Life's ups and downs have taken on a new meaning of late as the world battles the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.
But in Chile's port city of Valparaiso, people are perhaps facing more ups and downs than almost anywhere else as the city's funiculars have been turned off.
With no tourists in town because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the city's unique public transport system has ground to a halt. A lack of ticket sales to fund their operation has lead officials to close these urban lifts, which typically whisk travellers and residents through the steep, hilly terrain of Valparaiso. This means residents are having to tackle the city's unforgiving terrain on foot.
The unique cable car funiculars are designed to make travel between Valparaiso's upper town in the hills and its port side region by the sea easier.
The first lift was put in place back in 1911 and many more came after, in an effort to connect all of the city's isolated neighbourhoods. In its prime, there were 31 working funiculars. More recently, only 14 of the cable car systems in the Unesco-listed region have been operational.
They are usually the cheapest way to ascend the hills, with fares typically costing around Dh1.
Today, none of Valparaiso’s funiculars are turned on, which means residents have to climb and descend thousands of steps any time they want to go and buy groceries, travel to work or visit family.
Known for its creative street art, Valparaiso offers them a colourful canvas to look at as they navigate the hilly region.
However, closure of this means of transportation has cut off many people, including senior citizens and those with reduced mobility, who depend on it as their only means of getting around.
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.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
