World’s Fair in Dubai Warns of Possible Closures Over Virus

Artists carry national flags during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Artists carry national flags during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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World’s Fair in Dubai Warns of Possible Closures Over Virus

Artists carry national flags during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Artists carry national flags during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

The world's fair in Dubai has warned that some venues on site may shut down as coronavirus cases rapidly rise in the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai's Expo 2020 said that virus outbreaks among staff may force some parts of the fair to "close temporarily for deep cleaning and sanitization," The Associated Press reported.

The UAE's daily virus caseload has skyrocketed by a multiple of 37 in just the last three weeks after the arrival of the omicron variant.

Expo tries to enforce various virus precautions, with face masks mandatory on the fairgrounds and a vaccination certificate or recent negative virus test needed for entry. But the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is thought to evade immunity from vaccination, poses a new test.

Christmas parades drew crowds last week and Expo is now gearing up for big concerts to attract party-goers on New Year's Eve.



King Charles Invites Trump for Unprecedented Second UK State Visit

US President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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King Charles Invites Trump for Unprecedented Second UK State Visit

US President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from King Charles on Thursday to visit Britain, making the US President the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed Trump a letter from Charles during a press conference with reporters at the White House. Trump immediately accepted the invitation.

The late Queen Elizabeth welcomed Trump for a three-day state visit in June 2019 during his first term in office, during which he had attended an opulent state banquet and a private lunch with the sovereign, as well as having tea with Charles, who was then heir.

That visit already put Trump in a select group of US presidents, as only Barack Obama and George W. Bush were afforded official state visits to Britain during Elizabeth's record 70 years on the throne.

It would also turn out to be the last of the more than 110 she hosted during her reign before her death in September 2022.

The visit was not the only occasion when Trump met Elizabeth. He was also invited to tea at Windsor Castle during a trip to Britain in 2018, when he was widely seen to have broken royal protocol by failing to bow to the queen and then walking in front of her as they inspected a military guard.

Both his visits to Britain also attracted large protests, with his 2018 trip costing police more than 14 million pounds as 10,000 officers were deployed from all over Britain.