Archives for October 2021

Dubai: After eight years of planning and billions of dollars in spending, the Middle East’s first world’s fair opened Friday in Dubai, with hopes that the months-long extravaganza will draw both visitors and global attention to this desert-turned-dreamscape.

The coronavirus pandemic pushed back Expo 2020 a year and could affect how many people flock to the United Arab Emirates. But the six-month-long exhibition still offers Dubai a momentous opportunity to showcase its unique East-meets-West appeal as a place where all are welcome for business.

Not long ago, the site of the 1,080 acre (438 hectare) Expo was barren desert. Now, it’s a futuristic landscape buzzing with robots that dance and bark automated orders at bare-faced visitors to mask up, a new metro station, multi-million dollar pavilions and so-called districts with names like sustainability and opportunity” all built, like much of the Gulf, by low-paid migrant workers.

More than 190 nations are using their pavilions to spotlight their greatest tourist attractions, discoveries and ambitions.

The U.S. pavilion, paid for by the UAE after America struggled to come up with funding, boasts a replica of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket and takes visitors on a conveyor belt past multimedia infomercials for American inventions. It also displays a Quran that belonged to the nation’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, as an example of how religious freedom is woven into the very fabric of American society.

China’s vast, lantern-shaped pavilion focuses on the nation’s space ambitions and future invention plans, featuring a Transformer-like car that SAIC Motor hopes will function one day also as a submarine and helicopter.

Draped over Italy’s pavilion is 70 kilometers (40 miles) of rope made from 2 million plastic bottles. The main attraction, though, is a 3-D replica of Michelangelo’s biblical hero, David, made from marble dust. The 5.2 meters (17 feet) high nude giant is not easily accessible visitors must must enter separate floors of a building to view it at eye-level or peer up from its feet. Public nudity is outlawed in the UAE, where traditional Muslim norms largely prevail.

The UAE’s falcon-shaped pavilion, by far the site’s largest, takes visitors on a two-hour-long immersive experience through dunes of real orange sand and footage from the country’s 50-year history.

Other attractions include an African food hall, a royal Egyptian mummy, concerts and performances from around the world, and the option to dine on a 500 three-course meal with glow-in-the-dark cuisine.

Isabel Fu, 50, said she flew in for Expo all the way from Beijing to see the kind of changes that we’ll see in the future, the technology that makes us look forward to the next era. Upon her return to China, she faces 21 days of quarantine.

Since first making a splash in London in 1851, world fairs have long served as an opportunity for nations to meet, exchange ideas, showcase inventions, promote culture and build business ties.

For more than a century, these global exhibitions have captured the imagination and showcased some of humanity’s most important innovations. The first world’s fair held in the United States in 1876 debuted Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, the typewriter, a mechanical calculator and Heinz Ketchup. One of its main buildings, Memorial Hall, is now a museum.

Other fairs introduced inventions like the sewing machine, the elevator, carbonated soda, the Ferris wheel and, in 1939 in New York, the television.

This year’s Expo is unfolding as the virus continues to course across the world, with untold numbers still working and studying remotely and connecting to the world virtually. It’s unclear how many visitors Dubai can attract, and how much the Expo will stimulate its tourism-driven economy especially in the blistering early autumn heat, which on Friday caused tempers to flare, some visitors to faint and most people to sweat through their shirts.

We’re dying! Humans can’t tolerate this weather, exclaimed 35-year-old Warda Abadi from Saudi Arabia as she shepherded her limping mother into the shade.

To enter the Expo site, visitors must show a negative PCR test or proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Dubai’s ruler and the force behind the emirate’s transformation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, described Expo 2020 as a chance to showcase the best of human excellence.

It offers a platform to forge a united worldwide effort to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for all of mankind, he told guests at the Expo’s opening ceremony.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince and de-facto ruler of the UAE’s seat of power, Abu Dhabi, emphasized the ethos of this land as a meeting point for cultures and tolerance.

Whether Iran or Israel, every nation is welcome at Dubai’s Expo. The space marked on maps for Afghanistan’s pavilion, however, appeared vacant weeks after the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

It makes me very proud to see so many different kinds of cultures, countries and traditions coming to my country for the first time, said Isa Nuaimi, a 25-year-old government pilot from the Emirati city of Al Ain.

Human Rights Watch, however, said that the UAE’s efforts to promote itself as an open and tolerant country remain at odds with a raft of human rights abuses, including the suppression of peaceful criticism, jailing of activists and pervasive government surveillance.

The UAE has embarked on a decades-long effort to whitewash its reputation on the international stage, the rights group said.

The Expo site will attempt to dazzle visitors with a centerpiece dome, marketed as the world’s largest 360-degree projection screen.

Some world’s fair structures remain iconic markers of the human journey and our industrial evolution. None more so than the Eiffel Tower, which was constructed in Paris, not only to be the tallest structure in the world at the time, but to serve as the entrance to the 1889 world’s fair. The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, built for the 1962 world’s fair, also continues to enjoy global prominence.

While most fairs were held in Europe and the United States, none have been hosted in the Middle East until now.

Mumbai: Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar submitted in a court here on Friday that actor Kangana Ranaut’s petition seeking transfer of the criminal defamation case filed by him against her was “devoid of any merits” and aimed at delaying the proceedings.

Ranaut had last month filed the petition before the chief metropolitan magistrate seeking transfer of hearing into the complaint to another court, saying she had “lost faith” in the magistrate’s court as it indirectly “threatened” her of issuing a warrant if she failed to appear before it in a bailable offence.

In his written reply, filed through lawyer Jay Bharadwaj, Akhtar said “The present transfer petition is devoid of all merits and is liable to be dismissed at the very threshold.”

The same is only filed to delay the proceedings before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s court (which is currently presiding over the case), he said.

