robot: excuse me, i'm in charge of the security here. _ please let me through. ..keeping order. maybe it's the giant displays, some of the biggest and boldest i've ever seen. is it the architecture itself, hinting at new ways that we could live and work as we motor on into the 21st century? from the great exhibition in crystal palace in london in 1851, through paris' eiffel tower in 1889, brussels' atomium in 1958, and seattle's space needle in �*62. these world expos are meant to make a statement and leave a mark —

a legacy for the host country. and this enormous expo site will certainly do that, even if the exhibits themselves don't stand the test of time. the sky garden is a garden in the sky. now, if you're tempted to ask, "what is the point?" i'd suggest you're missing the point. in many ways, the show is all about the show. you each pavilion, a blank canvas for a country to paint itself as forward—thinking and future—facing. we believe we're doing this for a bigger cause and especially during a time period of covid, where we've collectively, as humanity, faced all the challenges that we have and then to bring the world literally together in one place, in one city. this event is something very important not only for the uae, but for the world at large. this is more art than innovation, more concepts

than creation. but anyway, it's time to get stuck into this great big, noisy, colourful event, one in which water cascades down into the desert and then at night, with a trick of the light, it cascades back up again. but bringing water into the desert is a bit of a metaphorfor the times we live in. sustainability is a big theme at the expo, but will societies, whose wealth and comfort have been built using fossilfuels, really push hard to go green? amongst all of the distinctive designs, one building does stand out as an oasis of green. this is the singapore pavilion, giving us a glimpse of how a city and nature can co—exist. now, singapore is actually a pretty green place already. a lot of its buildings and bridges have an almost post—apocalyptic amount

of greenery growing up them. and this takes that idea to the next level. here, visitors are taken on a winding canopy walk through a vision of a vertical city garden, complete with concept robots that may one day travel around the buildings doing the gardening. this is one way that you do not need any men, human intervention to monitor the plants, so it's supposed to go around the building, high rise areas where you can actually through machine learning, identify the plants grow, collect data, and also in terms of the sensors or whether the environment or the plants are doing well. some of the lighting comes from solar tubes, basically big empty columns that channel the sunlight from the roof to the floors below, and the building itself is covered in 570 solar panels, which should provide all of the power it needs for things like the dry mist fans that they use instead of air conditioning,

the led lights, and the irrigation system. that would actually provide enough power to power the entire pavilion for the six months. and with that solar energy harvested from the sun, we are doing desalination. we draw ground water from the ground. ground water is saline in nature, so we have to do a desalination process, also powered by the solar energy and the water that is desalinated is used to irrigate the plants and water the plants, as well as for normal use for the pavilion. with 85% of the city state's population living in high rise you public housing, this is a journey that singapore has been on for a long time. and now, it's trying its model out in a very different climate — the desert. the main problem out here is, of course, the lack of water. but over at the czech pavilion, they're making water from thin air. or actually, capturing

moisture from the air. you know these packs of silica gel, which you find in food and other types of packaging to keep the whole thing dry? well, the researchers behind this project have redesigned and reformulated this stuff, and the new type of silica is capable of capturing moisture from even the driest air. usually for the condensation of water, if you have the electricity somewhere, you need humidity of the air higher than 66%. our technology can produce water even from the air that is drier than 15% of humidity. the idea is to plonk a few of these solar powered containers anywhere in the desert where you need to create a water source. so what you can see is the oasis that was created thanks to the water we do produce from the air. we are speaking about, like, three gardens of this size. now, dubai actually has relatively high humidity, and this one unit is producing

about 800 litres a day. but we were told that even in very dry air, it can produce around 100 litres a day. an additional system can add minerals to the water to make it drinkable. but the main point of this is to autonomously irrigate the soil below to cultivate the land and create greenery. if you have this technology in the middle of the desert, there is no infrastructure, and there is the only very dry air, you can create oasis, or you can build the houses and you can make the water potable for human beings. but, when you put water into such fine desert sand, it drains away immediately. this green water, however, is infused with a special kind of algae that keeps things moist for longer, reducing the amount of water needed in the first place and also providing nutrients to help the plants grow. water's amazing, but of course, we shouldn't take it for granted. we are overfishing our seas, so here's an idea to try and prevent that.

