Dubai fully deserved to win: Khalifa; We will astonish the world: Mohammed

November 28, 2013

khalifa

Dubai, Nov 28: Following a heated international competition over the course of two years, the United Arab Emirates was announced winner of the World Expo 2020 hosting bid. Accordingly, Dubai will be the host city of the world’s biggest and most prestigious fair as the world welcomes a new decade.

The voting took place in Paris, France at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conference centre where representatives of the 165 member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) cast their votes to select the winning city. Three BIE member countries, namely South Sudan, Chad and Costa Rica were excluded by the BIE from the vote due to technical reasons. Dubai’s bid was announced winner after receiving 116 votes in a secret ballot, thus outdoing bids by the candidate cities of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Ekaterinburg (Russia) and Izmir (Turkey).

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is the intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing the calendar, bidding, selection, and organisation of World and International Expos.

Dubai got 77 votes out of 162, as three countries have abstained in the first round, while Dubai increased the votes to 87 in the second round, before the BIE announcing UAE’s bid winner in the third round with total number of 116 votes.

Holding the Expo 2020 in Dubai will coincide with celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the foundation of the United Arab Emirates. This will reflect positively on the event as the country celebrates a truly remarkable developmental march.

Khalifa congratulates Mohammed

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a telephone conversation, has congratulated Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Dubai's winning the bid to host EXPO 2020.

In the telephone conversation with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa affirmed that "our joy in the UAE was doubled by the win as it coincides with the celebrations of the 42nd National Day."

He noted that this success was the culmination of a series of successes and great achievements the UAE has been incessantly making since its establishment 42 years ago to remain in the lead in all fields.

His Highness President Khalifa said, "From day one when we submitted our bid to host Expo 2020, we were fully confident that Dubai deserves to win the bid, and that our country possesses all it takes to successfully organise a unique event that will add a new and outstanding imprint on the Expo series of events."

On this occasion, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum dedicated the achievement to UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Their Highnesses Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates and to the people of the UAE.

Win will breathe new life into region: Mohammed

Sheikh Mohammed said: “We congratulate the nation, our president and all people in the UAE on Dubai’s winning bid to host the greatest exhibition in the world. I extend my thanks to H.H. Sheikh Khalifa for his great support, and to every country that voted for Dubai to host Expo2020. I am proud of our teams who earned this victory for Dubai with two years of hard work, dedication and commitment.

“We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020. Dubai will bring to life our vision: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. Our goal is to build a better future for the region’s youth. The UAE will achieve it through collaboration and inspiration at the event. Dubai Expo2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity.”H.H. added.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed also said: “Today, we have two reasons to celebrate. The UAE’s epic win to host the world’s most prestigious fair adds to our joy of celebrating the 42nd National Day of our beloved country,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “It is by the unwavering efforts of the leadership and the people of the UAE that this aspiration became reality.”

Furthermore, Sheikh Mohammed asserted that Dubai Expo 2020 will undoubtedly stand out as the best edition in the history of the event in terms of preparation and presentation.

Sheikh Mohammed went on to praise the role and efforts exerted by the Foreign Ministry, led by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in gathering international support for Dubai’s bid. His Highness noted that fine UAE diplomacy was essential in ensuring a victory in the voting process.

He also highlighted efforts of the National Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020 headed by Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum which worked on preparing Dubai’s bid in record time with tact, professionalism and high spirits to realise this milestone.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed praised the positive stance by all Arab and foreign countries who have supported the UAE in this regard. He also expressed appreciation to establishments and individuals from within and outside the UAE for their enthusiastic support, and greeted all departments, institutions and government bodies as well as private sector entities and the UAE community in general for their direct support stressing that they are all partners in success.

Sheikh Mohammed expressed best wishes for Sao Paulo, Ekaterinburg and Izmir, and said: “The competition was challenging and the competitors were strong. We wish them all the success in all their future initiatives. We are all partners in making a better future for humanity without differentiation or discrimination.”

Moreover, Sheikh Mohammed asserted that UAE’s achievement is a gain for the whole region and the world as it brings a global event of this magnitude to the doorsteps of a vast geographical area inhabited by approximately two billion people. It also opens opportunities and channels for the exchange of ideas and visions as well as innovative solutions for the benefit of humanity in general.

The UAE has received broad international support ahead of the voting process in Paris, where many brotherly and friendly Arab and foreign countries in the East and the West declared their full support for UAE’s bid to host the World Expo in 2020. The six-month event celebrates human innovation and creativity as the best means of finding solutions that help mankind overcome challenges and explore new horizons.

