Dubai, United Arab Emirates: In case you haven’t heard the news, Expo 2020 Dubai has rolled out an irresistible offer allowing visitors unlimited daily access for the entire month of October for the price of a one-day ticket – AED95!

The promo runs until Oct. 15.

According to the Expo 2020 Dubai website, the promo also offers 10 “Smart Queue Bookings” per day for participating pavilions and attractions, so visitors can skip waiting in long lines

Free access is available for kids and youth under 18, tertiary and higher education students, seniors 60 years and above, and people of determination (+1 companion at half price). 

Expo 2020 Dubai also has seasonal pass tickets for AED495 which is valid for the entire six months of the event from Oct. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

There is also the Multi-Day pass valid for unlimited entries for 30 consecutive days from the first day of use, between Oct. 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.

For bookings, check out this link:  https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/tickets-and-merchandise/tickets

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The archaeological coffin of ancient Egyptian priest Psamtik, Son of Pediosir, has arrived at the Egyptian Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates News Agency (WAM) has reported.

The coffin will be displayed in the Expo for six months.

The Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry said that it’s a wood colored coffin that was discovered in the Saqqara Antiquities Area, adding that it is an anthropoid (human-shaped) coffin decorated with a large floral collar ending with two falcon heads.

Beneath this, the sky goddess Nut spreads her wings and holds a feather in each hand, the symbol of Maat (right and justice). The central section is inscribed with offerings and speeches of deities flanked by two rows of gods. At the bottom, two figures of the god Anubis is placed on his shrine in front of the deceased.

A collection of modern replicas of King Tutankhamun has also arrived to be displayed at Egypt Pavilion.

The collection of King Tutankhamun replicas includes his golden mask, his own sarcophagus, the ‘Ka’ guardian statue of the king, the special festive chair as well as the golden king’s throne.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has introduced post-Covid-19 clinics at two of its health centers. The clinics will be open on Tuesdays at Al Barsha Health Centre and Thursdays at Nad Al Hammar Health Centre.

The clinics are for patients with lingering symptoms, often referred to as “long-Covid” as the symptoms persist four to 12 weeks after the onset of the illness. This service is not for pregnant women and children under six years of age.

Dr. Hanan Al Hammadi, Family Medicine Consultant and Director of Medical Affairs at DHA’s Primary Health Care Sector, highlighted the importance of the clinics.

She said, “Post-Covid-19 clinics help support patients who experience lingering symptoms weeks or months after being cleared of the illness. The clinic aims to conduct a thorough investigation, get all the necessary tests done and refer patients to specialists in cases where they need particular medical intervention in specific areas such as pulmonology, cardiology, mental health or neurology. The aim is to diagnose medical issues that need intervention and help the patient move towards a path of recovery and wellbeing.”

The clinics offer a comprehensive assessment with a medical specialist, a range of diagnostic tests and treatments tailored to each patient’s specific post-COVID symptoms.

Patients can book an appointment through the DHA’s call centre 800 342. They can get a referral from a doctor at a DHA hospital or DHA primary health centre or a telemedicine referral from DHA’s Doctor for Every Citizen service.

DHA’s call centre 800 342 or they require a referral from a doctor at a DHA hospital or DHA primary health centre or a telemedicine referral from DHA’s Doctor for Every Citizen service.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates:  Expo 2020 Dubai’s must-see aviation attraction is gearing up to open its doors to the public on October 1.

Located in the Opportunity District, and within walking distance from the Al Wasl Dome, the Emirates Pavilion offers a preview of the future of commercial aviation, reframing the role that science and technology will play in the next 50 years of air travel, as it welcomes visitors to experience two floors of interactive multi-sensory installations.

From today, visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai can plan their visit to the Emirates Pavilion and book their preferred date and time slots in advance.

Construction on the Emirates Pavilion began in March 2019 and was completed in June 2021. During its design and construction phases, the Emirates Pavilion followed a number of sustainability principles, using non-hazardous, regional, reusable and recyclable materials in its overall structure, and incorporated different design solutions to reduce energy and water consumption.

