Latest news with #WorldFair
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Organizers of Expo 2020 Dubai open World Fair US
CHICAGO: The organizers of Expo 2020 Dubai launched a three-week World Fair US in Chicago this week, saying it offers the same high-level experience of culture, food, entertainment and traditions from around the world. Omar Al-Taha, CEO of ElectroMed Group — which supervised the construction of Expo 2020 Dubai — told Arab News that the fair in Chicago will be the first in a series of events planned for cities across the US. He said the opening on Monday, at the SeatGeek Stadium and Fairgrounds in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois, was 'well attended,' and the fair will continue until July 28. 'We're featuring six pavilions representing the cultures, food and entertainment from countries in … Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America,' he added. 'The vendors have been selected for their authenticity, quality, and their passion for sharing their culture through cuisine.' Al-Taha said he used the same criteria in Bridgeview as for Expo 2020 Dubai, adding: 'World Fair US is about more than just a celebration — it's about connections and experience. We wanted to create a space where people of every background can come together, learn from each other, and just enjoy the beauty of being human. 'In the Middle East pavilion, for example, participants will be able to not only enjoy Arab food and entertainment, but also products and crafts presented by dozens of vendors.' SeatGeek Stadium, which can accommodate 28,000 visitors, hosts professional sports competitions, concert performances and fairs. 'We believe we can use this event to create an even larger ongoing event. We want to do this in different states around the country,' Al-Taha said. 'Chicago was our first choice … because it's the land of many cultures. We didn't need to bring vendors from outside ... Chicago has so many cultures and great diversity. This is the right place to start this.' The World Fair US food court features local chefs and small businesses offering traditional dishes from across the globe, Al-Taha said. 'Every pavilion tells a story, and every guest becomes part of it. Whether you're eating something new for the first time, dancing to a rhythm you've never heard, or just watching your kids' eyes light up — we built this for you,' he added. There is a fireworks display every Friday and Saturday night.
Yomiuri Shimbun
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
From UFC Fights to State Fairs, Trump Unveils Plans for Nation's 250th
DES MOINES – He was a teenager when the World's Fair came to his native Queens in 1964. As an adult, he built a casino along the Atlantic City boardwalk called Trump's World Fair. And as a candidate, he flew in a helicopter over the Iowa State Fair and took a bite from a pork chop on a stick. Now, as president, Donald Trump is trying to create the carnival-like atmosphere of state and world's fairs to showcase next year's celebration of the nation's 250th birthday. Trump on Thursday returned to the Iowa State Fairgrounds, a place that had little to do with the founding of the nation but one that has played a role in his political biography, to launch a year-long festival that will culminate on July 4, 2026. The centerpiece of that birthday celebration will be 'the Great American State Fair,' which Trump pitched to the crowd as 'an enormous year long nationwide celebration of our heritage.' 'We will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding with a birthday party, the likes of which you have never seen before,' he said. The effort, he said, is going to include a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House that will be overseen by Dana White, the chief executive of UFC and a longtime Trump supporter. 'We have a lot of land there,' Trump said. 'We're going to have a UFC fight – championship fight, full fight, like 20,000, 25,000 people. . . . The UFC fight is going to be a big deal.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed he was serious about the proposal. Trump also said that he would host nationally televised athletic competitions showcasing high school students from each state in an event he's calling the 'Patriot Games.' That effort, he said, will be overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ('He's great,' Trump said. 'And he's a little different, right?') Much of his campaign rally-style, hourlong speech was spent touting the signature legislation that passed earlier in the day, a bill that he is planning to sign at the White House on Friday afternoon ahead of Independence Day fireworks. 'There could be no better birthday present for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago when Congress passed the one Big Beautiful Bill,' he said. At one point while describing the bill he used a term many consider to be an antisemitic slur while referencing unscrupulous bankers. 'No death tax. No estate tax. No going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker – and in some cases, shylocks and bad people,' he said. Joe Biden in 2014 also used the term during a speech, later apologizing for it. The semiquincentennial celebrations will give the showman president a powerful platform from which to project his vision of U.S. strength and history onto the world. But at a moment when the country is deeply divided along partisan lines, the plans are also likely to spur vigorous debate over how to tell the story of the nation's history – and who should be the narrator. From the Oval Office, Trump has sought to reframe how American history is told, renaming federal monuments and creating displays that advance his vision of the country. He has denounced a full telling of that history, one that includes the country's flaws, as unpatriotic – stoking deep tensions about race and identity throughout his political career. Trump in March signed an executive order titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' which claimed to address the ways his political opponents 'undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.' His administration has sought to minimize leaders and events that do not square with his ideology, stripping the name of gay rights leader Harvey Milk from a Navy ship and restoring the last names of Confederate generals to Army installations. In his remarks on Thursday, he touted his policies against transgender Americans, about making English the official language of the United States, and called those who pushed to rename military bases that previously honored Confederates 'radical left lunatics.' 