Number of participants at 2010 Expo hits record

Shanghai event has 189 nations, 57 international organizations

SHANGHAI - Expo 2010 Shanghai has attracted a record 246 participants, though three previously confirmed countries missed the global showcase for their own reasons, organizers said on Wednesday.

A total of 189 nations and 57 international organizations will attend the 184-day cultural gala. Burkina Faso in Western Africa, Bhutan in South Asia and Kuwait - which had confirmed their participation earlier - will not send their participants to Shanghai in time for the opening.