Russian city plans bid to host Expo 2020

The Russian city of Yekaterinburg is planning a bid to host the Expo 2020 world exhibition, Sverdlovsk Region Governor Alexander Misharin said. At a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday, Misharin said he was hopeful a decree would be issued soon concerning the direction of Russia's official bid and establishment of an organizing committee. "This is actually being implemented," Putin said. "The exhibition you have is good, just wonderful. And this proves that you have good prospects." Bids for Expo 2020 will be accepted from 2011 through 2014. Cities from Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have already indicated they are planning a bid. The 2010 Expo was held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31 last year. More than 190 countries took part in the exhibition, which attracted 73 million visitors, according to the official website.