Expo 2020 declined to make any official available to speak to The Associated Press prior to the opening. Chicago became the “White City” in 1893 as electric lights bathed its world’s fair site, which also boasted the first Ferris wheel. Expo 2000 in Germany drew 18 million visitors, well short of the 40 million expected. Dubai, which won the rights to host the Expo in the years after FIFA awarded Qatar the 2022 World Cup, will be the Arab world’s first. Relying on a projection of 25 million visitors, EY estimated a $6 billion boost during the event.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When the Taliban seized power, the operator of the only women’s shelter in a northern Afghan city ran away. Most of the women chose to return home, fearing the Taliban more than their families. Over the past two decades, activists set up dozens of women’s shelters around Afghanistan. She has no right.”Since taking power, the Taliban’s response to women’s shelters has varied. They want to protect us … and understand that they have problems within their own people” who may not be as supportive of women’s shelters, she said.

Austin is expected to “be frank about the things we could have done better,” a U.S. official told Reuters. But questions will be raised again about why we got to the point that we did in Afghanistan,” she told Reuters in a telephone interview. Separately, Milley could face intense questioning over an account in a new book alleging he bypassed civilian leaders to place secret calls to his Chinese counterpart over concerns about former President Donald Trump. Milley’s office pushed back against the report in the book, saying the calls he made were coordinated within the Pentagon and across the U.S. government. But some of the greatest concern has come from lawmakers in the House, where Milley will testify on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - UEFA have nullified disciplinary action against breakaway Super League clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus after a Madrid court ruled that European football's governing body should not sanction the rebel clubs. UEFA had opened a probe against the three clubs but in June it suspended proceedings after being notified by Swiss authorities of a court order from the commercial court in Madrid obtained by the legal entity European Super League Company SL. Proceedings have continued in a Madrid court to stop UEFA from punishing the clubs who tried to break away from the established European football structures, including UEFA's Champions League. "UEFA notes that the declaration made by the UEFA Appeals Body follows the formal notification made to UEFA of a court order granting UEFA a few days to clarify its compliance with decisions of the Madrid Commercial Court No. However on Monday, UEFA said that "in view of the pending Court proceedings in Madrid, and to avoid any unnecessary complication... UEFA will not request payment of any of the amounts offered".

(Reuters) - Kenya midfielder Victor Wanyama announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Celtic midfielder played 52 times for Kenya and scored seven goals, captaining the team at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where they were eliminated in the group stage. The 30-year-old, who joined Major League Soccer (MLS) team CF Montreal in March 2020, last played for Kenya in November last year and was not selected for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. "Growing up, it was always my dream to get the chance to represent my country. With a great deal of pride, I can say that I have been fortunate to live my dream," Wanyama wrote on Twitter.

After four episodes of “60 Dakeka” (60 Minutes) starring actress Yasmine Rais exclusively on the Shahid VIP platform, the show has become the top trend on the platform. The series received critical acclaim since the release of its first episode until now, thanks in part to the chemistry between lead stars Rais and Mahmoud Nasr. Its fourth episode ended after Yasmine (Yasmine Rais) suffered a nervous breakdown, which made her throw herself from the car while her husband Adham (Mahmoud Nasr) argued with her with her. The series is scheduled to continue its episodes on Wednesday at 11 pm. With these two movies, Rais returns to the lead role in cinema after her great success during the Ramadan season, as “Faten Harfoushe” in the series “Meluk El Gadaana” (Kings of Virility).

DUBAI, Sept 27 (Reuters) – Qatar Airways annual losses doubled to 14.9 billion riyal ($4.1 billion) in the financial year to March 31 as the long-haul travel market was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The state-owned airline also confirmed in its annual results released on Monday that it had received an additional $1 billion from the Qatar government during the financial year, on top of $2 billion it had already received. ($1 = 3.6607 Qatar riyals)Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; editing by David Evans

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir on Sunday received Minister of Immigration of the Netherlands, Ankie Broekers-Knol at the start of her official visit to Egypt, accompanied by the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Cairo Han-Maurits Schaapveld. They were received by Sabah Abdel Razek, Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, who took them on a tour of the museum’s various halls. Knol expressed her admiration for the archaeological treasures displayed by the museum, especially those of the young King Tutankhamun, and was eager to take pictures in the museum. The first national museum in the Middle East, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir includes the largest and most important archaeological treasures of ancient Egyptian civilization. The Greco-Roman-style museum was designed and built by French architect Marcel Dornon, who won an international competition for design rights.

