A Malaysian organisation that sells meals cooked by refugees, a group that supports farming communities in Africa and an education charity working in Lebanon and Jordan are being backed by Expo 2020 Dubai and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Expo and the foundation announced a partnership last week that will support grass-roots projects.
"The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed funds, as well as expertise, best practices and technical assistance, to selected Expo Live grantees that have the ambition to improve the lives of people that face unimaginable challenges every day," Mohamed Al Ansaari, vice president of communications for Expo 2020 Dubai, told The National.
Expo Live is a global innovation programme managed by the world fair.
It provides funding and support to projects around the world that use creative ways to help people in need, with each group receiving a grant of up to $100,000 (Dh367,250).
One of the projects, PichaEats, sells meals cooked by refugee mothers living in poverty in Malaysia.
The group provides the women with an income by purchasing the food, repackaging it and arranging for the home-made meals to be delivered to customers.
With Expo funding, PichaEats can help more families and provide professional training for its chefs. Revenue is divided evenly between the women and the group, which uses its half to cover costs.
Mr Al Ansaari said the monthly payments allowed the women to send their children to school, pay rent or cover basic expenses.
Ling Sook Shian, co-founder of the project, said there were about 200,000 refugees in Malaysia and poverty forced many of the children to drop out of school.
The group aims to tackle inequality so the poor are not denied opportunities to advance.
PichaEats organises catering, buffets and food tasting experiences to highlight the stories of its chefs.
“That actually transforms them from refugees who are victims into entrepreneurs who are able to earn a living for themselves through their own hard work,” Ms Ling said.
“My biggest dream is that we can have a world where economy is shared, where when we progress, the communities also progress. My ultimate goal is to see more businesses transforming lives.”
Another of projects to receive a grant, myAgro, works with farming families in Mali, Senegal and Tanzania who live on less than $2 a day.
The group has helped 47,000 farmers invest in high-quality seeds, fertilisers and training to boost their harvest and income.
Farmers pay $1 to $10 in advance using a prepaid scratch card, similar to a prepaid mobile card, and myAgro purchases and delivers the tools to farmers in time for planting season.
“We provide them with an opportunity to buy quality seeds, fertilisers that they have up to six months to pay for ahead of time,” said Abdallahi Mohamed, who works with myAgro.
“This is eventually to solve the cash flow problem that low skill farmers encounter on the ground. There is no pressure, there is no loan involved.”
Closer to home, arts and education charity, Seenaryo, developed an app to help teachers educate refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan.
To cope with a million refugee children, new schools have opened but teachers require ideas and materials to keep pupils engaged.
The Seenaryo Playkit app contains teaching resources such as games, stories and songs.
“A teacher will be easily able to search for whatever topic they are teaching and find relevant games and songs to teach that in a student-centred and active way,” said Oscar Wood, co-director at the charity.
The projects are among 142 initiatives from 76 countries that Expo Live supports with guidance and funding.
Joe Cerrell, managing director of global policy and advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the partnership would help people who were most in need.
“This initiative will help fund and develop innovative solutions from around the world that have the potential to save lives during an emergency or enable affected communities to rebuild better and safer, and become more resilient over the longer-term,” he said.
The foundation's Emergency Response Programme helps communities by sharing technical assistance with a focus on water, sanitation, health, agriculture and financial inclusion.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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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
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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57%20Seconds
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