“The grounds mentioned in the present application were raised for the first time after more than seven months of summoning of the applicant (Ranaut) with the sole intent to delay the matter,” it said.

Multiple petitions filed by the actor against the magistrate court’s proceeding have been rejected by both – the sessions court and the Bombay High Court.

She had also filed a transfer petition before the Supreme Court. However, the petition had some defects and was declared “infructuous” for not following the required procedures, Akhtar said.

This clearly goes on to show that the present petition is an orchestrated tactic to delay the proceedings pending, it added.

The matter has been posted for hearing on October 18.

Akhtar (76) had filed the complaint in the court in November last year, claiming that Ranaut had made defamatory statements against him in a television interview, which allegedly damaged his reputation.

In his complaint, Akhtar claimed that Ranaut dragged his name during an interview while referring to a ‘coterie’ existing in Bollywood, following the alleged suicide committed by actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.

Ranaut has also moved a counter complaint in the court against Akhtar for alleged “extortion and criminal intimidation” before the metropolitan magistrate court.

The actor in her complaint against Akhtar said following her public dispute with her co-star, the lyricist had called her and her sister Rangoli Chandel to his house with “malafide intentions and ulterior motives and then criminally intimidated and threatened” her.

As per the complaint, Akhtar had forced Ranaut to tender a written apology to her co-star.

Dubai: Today’s India is one of the most open countries in the world and it offers maximum growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, inviting investors to the country.

In his video message to a gathering at the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Modi said India is a powerhouse of talent and is making many advances in the world of technology, research and innovation.

“Our economic growth is powered by a combination of legacy industries and start-ups,” he said.

Referring to the theme of India’s pavilion — ‘Openness, Opportunity and Growth’ — Modi said today’s India is one of the most open countries in the world — open to learning, perspectives, innovation and investment.

“That is why I invite you to come and invest in our nation. Today, India is a land of opportunities. Be it in the field of arts or commerce, industry or academia,” he said.

There is opportunity to discover, opportunity to partner, opportunity to progress, Modi said, urging investors to come to India and explore these opportunities.

“India also offers you maximum growth. Growth in scale, growth in ambition, growth in results. Come to India and be a part of our growth story,” he said.

Over the last seven years, the government of India has undertaken several reforms to boost economic growth, he said.

“We will keep doing more to continue this trend,” he added.

Underlining that India is famous for its vibrancy and diversity, Modi said the country has different cultures, languages, cuisines, forms of art, music and dance.

“This diversity is reflected in our pavilion…. India’s pavilion will showcase the best of India across these multiple areas. It will also showcase investment opportunities in multiple sectors like health, textiles, infrastructure, services and more,” the prime minister said.

Noting that the main theme of the Expo 2020 is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Modi said the spirit of this theme is also seen in India’s efforts as it moves ahead to create a New India.

“I would also like to congratulate the Government of UAE for organising the Expo 2020 in a splendid way. This expo is also testimony to the resilience of mankind against the once-in-a-century pandemic,” he said.

Welcoming people to the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Modi said this is a historic event as it is the first one to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region.

“India is participating with one of the largest pavilions in the Expo. I am sure the Expo will go a long way in further building our deep and historical relations with UAE, and with Dubai,” he said.

Modi also conveyed greetings on behalf of the government and people of India to UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Al Nahyan.

“I would also like to convey hearty congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. Let me also express my best wishes to my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. He has been instrumental in the progress we have achieved in our strategic partnership,” Modi said.

He said he looks forward to continuing the work for the progress and prosperity of both countries.

“As India celebrates 75 years of Independence in the form of Amrit Mahotsav, we invite everyone to visit the India Pavilion and capitalise on the opportunities in the resurgent New India. Let us make the world a much better place to live with Sabka Saaath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas,” Modi said in his remarks on the occasion.

The Expo 2020, which was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opened on Friday and will conclude on March 31, 2022.

Muzaffarpur (Bihar]: Bihar’s main opposition party RJD on Friday mocked Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction into the Congress, saying that the former JNU student is like “another Navjot Singh Sidhu” who would “destroy” the grand old party.

Ridiculing the Congress by calling it a sinking ship, senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said that Kanhaiya’s joining won’t make any difference to the party.

Referring to the CPI turncoat’s statement that “Congress is a big ship that needs to be saved”, Tiwari said, “He is just like another Navjot Singh Sidhu who will further destroy the party.”

“Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction won’t make any difference. He can’t save the party. Congress is a sinking ship and it has no future,” the RJD leader told reporters.

RJD sources said that the party is unhappy with the fact that Kumar was inducted into the Congress without consulting the Tejashwi Yadav-led party.

The Congress is a part of the RJD-led opposition alliance Mahagathbandhan that fought the 2020 Bihar assembly elections against the NDA.

Bihar Congress leaders declined to comment on the matter.

Vijayapura: An earthquake of 2.5 magnitude was reported in Vijayapura district, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said on Friday.

The earthquake occurred at 13:47:06 IST, epicentred at 2.5 km NE of Masuti gram panchayat in Basavana Bagewadi taluk of Vijayapura, it said in a statement.

According to KSNDMC, people need not panic as the intensity observed is very low and not destructive.

“The Seismic Intensity map of the Earthquake from the Epicentre is presented, wherein intensities observed are very low. This type of earthquake does not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally,” it said.

Muzaffarnagar (UP): Four people died and 10 were injured in an explosion at a factory manufacturing firecrackers illegally in Shamli district on Friday evening, police said.

The explosion took place at a pickle factory in Kairana town, and some of the injured people are in critical condition, they added.

The police said a rescue operation is underway, and four bodies have been recovered so far.

Senior police and administration officials are at the spot, they said.