Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai described Expo 2020 Dubai as 100% ready. Courtesy, WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai described Expo 2020 Dubai as 100% ready. Courtesy, WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai described Expo 2020 Dubai as 100% ready. Courtesy, WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai described Expo 2020 Dubai as 100% ready. Courtesy, WAM

Sheikh Mohammed: UAE 100 per cent ready for Expo 2020 Dubai


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  • Arabic

The UAE is fully ready to host the Expo 2020 Dubai this year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said in a brief statement on social media.

Preparations for the six-month event have been gradually building this year, with more than 100,000 visitors getting an early glimpse of Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion during a three-month showcase for residents.

The event itself will open to the public on October 1 and is expected to attract millions of visitors from more than 190 nations over six months.

Sheikh Mohammed said the event is ready to receive visitors.

"As part of the preparations for Expo 2020, 72 working teams from federal and local authorities completed a joint strategic exercise to simulate Expo in October. We can say that the UAE is 100 per cent prepared for the largest cultural event in the world," he wrote on Twitter.

His comments came as Dubai Police General HQ and Expo 2020 Dubai Office carried out a large drill to test their response to emergencies on Monday.

The exercise, which included the participation of 72 teams from various local and federal security sectors, focused on the force’s rapid response capabilities.

It was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, and Reem Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and director-general of the Expo 2020 Dubai Office.

Sheikh Saif thanked the participants for their efforts and said the drills are "aimed at leveraging team performance and boosting their emergency response".

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, recently visited the site to inspect its progress.

Sheikh Hamdan said Expo 2020 is set to be “the most exceptional edition of the show in the mega global event’s 168-year history".

“Thanks to the directives of our wise leadership and their diligent follow-up on the event with great precision, we aim to dazzle the world through this international platform, displaying the world’s culture, heritage, history and top innovations,” he added.

Sheikh Hamdan tours Expo 2020 site - in pictures

  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed snapped a few pictures in Al Wasl Plaza, the Expo’s central hub. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed snapped a few pictures in Al Wasl Plaza, the Expo’s central hub. Courtesy, WAM
  • Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, briefed Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on the event as they toured the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, briefed Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on the event as they toured the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed admiring one of the displays inside Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion on his tour of the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed admiring one of the displays inside Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion on his tour of the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Terra - Sustainabilitiy Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Terra - Sustainabilitiy Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
The biog

Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer

Favourite superhero: Batman

Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.

Favourite car: Lamborghini

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

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5