Dubai wins Expo 2020

As widely expected, a jubilant Dubai beat off competition from Brazil, Turkey and Russia to win the right to host Expo 2020. Member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) voted on 27 November, eliminating São Paulo, Izmir and Yekaterinburg to make Dubai the first majority Islamic country to hold the prestigious World’s Fair. In the final round, it beat Yekaterinburg by 116 votes to 47. The event, held every five years, has never taken place in the Middle East, Africa or South East Asia.