'In everything we do, we're once again defending the values, traditions and beliefs that made every generation before us so very proud to be American,' he said. Trump originally conceived of the fair as an event on the Iowa State Fairgrounds that would bring 'millions and millions of visitors from around the world to the heartland of America for this special, one-time festival.' But the event has evolved into a more sprawling celebration beyond the pavilions of Des Moines with a grand title: 'A New Era of American Greatness.' Now, the America 250 Commission will host a two-week fair on the National Mall next year around July 4, including food vendors and exhibits from all 50 states, according the White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private plans. The 'Great American State Fair' will also travel around the country to state and county fairs over the next year. Trump has said he wants the fair to 'promote pride in American history,' and expanded on plans in his speech. 'The Great American State Fair will bring America 250 programing to fairgrounds across the country, culminating in a giant patriotic festival next summer on the National Mall, featuring exhibits from all 50 states,' he said. He also said that he would celebrate the 250th anniversaries of the Navy and the Marines, just as he recently did for the Army. He again touted a rise in military recruitment numbers and the performance of troops who had recently executed a strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, promoting his decision to authorize strikes on Iran and defending its results. The career entertainer, who often attends NASCAR races and UFC bouts, has long had a love of fairs and the rollicking and unpredictable settings they can provide. In 1996, he opened the Trump World's Fair Casino at an event that included strolling performers, jugglers, stilt walkers and high school marching bands – along with a fireworks and laser light display choreographed to music. It featured artifacts from and murals of past U.S. World's Fairs and included a 3,000-pound stainless steel sphere similar to the 'Unisphere' from the World's Fair held in 1964-1965 in Flushing Meadows. The biggest mural, however, rose over an escalator and was of Trump himself, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 'We've been looking forward to this day for a long time,' Trump said when it opened. 'Trump World's Fair is an exciting destination, uniquely designed around the World's Fair theme, that we know will be well-received.' About three years later, it closed. It was losing some $10 million per year. Falling glass panes had forced closures of businesses below. Eventually, it was demolished. Trump also installed a 'Unisphere' look-alike at the Trump International Hotel and Tower on Columbus Circle in Manhattan. City officials objected when he adorned the structure with 'Trump International' in big letters. 'Well, do you know originally they wanted to tear down the Eiffel Tower?' he said during a 2008 appearance with shock jock Howard Stern. 'Do you know the Eiffel Tower was built just during the World Fair?' One of Trump's most significant experiences with a fair came when he was an early presidential candidate in 2015. He arrived at one known for its deep-fried foods, presidential candidates speaking from bales of hay and a life-size cow carved from 600 pounds of butter. Trump made his appearance that year from a black helicopter emblazoned with bold letters spelling T-R-U-M-P, circling several times before landing. Hillary Clinton was strolling below him, posing for selfies. Trump emerged wearing his signature red cap along with white dress shoes and French cuffs. He offered rides in his helicopter to randomly selected handfuls of Iowa children. When Trump won a second term last year, Iowa's leaders responded, ready to execute his vision of a fair. 'We know the Iowa State Fair is the best fair in the country!' Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote on X on Nov. 7, two days after the election. 'In Iowa, we dream big, and we stand ready to host the Great American State Fair!' Iowa state lawmakers in May approved legislation to allow state residents to set off fireworks around Independence Day and New Year's Eve, an effort to align it with the festive atmosphere Trump is seeking for next year's celebrations. During the debate, opponents questioned why the state was changing its laws to appease the president, while others pointed to firework displays dating to the nation's founding. 'Mr. President, we welcome that idea in Iowa, and we're ready, willing and able to host the party,' state Rep. Bill Gustoff said during debate on the measure. 'We need to enable Iowans to be part of that celebration.' At one point during his remarks, a bang occurred in the distance. 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks. I hope,' said Trump, who survived an assassination attempt a year ago this month. 'Famous last words. My famous last words. 'Trump said, 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks.' You always have to think positive.'
