Eurovision voting figures show juries and public clash

Polish act Donatan and Cleo performed the song My Slowianie- We Are Slavic

The latest Eurovision figures have revealed the differences between the public phone vote and the jury vote at Saturday night's competition.

The UK phone vote gave Poland's Donatan and Cleo top marks but the jury thought they were the worst act of the night.

Their combined score meant Poland ended up with nil points from the British.

Every country's voting power is split 50/50 between a jury and the public. Austria's Conchita Wurst won the contest in Copenhagen on Saturday.

Other discrepancies included Germany, whose public vote put Greece in fourth place but whose jury ranked it fourth from bottom at 22nd. Again, this resulted in nil points overall.

Ireland also gave Poland top marks in the telephone vote but the song We are Slavs was given bottom marks by the jury panel.

Mers virus: Saudis warned to wear masks near camels

Research has been focusing on the role of the camel in the spread of the virus

Saudi Arabia has urged its citizens to wear masks and gloves when dealing with camels so as to avoid spreading the deadly Mers virus.

The agriculture ministry advised people not to come into contact with camels unless necessary and to wash their hands if they did.

Saudia Arabia is the country by far most affected by Mers, with 133 deaths since the virus was detected in 2012.

Nearly 500 people in the kingdom have been infected.

Mers - Middle East respiratory syndrome - has also spread to other countries in the Middle East.

The disease is a coronavirus, a large family of viruses that also includes the common cold and Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome). It causes fever, pneumonia and kidney failure.

Mers is part of a large family of viruses


"It is advisable to wear protective gloves, especially when dealing with births or sick or dead (camels)," the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

Continue reading the main story

Middle East respiratory syndrome

• The rate of Mers infections is increasing
• The first fatality was recorded in June 2012 in Saudi Arabia
• Coronaviruses like Mers are fairly fragile and easily destroyed by cleaning agents

• Q&A: Mers - the new coronavirus

It suggested boiling camel milk and only eating cooked camel meat.

The ministry's statement comes as research by health experts has focused on the role of the camel as a carrier of the virus.

The camel is a central part of traditional Saudi life and the authorities have only recently linked the outbreak to the animals.

But some farmers have mocked the official warnings, with one posting a video of himself hugging and kissing his camels, asking one to sneeze into his face.

Nissan profits jump 10% as sales rise

Nissan has seen full-year profits jump 10%, boosted by better sales, cost-cutting and a weaker yen.

Japan's second-biggest carmaker said net profits in the year to end-March were 389bn yen ($3.8bn; £2.26bn), on sales up 20% to 10.48tn yen.

Nissan forecast more growth this year, boosted by sales in emerging markets of its re-launched Datsun marque.

Japan's carmakers have been helped by the weaker yen, which inflates profits repatriated from overseas.

Last week, Toyota reported annual net profits of 1.82tn, almost double the year before.

Nissan is currently increasing manufacturing capacity in Thailand, China and Russia.

Pfizer offers legal guarantees over AstraZeneca bid

AstraZeneca has not welcomed the Pfizer approach

US drug giant Pfizer has said commitments to preserve UK science jobs - if it wins a $106bn (£63bn) takeover of AstraZeneca - are legally binding.

Pfizer has given a five-year promise to complete an AstraZeneca research centre in Cambridge, keep a factory in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and place a fifth of research staff in the UK.

The pledge comes ahead of a Commons committee appearance by Pfizer bosses.

Pfizer said the promises were binding "as a matter of English law".

But it also said it could adjust the promises if circumstances changed "significantly".

Science worries

Pfizer's chief executive Ian Read faces questions from UK politicians on the Commons business select committee on Tuesday about the proposed takeover.

The committee will also quiz AstraZeneca's French boss Pascal Soriot and business minister Vince Cable on Tuesday.

The executive pair, and science minister David Willetts, will then appear before the Commons science select committee a day later

If Pfizer is successful, it would be the largest foreign takeover of a UK firm.

As well as by AstraZeneca itself, the takeover is opposed by many scientists, politicians and trade unions.

Nigeria kidnapped girls 'shown' in new Boko Haram video

A new video released by Islamist militants Boko Haram claims to show around 130 girls kidnapped from a school in Nigeria last month.

Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

The group has caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a campaign of bombings and attacks.

In a video obtained by the AFP news agency, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the group was responsible for the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the northern state of Borno on 14 April, saying that it planned to sell them.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said they would be held until all imprisoned militants had been freed.

He said the girls had converted to Islam. The video, released on Monday, claims to show them praying.

Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls in northern Nigeria on 14 April and threatened to sell them.

The BBC's John Simpson in the northern city of Maiduguri said Boko Haram's comments showed signs that the group was willing to negotiate.

Three of the girls - wearing the full-length hijab - are shown speaking in the 17-minute video, obtained by French news agency AFP.

