Expo 2020 Dubai records more than 24 million visits after late surge

Expo 2020 Dubai recorded more than 24 million visits in its six months after a surge to the world's fair in the final weeks.

The tally of 24,102,967 visits is short of the pre-event goal of 25 million, which looked likely with one million visits in three days on the final weekend.

The 200-plus pavilions spanning the site — including those representing 192 nations — proved to be the major attractions.

Long queues formed at some of the most popular pavilions in the closing weeks, as visitors relished the opportunity to explore the site once more.

Performances by Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Mehad Hamad, appearances by footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, and the annual World Government Summit helped to increase numbers.

A spectacular closing ceremony, star-studded concerts and firework displays brought down the curtain on the event on Thursday.

The celebration of cultures, innovation and ingenuity captured the imagination of people across the UAE and visitors from overseas.

Weekly visit numbers regularly topped 1 million in the second half of the six-month extravaganza, as fans made the most of their chance to soak up the carnival atmosphere.

Season pass boost

Figures released by Expo 2020 on Saturday revealed that one in every three visitors was from overseas. Organisers said there were visitors from 178 countries.

The most popular country for international visitors was India, followed by Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Russia, France and the US.

Expo said 49 per cent of visits were repeats, with 70 per cent entering the site using the Season Pass.

For the final 50 days of Expo, organisers introduced a Dh50 Season Finale Pass that proved to be popular with visitors.

Expo said 22 per cent of visitors used the one-day ticket, while eight per cent used the multi-day pass.

Children (under 18) made up 18 per cent of all visits. Almost one million pupils visited as part of the Expo Schools Programme, which was suspended for most of January because schools’ activities were halted temporarily as a precaution when coronavirus infections surged.

Organisers said senior citizens (above 60) made up 3 per cent of all visits, and the oldest visitor was 98.

People with disabilities accounted for 107,000 visits, while virtual visits reached more than 200 million.

Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion awards winners — in pictures

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The Fifth Industrial Revolution: where mind meets machine

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

SPEC%20SHEET

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What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

How to wear a kandura

Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts

Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

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