Construction trade show The Big 5 postponed to 2021

The construction industry's biggest yearly-showcase, The Big 5, is now moved to 2021, the show organisers said.

The event, which comprises five specialised shows, was scheduled to be held from November 23-26 this year. It will instead be held from September 12-15, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ahead of the Dubai Expo 2020, dmg events said in a statement on Monday.

The company said that the decision to postpone the event came "after a thorough consultation with key stakeholders in the wake of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic".

The organisers said the new dates were the closest they could agree to after considering a number of factors including the "health, safety and convenience of all participants, the ease of travel, as well as the global events calendar for the industry".

The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and has attracted more than 67,000 buyers, suppliers and experts from the industry last year.

“It was not an easy decision to take, but we believe it is the best for the construction players we proudly connect and have served since 1979," Ben Greenish, senior vice president at dmg events, said.

The organisers said that a year-long period would help contractors to reconnect with clients, while providing sufficient time for movement restrictions to be lifted.

A number of trade events including the Arabian Travel Market, a major travel industry show in the Middle East, have been moved to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The show is currently being held virtually. The real estate sector's showcase event, Cityscape Global, is however scheduled to be held in November this year.

MWTC

Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.

Evacuations to France hit by controversy

Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France

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Who is Allegra Stratton?

Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth

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Fireball

Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.

A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.

"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.

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Directed by Sam Mendes

Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays

4.5/5

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