Follow the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai here
As Dubai prepares for Expo 2020, one person who has been observing events with interest is Peter Vine, a Welshman who now lives in Ireland.
Dr Vine, now 75, was the UAE pavilion project director for four expos.
He had the daunting task of creating pavilions that caught the attention of visitors and satisfied the country’s leaders, who demanded only the very best.
“It was a very challenging experience and very exciting, because we would have a fixed deadline and very high expectations of what we could achieve,” he said.
“Every pavilion we built was better than the one before. That was achieved by keeping a good team together.”
Dr Vine’s first expo was Zaragoza 2008 in Spain, a specialised expo focused on, “Water and Sustainable Development” – key issues for a country as water-stressed as the UAE.
Every pavilion we built was better than the one before. That was achieved by keeping a good team together.
Dr Peter Vine
Dr Vine was well aware of this, having been approached to be pavilion project director after writing a book about the country.
“I was immediately reminded that Sheikh Zayed was more interested in water when the oil companies were drilling for oil,” he said of the UAE’s founding father.
The pavilion, which featured a river and a film, was a big hit, attracting more than one million visitors and being among just half a dozen national exhibits to scoop a gold award from organisers.
Dr Vine said the pavilions received “incredible support and encouragement from the UAE government”, with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, overseeing the projects as chairman of the National Media Council.
“He is an inspiring person to work for,” said Dr Vine.
“He made it known he expected the best and he expected something extraordinary.”
The country’s leaders looked for continual improvement, so after Zaragoza, Dr Vine and his team worked to create something even more impressive for Expo 2010 Shanghai, a world expo with the theme, “Better City, Better Life”.
“It was as if the organisers had written the theme for the UAE,” said Dr Vine.
“Back in the sixties conditions were tough in the UAE, with a life expectancy of not much more than 50.“
Over the course of a decade, they raised that to more than 70. They did that with investment in residential development, urban development, education and health.
“We could tell the story of how the UAE had approached the challenge of improving the welfare of its citizens.”
Working with the world-renowned architectural practice Foster + Partners, the original plan had been for a pavilion covered by photovoltaic cells.
However, it was felt this did not tie in sufficiently with the theme of the event, and the architects were tasked with producing a design inspired by a sand dune, something that initially caused them concern.
“It was the danger of looking tacky,” said Dr Vine.
“It had to be done in a creative way. It was hugely successful and the pavilion was brought back and rebuilt in Abu Dhabi. That set the standard of what UAE pavilions could do.”
Next up was the specialised expo, in Yeosu, South Korea, in 2012, themed around, “The living ocean and coast”, a subject of particular interest to Dr Vine as he has a PhD in marine biology.
Featuring, among much else, a sea tunnel and feature film, the pavilion was another hit and scooped a silver medal. “We chose this topic of the boy and the turtle,” said Dr Vine.
“It was inspired by a real boy who picked up rubbish from the shore.
“We made it into a small feature film called, ‘The Turtle.’ It was a very moving film about a boy who had a vision to stop the use of unrecyclable plastic.”
The film won half a dozen awards, including a gold at the renowned film festival in Cannes. For Dr Vine’s final expo, in Milan in 2015, with the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” the team was interested in showing how the UAE had improved its food security despite the extreme climate.
“When we went looking for stories in the UAE about food, I was hugely impressed by the progress that had been made over the past decade with food production,” said Dr Vine.
The UAE’s pavilion of red-brown rippled concrete evoked the narrow streets of traditional Gulf towns and cities. Another collaboration with Foster + Partners, it won an award for best exterior design.
The pavilions were a joint effort of many – numbers ranged from a dozen to as many as 200 – and it is the creation and development of a team of Emiratis that Dr Vine considers one of his biggest achievements.
Staff involvement from one expo to the next provided continuity, something that countries that built up teams from scratch for each event missed out on.
He hopes to visit Expo 2020 Dubai and will be interested to find out what the UAE has produced for its home expo.
“The UAE has a long history of successful participation at world expos and I cannot wait to see what they are doing at Expo 2020 Dubai,” he said.
UAE pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 – in pictures
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
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More on animal trafficking
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYango%20Deli%20Tech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERetail%20SaaS%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf%20funded%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Suad%20Amiry%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pantheon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20304%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
Company%20profile
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SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