The Emirates Pavilion’s towering four-storey design and façade are modelled around an aircraft’s wings taking flight, with 24 aluminium cladded fins that curve around two sides of the building structure. The Emirates Pavilion’s exterior lighting includes an 800 metre LED system, which illuminates in vibrant colours at night. The interior’s bright, ultramodern design lets in ample natural light and serves as a backdrop for the immersive experiences, and can welcome 120 people an hour.

Here’s what visitors can expect when they visit the Emirates Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai: The journey begins by collecting a ‘seed’ which unpacks each experience. The seed enables a truly nuanced journey through the pavilion, capturing the visitor’s interactions, knowledge and experiences, which will then be played back in the multi-sensory finale.

Educational visualizations using holographic models will demonstrate how aircraft achieve flight by illustrating the physical properties of lift, thrust, gravity and drag.

The Cleaner Skies installation is an immersive experience that demonstrates how future innovations are directly linked to some of the world’s biggest challenges: sustainability, population growth and technological advancements. Visitors will also be able to challenge each other in an interactive quiz about aviation technologies being developed to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Visitors will step into the laboratory of the future to run experiments carried out by robotic arms, which demonstrate the technologies that will make the aircraft of the future faster, lighter and stronger.

Interactive screens will deliver a series of animations that explore future engine and fuel technologies like hypersonic, hydrogen, hybrid and electric, highlighting the impact they will have on emissions, sustainability, comfort, and speed, featuring realistic aircraft engine models.

Visitors will put their knowledge to the test and design and fly their own personalised, futuristic aircraft. Through an ultra-haptic interface, visitors will build their aircraft using elements like range, type of engine, wings, and livery, run it through a flight simulator, and get instant feedback on their design decisions.

Emirates visualises the airport of the future for visitors to learn how biometrics, data analytics and smart technologies will transform the passenger experience on the ground.

Visitors will be able to fully immerse themselves by donning interactive Virtual Reality headsets that allow them to explore aircraft interior cabins of the future. They will be able to navigate a virtual fuselage’s interactive windows, go windowless, and even see different types of cabins and seating configurations.

As each visitor returns their seed for uploading, the full Emirates Pavilion experience will culminate in a personalised 360 multi-sensory cinematic presentation which combines dynamic storytelling and stunning 3D motions graphics with the information captured during the tour.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff and Emirates Cabin Crew will be on hand to assist visitors at the Pavilion. As well as the installations and experiences, visitors will be able to enjoy the Emirates Pavilion cafe located on the first floor, and can also take home a memento from their visit at the Emirates Official Store, which will be featuring customised Emirates and Expo 2020 Dubai merchandise for sale.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates: The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) have announced on Wednesday Sept. 22 that it is not anymore mandatory to wear a face mask in certain places while keeping a safe physical distance of two meters.

“This decision comes after the noticeable decrease in the number of registered COVID-19 cases in the country, which reflects the successful national efforts in expanding the scope of testing nationwide that led to early detection of cases, and the availability of multiple vaccines along with the cooperation of the community in committing to the precautionary and preventive measures,” Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted the two entities as saying in a statement.

According to the new decision, face masks will no longer be mandatory when exercising in public places, commuting in private vehicles for those who live in the same house as well as at open beaches and swimming pools.

Face masks are also not obligatory for people who are alone in closed spaces, or at salons and beauty centers for facial and haircut services, as well as in medical centers and clinics for diagnostic and treatment services.

The local authorities should put signs showing the places where it will be allowed “not to wear a face mask” and adhere to the physical distancing of two meters.

MoHAP and NCEMA highlighted the need to adhere to wearing a face mask in the places where it is obligatory to do so, adding, “studies confirmed that the face mask was one of the most important means to stop the spread of the virus.”

They also made it clear that those who do not adhere to wearing a face mask in the places where it is mandatory to wear it, will be fined.

The two entities stressed the need to follow the preventive and precautionary measures which are instructed by the relevant authorities to ensure the health and safety of all members of society.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Some 142 people went missing, of which 28 died due to hunger and thirst, across Saudi Arabia’s deserts last year, according to a Gulf News (GN) report.

