A RUSSIAN man trying to win the Sauna World Championships died after collapsing with severe burns in the final stage of an event that required contestants to sit in a 230-degree (110 Celsius) room as water was tossed onto a searing stove, officials and witnesses said.

A Russian finalist at the annual Sauna World Championships in Finland has died and his Finnish rival was rushed to hospital before competition closed.

An Irish singer has been crowned 2005 World Karaoke Champion.