It’s now or never — that is the message Expo organisers have sent out with less than a month to go before the mega event ends after drawing millions to Dubai.
Concerts by top performers including AR Rahman, the Oscar-winning composer, with the Firdaus women’s orchestra, and insightful forums on the state of the planet make up the calendar for March — the last month before the Expo 2020 Dubai ends.
Across social media platforms, organisers have urged residents and tourists to pay a visit to the site: "Join us at Expo2020 Dubai ― now or never, before it's gone forever".
Some highlights coming in the last month include 300 athletes from 30 countries competing in the World Aerial Gymnastics Championship 2022 next week at the Expo sports arena.
The popular musical Why? created by director Shekhar Kapur is staying on for an extra week until March 5.
The show that aims to get the audience thinking about a cleaner, healthier planet is told through the story of a young girl and an elderly man.
To celebrate international Women’s Day, visitors will be in for a treat of stage shows and discussions.
A three-day gathering from March 6-8 will take a close look at cultural and professional biases that women face as part of a Break the Bias forum.
Performances are planned of well-known voices who speak up for women’s empowerment from artist Natacha Atlas, known for fusing contemporary Arabic and Western pop cultures and Tania Saleh, Lebanese singer-songwriter, during a two-day music festival on March 6-7.
Connecting people in conversations and sparking ideas is among the notable experiences the Expo has sought to create with weeks dedicated to climate, space, tolerance, travel and inclusion.
“Conversations can be a powerful force in creating the future, yet in our digital age we may have lost the art of conversation,” Federica Busa, Expo 2020 Dubai’s senior vice president visitor experience has said about the role of the majlis or social gathering in engaging people.
In a recent interview published by Bureau International des Expositions, organisers of the world's fairs, she said the hope was that the concept of the majlis and the ideas that it inspires will be part of future World Expos.
Protecting the world’s most precious resource — water, improving access to sanitation, how to save the oceans are some of the key subjects that will be the focus of the theme weeks in March.
For those keen on unique experiences — women can stretch and exercise at Surreal, the Expo 2020 water feature.
The weekly yoga class for women only is available every Monday morning and free for Expo ticket holders.
Visitors can also gain an interesting perspective of the site through bike tours that are conducted daily at 10am and 4pm.
A 10-minute dazzling drone and light show at the China pavilion is another memorable experience for visitors.
Hundreds of drones take to the sky above the red, lantern-shaped pavilion at 8pm daily and dance to music as they shift shapes to form leaves, stars and butterflies.
With less than a month left, the site is set to go well past 15 million visits after British band Coldplay received a rousing reception earlier this month.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
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)
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
