Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Israel said on Sunday that it was adding Britain and Denmark to its "red list" of countries to which its citizens are banned from travelling, because of concern over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The travel restrictions for Britain and Denmark will go into effect on Wednesday, said Sharon Alroy-Preis, Israel's director of public health.
Ms Alroy-Preis also said Belgium would be included in the ban but the Health Ministry later announced that it had reassessed infection rates and decided to keep the country off the red list for now.
Israel has already banned the entry of foreigners to try to stem Covid-19 infection rates and has imposed isolation of between three and seven days for Israelis returning from abroad.
Ms Alroy-Preis said the "significant spread of the Omicron variant" abroad was the reason for imposing the new restrictions.
About 50 countries, mainly in Africa, have been declared red by Israel since the discovery of the highly contagious variant.
Health officials said there had been 55 confirmed cases of Omicron infection in Israel, which has been trying to accelerate its vaccination programme while considering stricter enforcement of rules on mask.
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.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