To this end, the UAE has chosen a unique theme that reflects future ambitions in harmony with the exhibition’s objectives. "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," would provide a unique platform for the global community to come together and explore creative and pioneering solutions to the three subthemes which have been identified as key drivers of global development: “Sustainability,” “Mobility” and “Opportunity”.

Expo 2020 is expected to have significant and positive direct and indirect economic impact on the United Arab Emirates and the region. Initial research and studies indicate that hosting Expo 2020 will generate approximately 277,000 new job opportunities between 2013 and 2020; each of these new job opportunities will sustain around 50 jobs in the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region. Over a period of six month, Expo 2020 is expected to attract over 25 million visitors, 70% of them will be from outside the UAE.

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News Network
May 1,2020

Dubai, May 1: Saudi Arabia has reported 1,344 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 24,097, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

The ministry also announced 7 more deaths and 392 new recoveries, raising the total number of fatalities and recoveries to 169 and 3,55 respectively.

Out of the 1,344 new cases reported today, 282 were confirmed in Riyadh, 237 in Madinah, 207 in Makkah, 171 in Jubail and 124 in Jeddah in addition to 114 infections in Dammam.

Authorities continue to urge people to stay at home unless necessary despite having relaxed some restrictions and curfews at the start of Ramadan.

Citizens and residents are allowed to go out for necessary needs between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. but must adhere to precautionary measures such as wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing practices.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: A heart-broken father who lost his 19-year-old son in a tragic car accident during Christmas last year has sponsored the repatriation costs of 61 Indians stranded in the UAE.

 The special flydubai repatriation flight, chartered by the All Kerala Colleges Alumni Federation (Akcaf) volunteer group, of which he is a member of, departed from Dubai to Kochi on July 25 carrying 199 passengers.

 On this particular flight, I sponsored 55 air tickets," said TN Krishnakumar, a sales and marketing director. He had lost his son Rohit Krishnakumar in a car accident, which also claimed the life of the teen's friend, Sharat Kumar (21).

"All passengers who were registered with the Indian missions were also asked to register on the Akcaf volunteer group website. Each passenger was further vetted, after which we made home visits to ensure that all the applicants were genuinely in need of financial support and repatriation," he said.

Commenting on what inspired him to dedicate himself to community work, Krishankumar said: "When a situation like this comes up, you realise there is no meaning in money. I invested everything I made into my son, and that had crashed in front of my eyes. He was a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester in the UK and had returned home for a vacation when the accident took place. Since then, I have been involved in a lot of social activities. If I do not do this, there is no meaning to my existence."

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krishnakumar said the group has supported thousands of individuals in need of help. "We supported unemployed people with several hundred bags of grocery kits and other necessary items. We also supported Covid-19 patients by transferring them to the medical facility in Warsan, etc.," he said.

"I come from a very middle-class family. I got a scholarship to study in college, and I studied with the help of taxpayers' money. I have always wanted to give back to society. I have grown immensely in life and now is my time to give back.," he added.

Krishnakumar also sponsors the education of over 1,000 academically gifted school children in Kerala's government-aided schools. He is a life trustee at the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Galaxy Charitable Trust and an active participant towards various educational causes.

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News Network
May 21,2020

Dubai, May 21: Around 10,000 Iranian health workers have been infected with the new coronavirus, the semi-official ILNA news agency quoted a deputy health minister as saying on Thursday.

Health services are stretched thin in Iran, the Middle East country hardest hit by the respiratory pandemic, with 7,249 deaths and a total of 129,341 infections. The Health Ministry said in April that over 100 health workers had died of COVID-19.

No more details on infections among health workers were immediately available.

Earlier on Thursday, Health Minister Saeed Namaki appealed to Iranians to avoid travelling during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday later this month to avoid the risk of a new surge of coronavirus infections, state TV reported.

Iranians often travel to different cities around the country to mark the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, something Namaki said could lead to a disregard of social distancing rules and a fresh outbreak of COVID-19.

"I am urging you not to travel during the Eid. Definitely, such trips mean new cases of infection...People should not travel to and from those high-risk red areas," Namaki was quoted by state television as saying.

"Some 90% of the population in many areas has not yet contracted the disease. In the case of a new outbreak, it will be very difficult for me and my colleagues to control it."

A report by parliament's research centre suggested that the actual tally of infections and deaths in Iran might be almost twice that announced by the health ministry.

However, worried that measures to limit public activities could wreck an economy which has already been battered by U.S. sanctions, the government has been easing most restrictions on normal life in late April.

Infected cases have been on a rising trajectory for the past two weeks. However, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran was close to curbing the outbreak.

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