“Dubai is sometimes called the “City of Gold” because of its stunning growth from a sleepy Gulf port to a world-famous business crossroads in the space of a single generation. Its nickname has a literal meaning for traders in the precious metal. The city is building itself up as a center for the gold trade, between sources in Africa and consumers in the rising economies of China and India”. – Kamran Jebreili via Associated Press

Photo: A gold press operator collects 10 gram gold blanks to press them with the logo of the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gold prices remained relatively steady in 2012, close to $1,700 an ounce. (Photo by Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo)

A Taliban security personnel stands guard as Afghan burqa-clad women wait in queue in the midst of a downpour to receive food supplies donated during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Kabul on March 25, 2025. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

An Afghan laborer works at a brick kiln, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 24 February 2020. Afghan President Ghani said on 21 February, said that a seven-day reduction in violence promised by the Taliban will determine the government's next steps in Afghanistan's peace process. The Taliban has announced a decrease in hostilities in an agreement with the United States as a preliminary step to signing a peace deal with Washington on 29 February. (Photo by Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA/EFE)

Thai dancers use face shield while waiting for worshippers, after the government eased some coronavirus restrictions, at the Erawan shrine, a popular tourists site, in Bangkok, Thailand, 03 May 2020. The Thai government announced that some businesses and shops can reopen and services and some activities can be resumed from 03 May 2020 on as long as social distancing and regulations are in place. (Photo by Narong Sangnak/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Spurt, an Australian Shepherd performs a obstacle run during Wild Wild Woof A SuperDogs Country & Western Spectacle at the 2025 K-Days Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on July 26, 2025. With fast-paced races, gold-prospecting stunts, and plenty of tail-wagging charm, the SuperDogs deliver a high-energy country show the whole family can cheer for. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Vivid Sydney is a unique annual event of light, music and ideas, featuring an outdoor 'gallery' of extraordinary lighting sculptures, a cutting-edge contemporary music program, some of the world's most important creative industry forums and, of course, the spectacular illumination of the Sydney Opera House sails. It positions Sydney as the creative hub of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, and delivers both innovative live entertainment and creative inspiration on a grand scale.

Mangli Munda poses on her wedding day with a stray dog in Jharkhand, India on August 30, 2014. An 18-year-old Indian girl has married a stray dog as a part of a tribal ritual designed to ward off an evil spell. Village elders hastily organised the wedding between Mangli Munda and the canine as the teenager is believed to be bringing bad luck to her community in a remote village in Jharkhand state. Mangli's father Sri Amnmunda agreed and even found a stray dog named Sheru as a match for his daughter. And while Mangli was a hesitant bride, she believes that the ceremony will help ensure that her future human husband will have a long life. (Photo by Barcroft Media/ABACAPress)

A health official checks the body temperature of a burqa-clad woman passenger amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus at the Lahore Railway station in Lahore on March 19, 2020. (Photo by Arif Ali/AFP Photo)