On Thursday, the world’s eyes were on the UAE as it opened Dubai Expo 2020. It was hard to ignore, with performances from the Italian opera maestro Andrea Bocelli, British singer Ellie Goulding, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu. Canadian broadcaster CBC called the event “spectacular”. American news station CNN remarked: “Dubai doesn't do anything by half, the city always goes big”.
It was important that the UAE got the ceremony right. When done well, such openings leave permanent impressions about the identity and creativity of a country. The UK’s at the 2012 Olympics packaged the culture and history of the entire country in just a few hours. It was watched by 900 million people. China’s at the 2008 Summer Games included 14,000 performers and celebrated its many inventions. It told the magnificent story of one of the oldest civilisations on Earth.
Unlike the Olympics, Expo 2020 will last for six months. Its defining moments will keep coming. The National has been reporting early aspects of the festival that have already caught the world’s attention.
A water feature that is almost the height of a football field will be the backdrop for thousands of photos over the coming months, for people from all over the world.
Saudi Arabia’s pavilion breaks multiple records, including the largest-ever digital mirror screen and a 32-metre digital water feature that is nearly two thirds as tall as Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. The entire building is five-storeys high and takes up an area the size of two football fields.
The country’s pavilion is second only in size to the UAE’s one. The morning after the opening ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, visited the site that is modelled on a falcon in flight, hailing it as an “architectural masterpiece".
The opening ceremony took place in Al Wasl Plaza, centred around another symbol of Emirati culture, the Ghaf tree, the UAE's national tree which is famed for its resilience and ability to live for 120 years in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.
World Expos are, and always have been, built around physical structures. But also at the heart of the event are the people who take part in it.
Child star Mira Singh was perhaps an unexpected hero of the opening ceremony, with her performance as a young girl whose personal journey symbolises the wider narrative of Expo 2020. A talented actor, Mira also embodies one of the most remarkable aspects of the UAE’s society, its diversity. Born to an Indian father and a Belarusian mother, Mira goes to JSS International School in Dubai. Like all children who grow up in the UAE, she will reap the benefits and holistic education of being raised in one of the world’s most diverse societies.
The stars of the show were not just onstage. Perhaps without realising it, anyone who was physically at the event contributed to what will become one of Expo 2020’s most defining aspects, the return of crowds after more than a year of tight, international controls on gatherings.
In such a busy opening week, it is hard to give credit to all the things that make Expo 2020 a moment to celebrate. What we do know is that in just a few days, people from world-famous singers to young actors, even members of an audience, have already made Expo 2020 the global spectacle it promised to be. This story is an inclusive one. For anyone who wants to be part of it, all you have to do is turn up.
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MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The%20Iron%20Claw
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.