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The UK has a 170-year Expo heritage but its pavilion in Dubai promises to write a new chapter in history and is the nation’s first designed by a woman.
Creativity and poetry are at the heart of the building’s concept by British designer Es Devlin, which resembles a giant horn.
Visitors can view poems lit up in LEDs on an enormous facade every minute of the day.
Everyone is invited, and that is the Britain that I knew growing up, so there is common ground
Es Devlin,
UK Pavilion designer
“Being the first woman to design a pavilion, I felt the extra weight of responsibility on my shoulders,” said Ms Devlin, 50.
“It is difficult to express your country inside a building or sculpture.
“Someone told me when I was growing up there is no such thing as society, just the individual. The opposite is true today and we are all collectives."
Everyone who steps into the building will become part of its creation, Ms Devlin said. The pavilion’s design has been five years in the making, with work commencing in October 2019.
Visitors to donate words
In a concept inspired by scientist Stephen Hawking, visitors to the UK pavilion will be invited to donate a word they feel describes humanity or life on Earth.
Advanced AI technology will use these words to generate poetic couplets that will combine to create a collective message. Ms Devlin has been working with AI experts in California for five years, to develop and train an algorithm to develop poetry.
The first word ‘dignity' has been entered by Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020.
More than 100 British poets have already contributed some 15,000 poems to the project.
“The horn is like a call to action, and invites everyone to gather within it," said Ms Devlin.
“The words of visitors will become part of a collective poem.”
The cone-shaped 20-metre pavilion has rows of protruding slats that extend outward to form the circular facade.
“As you enter visitors will hear a soundscape from voices from all across the UK, including choirs from Norwich and Bradford, and sea shanties from the coast," said Ms Devlin.
“Everyone is invited, and that is the Britain that I knew growing up, so there is common ground.”
Another theme of the UK pavilion is innovating for a shared future, connecting man, mind and machines.
The visitor journey will include a maze of aspiration, a choral space, a facade for displays and a restaurant and bar called 1851, named in recognition of London’s first Expo event.
A UK business programme from October 22 will take a look into the future by exploring everything from fashion, food, how we will live and learn and what we will create in the years to come.
The future of travel is another key topic in a week of events from November 9.
Speakers lined up over the coming months include former politician Dr Tristram Hunt, now director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, actor Robert Llewellyn, winner of the 2018 Global Teacher Prize Andria Zafirakou and president of AstraZeneca UK Tom Keith-Roach.
A number of state visits are also planned with leading politicians and ministers over the course of the next six months.
The Red Arrows aerobatic display team will represent the UK at Expo 2020 Dubai with a spectacular 20-minute display and fly-past to celebrate the first week of the event at 4pm on October 8.
The UK’s national day will be celebrated with a special show on February 10.
“Expo is an amazing concept of the world in one place,” said commissioner general of the UK pavilion Laura Faulkner.
“We are reimagining relationships with the rest of the world in new trade agreements and partnerships with businesses and in education.
“It will be like staging a Davos every day and a Glastonbury every night.
“We hope the ripples started at Expo will be felt for many years to come.”
Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team the Red Arrows - in pictures
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Not Dark Yet
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Four stars
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
