Expo 2020 Dubai: India's $70 million pavilion to be completed by end of July


Ramola Talwar Badam
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India's $70 million pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will be completed and handed over to event organisers by the end of July.

The four-storey pavilion aims to blend history and art with technology and business using displays and exhibitions from different states throughout the six-month Expo.

The entrance is dominated by a giant spinning wheel or charkha as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

The charkha is a symbol of the non-violence leader's call to Indians to weave their own cloth instead of relying on foreign goods during India's independence struggle against British colonial rule.

“The India pavilion will be handed over to the Expo 2020 team by end of July 2021. Almost 75 per cent is complete, including flooring, utilities, facade, and painting,” said Siddhartha Kumar Baraily, press officer with the Indian consulate in Dubai.

Renderings of the India pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Courtesy: Consulate of India, Dubai
Renderings of the India pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Courtesy: Consulate of India, Dubai

“The project management team working on the India pavilion are optimistic of physical completion of the pavilion by end of April 2021 and then curation and exhibition related work will be done.”

The $70m (5 billion rupees) pavilion built across a 1.2-acre plot is one of the largest at the Expo site.

Unlike other buildings that must be dismantled after the Expo ends in March 2021, the India pavilion is one of three that will remain as part of the legacy of the world's fair.

A mosaic of earthy-coloured panels that rotate in the wind is part of a constantly changing facade.

“The design elements reflect the vibrant diversity of India’s rich culture, heritage, thriving business milieu,” Mr Baraily said.

“It will be a highly dynamic pavilion where the showcasing changes every one to two weeks in sync with the changing themes of the Expo and with each new state coming in.”

Visitors will be invited to participate in festivals such as Diwali, the festival of lights, and Holi, celebrated with colour.

The ground floor will focus on the country’s mission to Mars, after which visitors can walk down a green path filled with medicinal herbs to enter a section dedicated to yoga and wellness.

Indian heritage, the country's best tourism destinations and sections centered on established and emerging businesses will be spread across the next three levels.

As visitors leave, they will have a chance to ask questions of Gandhi through interactive holographic images.

There are also plans to invite celebrity chefs, authors, scientists and Bollywood actors to the pavilion.

“Expo 2020 will give an opportunity to Indian businesses and provide them with a global platform to tap the markets in the region,” Mr Baraily said.

“The Expo will give India an opportunity to showcase the diversity of Indian culture and encourage Emiratis and others to discover different parts of India.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s: 
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's: 
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Top tips to avoid cyber fraud

Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:

1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.

2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.

3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.

4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.

5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)

Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)

Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)

Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

Scoreline

Germany 2

Werner 9', Sane 19'

Netherlands 2

Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'

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Need to know

When: October 17 until November 10

Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration

Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center

What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.

For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com

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)