Almost 17 years ago, the first steps to one of Abu Dhabi’s most important cultural symbols began with a signing and unveiling event at Emirates Palace on March 6, 2007.
The agreement was signed between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi to build a museum on Saadiyat Island that will hold the Louvre name for 30 years after completion.
“We have decided to create together a museum destined to foster cultural dialogue between East and West by exhibiting works of major importance, spanning all historic periods," said Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, who was France's Minister of Culture at the time.
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, attended the agreement signing alongside Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
At the ceremony French architect Jean Nouvel unveiled a model of what the museum would look like when it was completed.
Louvre Abu Dhabi opened to the public a decade later, on November 17, 2017, with a ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, as well as King Mohamed VI of Morocco. The ceremony featured a programme of music, arts, dance performances and workshops.
The signing agreement for Louvre Abu Dhabi signalled the emirate’s intent on establishing Saadiyat Island as the cultural focal point of the city.
Seven months earlier, Abu Dhabi signed an agreement to build the Guggenheim Museum on the island. The museum is expected to open in 2025 as it nears completion.
Since its opening, Louvre Abu Dhabi has housed important and historical artefacts and works of art which it has acquired or borrowed from other museums. These include Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist and Auguste Rodin's famed bronze sculpture The Thinker.
The museum has also welcomed many famous visitors over the years including Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, tennis star Maria Sharapova and Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody.
“Beyond a classical, western definition of the universal museum, the union of 'Louvre' and 'Abu Dhabi' offers the opportunity to relocate a global narrative of art history," museum director Manuel Rabate wrote in a column for The National.
“Louvre Abu Dhabi is a meeting point geographically and intellectually, situated in a diverse, innovative, future-forward city.”
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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.
Read more about the coronavirus
Company%20Profile
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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