Citing sources in the Ingad search and rescue team, the exclusive GN report also stated that at least 100 of the missing were eventually rescued while 14 have remained unaccounted for as of press time.

Moreover, GN, citing the same source, also said that a total of 13,254 vehicles were reported stuck in the desert.

The rescue team was composed of, among others, 767 mountain climbers supported by 177 camera planes, 81 gliders, 1,150 winches, 2,732 long ropes, 270 satellite phones, and 3,772 four-wheel drive vehicles, while the number of trackers reached 1,118 and 182 coaches, GN stated in its report.

Saudi Arabia has three major deserts, comprising more than half the country’s overall size.

The GN report brought to fore the need for desert trekkers to seriously take precautionary measures.

“My work came about from my own personal journey to find myself, my true self. My journey has been a long one and allowed me to reach a place where I realized I needed to change the content of my consciousness in order for my reality to change,” says Monica Malhotra, founder and CEO of The Gaggler, a platform where today’s woman can browse topics that are important to her, take on board expert advice that serves her and change the content of her consciousness for a better reality, and ultimately to be “her kind of beautiful.”

“Today, this personal learning is the foundation of my work. For every woman, beauty is different and The Gaggler addresses that by creating a variety of content that is freely accessible and based on expert advice. I love that we are able to be a safe space where women can find answers to questions that are important to them,” says Monica, an Economics and Accounting B.A. graduate from Claremont McKenna College and a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA). 

And here’s the interesting part: “From the perspective of ‘the job’, there are always going to be areas that you’ll love more than others, and for me, those areas are centered around creativity, collaboration and content! 

“I have worked in many companies, where everything is broken down into silos and the three C’s are lost when micro-management takes over. We are a small team of women, each with our own voice and talents, but together we keep the magic of the 3 C’s going and that’s what you see come to life on our platform,” said Monica, who was born in London, England to parents from India, and moved to the United Arab Emirates when she was just four years old. 

Monica lived in Sharjah for a few years before moving to Dubai. After graduating from high school, she moved to the United States and spent 18 years there. 

“Hence, the feeling of being from a little bit of everywhere,” she says.

Monica, who also has an MBA from the Stern School of Business (NYU) in Finance and Digital Economy, says she “had the good fortune to hold several roles and gain experience working in the US – California and New York and later in London, England. 

“When I look back, I realize each of my past experiences in all the different places I have lived and worked in, have shaped me for the ‘now’ I am experiencing in this moment,” she says. 

Before launching The Gaggler, Monica was a generalist with industries ranging from management consulting and pharmaceuticals to real estate and investment banking on her resumé.  

“I grew up in a fairly conservative family. I was raised to believe doing well in school and getting a good job were two very important milestones in a person’s life. So, growing up, my focus was on doing well at school, getting into the best college I could, securing a ‘sensible’ job and working hard to move up the career ladder. And that’s what I did. However, over time I didn’t find it fulfilling because something was missing.  

“I had my ‘Aha’ moment five years ago that changed the course of my life as I live it today. I focus on investing my energies in work that feels good, that resonates with me, that allows me to help others by sharing advice, perspectives and personal stories.  Being true in my work, being authentic is now very important for me as a human being, even if it doesn’t necessarily conform to societal norms.

“When faced with a challenge, I reflect on the situation and in due course, the appropriate path becomes clearer. When working with my teams, I love to hear everyone’s viewpoint because I believe ‘big’ ideas come from collective collaboration. This has been the culmination of my journey so far, but it’s far from over. There’s lots more to learn and experience and become,” Monica said.

Monica said she believes there is “enough for everyone and that we are brought into this world, each with a unique purpose, and some awaken to this early in life, and some later.”

“Over the years, I have been fortunate to observe many important lessons along the way, both personally and at work. There are three lessons that stand out in particular: Life is about making choices; true happiness is within you, not outside; and, rule your mind or it will rule you,” she said.