MUSIC TELEVISION: Rapper Eminen, R&B singers Sean Paul and Beyonce Knowles, and rock group the White Stripes were among the winners at MTV Europe's music awards last night.
The show, held in Edinburgh, was opened by singer Christina Aguilera (right) with a stripping nun routine. The singer last week played a concert in Dublin.
Eminem won best hip-hop artist for the fifth year running and Sean Paul was named best new act.
Beyonce won best R&B act, beating rivals including Jennifer Lopez. The 22-year-old star thanked boyfriend Jay-Z in her acceptance speech.
The Destiny's Child singer has brought Edinburgh to a virtual standstill over the past two days, mobbed by fans every time she set foot outside her hotel.
The White Stripes were voted best rock act by MTV viewers.
Christina Aguilera came on stage in Edinburgh wearing a nun's habit and surrounded by a choir.
She then ripped off the habit to reveal a barely there top and leather chaps and broke into the opening bars of her hit song Dirrty.
It was the first of many costume changes for Aguilera, who hosted the awards at Leith's Ocean Terminal.
She was followed on stage by Beyonce, who wore a silver dress as she performed new single Baby Boy with Sean Paul.
The first award of the night went to Justin Timberlake, who won best album for Justified. The Panjabi MC took home the award for best dance.
Scottish singers Sharleen Spiteri of the band Texas and Shirley Manson of Garbage said the atmosphere at the awards was "crazy".
Manson said: "It is amazing. This is my home city and I am proud that we are hosting the awards tonight.
"I think it is an under-utilised city so to have people coming from down south to our country is fantastic and we welcome it.
"It's just a pity that more Scottish people couldn't come here on the night." Spiteri said the event made her proud to be Scottish.
She said: "When I come to Edinburgh I am still amazed at how fantastic it is.
"At the end of the day it is really good for everybody to be here and we're really happy to be invited."
MTV gave a humanitarian award to Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi because she "is an inspiration to us all".
The Nobel peace laureate followed in the footsteps of Amnesty International, Greenpeace and Irish pop star Bono, previous winners of MTV's "Free Your Mind" award. - (PA, Reuters)