Judge Tarek Bitar, the second judge to lead the complicated and thorny investigation, canceled the questioning of a former military intelligence general, scheduled for Monday. Families of the victims of the explosion have already demanded an international probe, not trusting the Lebanese investigation. Lebanon is known for a culture of impunity that has prevailed for decades, including among the entrenched political elites. She said the repeated lawsuits and challenges to the judge prove that those officials are implicated in the explosion. On Friday, former Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, who was also implicated in the probe, filed a motion to dismiss the judge.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany held an extensive meeting with more than 60 Egyptian ambassadors and consul generals to represent Egypt abroad. The Saturday evening meeting was held at the Police Museum in the Salah al-Din Citadel, attended by more than 60 Egyptian ambassadors, consuls general and their wives, who were chosen as delegates to represent Egypt abroad before they traveled to take up their positions. These ambassadors will also serve to help encourage more flow of tourism into the nation, he added, alongside their important political involvement. Anany presented a review of several important issues his ministry is currently working on, which includes a media strategy to promote tourism in Egypt prepared in order to launch an international campaign to promote Egypt across three years, starting in the last quarter of 2021. Egypt is now hard at work to create an integrated tourism product to allow tourists to better enjoy their unique experiences at Egypt, he said, such as by merging cultural tourism with recreational tourism.

Facebook is putting a hold on the development of a kids’ version of Instagram, geared toward children under 13, to address concerns that have been raised about the vulnerability of younger users. Yet the development of Instagram for a younger audience was met with broader opposition almost immediately. Facebook faced similar criticism in 2017 when it launched the Messenger Kids app, touted as a way for children to chat with family members and friends approved by parents. Mosseri said that Instagram for kids is meant for those between the ages of 10 and 12, not younger. While work is being paused on Instagram Kids, the company will be expanding opt-in parental supervision tools to teen accounts of those 13 and older.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that illegal encroachments on the Nile River have become an unprecedented issue which may require the army’s involvement if necessary. During the inauguration of the Bahr al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant, Sisi said “If it takes army deployment to recover state assets, we’ll do so.”Sisi demanded that the Interior Ministry remove encroachments on state lands within six months, even if it takes the army to intervene. “Encroachment on agricultural land is not allowed at all,” he warned. “The governorate, the Ministry of Irrigation and the Director of Security have to follow up in order to stop and prevent the encroachments, within six months… and if necessary, the army will descend.”Addressing the Egyptian Minister of Defense, Mohamed Zaki, he said that the army and all equipment shall be deployed if necessary to ensure that state’s bridges return to working order.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi while inaugurating Bahr Al Baqar Wastewater Treatment Plant in Port Said on September 27, 2021. TV screenshotCAIRO – 27 September 2021: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi set Monday a 6-month ultimatum to efface any encroachments on Nile River mainstream and canals so their width would be back to what it was 30 years ago. The president also tackled the problem of encroachments over the Nile mainstream and canals underlining how the previously deteriorating conditions of canals were negatively impacting farmers. Those plants garnered three titles from Guinness World Records, and they are the World’s Largest Water Treatment Plant; World’s Largest Sludge Plant; and, World’s Largest Ozone Generator. "The cost of reclaiming 100,000 in Sinai is around LE2 billion because of digging irrigation and wastewater canals, extending them beneath the Suez Canal, and introducing necessary infrastructure," the president stated.

Liverpool official website listed the top ten scorers in Liverpool’s history, with Mohamed Salah ranking 10th and replacing Sam Raybould. He scored the match’s third goal, which ended in a 3-3 draw. Salah raised his score to 131 goals in 210 games with Liverpool, occupying the tenth place in the club’s historical scorers list. His 131 goals included 17 penalty kicks, 100 goals in the English Premier League, 27 goals in the Champions League, and four goals in the FA Cup. West Ham is the team that received the highest number of goals from the Egyptian striker equal to nine goals.

CAIRO - 27 September 2020: The Health Ministry said Sunday night that 680 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in the country to 301,625. Health Minister Hala Zayed revealed Sunday that the ministry's blood plasma donation centers nationwide had received as many as 4,400 donors since July 14. In mid-July, the minister announced a national project to establish blood plasma donation centers for medicine production as a part of a presidential initiative to achieve self-sufficiency in plasma derivatives. Other plasma donation venues include the regional blood transfusion centers in Cairo’s Dar El-Salam and Abbasiya districts, Alexandria, Gharbiya and Minya, the spokesman added. Healthy adults over the age of 18 may donate their blood plasma if they had not donated within the last three months, Megahed pointed out.