different fish are apparently attracted to different coloured lights, and this led fishing net uses this fact to target certain types of fish whilst repelling unwanted species. maker's safety nets say its tech could reduce unintended catches by up to 90%. meanwhile, over at the german pavilion, researchers from the fraunhofer institute have been looking at water for a different reason. one of the problems with renewable energy, like wind or solar, is how do you store it so you can use it when you need it, which might be when it's dark or not very windy. now, in the past, we've seen excess electricity being used to pump water up a mountain so it can flow back down when you need the extra power boost, or to send a train up a hill and it rolls back down when you need it. well, here's an idea from germany, where you use energy to pump water out of giant spheres, which are under the sea

to create a vacuum! and then, when you need extra electricity, you let the water back in, which turns a turbine and you get your light—bulb moment. the researchers hope these can be sunk under the water right next to ocean—based wind farms. hello, and welcome to the week in tech. it was the week that uk prime minister, borisjohnson, and microsoft founder, bill gates, struck a £400 million partnership to invest in green technology projects. bitcoin reached a new all—time high of over $66,000 after starting the year below $29,000. and donald trump announced his new social media network, truth social. the former us president will now have his own online platform after being banned from twitter and facebook. in a press release, the trump media and technology groups said it would fight back against the big tech companies of silicon valley. and one of those big tech companies of silicon valley

may be headed for a major rebrand. according to tech site the verge, facebook will imminently be involved in a company name change. the verge said it would reflect mark zuckerberg's focus on the metaverse and would be announced on or before

and even then, the five—metre—tall statue had to be printed in acrylic resin in ia different pieces, which were then glued together and covered in marble dust. of course, now the data

exists from the 3d scan, it's not a big leap to think that in the future anyone could download it and 3d—print their own version of david. the data isn't being made available at the moment though. it's being kept under wraps by the museum, i guess as an insurance policy, just in case anything happens to the original. now, here's the slight quirk. most visitors only get to see david's top half, which is a really interesting view that you never normally get. did you know, for example, that david's pupils were heart—shaped ? but, to protect his modesty, wide ledges stop you from seeing the downstairs department. however, downstairs there is a luxury lounge where special guests get to see the rest. yes, only those at the bottom can appreciate the bottom. 0nly vips get to see the vip. it's a humbling experience. now, then, would you believe that dubai is hosting yet another eye—popper of an event this week? and we sent nick kwek to gaze upon its vastness.

this year's biggest tech show, gitex, has served up a mezze platter of tech, with everything from virtual reality, to artificial intelligence, to wall—mounted lettuce. the stands are stacked with retail concepts aplenty. i'm going to be buying all of these. so, underneath here is a small camera that's constantly taking photographs. and when i take an item off the shelf, an artificially—intelligent algorithm on board the device recognises that object and adds it to my virtual cart. i can't think for the life of me why this completely seamless contraption wouldn't fly off the shelves. did it work? no. technology is actually woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. we have autonomous smart police stations, we've got government digital services, we even have a thriving digital art scene. growth is exponential with digital, and it's very important for the region

and for the country. how we'll get around in the future is also a key theme this year. the vehicles here aren'tjust smart, they're sensitive. these individual spoilers aren't for aerodynamics — they're to let other drivers know how this car is feeling. inspired by reptiles, this mercedes concept car's skin moves like an animal's, with its back up literally. but it's also in tune with how i'm feeling. inside the cockpit replica, i'm able to control a video game purely with the power of thought. an eeg headset reads my brain activity, and when i think about a virtual button, it tells a computer my selection. and the government is honing in on this area as part of a wider push to attract foreign talent and grow its tech scene. true to form, it's kicking off an international competition next week.

