Read the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai
With cooler weather forecast and balmy weekends fast becoming the norm, Expo 2020 Dubai is getting busier.
This weekend promises to be busy as word has spread about the array of attractions at the world's fair.
Most events are free, including concerts in Jubilee Park, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre and Al Wasl Plaza. However, for popular events, visitors are recommended to arrive early, as entry is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Several restaurants have had their soft openings this week and are ready to receive visitors, so be sure to look up which eateries are close to the pavilions you are planning to visit.
New favourites include a pop-up of Baron, the popular Beirut restaurant, and an outpost of Adrift Burger Bar – where Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, was pictured last week.
Deciding on a game plan before you go is a good idea, as the site is vast. Make sure to check the Expo calendar for a list of everything that is scheduled. Doors open at 10am and close at 2am on Friday and midnight on Saturday.
What to do at Expo on Friday, October 29
Celebrate Switzerland's National Day with a flag-raising ceremony at 10.15am at Al Wasl Plaza. Countries frequently lay on a cultural display of musicians and dancers, but you never know quite what to expect.
The Swiss will also have the honour of leading the Colours of the World parade on Ghaf Avenue starting at 12.45pm, when dancers and the Expo mascots, Latifa and Rashid take their daily tour through the world's fair.
As the heat of the sun goes down, stop by the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre in the Al Forsan zone between 4pm and 6pm for some early Diwali celebrations.
The festival of lights celebrates the victory of good over evil and is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists.
In celebration of this, and with the theme "Unity in Diversity", the Indian Pavilion will present dance performances from each of the country's states.
But India is not the only country offering entertainment on Friday, as the Irish are also putting on a show between 6.15pm and 7.30pm at Jubilee Park.
The Ireland Expo Players are the Irish pavilion's house ensemble, who perform traditional music through every day of Expo. Listen out for the musicians' own interpretations of famous songs, and you may spot a future Bono or Hozier.
Meanwhile, sports fans will not want to miss the Harlem Globetrotters. This hugely entertaining exhibition basketball team combine athleticism, theatre and comedy in their unique style of play.
They’ve played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 countries, and they will be performing several times at Expo 2020 on Friday, including 3.45pm at the Multi-Purpose Sports Court, 5pm at Al Wasl Plaza, when they will help launch the Dubai Fitness Challenge, and at 8pm at Expo’s Sports, Fitness, and Wellbeing Hub, Mobility District.
If you are planning on staying late, flamenco dancer Olga Pericet will take to the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre from 7.30pm to 9.30pm for a virtuoso performance of Spanish classical dance.
A superstar in the dance world, Ms Pericet is known for her astounding technical ability and versatility.
Meanwhile, October’s fourth and final Late Nights @ Expo promises an eclectic line-up of alfresco live music, welcoming performers from across the planet to Expo 2020 Dubai.
This Friday, listen out for everything from hip-hop and scratch DJing, to traditional Lesotho ‘mangae’ and socially conscious Egyptian songs.
Organisers have promised good vibes, as Canadian DJ, Starting from Scratch; Canadian rapper, Kardinal Offishall; Dubai-based DJ, Sonya; and US DJ, Babey Drew take to the Jubilee Stage from 10.30pm till 1am, giving you just enough time to grab a snack before 2am, when the world's fair closes for the night.
What to do at Expo on Saturday, October 30
Saturday is another busy day at Expo, culminating with Amr Diab in concert on the Jubilee Stage, from 8pm until 11pm.
The chart-topping singer, who was named the most regionally streamed artist on platforms Anghami and Deezer in April, has set a Guinness World Record for most World Music Awards won by a Middle Eastern artist.
Spaces for the event are limited and open to Expo 2020 Dubai ticket holders only. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, so fans are advised to start queuing early in the day.
Amr Diab's performance will cap off a day of Egyptian celebrations, as Saturday is the country's honour day at Expo.
Fans of Egyptian folk dance are in for a treat as The National Folklore Ensemble will perform at the flag-raising ceremony at 10.15 in Al Wasl, and also between 5pm and 7pm at the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre.
But Expo is not just all about Egypt on Saturday, there is also Hungarian jazz music, Serbian ballet and a Malaysian butterfly kite display for younger visitors.
The kite display starts at 6pm and runs until 7.30pm in Al Forsan Park. It will be held on the last weekend of each month during Expo 2020 Dubai and has capacity for up to 50 participants. So be sure to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
The same applies for the Harlem Globetrotters. If you miss them on Friday, they will showcase their skills again at 6.45pm on the Multi-Purpose Sports Court in the Mobility District.
Music enthusiasts looking to listen to something a bit different should head down to the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre at 7pm to see Esszenica, a folk, jazz and classical band from Hungary.
Then, as soon as their performance finishes, stay seated for the Seven Deadly Sins ballet, as Serbian dancers will take to the stage at 8pm.
Once the curtain has fallen on their last pirouette, remember there is still plenty more to explore - 192 pavilions to be exact, plus more than 200 eateries, before the gates close at midnight.
And then it all starts again on Sunday, October 31, with a bit of a spooky theme.
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.”
Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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