou has been in power for 28 years.
The limit will also apply to the members of Caf's Executive Committee.
In February, football's world governing body Fifa limited its presidency to three terms in office as it aimed to recover from a corruption crisis.
Binyam told BBC Sport: "The main reason of this amendment of Caf statutes was to align them with Fifa ones. But more reforms and amendment can be expected."
In 2015 Caf voted to change the statutes which previously stopped officials serving past the age of 70, which paved the way for Hayatou, who turned 70 in August, to stand in the next presidential election.
The latest change to the statues means Hayatou could extend his tenure by a maximum of 12 years - each term is four years - when he would be aged 82.
He has yet to announce if he will contest the election.
However, he appears to be in a strong position to remain his post following the rejection on Thursday of Djibouti Football Federation's proposal to end the rule that restricts potential candidates for the Caf presidency only to members of its 15-man executive committee.
That rule was introduced just four years ago and critics have argued it allows Hayatou to continue unopposed and also to handpick his successor when the time comes.


Burnley have signed Liverpool full-back Jon Flanagan on a season-long loan.

Flanagan, 23, has made 40 league appearances for Liverpool since his debut in 2010, including 23 in 2013-14 under Brendan Rodgers.
However, the Anfield youth product's progress stalled after after he had knee surgery in September 2014, and he has made just eight appearances since.
"It's a massive club with passionate fans, I can't wait," said Flanagan, who has played once for England.
Flanagan is Burnley's third summer signing, after Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Nick Pope both joined from Charlton Athletic.


A Berlin court has sentenced a Dutchman to community service for tricking officials into thinking he had lived in a forest for years with his father.

Robin van Helsum, now 21, was accused of wrongfully claiming help from Berlin youth services for months after turning up in the German capital two years ago.
He admitted making up a story that his parents were dead and he did not know who he was or where he was from.
Mr van Helsum was also ordered to undergo counselling.
Court spokesman Tobias Kaehne explained why van Helsum had been sentenced to 160 hours of community service.
"The defendant admitted the allegations," he said. "He has no previous convictions, his development has proceeded well and the loss to the tax payer is either nothing or very small."
He added that the cost to the German state would have been similar had van Helsum simply declared himself a homeless adult.
When Robin Van Helsum walked into Berlin City Hall, he fooled everybody, the BBC's Steve Evans reports.
Forest Boy, as the world's media quickly dubbed him, said he had buried his own father, though he could not remember where.
He was cared for over nine months by the Berlin authorities and given more than 200 euros (Â£168; $270) a month in spending money.
Unfortunately for him, some of his old friends back in the Netherlands eventually recognised him through the coverage and the game was up, our correspondent says.
Mr Kaehne said that van Helsum had not, in essence, lied about his circumstances.
"He was homeless, that was one of his reasons, and he wanted support, that is correct," the court spokesman said.
"And he also made it clear that - and this is proven in the records - that he never said he had lived in the woods for five years.
"It was more the case that he travelled through Germany with his father, and slept in the woods at times, but he never permanently lived in the woods. So he didn't really tell the story of the 'forest boy' quite in that way."


A driver who was distracted by a spider ended up killing a cyclist and badly injuring another when she took her eyes off the road to throw the creature out.

