Expo 2020 Dubai is closing in on 21 million visits with ten days to go until the mega event closes its doors to the public.
The world's fair enjoyed its biggest week yet with about 1.8 million visits as people flocked to the site.
A packed programme of activities helped to bolster visit numbers over the past seven days, with an array of entertainment still to come.
Visit numbers now stand at 20,819,155, with virtual visits at 197 million.
Organisers had set a 25-million-visit target before the start of the six-month extravaganza in October.
Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications at Expo 2020 Dubai, lauded the visit numbers achieved against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is such a remarkable achievement to exceed 20 million visits,” she said.
“It is remarkable at any time, but particularly in pandemic times.
“We've seen a phenomenal amount [of visitors] in the last week. Each week, the amount goes up.
“It was 1.8 million last week, an absolutely fantastic response.”
A number of individual country pavilions have exceeded 1 million visits during Expo, with the likes of Saudi Arabia, Japan and Germany proving particularly popular.
A string of high-profile concerts and visits by prominent figures such as the UK's Prince William and sporting royalty including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic have also helped to drive interest in recent months.
As with previous Expos, visit numbers have surged in the second half of the event.
On Saturday, organisers announced Expo had hit the milestone 20-million-visit target.
The achievement meant the event had doubled its visit numbers in two months, having hit the 10 million mark on January 18.
Excitement builds for finale
Expo organisers expect visit numbers to surge further in the final days of the event.
Music star Jason Derulo will entertain fans at the Jubilee Stage on Friday, the latest in a line-up of live attractions which has included Coldplay and Alicia Keys.
Meanwhile, thousands of leaders, experts and senior officials from 190 countries will gather at Expo next week to help shape the post-pandemic agenda on sustainability, health care, economic recovery and the cities of the future.
The World Government Summit will take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in the heart of the vast world's fair site on March 29 and 30.
This year's summit will feature 15 conferences aimed at defining the future of agile governance.
They will include the first hosting of the Time 100 Gala outside the US. The gala celebrates the world’s most influential people.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 event will be in the line-up, along with the Global Crypto Forum, the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders, the Arab Government Administration Forum and the Global Metaverse Forum.
Closing ceremony will look to future
As the finishing line for the international gathering is now in sight, thoughts are turning to the closing ceremony.
A spectacular opening ceremony in October set the tone for the festivities to come.
The curtain is set to be brought down on the event in style, though organisers are not giving too much away about what Expo enthusiasts can expect.
“It will be reflective of Expo but will also be looking ahead,” said Ms McGeachin.
Expo 2020 Dubai — in pictures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
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