Read More: 'Packed schedule' at Expo 2020 Dubai for public holiday weekend
Expo 2020 has more than 190 country pavilions, exhibitions at the Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability pavilions, hundreds of places at which to eat and many shows a day, so visitors have options galore to explore at the world's fair.
UAE residents and tourists are expected to visit the world’s greatest show more than once.
Walking around various pavilions, from hiking in the fog at the Swiss pavilion and soaking in the sights and sounds of old Jerusalem in the Palestine pavilion, there are experiences for every kind of taste at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Live Blog: Updates and live coverage from Expo 2020 Dubai
If you are thinking of heading down to the world’s fair, here are five of the cool experiences you can try out while you are there.
Cool down at the Expo 2020 Dubai's fire-spitting waterfall
The water feature at Expo 2020 Dubai with waves that cascade down stone walls is drawing crowds.
Visitors stopped off to dip their feet in the waterfall that crashes to the ground before disappearing into the stone. The water also dances to music as people frolic in the tumbling stream below.
The gravity-defying illusion is switched on at night, as the water appears to flow upwards and the stone is coloured with rainbow streaks.
The experience is set against a backdrop of specially composed music. An orchestra in London recorded the original score by well-known Game of Thrones music composer and two-time Emmy award winner Ramin Djawadi.
Read more: All you need to know about Expo 2020 Dubai's fire-spitting waterfall
Play games and make a pledge to help save the planet
Learn about how to save water, energy and food and pledge to contribute in a small or big way to saving the planet at the Opportunity pavilion.
The pavilion focuses on how every person can be an agent of change in helping to reach sustainable development goals.
Parallel "tracks" run through the pavilion, focusing on those themes of water, food and energy.
At the pavilion, visitors can play a game in which they help provide the right amount of sunshine and water to a plant to ensure it grows and blossoms.
The final area in the pavilion is the Pledge Room, which delivers a sensory experience giving visitors the illusion that they are in the clouds while looking at Earth and they can make pledges to work towards sustainable development goals.
These pledges are then displayed in panels across the ceiling.
Enjoy a light show at Al Wasl Dome
Al Wasl Dome, often called the beating heart of the Expo, truly comes to life at night.
People gather around the mammoth structure and watch the dazzling dance of lights and patterns as soothing music is played.
The Al Wasl Dome is at its most beautiful after night falls.
Visitors will remember the dome, it was used at the Expo's opening ceremony where its walls were lit with beautiful patterns.
Al Wasl Plaza’s dome is 130 metres in diameter and more than 67 metres tall.
Feel like you are in the Alps with a hike in the fog
If you want to forget the heat and humidity, there is nothing like a quick escape in the Alps.
At the Swiss pavilion, people can walk through a cloud of fog and feel like they are hiking in the Alps.
A hill was built from recycled stone, with high-tech sound and visuals added to recreate a panoramic view from the top of a mountain.
Deeksha Vasanthakumar, a Grade 7 pupil at Delhi Private School Dubai, was excited after her first trip on Wednesday.
Hiking through the fog in the Swiss pavilion was her favourite experience.
“I was in seventh heaven," said the 11-year-old Indian pupil.
Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colours at the Pakistan pavilion
Visitors at the Expo 2020 have been posting their share of photos of the colourful Pakistan pavilion.
Thousands of individual glass units of different sizes and colour were used to create the facade of the pavilion.
The result is an optical illusion for visitors as they walk past the unique structure.
The pavilion, which covers an area of 3,251 square metres in the Opportunity District, has a theme – The Hidden Treasure – intended to boost tourism, commerce and investment in Pakistan.
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2018 Ford F-150
Price, base / as tested: Dh173,250 / Dh178,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 395hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 555Nm @ 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 12.4L / 100km
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.