Held every five years, World Expos are rare occasions where visitors get a sneak peek into some of the greatest innovations that have shaped the world. Expo 2020 Dubai taking place in the UAE right now also makes this year's New Year's Eve all the more special.
Follow the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai here.
With 192 pavilions, myriad exhibitions, hundreds of restaurants and non-stop activities, there are experiences for every taste. To welcome 2022, organisers have planned round-the-clock entertainment featuring world-class DJs, two stunning fireworks displays and even a midnight "ball drop" at Al Wasl Plaza, the centrepiece of Expo 2020.
The celebrations planned will make it "the largest event ever held in the Arab world", said Tareq Ghosheh, chief events and entertainment officer at Expo 2020 Dubai. "We are thrilled to host a spectacular celebration of top-class entertainment and activations, welcoming 2022 with open arms and renewed optimism for a brighter future,” he said.
Aligned with numerous global time zones across 13 hours of festivities, Expo 2020’s New Year’s celebrations will begin at 3pm on Friday and last until 4am.
Here are some of the events not to be missed:
Armin van Buuren and Dimitri Vegas's 13-hour party
Fresh from performing in front of more than 100,000 people at the Soundstorm festival in Riyadh, the dance music stars will take the stage as part of an epic 13-hour party ending at 4am on New Year's Day.
Vegas's set will take place on the Jubilee stage from 11.30pm on Friday, while van Buuren will take over the decks from 1.30am on Saturday. Organisers say both artists will lead an international line-up of DJs hailing from the Mena region, India and the Philippines.
Midnight 'ball drop' at Al Wasl Plaza and fireworks
A Times Square-style ball drop will be one of the main attractions on December 31. The countdown to 2022 will be led by drones at the Expo, with two fireworks shows – the first one blasting off at the stroke of midnight, and then again at 3am, as a nod to Expo's world fair status. Celebrations will be capped off by events across the attraction by 192 country pavilions, all heralding 2022 in show-stopping style.
Food trucks, kiosks and restaurant specials
The newly-opened Festival Garden in Expo’s Jubilee Park, featuring communal seating, a main stage and more than 120 food concepts including food trucks, kiosks and carts, will offer the perfect place to enjoy music and entertainment for the entire family.
Meanwhile, 70 restaurants across the site are offering set menus, DJ performances and entertainment throughout New Year’s Eve:
- African dining hall Alkebulan's al fresco New Year’s Eve party on the terrace includes an all-you-can eat offer, with open house beverages as well as live entertainment for Dh650, from 8pm until 3am.
- At Long Chim, the famous Thai restaurant, which made its Dubai debut at Expo 2020, expect a six-course menu featuring some of the eatery's biggest hits. Prices start at Dh380 and go up to Dh1,110. Dinner is served from 7pm until midnight.
- There will be unlimited pizza and beverages on New Year's Eve at Bread Ahead Bakery & School. Indulge in their classic margherita and beef chorizo pizzas and enjoy the festivities while you sip on some ice-cold drinks. Dh199 for 90 minutes.
- Famed Washington restaurant Cafe Milano will offer an Italian feast with an a la carte menu, including a welcome drink and amuse-bouche from the chef, to ensure your year ends perfectly and 2022 is off to the best start.
- Sports bar Garden on 1's New Year's Eve package includes a buffet and unlimited beverages with prices starting at Dh350.
- At Canvas by Coffee + Culture, there will be a three-course meal with unlimited drinks for two hours, starting at 8pm. For groups of 12 or more, pre-ordering is mandatory. Prices are from Dh290.
- Mudra, the fine-dining vegan rooftop concept's plant-based party comes with live DJ’s and one of the best views of the Expo fireworks. Party starts from 9pm until late. Prices start at Dh3,000 for a table of six people.
- Adrift Burger Bar is offering its hit burgers and epic shakes with packages from Dh350 per person. Party starts at 9pm.
- At the Denmark Pavilion, De2Have restaurant will be hosting a Danish-style New Year’s Eve celebration on the rooftop, with a six-course traditional Danish menu. Prices start at Dh495, with entry from 10pm. The dress code is smart.
- Boasting one of the best views of Al Wasl Plaza, Jubilee Gastronomy's seven-course set menu is priced at Dh1,995 inclusive of premium beverages.
- Scarpetta Mercato is offering a five-course set menu of Italian delicacies starting at Dh600. Located in the Mobility District, the restaurant is “tucked away from the crowds, with an outdoor patio available upon request”, according to its Italian chef Paolo Dorigato.
- Michelin-lauded chef Rohit Ghai's restaurant Kutir will have an authentic feast of Indian delicacies curated by the chef himself. Prices start at Dh375.
- The National by Geoffrey Zakarian, an outpost of the American-Armenian chef's New York City restaurant, has a set menu of signature dishes and comes with awesome views of Al Wasl Plaza. Prices start at Dh850.
- Hailing from Beirut’s fashionable Mar Mikhael neighbourhood, Baron is known for its focus on fresh produce, innovative dishes and sauces, and sharing-style plates. At Expo, chef-patron Athanasios Kargatzidis’s licensed restaurant is located at Al Wasl Plaza, with the dome serving as its backdrop. New Year's Eve packages start at Dh850.
- With one of the best views of Al Wasl Plaza, 2020 Club by Emaar is the place to be to catch all the New Year's Eve action. Packages for the night start at Dh388 and go all the way up to Dh1,888. There are also separate rooftop party rates starting at Dh888.
- Another property bound to offer great fireworks views, Sky Bar packages start at Dh399 with doors opening from 9pm. There will also be complimentary canapes per table.
- Enjoy cuisine from the heart of the Levant at Grand Beirut as well as an authentic Lebanese experience filled with art, culture and food with a curated set menu. Dh599.
Scroll through the gallery below for images from Expo 2020 Dubai's Christmas decorations:
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Company%20profile
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
