The UAE is gearing up for an exciting 2025, with a host of new things to do and places to explore set to open soon.
These include the much-awaited Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum, as well as attractions such as Velodrome Abu Dhabi and even expansions to an existing favourite, Yas Waterworld.
While opening dates are not finalised and plans might change, here are some of the launches being counted down to in the coming year.
Yas Waterworld extension
Miral has announced a 16,900-square-metre expansion to Yas Waterworld on Yas Island. There will be 18 new rides and attractions, as well as an addition of 3.3km of slides. The waterpark will include the UAE’s highest slide, and will be home to the GCC's first waterpark ride integrated within a waterslide complex. The water ride will feature a 15-metre-high drop for up to 20 guests at a time.
Zayed National Museum
This newcomer will tell the history of the UAE in full, spanning 300,000 years. Named after the country’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, the museum was founded to preserve local culture and heritage. Six permanent galleries will explore human history, languages, and culture in the UAE from ancient times until the present day.
Guggenheim Museum
Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the UAE site is set to be the latest and largest outpost of the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation’s list of international museums. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is expected to house important modern and contemporary artworks from West Asia, North Africa and South Asia, displaying a collection that aims to spur cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. No opening date for the museum has been formally announced, but Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on track for completion by the end of 2025.
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will shed light on the history of our universe and planet, while also featuring a research and teaching institution. It will stand distinct from similar institutions around the world owing to its focus on the region. After delving into the landmark moments in the planet’s history, including the mass extinction events, the museum will offer sections that focus on the evolution of the Arabian Peninsula.
TeamLab Phenomena
The 17,000-square-metre structure, nicknamed the Home for Infinite Curiosity, will feature original and constantly changing art and technology. The installations within the space will be “designed to flow” with the amoebic architecture, teamLab has said.
Founded in Tokyo in 2001, teamLab has become famous for its adoption of digital technology and the importance placed on the symbiotic relationship between art and the viewer.
Velodrome Abu Dhabi
The facility on Hudayriyat Island will feature the region's first Union Cycliste Internationale category one indoor cycling track, suitable for staging global competitions. The UCI, also known as the International Cycling Union, is the world governing body for all cycling competitions.
Velodrome Abu Dhabi will also include a rooftop track, connected to the ground via a 600-metre cycling ramp winding around the outer walls, giving 360-degree views of Hudayriat Island and the Abu Dhabi skyline.
Grand Hyatt Dubai Waterpark
Grand Hyatt Dubai is launching its own waterpark, a ticketed attraction with 15 slides and rides including a surfing lagoon that will be open to the public. The five-star hotel has been a stalwart in the city for more than 20 years, and its 20,000-square-metre waterpark will be free to enter for guests staying at the hotel and other Hyatt properties in Dubai.
Le Relais de L'Entrecote
The Parisian restaurant will open at The Opus in Business Bay, taking over the space currently occupied by Basko. It aims to introduce a French brasserie experience to Downtown Dubai. The UAE outpost will also incorporate local influences while maintaining the classic elements of the original, including dark wood furnishings, bistro chairs and vintage-style posters and uniforms.
Culinary Arts Group
Singapore‘s Culinary Arts Group is set to debut Maison Dali and Revolver in Dubai in 2025, both located at The Opus in Business Bay. Maison Dali is a contemporary bistro that blends European-inspired dishes with Japanese techniques, while Revolver will focus on bold South Asian flavours crafted in a theatrical open-fire kitchen. Dishes include burrata in bang bang sauce, yellowtail with tamarind ponzu and Portobello mushroom steak with brown butter hummus.
3D-printed mosque
A 2,000-square-metre 3D-printed mosque is set to open in Bur Dubai and will accommodate 600 worshippers. This area of the old town, located close to the Creek and the original port that started the Dubai story, is one of the city's most heavily populated areas.
The printing process works by layering a fluid material along a predetermined route mapped out by a computer, similar to an inkjet printer. The mineral-infused fluids solidify into concrete almost instantly to convert the digital model into a three-dimensional object.
Swingers Crazy Golf
The adults-only entertainment venue will offer games of crazy golf, plus street-style food and drinks. It will open a branch on Bluewaters Island. Founded in 2014, Swingers Crazy Golf began as a pop-up in London, leading to a permanent location in 2016. The concept draws inspiration from 1920s British seaside culture, creating an atmosphere that blends fun and competition with culinary delights and a vibrant social setting.
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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Read more about the coronavirus
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