Al Arabiya
19-06-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Saudi PIF launches new company to run Expo 2030
Saudi Arabia's $925 billion sovereign wealth fund PIF said on Thursday it had launched a new unit that will be responsible to build and operate the facilities for the Expo 2030 world fair. The company will be called Expo 2030 Riyadh Company, PIF said in a statement to Reuters, adding that the masterplan for the project covered an area of 6 million square meters to the north of the city. Expo 2030 Riyadh is projected to attract more than 40 million visits and, once operational, it is expected to contribute around $5.6 billion to Saudi Arabia's GDP, PIF said.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘I had one beer': New York man arrested after fiery boat crash injured 23
(WJW) – A New York man faces charges after a fiery boat crash in the Bronx left nearly two dozen people injured over the weekend. According to the New York City Fire Department, rescuers responded to a boat fire in the Long Island Sound around 8 p.m. Saturday evening after reports that multiple people were in the water. When they arrived, as seen in photos from the scene, firefighters found flames shooting up and black smoke billowing from the vessel. Investigators determining next steps after 2 cars found in Lake Glacier One of the department's marine units pulled a few people out of the water. Fire officials said 19 others swam to Hart Island, where they were picked up by the New York Police Department Coast Guard and fire department boats. The New York City Police Department told FOX 8 News that 23 people were taken to nearby hospitals. One patient suffered serious injuries and 22 others suffered minor injuries. As reported by People, a criminal complaint alleged that the boat captain, identified as 33-year-old Joshua Brito, had 'watery eyes' and 'a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage' coming from his breath. Military memorial vandalized in Ashland: police According to the complaint, Brito admitted to picking up the passengers from World Fair and that he allegedly had problems with the yacht a couple days earlier, People reported. 'I had one beer,' Brito allegedly told New York police. Brito was arrested on several charges, including reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated, a police spokesperson confirmed. The boat fire remains under investigation by the NYPD and the U.S. Coast Guard. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
He's Charged with DUI After Boat Crashed and Burst into Flames. He Allegedly Said, 'I Had One Beer'
Joshua Brito, 33, was charged with three counts of operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs Brito allegedly admitted to driving the Carver 35 yacht and told a police captain that, 'I had one beer,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE He has pleaded not guiltyThe captain of a boat that burst into flames off the coast of Hart Island in the Bronx has been charged with three counts of operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Nearly two dozen people were injured after the vessel caught fire on the evening of Saturday, June 7. Officers observed Joshua Brito, 33, 'to have watery eyes and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath," according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Brito admitted to driving the Carver 35 yacht and allegedly told a police captain that, 'I had one beer,' per the complaint. He also allegedly told authorities that he 'picked up the group at World Fair.' 'I had an issue with the boat two days ago,' he allegedly said, according to the complaint. 'I disconnected the generator.' Social media footage of the incident showed a large boat with massive pillars of black smoke billowing off of it as it floated in the Long Island Sound. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The NYPD's Harbor Unit, Aviation and Drone Team rushed to the scene, along with the New York Fire Department (FDNY) and EMS. The yacht caught fire sometime after 8 p.m. local time. Three people were pulled out of the water and nineteen others were able to swim to Hart Island, according to the FDNY, ABC 7 reported. It is not immediately clear what caused the incident. According to police, Brito's blood alcohol content was .05 when a chemical test analysis was administered at Jacobi Hospital around 10 p.m., per the complaint. Brito was arraigned and released Monday, June 9. He entered a not guilty plea. Another court date is scheduled for July 22. His attorney could not be reached for comment. Read the original article on People
