“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)

An Afghani man sells bread on a roadside in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 23 April 2024. A recent World Bank report reveals a 26% decrease in Afghanistan's gross output over the past year, primarily attributed to a 1.3 billion USD income reduction for farmers due to the ban on drug cultivation. Although tax revenue saw a modest increase of 13% in 2023, exports experienced a 15% decline specifically to Pakistan. Afghan officials highlighted efforts to spur domestic production, improve trade, stabilize the national currency, and initiate key economic projects. (Photo by Qudratullah Razwan/EPA/EFE)

A selection of hand-made leis, traditional Hawaiian necklaces made of flowers and worn mostly on special occasions, fill a cooler at Lin's Lei Shop in the Chinatown district of Honolulu, Hawaii December 22, 2015. Hawaii, whose economy depends heavily on tourism, sees a brief lull in visitors each year in January and February. But in addition to the usual tourist destinations, the state shows a unique overlay of mainland U.S. culture atop tropical beauty year-round. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Leilani Franco has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest human backbend walk, traveling in a backbend position a distance of 20 meters (65 ft 7.2 in) in a time of 10.05 seconds. (Photo by PA Wire)

A person dressed as cartoon character Homer Simpson sits on an NYPD security barricade in Times Square as preparations are made for New Years Eve in New York December 29, 2014. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

A church made entirely from ice is seen during the night at Balea Lac resort in the Fagaras mountains January 29, 2015. (Photo by Radu Sigheti/Reuters)

A group of women laugh at artwork referencing U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made by the artist Hanksy and being sold at a temporary store in New York, U.S., June 4, 2016. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

The sky looked on fire this morning, as it made the clouds glow red, just before sunrise at Peterborough Rowing Lake, in Nene Park, UK on January 18, 2017. (Photo by Paul Marriott/Rex Features/Shutterstock)