Simon Evans, 37, from Derby, was on a charity bike ride when he died in the crash on the A30 in Devon in September.
Georgina Mills, of Okehampton, Devon, admitted causing death by dangerous driving at Exeter Crown Court.
The 23-year-old was given a two-year driving ban, a two-year community order and sentenced to 200 hours unpaid work.
The court was told that Mills was driving to work when the crash happened at Tedburn St Mary as a result of a spider dropping in front of her.
Prosecutor Richard Crabb said: "She grabbed it, opened the window and chucked it out of the car."
Mr Crabb said Mills only realised she had struck the cyclist when she had looked back at the road.
He added: "It is estimated that she took her eyes off the road for two seconds."
Mills, a civil engineer, told police at the scene that she was not a dangerous driver and said it had been a 'lapse of concentration'.
Simon Evans, an IT manager, was on the second day of a cycle ride from Land's End to Derby when the crash happened.
The court was told he had been riding behind his brother-in-law, Keith Richards, and that he had been inside the rumble strip - not on the main road - when he was hit.
He was pronounced dead at hospital an hour later. Mr Richards, 37, from Reading, suffered leg injuries in the crash.
Defence barrister Rupert Taylor said that apart from the death and injury caused, there were no other aggravating features like speed, racing or drink.
He said that Mills was never going to drive again and described her as a "decent, productive, hard-working member of the community".
The court was told that Mills had a clean driving record, no previous convictions and excellent prospects.
On sentencing her, Judge Graham Cottle said: "There is no basis for disbelieving your account that you took your eyes temporarily off the road to deal with a creature.
"You have never sought to blame any external factors in this case."
Speaking after the sentence Keith Richards said: "The sentence passed can in no way repair the sense of loss that we feel and continue to feel each day."


Councillors have voted to ban buses and taxis from Queen Street in Oxford for six months because of safety concerns.

The city centre road was made pedestrians only from June to November during the redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre.
Now Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to continue the policy when the centre reopens because of the predicted increase in pedestrians.
The "experimental traffic order" still has to be signed off by the government.
The closure has also been blamed for increasing pressure on other city centre roads.
When the shopping centre is finished next year there are expected to be 11 million more people using it.
Council officers have estimated the number of pedestrians using the road will increase by 145% from 4,000 per hour up to 9,800 per hour.
They have also calculated that at present, 48 buses per hour use the road.
Officers said in their report that assurances from the bus companies "do not remove our concern over pedestrian safety".
But transport boss David Nimmo Smith said he was worried it would cause increased bus traffic in other roads such as St Aldates, which he described as an "architectural gem".
The Secretary of State for Transport will now have to approve the plan before it comes into effect.


Two men have been charged over the attempted armed robbery of a shop in Londonderry.

At about 21:00 BST on Friday, a man armed with a knife entered a shop at Northland Avenue in the Rosemount area and demanded money.
Police said the suspect was restrained by members of the public until officers arrived and arrested him. Another man was arrested nearby a short time later.
The men, who are both 19, are to appear in court on Monday.
They are charged with attempted robbery, conspiracy to rob and possession of an offensive weapon.


US technology giant Google reported a 4% increase in profits to $3.59bn (Â£2.38bn), as strong advertising sales helped boost the firm's bottom line.

Google said advertising sales for the first three months of 2015 were $15.5bn, an 11% increase from the same period a year earlier.
Total revenue also increased by 12% to $17.3bn, but like other US firms, the company was hurt by the strong dollar.
Shares in the firm rose more than 3% in trading after markets had closed.
There had been fears on Wall Street that profits would be weaker due to investment in new businesses and weaker advertising revenue as more people access Google via mobile devices, where advertising rates are lower.
But the fears turned out to be unfounded - a fall in the average price of an advert was offset by an increase in the number of adverts.
"The concern was that the first quarter results could have been much worse," Colin Gillis from BGC Financial said. "There's a certain degree of relief rally happening."
In a statement accompanying the results, chief financial officer Patrick Pichette said the company continued "to see great momentum in our mobile advertising business and opportunities with brand advertisers".
However, Google did suffer from the stronger dollar. Taking out the impact of currency movements, Mr Pichette said revenue grew by 17% in the quarter compared with a year earlier.
The results also showed the firm continued hire new staff at a high rate, with employee numbers up 9,000 over the past year.


