Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
September 21, 2021
Since its inception 170 years ago, the World Expo, an event that showcases humanity's most important inventions, has been associated with advanced engineering. In 1851, it was held in London's Crystal Palace, a glass structure so impressive that an entire area in the UK capital is named after it. In 1889, France commissioned the Eiffel Tower for its Exposition Universelle. Its worldwide fame and the genius of the entrepreneur behind it, Gustave Eiffel, makes it the most popular tourism destination in France, which is still the world's most visited country.
But after decades at the top, the Eiffel Tower has a rival in the UAE. According to new data from the luxury travel company Kuoni, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is now the most desirable landmark to visit in the world.
The timing could not be more symbolic. The news comes less than a fortnight before the UAE opens Expo 2020 Dubai, part of the same tradition behind the Exposition Universelle that led to the creation of the Eiffel Tower more than 130 years ago.
Delayed for a year by Covid-19 restrictions, Expo 2020 Dubai will open on October 1 and run for 182 days. Pictured is the canopy of the Sustainability Pavilion, one of the impressive buildings to have been built for the event.
Alif – The Mobility Pavilion blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital world.
Hjayceelyn Quintana, the Philippines’ ambassador to the UAE, visits the Bangkota Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site.
Multi-coloured tubes wrapped around the Russian Pavilion will draw visitors into the three-storey structure.
The Finland Expo Pavilion resembles an Arabic tent made of snow
'Hugs' by Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. One of the artworks installed in Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.
ENOC Group announces the construction of its pavilion at Expo 2020 is complete.
A replica of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket outside the USA Pavilion.
Construction work on the French Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai was finished in April.
Dubai Cares Pavilion focuses on the transformative power of education on children.
Scores of stylised metal birds depict the migratory route taken from Poland to the Arabian Peninsula and form the centrepiece of the country's Expo 2020 Dubai Pavilion.
The Austria Pavilion will be a striking addition to the sprawling Expo 2020 site
The Morocco Pavilion under construction in the Opportunity District
The Italy Pavilion features an innovation observatory.
Solar cells will be placed in the skylight of the Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to provide electricity. The skylight will allow sunlight to filter through to help grow edible plants.
The outside of the Oculus at the Ireland Pavilion.
Early construction photos of work on the Luxembourg Pavilion.
The Swiss Pavilion reflects the Alpine country’s diversity – from magnificent landscapes to innovative projects and ideas for a sustainable future.
The international fame of Emirati landmarks is an aspect of the country's identity that won it the candidacy to hold the event. More than just the Burj Khalifa, visitors will be a short journey from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest places of worship on the planet, which was named after Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, now one of the Middle East's most famous examples of modern architecture, as well as the emirate of Sharjah's House of Wisdom, a library that is home to more than 300,000 books, also have growing international reputations. There are many more examples across all seven emirates.
Buildings at the Expo 2020 site itself are feats of engineering. The Dutch pavilion, for example, will comprise a giant cone covered with edible plants and a solar-powered rain shower to highlight the issue of water and food scarcity.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Fabien Maurin
The heart of the Expo 2020 site is Al Wasl Plaza which will host its opening ceremony. The list of performers has recently been announced. They include opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Golden Globe-winning actress, singer and songwriter Andra Day, platinum-selling British pop star Ellie Goulding, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and four-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo. There will also be performances by regional artists including the "Artist of Arabs" Mohamed Abdu, much-loved Emirati singing sensation Ahlam Alshamsi and Emirati artist and Expo 2020 Dubai ambassador Hussain Al Jassmi, a trendsetter on the Khaleeji music scene. It will be one of the biggest concerts the world has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
All this is happening at a site with hundreds of modern architectural concepts, in a city that can now lay claim to the world's most desirable landmark, in a country that over recent years has commissioned some of the world's most ambitious buildings. The core of World Expo has always been a sense of global spectacle, and the UAE's built environment is well placed to give it just that.
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
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