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.
Diving in Blue Hole Cave, Palau. Getty Images
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