RMT union members working on the Caledonian Sleeper rail service linking Scotland and London have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

In the ballot, 91% voted in favour of the industrial action. They also backed action short of a strike.
The RMT said strikes were likely to be held before Christmas.
The union has claimed the operator Serco has failed to fix a raft of issues with the rolling stock.
Serco said Christmas was one of the service's busiest times of the year.
Peter Strachan, managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper, said:  "While we are disappointed that the RMT has voted in favour of industrial action and action short of a strike, we have not yet received notification from the RMT of their intention.
"Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the Caledonian Sleeper service and we therefore remain hopeful that we can minimise any disruption to guests."


Bed bugs use a range of tactics to render insecticides useless, a study suggests.

Infestations are on the rise around the world, but the pests are growing resistant to some chemicals.
Now scientists have found 14 genes associated with a number of biological changes.
These include the development of a thicker skin that stops poisons from penetrating, and mutations that prevent toxins from hitting the nervous system.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also suggests that some of the bugs are producing higher levels of enzymes that help to metabolise insecticides more quickly.
Others genes are associated with proteins that interfere with the way the deadly chemicals are carried around the bed bugs' bodies.
Subba Palli, professor entomology from the University of Kentucky in the US and an author of the study, said that the hardy insects were using a combination of these molecular tricks.
"Some used four different mechanisms, some three and so on," he explained.
"Bed bugs are employing more than one mechanism of resistance to avoid insecticide toxicity."
Nature's survivors
Bed bugs are present all over the globe, but in recent years Europe, the US, Canada and Australia have seen a huge influx of them.
The insects feast on the blood of their sleeping victims, leaving itchy, red welts as a calling card.
They are one of the toughest pests to get rid of. Vacating your bed - or even home - will not help, as the insects can survive for months without food, hiding away until their meal returns.
Direct exposure to insecticides - the most widely used are synthetic organic compounds called pyrethroids - was once an effective way to kill off the pests. But not any more.
Prof Palli said that the bed bugs had developed a number of biological systems to avoid death by poison.
Studying 21 populations of insects, which had been collected from infested apartments close to the university, the team discovered that the genes associated with resistance to pyrethroids were located in the bed bugs' tough outer shell.
"We are hypothesising that having these genes expressed in the epidermis will provide a first line of defence as insecticides penetrate the skin," he explained.
The team said that the findings could help scientists to develop new, more effective chemicals.
These could bypass the bed bugs' molecular armoury or work by interfering with the genes associated with insecticide resistance.
But until these are created, exterminators are having to resort to other means to beat the bugs.
Prof Palli explained: "In places like India, they are not treated as huge problem pests... People drag their furniture out into the Sun... and the bugs will crawl out and die from the heat."
Now in the US, he explained, exterminators are employing similar tactics when confronted with the worst infestations.
"The best option now is to heat the place up to 90-100F (30-35C) so that the bugs will come out and die," he explained.
"They take all of the furniture out, and they heat up the house. That seems to be the way to exterminate them if the infestation is bad."


A giant pumpkin which set a new record for the UK's heaviest to be grown outdoors is to be turned into a boat.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) expert Matthew Oliver grew the gourd from a seed which cost Â£1,250 and came from the current world record holder.
His pumpkin's weight was confirmed as 95st (605kg) at the weekend.
"Unfortunately giant pumpkins are not known for their culinary properties," a spokeswoman for the RHS said. "So we will be making this one into a boat."
Horticulturalist Mr Oliver, from Essex, said he was "over the moon" at the weekend when his fruit's credentials were confirmed at the Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Southampton.
The spokeswoman for the RHS said the pumpkin would be on display at Hyde Hall, near South Woodham Ferrers, where Mr Oliver works, between 22 and 30 October before its floating credentials were tested.
"We will cut a lid off, hollow it out, pop an external motor on it and send Matthew Oliver into the middle of the lake at the RHS Garden Hyde Hall," she said.
The parent pumpkin was grown in Switzerland in 2014 by Beni Meier, who still holds the world record for the heaviest gourd, at 166st (1,054kg).
Mr Oliver's pumpkin seed, which was bought by Ipswich-based seed company Thompson and Morgan, was planted in mid April. He said it took six days to germinate before becoming a "vigorous grower".


