Follow the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai here
Visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai can now download three different apps to streamline their visit.
The official app will help match users' interests with events and attractions, and offer a virtual queuing facility.
The Business App aims to facilitate business connections through an innovative AI-powered algorithm.
Both apps are now available for download through App Store or Google Play.
The Expo 2020 Dubai site is twice the size of Monaco, so organisers recommend people plan their visits ahead of arriving.
What can I use the official Expo 2020 Dubai app for?
Visitors can use the app to buy tickets, or choose from more than 200 dining options and themed culinary events.
Guests can also use the app to manage reservations for Expo 2020’s intelligent Smart Queue system, which has been designed to dramatically reduce queues at popular pavilions.
Using the app, visitors can reserve a convenient time slot to visit the pavilions of their choice.
A chatbot on the app provides information on opening times, parking options and how to reach Expo using Dubai’s public transport options, and the RTA's free bus service.
There is also a GPS-enabled interactive map of the Expo site on the app, and step-by-step directions to places of interest across Expo, so visitors can make the most of their time.
The app also allows users to tailor their visit to Expo 2020, matching individual interests to create a personal schedule of events and attractions.
Where do I get the official Expo 2020 Dubai app?
The free app can be downloaded from App Store or Google Play.
Users then need to create an Expo 2020 account or link to it using their social media account.
How do I book tickets for Expo 2020 Dubai attractions?
Mohammed Al Hashmi, the chief innovation technology officer for Expo 2020 Dubai, said the best way to book tickets to Expo's attractions is through the app.
"Whether you’re interested in boarding our Garden in the Sky observation tower 55 metres above the ground; partying at Expo Beats, our monthly music festival featuring a global cast; or experiencing the spectacular Expo Water Feature, the Expo 2020 app has everything on offer at your fingertips," said Mr Al Hashmi.
What is the Expo 2020 Business app for?
Expo 2020 Dubai is not just designed to wow visitors, it is also designed to offer the world a platform to communicate and do business.
With nearly 200 countries represented on site, all displaying their brightest and best, organisers hope Expo 2020 Dubai will be a great place to make connections.
The Expo 2020 Business App matches users with similar interests and objectives among the business community, with the objective of facilitating meaningful business to business (B2B), business to government (B2G) and government to government (G2G) interactions across geographies and industries.
Thanks to inbuilt artificial intelligence, the app suggests potential matches for users based on their profiles, expertise, goals and interaction patterns.
Where do I get the Expo 2020 Business app?
The app can be downloaded for free of charge through WebApp, App Store and Google Play.
Users then create their own unique profile, highlighting key information and contact details, and then select filters and research potential match partners.
Once a connection is made, users can start engaging, chatting and scheduling meetings with other users, businesses and entities of interest to establish relationships during and beyond Expo.
A small registration fee applies to access the app’s premium features, such as networking, connecting, chatting and scheduling meetings.
Holders of the Premium Experience can enjoy complementary access to the premium features of the Expo 2020 Business App, alongside a host of additional services.
Keep fit at Expo 2020 Dubai with the Glofox app
The Expo 2020 Sports, Fitness and Wellbeing Hub has partnered with the Glofox app to help visitors make the most of all the sport and health-related activities available at the global fair.
There will be a wide variety of sports events for all ages and physical abilities taking place during Expo 2020.
To view timetables and services, book classes and engage with other members and instructors, Expo organisers recommend downloading the Glofox app.
How do I use the Glofox app at Expo 2020 Dubai?
Download the Glofox app through App Store and Google Play
Search for "Expo 2020: Sports, Fitness and Wellbeing Hub", then sign in and start registering for sessions.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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The view from The National
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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