we are looking to create 1,000 digital companies. we are looking to attract 100,000 coders and programmers to be here over the next five years. we are looking to double the digital economy, you know, by 100% to a good 200 billion economy here. if you look at all these initiatives, what it points to is the desire, the ambition, and the humility to want to constantly upgrade to keep ahead. and dubai is becoming an alluring player. human in motion robotics has travelled from canada to show off its invention. five years ago, i suffered a spinal cord injury, - and doctors told me - i would never walk again. but today i can tell you, on this world stage, - that i am walking again. the people who told me that forgot about technology. - cheering. it's not only— just health and wellness of being upright and moving, i but it's also the mental health

for people of being eye—to—eye with peers again, to be able i to hug my husband to my chest. this changes my life. getting people around safely is on the nation's agenda. the road traffic authority is smartening up its cycle lanes. the camera that we have it installed can detect if a cyclist is wearing a helmet or not. also, we can detect the occupancy of the cycling track, so if we have an increased number of cyclists, we can send an alert to related government entities for faster action in case of any emergency. of course, innovating is one thing, but in the heat of the desert, i haven't personally seen any cyclists. and, whilst this trade show is getting bigger, it may be a while before this place becomes the industry magnet it's aspiring to be. that was nick.

and, with gitex and the world expo both on this year, dubai certainly has tried to put itself at the centre of the tech world. many of the country pavilions here are stunning — although it's good to remember that this show is more about ideas than invention. a chance for a nation to promote its values and its visions. so i was a bit nervous to see how the uk had chosen to represent itself. i shouldn't have worried. not a red telephone box in sight. this is a building that embodies an idea from one of our greatest minds — stephen hawking. "the days of a thousand photographs. no—one thought we could actually talk to water. it's like looking out the window on a starship. at first, we were trying to make in relations by feeding our fangs." what? "now turning to foods in the shape of letters." that's alphabetti

spaghetti, isn't it? hm, profound. this is poetry generated by an artificial intelligence, and inspired by professor hawking's project to find a universal message that we could send into space in an effort to contact alien life. to learn what kind of phrases go where, the al was trained on thousands of actual poems, and it then creates new verses from words donated by the pavilion�*s thousands of visitors, who make their way up the winding ramp to the top. you can tell this is the uk pavilion because they've built in a massive queuing system. time to add my own genius to the masterpiece. oh, i'm so original. and then your donation is taken into the structure where you can watch it being absorbed into the walls, accompanied by a soundtrack

of international voices and sounds all playing in harmony. sameer hashmi is the bbc�*s middle east business correspondent. and you are based in dubai, this is your patch. thank you for having us. well, good to have you here, spencer. the team and you are here, and, yes, we are here, the uae pavilion. i know, and it's no surprise, really, that it is the most spectacular of all of them. yeah, it's the biggest. it's the largest. and what you see, the design of this pavilion is actually a falcon. the bird in flight, because that's the main bird of the country. so it really reflects the journey of this country from the desert to where they are right now. what should we expect from these kind of world fairs? should we expect the next big invention? or is it more about countries posturing? it's more our posturing, really. i think the uae is very clear that they were not expecting one big idea to come out of the expo, which we have seen

in the past, right? and the fact that this would be the first, or one of the first, big in—person events after covid—19 gives them a great opportunity to showcase the world, this new world we live in. what happens to this site after the expo? well, the plan is that 80% of the site — i'm not including the country pavilions — but the rest of the site will remain in place. some of them will be converted into science museums. the main exhibition centre is where they're planning to host all the major events going ahead, which used to take place in the heart of the city. gitex, which is taking place at the main exhibition centre, they're hoping that these events would move here over the next few years. well, sameer, thanks for having us to your place and we'll see you again soon. yeah, great to have you here. when the sun goes down, the expo really comes to life. at the heart of the action, the al wasl dome. and if there is an eiffel tower of expo 2020, this is it.

