Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has turned down an invitation to attend the Science Technology and Arts Royal Summit (STARS) due to work commitments, said Gulf News on Friday.
The charity event is being held at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai from October 14-16 to celebrate technological achievements.
Organizers, who took the unusual step of publishing a list of officially invited celebrity guests on the Internet before they had confirmed, will be disappointed that Gates is unable to attend.
A Microsoft spokesman was quoted as saying that "Bill Gates has had to turn down the invitation as he has prior engagements that he needs to attend to in Asia.
He said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who is also on the published list, has also had to decline his invitation. Another big hitter in the computer world, Oracle's Larry Ellison, is also doubtful to attend despite receiving an invitation, the paper said – Albawaba.com
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