It is fitting that the World Majlis, which will be the beating heart of Expo 2020 Dubai, had its debut this week in New York, as the leaders of 193 nations gathered for the UN’s annual General Assembly. An ancient concept, transported to the heart of this world city, the power of the simple majlis to connect disparate people and ideas became vividly apparent. In the process, the world was given a glimpse of the true meaning of the theme of Expo 2020: connecting minds, creating the future.
In just over two years, the first of an estimated 25 million visitors will begin arriving in the UAE for the first Expo to be staged in the Middle East. This “festival of human ingenuity”, almost certainly the largest coming together of humanity in the region, will doubtless dazzle and entertain, with all the flair for which the UAE is renowned. But, above all, Expo 2020 will be a unique opportunity to focus the attention of the world on the issues that matter most, in the hope of promoting meaningful, long-term change for the benefit of all humankind. As such, the six-month universal exposition beginning on October 20, 2020, has the potential to be a defining event for all the world.
The three key themes – opportunity, mobility and sustainability – chime with those of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for a better global future adopted in 2015 and due for delivery by 2030. Nothing better illustrates this synchronicity than Dubai’s Opportunity Pavilion, unveiled this week, which has been created with the ambitious intention of raising the consciousness of all who pass through its doors. Through the use of innovative interactive displays, the pavilion will offer the opportunity for each individual to witness the impact of their own life choices on the planet at large. They will, it is hoped, enter as visitors but leave as change-makers.
The clear message, which resonates with the UN’s determination that in this fast-moving age no human being should be left behind, is that each one of us has a vital role to play in addressing the pressing issues of our time. The logo of Expo 2020 was inspired by the design of an ancient gold ring, unearthed at an archaeological site near Dubai in 2002. That discovery bore witness to the 4,000-year-old history of a region that has served as a nexus of civilisation for millennia. As the symbol of Expo 2020, it symbolises the future of the UAE as a hub, not only for travel and trade but also for the exchange of social, cultural and technological ideas central to the very future of humankind.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
More on animal trafficking
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Zayed Sustainability Prize
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
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
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
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More coverage from the Future Forum
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Zayed Sustainability Prize