Three girls are seen speaking in the video and one says the group have not been harmed

Two girls say they were Christian and have converted to Islam, while the other says she is Muslim.

"These girls, these girls you occupy yourselves with... we have indeed liberated them. These girls have become Muslims," Abubakar Shekau says in the video.

It is thought the majority of the abducted girls are Christians, although there are a number of Muslims among them.

Correspondents said the girls appeared calm and one said that they had not been harmed.

There is no indication of when or where the video was taken, although the location appears to be rural.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau uses the video to call for the group's imprisoned fighters to be freed

It is estimated to show about 130 girls - just under half of the 276 pupils abducted from their school in the northern state of Borno.

Our correspondent says this could mean those abducted had been split into smaller groups to help avoid detection.

Boko Haram had previously admitted to kidnapping the girls.

The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," said they should not have been at school and should get married instead.

Boko Haram has been engaged in a violent campaign against the Nigerian government since 2009.

Earlier, the governor of Nigeria's Borno state said he had information on the whereabouts of the schoolgirls.

Governor Kashim Shettima said he had passed reports of the sightings of the girls to the military for verification.

He added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon.

The Nigerian government has faced heavy criticism of its response to the mass abduction but President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday that assistance from abroad had made him optimistic of finding the girls.

The UK and US already have teams helping on the ground in Nigeria and an Israeli counter-terrorism team is also on its way to the country.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande has offered to host a summit in Paris next Saturday with Nigeria and its neighbours focused on Boko Haram and the country's security challenges.

INDIA ELECTION,2014

India election: Narendra Modi faces Arvind Kejriwal on final vote day

Andrew North: 'Many Indians will be relieved that this process is almost at an end'

Millions of Indians are voting on the final day of India's general election, with crowds turning out in the sacred city of Varanasi, a key battleground.

Opposition BJP leader Narendra Modi is being challenged in the seat by anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal.

Votes are also being cast in 40 other seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal states. The first exit polls are expected on Monday evening.

Mr Modi is ahead in all the opinion polls. Votes will be counted on 16 May.

India's marathon election began on 7 April and has been held in nine phases for security and logistical reasons.

With 814 million eligible voters, it is the world's biggest exercise in democracy and the governing Congress party is battling the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for power.

'Ballot for progress'

Varanasi has been the scene of frenzied political campaigning not seen in the ancient city in decades. The city been turned into a virtual fortress with thousands of police and paramilitaries deployed to ensure peaceful polling.

BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava in the city says large crowds, including many women, are turning up at polling stations, after voting began at 07:00 local time (01:30 GMT).

People are walking or taking cycle rickshaws to the booths as traffic restrictions are in place across the city, our correspondent says.

"Varanasi will finally see some change and development. I am glad to have lived for the day," Ramavati, 93, said.

One woman told the BBC that she had cast her ballot "for the person who will bring development and progress".

"The main issues are inflation, corruption and unemployment," she said.

Mr Modi is being given a spirited fight by Mr Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose army of volunteers is engaged in extensive door-to-door campaigning.

There are a total of 42 candidates in the fray in the seat, including the Congress party's Ajay Rai, a local political leader.

Large crowds, including many women, have turned up at polling stations in Varanasi since early on Monday

There are a total of 42 candidates in the fray in Varanasi

Polling is taking place in West Bengal state

Correspondents say that this appears to be the most prestigious and high profile battle in the elections - top leaders from the BJP, Congress and AAP have all campaigned here for their candidates in the past weeks.

"This is a very politically conscious city. The epic battle between Mr Modi and Mr Kejriwal has pulled the city out of political oblivion," says Dr Vishwanath Pandey, who teaches at the Benares Hindu University.

The state of Uttar Pradesh, where Varanasi is located, returns more MPs than any other and is often described as India's battleground state.

Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges river, has long been neglected despite its religious significance and its infrastructure is badly in need of repair.

Both Mr Modi and Mr Kejriwal have promised to work for the city's development if elected.

EXPO 2020 DUBAI

The UAE is bidding to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.Every five years and for a period of six months, World Expos attract millions of visitors. The World Expo has never been held in the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia in the history of the event.

Reaching out to a generation: How an Expo in Dubai could reap rewards for young people

Patrick Awuah is founder of Ashesi University in West Africa, a state-of-the-art education hub devoted to cultivating a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders for the region. The charismatic businessman, who was a tech millionaire by the age of 30, offers his thoughts on the global significance of the Dubai Expo 2020 theme of Opportunity

Q: As somebody who has dedicated his profession to using education to further young people’s entrepreneurialism and, by extension, their life prospects, what is your perspective on the timeliness of the Dubai Expo 2020 subthemes, particularly Opportunity?
A: It is important that today’s youth and the generations to come are given the opportunities to advance themselves and the world with them. A fundamental part of that lies in giving young people the tools to navigate a world that is changing at an incredibly fast pace and helping them to create those opportunities for themselves. We have a rapidly growing population, which throws up significant issues in terms of creating employment and life opportunities for our young people. This is a challenge we must face collectively.

