World News

After leading the official delegation attending Jamaica’s Expo 2020 Dubai National Day on Friday, Senator Hon Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her country’s promising future.

Senator Johnson Smith is an Attorney-at-Law who worked previously in private practice and as corporate in-house counsel.

Jamaica has long enjoyed a rich musical heritage and a thriving culture, with genres such as Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, Dub and Dancehall originating.

Arguably, Bob Marley is considered to be the main pioneer of reggae music, responsible for putting Jamaican music and culture on the global map.

UNWTO is supporting communities as they prepare to welcome visitors back and realize the potential of tourism to kickstart recovery and drive sustainable and inclusive growth.

As restrictions on travel continue to be steadily eased or lifted, UNWTO is shifting its focus from supporting its Members as they mitigate the impacts of the historic crisis to rethinking tourism’s longer-term role in building resilience and providing opportunity.

Police have clashed with demonstrators in Canada's capital, Ottawa, as they move to end a three-week anti-vaccine mandate protest, with 100 arrests made. The operation started with some officers on horseback, after the government invoked the Emergencies Act to crack down on the protest.

Some protesters who resisted were thrown to the ground and had their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Police have also accused protesters of using children as a shield.

Popular UK songs were given the symphonic treatment at Expo 2020 Dubai when the iconic Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra took to the Jubilee Stage.

Led by conductor Matthew Freeman, the 78 musicians and singers worked their way through hits by artists such as the Beatles, Adele, Sam Smith, The Verve and Coldplay – the last of whom will themselves be playing at Expo 2020 Dubai on 15 February.

World leaders have called for urgent and innovative investments to help rural communities in the world’s poorest countries adapt to climate change.  

Speaking at the opening of the annual Governing Council meeting attended by 177 Member States of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), leaders specifically highlighted the vulnerability of small-scale farmers to severe weather events, like the storms that devastated Madagascar in recent weeks killing at least 121 people and destroying more than 176,000 hectares of land.

Global superstars Coldplay rocked Al Wasl Plaza with a never-before-seen show at Expo 2020 Dubai, combining an incredible musical experience with a powerful environmental message. The highly-anticipated performance, in support of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Programme for People and Planet and part of the exciting Infinite Nights Series, thrilled the Al Wasl audience, with thousands more fans watching around the site and the concert streamed online across the globe.

The Mauritian flag has been raised for the first time on the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago controlled by Britain but claimed by Mauritius.

Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth described it as an historic moment, saying it was time for the UK to cede control. The event was the culmination of a trip to the islands organised by the Mauritian government.

The UK celebrated its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai on Thursday with a visit by His Royal Highness Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who addressed the first Earthshot Prize Innovation Showcase and met with His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Dubai Executive Council. Prince William gave a speech at the inaugural Earthshot Award Innovation Exhibition at the DP World Pavilion, where it was revealed that DP World has awarded £1m to expand its pioneering environmental solutions, submitted by two of the Earthshot Award finalists Coral Vita and Living Seawalls.

The United Kingdom’s National Day celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai kicked off on Thursday morning with the Coldstream Guards Band of the British Army leading the 16th Queen’s Baton Relay from the UK Pavilion across the site, ahead of July’s 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. As a part of the Birmingham 2022 showcase at Expo, the Queen’s Baton Relay visited several Commonwealth nations attending Expo 2020 Dubai collectively in anticipation for the upcoming Games.

ExxonMobil have just announced its commencement of production at Guyana’s Second Offshore Development from the Liza Unity vessel, which has been hugely welcomed by the country’s Government.

The Liza Unity FPSO (floating, production, storage, and offloading) vessel is set to reach its target of 220 000 barrels of oil per day later this year – bringing Guyana’s production capacity to more than 340 000 barrels per day, which includes the more than 120 000 barrels per day capacity at the Liza Destiny FPSO.

His Royal Highness Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, attended the first Earthshot Prize Innovation Showcase at the DP World Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai – and said this is the decisive decade to change the course of our planet’s future.

HRH Prince William was joined by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee; and His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, with the Duke of Cambridge applauding DP World’s announcement of the GBP 1 million investment to two Earthshot Prize finalists.

A devout Indian Muslim who considers wearing a hijab an expression of devotion to the Prophet Mohammad says a move by her college to expel hijab-wearing girls is an insult that will force her to choose between religion and education.

Student Ayesha Imthiaz, from southern Karnataka's Udupi district, where protests over the head covering ban began, said: "The humiliation of being asked to leave my classroom for wearing a head scarf by college officials has shaken my core belief.

The UK Minister for Exports and Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer, has been emphasising the significant deals the UK Pavilion has made during the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, with about GBP 200 million of export wins, plus invaluable networking opportunities.

Speaking during a visit to Expo 2020 Dubai for the UK National Day celebrations, the Minister praised the event and explained how it has showcased the latest technologies.

Known as the most important global energy award for sustainability, the Energy Globe Award was established 20 years ago and honours the best projects addressing environmental issues. There are 5 award categories – Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Youth, and a special category which varies from year to year.

Chinese netizens have rallied around Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu after the two-time defending Olympic champion fell on his final skate, failing to reclaim his title. The support for the star comes just two days after Chinese social media users savaged one of their own athletes.

US-born Zhu Yi also fell twice in her routine at the Beijing Games. However, Hanyu has long been a crowd favourite in China, despite its political tensions with Japan.