Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
April 01, 2022
Between 7pm yesterday and 3am today, organisers at Dubai Expo 2020 had the difficult task of closing one of the most impressive and prestigious events on the global calendar.
The fanfare was so great that 20 screens were needed throughout the site to give attendees a full picture of the ceremonies, which included music, speeches and a massive fireworks display. Another important part was the handover ceremony to Japan, where the next Expo will be held in Osaka in 2025. It is a reminder that while this one might be over, the event’s wider legacy is not. Millions of people will now have cherished memories of their visit, be it every school child in the Emirates or the very many foreign visitors who were often getting their first experience not just of the UAE, but of the wider Middle East.
And while all Expos are memorable, this one will go down for being one of the busiest and most exceptional on record. For the first time in the event's history, all of the 192 participating countries had their own pavilions. The scale means the majority of visitors, even the most committed ones, did not have the chance to visit every country and thematic pavilion. Faris Aziz Ahmad, 48, was one of the few attendees lucky enough to fill all the pages in his Expo passport, after making more than 70 separate visits. Mr Ahmad said: “Expo gives me information. It gives me more power to look to the future, makes me strong, give me more ideas. I find something new each time.”
The UAE's Al Fursan aerobatic display team perform on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
The display took place above the sprawling site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
The team's jets trail the colours of the UAE flag. Pawan Singh / The National
The display thrilled crowds who packed the site for the final day of the world's fair. Pawan Singh / The National
The team perform stunts in the sky above the Expo site. Pawan Singh / The National
Flying over the pavilions of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
A vertical display above the site. Antonie Robertson / The National
A jet leaves a corkscrew smoke trail above Expo. Antonie Robertson / The National
The team create a love heart in their farewell to the world's fair. Pawan Singh / The National
Impressive as this was, you did not have to be as committed as Mr Ahmad to benefit in this manner. Even the most cursory of visitors will have got a sense of the three themes underpinning the event, which were present at every turn: sustainability, mobility and opportunity, all coming together to "Connect Minds and Create the Future".
At the Sustainability Pavilion, visitors got to "explore humankind’s relationship with nature and our obsession with excessive consumerism", and how we can manage the two to ease the climate crisis. There was a particular focus on the promise of solar energy and the need to use water efficiently, both topics on which the GCC has much to contribute. At the Mobility Pavilion, visitors saw how movement has driven mankind's progress, and where modern forms of it are set to take us, with a particular focus on smart cities, a subject the UAE will be driving in upcoming years. And at the Opportunity Pavilion, the goal was to build global connections and inspiration in a world where future challenges can seem overwhelming.
The UAE is now part of a small, prestigious band of countries to have held an Expo. But there is one achievement that no other host in the history of Expo can lay claim to: keeping it alive through unprecedented obstacles and health risks as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The very name of the event, which remained Expo 2020 even though it actually happened a year later, will serve as a permanent reminder of all that was done to keep the show on the road.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Countries offering golden visas
UK Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
