BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan has spared no expense in staging the inaugural European Games, which will get underway on Friday with a lavish opening ceremony, but the event has also turned the spotlight on its human rights record.
The energy-rich nation on the Caspian Sea has spent more than a billion dollars to stage its biggest sports extravaganza to date, according to officials, building several dazzling venues from scratch for the 16-day competition.