Q: Are economic and educational opportunity inextricably linked?
A: Economic opportunity arises through a couple of different sources. One is natural resources – oil, minerals and so on. The second is how we apply our human intellect to making those resources work for us. For example, when I look at a mobile phone what I see is a lot of different technologies converging to add value to the natural resources used to manufacture that phone. Get beyond the raw materials and what you have in that phone is a lot of science and arts – physics, chemistry, maths, design – all of which comes from education. As a world, we must equip people to add value to those natural resources and build on what has already been created. That means an educated, entrepreneurial population.

Q: How important is the spirit of entrepreneurialism to future global development?
A: It is extremely important across the world. Africa is a good example of the need for entrepreneurism because most of the advancement that we will see across the continent has yet to take place. There is a lot that needs to be created, and creation is, by definition, the job of entrepreneurs. The thing about entrepreneurs is that they imagine a new structure, then make it happen. To generate that environment you need scientists and artists, engineers and entrepreneurs. This combination can be very powerful and is essential for emerging economies, in terms of unlocking potential.

Q: Through its Expo Live project, Dubai Expo 2020 will make funds available to help rethink and unlock economic opportunity. How powerful could such an initiative be?
A: These kinds of resources can be extremely catalytic. Take the example of funds targeted at young people. This generation has a natural energy and idealism and any investment programme benefits from that. They also have an interest in how the world will look in the next several decades. Young people across the world may have that all-important drive but they also need the capital to implement their ideas. Deploying these resources towards educating young people, towards research projects backed by young people, and towards incubating businesses launched by young people is a powerful proposition.

Q: What opportunities are we, as a world, failing to unlock in terms of human capital?
A: We need to help people to be risk-takers – to give them the confidence to go out and make mistakes. That means creating an environment that supports innovation and nurtures a spirit of entrepreneurialism. From my own experience, that spirit exists but it needs to be encouraged more. On one level, there are a lot of young people here running micro-businesses out of their homes and who are engaged in this entrepreneurial struggle to make ends meet. Those people are taking the future into their own hands. And on a second level I look at the experience of some of my alumni who are starting businesses, and they face considerable difficulties, ranging from their families, who want them to find “proper jobs” (as employees with existing companies), to financial backers, who are hesitant to invest because they are concerned about a lack of experience. It is gratifying to see that many of my former students do overcome those challenges but it takes a lot of courage and a lot of vision. We must do far more to encourage our young people.

A Masterplan symbolizing the enduring values of Expo

An unforgettable attraction that for the first time translates the aspirations of World Expo into concrete spatial features and innovative exhibits areas

The site has been selected and designed for maximum visitor and participant benefits. It is located at Dubai World Central, a dedicated free zone that sits at the heart of the newest business hubs of Dubai. It is equidistant from the two largest airports in the UAE and adjacent to Jebel Ali Port for ease of access and operations. For the first time in history, it translates the concepts of the theme into spatial features across its 438 hectares, enhancing the educational messages of the Expo. The Innovation Pavilions and Labs, together with the central iconic “Al Wasl” plaza, are another novelty introduced by Dubai Expo 2020. The circular layout and the distribution of the pavilions inspired by the Arabic Souk will ensure high visibility for all pavilions. Sustainability is a key priority and aggressive targets are in place to generate 50% of the energy on site from renewable sources and deliver a carbon-neutral Expo.

• The themes come to life through the spatial layout of the site which allows participants to select a preferred location based on exhibition content
• The Masterplan provides a range of build and rent options of varying sizes to ensure maximum choice and flexibility to the participants
• A well-defined legacy plan which includes the development of research and university facilities to continue the work initiated by Dubai Expo 2020

Dubai Expo 2020: a unique opportunity

Hosting a World Expo in the MENASA region for the first time, on the eve of the UAE’s 50th anniversary celebrations, carries profound meaning and creates an environment for exceptional opportunity and cultural understanding.

The country’s stability and safety, its open and dynamic economic environment, the readiness of its infrastructure and the passion to forge a bright future that binds the people from 200 nationalities living here will deliver a unique environment for a World Expo that will galvanise the world.

The opportunities:
1.  An inspirational theme reflecting global priorities
2.  Expo Live: a 7-year programme of collaborative innovation that starts now
3.  Unprecedented global exposure for an eagerly anticipated Expo
4.  An iconic and unique site
5.  Unsurpassed global and domestic connectivity with a trustworthy track-record of delivery
6.  A springboard for economic development
7.  National and international public support and awareness for Expo 2020multimedia/video/a_model_for_opportunityhttp://expo2020dubai.ae/en/multimedia/video/a_model_for_opportunity