Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai Celebrates Kingdom’s Growth

Saudi and Emirati officials attend the celebration of the Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Emirati officials attend the celebration of the Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai Celebrates Kingdom’s Growth

Saudi and Emirati officials attend the celebration of the Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Emirati officials attend the celebration of the Saudi Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Day at the Expo 2020 in Dubai on Friday witnessed events and cultural performances celebrating the Kingdom’s growth in all fields under the ambitious Vision 2030.

In a speech at the inauguration ceremony, Saudi ambassador to the UAE Turki Aldakhil underlined his country’s keenness to share its vision towards a prosperous common future.

Pointing to the characteristics of Riyadh that qualify it to host Expo 2030, the ambassador emphasized the available opportunities in the Kingdom, which he said were reflected in the diverse content of the events and activities held on the Saudi Day.

The ceremony began with the Saudi and Emirati national anthems at the Nations Theater in Al Wasl Plaza and featured a performance by the Saudi Orchestra, a sound and light show on Al Wasl Dome, and fireworks on the Expo arenas in the colors of the Saudi flag.

The Saudi Day saw a range of activities and events that were held in several locations within the Expo 2020 Dubai, including a musical evening entitled, “Amjad” (glories), by Arab artist Mohammed Abdo and artist Ayed Youssef at the Jubilee Theater.

A parade toured the Expo and comprised several performance groups wearing traditional and modern Saudi outfits. A music festival and an airshow of the Green Falcons were also held on the occasion.



Shanghai Braces for Direct Hit from Typhoon Bebinca

People walk with umbrellas on a bridge amid rains and winds brought by Typhoon Muifa, in Shanghai, China September 14, 2022. (Reuters)
People walk with umbrellas on a bridge amid rains and winds brought by Typhoon Muifa, in Shanghai, China September 14, 2022. (Reuters)
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Shanghai Braces for Direct Hit from Typhoon Bebinca

People walk with umbrellas on a bridge amid rains and winds brought by Typhoon Muifa, in Shanghai, China September 14, 2022. (Reuters)
People walk with umbrellas on a bridge amid rains and winds brought by Typhoon Muifa, in Shanghai, China September 14, 2022. (Reuters)

Shanghai halted transportation links, recalled ships and shut tourism spots including Shanghai Disney Resort on Sunday as it braced for Typhoon Bebinca, in what could be the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Chinese financial hub since 1949.

The Category 1 typhoon, packing maximum sustained wind speeds near its center of around 144 kilometers per hour (89 miles per hour), was about 500 kilometers southeast of Shanghai as of 1:00 p.m. (0500 GMT). It is expected to make landfall along China's eastern coast after midnight on Monday.

The strongest storm to make landfall in Shanghai in recent decades was Typhoon Gloria in 1949, which tore through the city with gusts of 144 kph. Shanghai was last threatened by a direct hit in 2022 by the powerful Typhoon Muifa, which instead landed 300 km away in the city of Zhoushan, in Zhejiang province.

Shanghai is typically spared the strong typhoons that hit further south in China, including Yagi, a destructive Category 4 storm that roared past southern Hainan province last week. But Shanghai and neighboring provinces are taking no chances with Category 1 Bebinca.

Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, Jinjiang Amusement Park and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, have been temporarily closed while most ferries have been halted to and from Chongming Island - China's third-biggest island known as "the gateway to the Yangtze River".

More than 600 flights to and from Shanghai were also cancelled, according to local media.

In Zhejiang, ships have been recalled while several parks in the provincial capital Hangzhou announced closures.

Bebinca's arrival will coincide with the Mid-Autumn festival, a nationwide three-day holiday when many Chinese travel or engage in outdoor activities.

China's Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday issued a Level-IV emergency response - the lowest level in China's four-tier emergency response system - for potential flooding in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.