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Latest: Inside the nerve centre bringing Expo 2020's majestic Al Wasl dome to life
There’s an exclusive club for people who have visited every country in the world.
The fastest to do so is an American woman called Taylor Demonbreun, who holds the world record for visiting them all in about 18 months.
Expo 2020 Dubai makes this task a little easier though. Here in Dubai, 191 pavilions from the family of nations are gathered in one place.
So how many can I visit within 24 hours?
Armed with an Expo 2020 Passport for those crucial stamps as proof of my voyage, I set out from Al Wasl Plaza at the heart of Expo as dusk begins to settle.
First up was meant to be Gabon, but it is temporarily closed for cleaning – the pavilion, not the country – so I head to Bangladesh, which like the UAE celebrates its 50th birthday this year and where, apparently, there is a 200-year-old Armenian church.
That’s the thing about this Expo. Every country has its own pavilion and its own story.
In the real world, Bangladesh is about 7,000 kilometres from Papua New Guinea, but at Expo they are neighbours.
I meet Joshua Kalinoe, Papua New Guinea’s ambassador to Belgium. He tells me his country has 1,000 tribes and 800 languages, “but we live in unity and diversity.”
Just arriving is Mary, sporting a magnificent tribal headdress of feathers and shells. Mary, who lives in Dubai, reassures me that she spared Papua New Guinea’s wildlife in its construction.
“I got it all from the craft shop,” she says.
At Benin, I learn of Queen Hangbe and her ferocious Dahomey warriors, real-life Amazons.
Then another statuesque and charming young woman shows me around Montenegro, followed by the Seychelles and coconut palms, Venezuela, and Kuwait, a huge Ferrero Rocher of a building with a replica water tower rising up through its interior.
That’s seven countries and five continents in just the first hour. But now the going gets tough.
Uzbekistan has yet to open to the public and in Singapore there is a temperature test and a 15-minute queue, although it’s well worth it for the fabulous hanging gardens.
Mozambique doesn’t have a passport stamp yet – a problem at several pavilions I visit – but the remote Marshall Islands obliges, along with Malta, Moldova and the Maldives. Slovenia has a green, heart-shaped sticker.
After a break for Yemeni grilled chicken at Maraheb Restaurant, there is time for Peru, Austria, China, Antigua and Barbuda, plus Nicaragua and Burkina Faso, before my feet are screaming in protest and it’s time to head to the Metro and bed.
The next morning begins with the opening of Expo at 10am. It’s time to tackle some of the bigger pavilions, even though the queues are going to cut back on the countries it will be possible to visit before sundown.
I set out a route to follow around each of the three districts and two parks, but this quickly falls apart after leaving Sustainability and the giant brain inside the Russia Pavilion, as I find myself in Jubilee Park.
So I just wander. Here is Turkmenistan, the “home of neutrality”, and Botswana, with display cases filled with hundreds of real diamonds.
In Sri Lanka they dispense a welcome cup of tea, while in the Netherlands they hand out umbrellas as projection screens for a video on water and sustainability.
Water is a big feature in Brazil, with what may be the world’s largest paddling pool. In New Zealand, it cascades down from the roof.
The Czechs extract water from the air, and at Vietnam’s cafe they extract Dh60 for a lunch of three spring rolls, admittedly delicious but more expensive than I recall from visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. But I do get to play a xylophone made of rocks.
It’s also hot and humid and fast becoming a bit of blur.
Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Peru – no wait, been there, done that – Britain, Morocco, Tunisia, Lithuania, Switzerland, oh, and Azerbaijan.
Israel, Lebanon and Palestine don’t have passport stamps yet, along with at least a dozen more I visit.
But by now the light is fading and so are my energy levels. My Fitbit vibrates with 20,000 steps taken.
I estimate in 24 hours I have walked over 30km and visited about 70 countries, so over a third of the total, collecting 64 passport stamps in total.
But that’s the point of Expo 2020. There’s plenty to see and do, and with six months left, plenty of time to take your time.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
RACECARD
6pm Emaar Dubai Sprint – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35pm Graduate Stakes – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm Al Khail Trophy – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,810m
7.45pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m
8.55pm Downtown Dubai Cup – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 1,400m
9.30pm Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m
10.05pm Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
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What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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AWARDS
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
