Hundreds of people stepped out in celebration at Expo 2020 Dubai on Tuesday to reflect on six months that have brought the world closer together and paved the way for a brighter future.
The three-kilometre Walk for People and Planet was started by Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo.
It marked the culmination of the Programme for People and Planet, which was a key theme at the world's fair and united participants from around the globe, allowing them to explore society's biggest challenges and greatest opportunities.
Ms Al Hashimy said the initiative aimed to forge lasting memories for communities long after Expo ended.
Families with children on their spring break stopped to take pictures during the walk that started at a sports park and passed theme pavilions and Al Wasl Plaza.
Organisers said every step participants took showed their commitment to achieving a better future for all.
The event was tied to Expo's focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with the world's fair aiming to inspire collective action for a cleaner and healthier planet.
The UN has described the goals as a call for action for countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.
Lena Deliquot, 10, took part in the walk with two younger brothers, her father and grandparents.
The French-Spanish Dubai pupil said she enjoyed “discovering the world with Expo".
Her family spent most Sundays at the mega-event and she plans recycle more and spread awareness about reusing items to reduce waste.
“I wanted to walk for the planet because there is a lot of pollution and things that are not good for Earth at the moment,” Lena said.
“I really enjoy Expo. Each country shows what it can do. Also, there are people who can’t really go from one country to another because they don’t have the money, but they can come to Expo for different perspectives.”
On song for world's fair
The enthusiasm of the crowds was infectious, with children leading their parents to queue up at pavilions after completing the walk.
Among the youths was Nawaf Ahmad, who is also the voice of Rashid, a mascot for a show at Al Wasl Plaza about the race to save the planet.
As he waited outside the South Korea pavilion, Nawaf, 12, broke into the song he has performed for the past few months.
“It’s a great exhibition, can’t you feel the elation, a world-class exposition, nearly 200 nations, there is so much more to see and hear and touch and taste and think and learn and do,” he sang.
Nawaf, who wants to be an aerospace engineer, took part in the walk with his younger brother and said he would miss Expo when it ended this week.
“I want to invent engines that work sustainable to the environment we are living in and not polluting it all,” Nawaf said.
“Everything is special in Expo. On April 1, I can’t imagine the feeling. It will be a tough thing to let all of this go.
"This is like art work. I can’t even imagine that day.”
Nadia Verjee, chief of staff of Expo programmes, said the aim was for people to continue to make a difference.
“Expo 2020 Dubai has brought the world together for six months and affirmed commitment to people and planet, and a sustainable future for all,” she said.
“As Expo 2020 Dubai comes full circle, we’d like to invite everyone to continue to build on this momentum as we walk together to take the necessary steps as individuals, as businesses and as policy makers towards achieving the sustainable development goals.”
Expo success story set for final chapter
Expo will conclude on Thursday with a spectacular closing ceremony featuring fireworks and pop concerts.
Among the headline acts will be singers Christina Aguilera and Norah Jones and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Organisers believe the event will attract the biggest crowds yet.
The world's fair will remain open for firework displays at midnight and 3am.
Metro trains will run around the clock on Thursday and Friday to handle crowds, with tens of thousands of people expected to visit Expo.
The celebrations are included in the price of a ticket that has allowed people to visit the event several times over the past month.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Schedule
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Kanye%20West
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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