Emmaimellei Fritz, Republic of Palau pavilion guide and liaison officer at Expo 2020 Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Located 890 kilometres east of the Philippines in the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean, Palau is an archipelago of more than 500 islands with a fascinating history. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo
Palau is blessed with rich natural resources. Photo: Pixabay
Palau has more species of marine life than any other area of similar size in the world and also the highest concentration of marine lakes – unique biospheres that have been separated from the ocean by land barriers and continue to yield discoveries of new species. Photo: Charly W Karl / Flickr
Tourism is the main industry in Palau but thanks to its isolation, the country has only had three cases of Covid-19. More than 90 per cent of its inhabitants are vaccinated. Photo: Unsplash
Palau has become the first country to ban reef-toxic sunscreen.
The Palau Pledge is stamped in the passport of every visitor to the Micronesian nation. Visitors must sign the pledge and promise to tread lightly on the land. Photo: The Palau Legacy Project
A downed Second World War aircraft in the waters around Palau, which attracts adventurous scuba divers. Photo: Unsplash
As a citizen of a nation with only 20,000 people, Emmaimellei Fritz regularly has to show Expo 2020 Dubai visitors where to find Palau on the map.
Located 890 kilometres east of the Philippines, in the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean, Palau is an archipelago of more than 500 islands with a fascinating history.
The Germans, Spanish, Japanese and Americans have at one time colonised the country, but now it is fiercely independent.
"We are a proud nation," Ms Fritz said. "We are proud of our pristine paradise."
Palauans are friendly and the country is famous for its scuba diving, its jellyfish lake – and it is summer all year round
Emmaimellei Fritz, Palau pavilion
Five Palauans flew over for Expo 2020 Dubai and will remain in the emirate for six months, living away from their families. They arrived on September 23 and are staying in the Expo Village.
"It's a great opportunity, I had never been to Dubai before and it's amazing," said Ms Fritz.
"It feels amazing to be representing our nation. We were nominated by the Palau Chamber of Commerce to represent Palau."
Learning from the ocean
The pavilion is proving popular, with regular visitors popping in to tour the colourful exhibits on the archipelago's varied flora and fauna.
With its 'Learning from the Ocean', the focus of the pavilion is on conservation and promoting responsible tourism.
Palau has more species of marine life than any other area of similar size in the world, and also the highest concentration of marine lakes – unique biospheres that have been separated from the ocean by land barriers, and continue to yield discoveries of new species.
The country believes it can be a role model for the rest of the world, due to a century-old practice called "bul", through which the delicate ecosystem of the islands was managed sustainably.
This involved making certain parts of the reef off-limits to fishing during spawning and feeding to allow fish to thrive. Now, bul has become the philosophy on which the nation has based its new 500,000-square-metre marine reserve.
Tourism is the main industry in Palau but thanks to its isolated position, the country has only had three cases of Covid-19. More than 90 per cent of its inhabitants are vaccinated.
Ms Fritz hopes the pavilion will encourage more people to visit the country.
"It is summer all year round in Palau, and very tropical," she said.
"Palauans are friendly and the country is famous for its scuba diving, jellyfish lake [which is home to millions of golden jellyfish] and the only shark sanctuary in the world."
As for tourists exploring Expo 2020 Dubai, Ms Fritz recommended they should visit the other Pacific Island pavilions, as well as the Russian structure.
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