Confidence within Scottish construction has fallen back to levels last seen two years ago, a survey has found.

The Scottish Building Federation (SBF) said employers gave a positive overall confidence rating for the tenth quarter in a row.
However, having reached a record high in the second quarter of the year, industry confidence has now fallen back to where it was at the end of 2013.
Employers' concerns included the impact of a shortage of skills and labour.
In anticipation of next year's Holyrood elections, the latest Scottish Construction Monitor included questions about key policy areas affecting the construction sector.
The federation said the results showed "continued dissatisfaction" with procurement practices in terms of complexity and cost.
The survey also identified high levels of concern among members about the impact of rogue traders operating in the sector.
Views about the performance of Scotland's planning and building control authorities varied from a majority who were generally satisfied to a "significant" minority who were not.
More than 60 construction firms took part in the latest survey.
SBF managing director Vaughan Hart said: "This latest confidence rating underlines continued concerns amongst employers about the long term sustainability of the revival in industry performance we are currently witnessing.
"As we have highlighted before, there are continuing concerns about the unbalanced performance of the industry at the current time and that, throughout 2015, industry employment rates have continued to lag significantly behind record levels of output.
"As we look ahead to next year's Scottish Parliament elections, there are a number of critical issues facing the construction industry which we are keen to see politicians across all parties get to grips with.
"Policy areas such as procurement, planning, capital investment and skills will all have a major influence on the industry's future.
"We look forward to debating these issues with candidates in the lead-up to the May elections and to exploring the solutions needed to support the industry over the lifetime of the next Scottish Parliament."


Maxine Smith looks set to replace Drew Hendry as Highland Council's leader.

The councillor in the local authority's Cromarty Firth ward was elected to head the council's SNP group at a meeting on Monday night.
She has to be confirmed as council leader at a full meeting of Highland Council in June.
Mr Hendry will continue as council leader until Monday but resigned as SNP group leader following his election as an SNP MP last week.
He was elected as the new MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, the seat previously held by Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander.
The SNP are the largest party in Highland Council's ruling administration which also involves the Lib Dems and Labour.


A family from Barnsley who were caught up in the Tunisia beach attacks have claimed they have had no help from the government.

Maxine Midgley, Richard Slater and their 14-year-old daughter Bronwyn hid in a shopkeeper's cupboard in Sousse as people were being killed around them.
Ms Midgley described the lack of official support as "disgusting".
Tobias Ellwood MP, for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said the family "should be getting help".
The family said they were suffering from flashbacks and other psychological problems.
"I had heard that David Cameron was supposed to be helping everybody for counselling and things like this," she said.
"As far as I'm concerned, we've had nothing. They've not even asked to see we were OK."
President of the UK Psychological Trauma Society, Prof Neil Greenberg, believes people involved in the Tunisia attacks who need mental health care are falling through the net because a proper system has not been established to support them.
He has called for the introduction of a screen and treat programme - a system used after the 7/7 bombings - to identify victims in need of specialist help.
The government says its doing all it can to help those affected.
Mr Slater said he had contacted the family's GP after his partner suffered a "meltdown" and started to smash things in the family's home.
He said: "The GPs have been OK and tried to support us as best they can, but they're not counsellors."
Eventually, Mr Slater's employers arranged and paid for counselling sessions for him and his family.
"I wake up most nights sweating and thinking about what really happened and just how close we were," he said.
"It's horrendous really, it's a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone.
"I have it all, running from the beach up to the street having to keep Maxine and Bronwyn in front of me so if any bullets come I take the bullet.
"Then we were in that cupboard with hand grenades and bullets going off in front of us."
Mr Ellwood, under secretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said his department had "mobilised a huge amount of government help".
He said he was "disturbed to hear" the family was having to seek private finance for help and urged them to get in touch with the Sousse families' unit at the Foreign Office.
Thirty-eight people, including 30 Britons, were killed when gunman Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire on tourists staying in the popular resort of Port El Kantaoui on 26 June.