i've found myself saying this a lot when i've been in dubai, but honestly, this is the greatest projection i've ever seen. by day, the dome is a beautiful, semi—shaded structure. but the extraordinary performances after dark are where the magic really happens. and it's all driven by the team in the control room. cos those are the biggest projectors i've seen in my life. 252 40k projectors that provide the projection. if we want to get into the numbers, 27,000 pixels byjust over 5,500. oh, i love that! so we've got 42 pods, and each of these pods houses six of the projectors, six layers of projection focused into the dome. each piece of video which makes up the patchwork in the sky is feathered at the edges,

so it all blends smoothly together. and bill told me that not all of the graphics are pre—recorded in advance. they can actually make changes live, which sounds terrifying. it goes wrong very quickly. so there's been a lot of testing of the sizes, the shapes, and the speed of how things move around. it's a feast for the eyes and for the ears. the sounds come from any and every direction around the circumference. got 27 channels of audio, plus the 1. 27.1 surround sound. that's it, exactly. what you can't see is that this dome is made of lots of different shapes, lots of different circles, and diamond and triangle, and arch—shaped tiles. the images are being perfectly projected on some of those shapes, so theyjust perfectly match the circle or the arch.

i mean, it really is faultless. outrageous, audacious, and spectacular. the dome and the whole expo, really. i wasn't sure that a show like this could possibly live up to the hype, but i have to be honest, it really has to be seen to be believed. and i'm afraid to say that is it from the world expo 2020. a year late, but worth the wait. was it the greatest show on earth? it's best i've seen in a while, i have to say. thanks for watching, and we'll see you soon.

hello there. it is going to stay very mild over the next few days. but there is more rain in the forecast, and the rain is moving southwards at the moment. so, the wetter weather in the next few days more likely to be in the southern uplands of scotland, cumbria in northwest england, and by thursday, for western parts of wales, and some flooding is likely as well. the main focus of the rain is on the weather front there, and ahead it, we are drawing up the winds all the way from the tropics over the azores and into the uk, which is why it is so unusually mild. in northern ireland on tuesday, temperatures reach 17 celsius ahead of the rain — it's normally around 11 or 12 celsius at best at this time of the year. these are the temperatures we're starting with on wednesday morning — a very mild 15 or 16 celsius. but this is where the rain is, and it's not going to shift position through much of the day. we've got rain threatening

to come back into eastern northern ireland, up towards the central belt of scotland. most of the rain in southern scotland, northwest england, especially cumbria and into northwest wales. north of that rain band, some sunshine, a few sharp showers. south of the rain band, like tuesday, a lot of cloud around, a bit of sunshine from time to time, those temperatures could be even higher around 18 celsius. but that rain is going to be continuing throughout the day across southern scotland, northwest england. by the end of the day, 90mm possible in the southern uplands, maybe double that over the high ground in cumbria, which is why we are going to see some impact, and that wet weather continues overnight as well. that stream of warm wet weather coming in on that weather front, the position of that rain will fluctuate a little. we may start to see a few changes on thursday. scotland and northern ireland brightening up a bit more with some showers. these could be quite heavy, mind you. still got that rain across parts of southern scotland, northern england, wales, and southwest england this time. but ahead through the midlands, east anglia, the southeast, still dry and bright, and temperatures hitting 17.

but the wetter weather continues overnight, those weather fronts are still in the scene, perhaps forming an area of low pressure. now, i think the details may change as we head into friday, getting rather more messy. looks on the whole like it's going to be a day of sunshine or longer spells of rain. it may start to brighten up across more of the country, western areas turning a bit drier. but some of that rain pushing into the eastern side of england this time, and temperatures won't be quite as high. they will begin to fall away from the northwest.

welcome to bbc news. our top stories: a senate committee in brazil has recommend that president bolsonaro face criminal charges over his handling of the covid pandemic. queen elizabeth will not attend the global climate summit in glasgow, after being advised by her doctors to rest. the united states revokes china telecom's authority to operate in america, citing national security concerns. new details emerge over the fatal shooting on the alec baldwin film set — the gun used was a real one, and criminal charges aren't ruled out.