The number of people unemployed in the UK fell by 34,000 to 2.47m in the three months to May, official figures show.

That took the jobless rate to 7.8%, the lowest for a year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The number of people in work rose by 160,000 in the three months to May, the biggest rise since August 2006.
However, the increase was due to a record 148,000 rise in the number of part-time workers, while full-time workers increased by just 12,000.
The ONS said the percentage of workers in part-time jobs was 27%, its highest since records began in 1992.
The increase in the levels of both unemployment and employment can partly be explained by a fall in the number of people classed as economically inactive.
This decline - the first in more than a year - indicates that people are coming back into the job market, either as workers or job hunters, after a period of not looking for work.
There was also a rise in the number of people out of work for more than a year. It rose to 787,000, a level not seen since 1997.
And although the UK overall saw a 0.1% fall in unemployment, the number out of work rose in Scotland (0.3%), Wales (0.1%) and Northern Ireland (0.6%).
Read Stephanie's blog
The UK figures will raise hopes that the economic recovery is gaining momentum. Although some experts think unemployment could start rising again by the end of next year.
Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said in a speech on Tuesday that the labour market had stabilised.
"Evidence from the Bank of England's agents and recent employment surveys is that the labour market in the UK has stabilised and that labour demand in the private sector may have already started to pick up."
David Tinsley, an economist at National Australia Bank in London and a former Bank of England official, agreed that rising unemployment had come to an end - for now.
"It may pick up again next year. It's hard to see how a steady pace of improvement will be maintained as public-sector job losses start to bite."
Vicky Redwood, of Capital Economics, was also concerned about future downward trends. "We still doubt that private sector hiring will pick up strongly enough to offset the severe public sector job cuts," she said.
The UK jobless rate compares with 10% in the eurozone, 9.5% in the US and 5.2% in Japan, the ONS report showed.
Those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell in June by 20,800 to 1.46 million, the ONS figures showed.
Meanwhile, the ONS reported that wage growth eased sharply in the three months to May, with average weekly earnings growth falling to 2.7% from 4.1% in the three months to April.
Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's economics editor, said: "The bottom line is that UK households are still seeing a significant squeeze in living standards as a result of the financial crisis, even if more people than expected have found paying work.
"And, lest we forget, the squeeze from higher taxes and lower public spending has barely begun," she said.


National League side Barrow have signed Biggleswade striker Inih Effiong on a deal until the end of the season.

Effiong is the the Southern Premier League side's top scorer, finding the net 23 times this term.
The 6 ft 4ins 25-year-old could make his debut for Barrow, who are fifth in the National League table, when they face Forest Green on Saturday.
"We are grateful to Biggleswade for allowing us speedy access to the player," director Russell Dodd said.


Detectives investigating money laundering and illegal gambling have seized machines and cash worth more than £500,000 in Belfast and Lisburn.

Premises were searched at Shaftesbury Square and Lisburn Road in Belfast and Chapel Hill in Lisburn.
More than 100 illegal gaming machines and three casino roulette machines were seized as well as £200,000 in cash.
A 63-year-old-man from Lurgan was arrested and has been bailed to attend Musgrave police station on 11 March.
Officers from Home Office Immigration Enforcement also arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of an immigration offence.
Det Supt Andrea McMullan, from the Organised Crime Branch, said that in addition to the substantial amount of cash seized police believe the three roulette machines have a value of £100,000 each.
"We seized a further 130 smaller gaming machines which are worth around £1,000 each," she said.
"We have worked with District policing colleagues and partners in the Gambling Commission and Immigration Enforcement to stop what we believe were premises being used for illegal gambling and money laundering."