Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has heaped praise on a young Emirati after she won a national reading contest against more than 810,000 school pupils.
Reem Adil Al Zarouni, a Year 8 pupil at Al Ittihad National Private School in Abu Dhabi, was named the winner of the ninth UAE Arab Reading Challenge at a ceremony held at Dubai World Trade Centre on Tuesday.
She will now go on to represent the Emirates in the global grand final. Abdullah Al Dhanhani, from Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi School in Fujairah, was winner in the people of determination category.
"Congratulations to Reem Adel Al Zarouni of Al Ittihad National School in Abu Dhabi for her exceptional performance," said Sheikh Mohammed in a post on social media platform X.
"During the challenge, she read 300 books and demonstrated a remarkable understanding of their content. I am proud of the participation of UAE students and delighted by this generation's passion for reading. The future of our nation is secure in the hands of a generation that embraces knowledge and reading.”
The event attracted more than 810,000 pupils representing 1,380 schools and mentored by more than 2,000 supervisors. Tuesday's event was also attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Crowning the UAE-level Arab Reading Challenge champion is a celebration of the nation's investment in its youth, yielding a harvest of success and achievement," said Sheikh Abdullah.
"This achievement stemmed from the visionary initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and has resulted in a generation embracing reading as a path to excellence and innovation.”
Zahra Hamad Ibrahim from Dubai received the Outstanding Supervisor award, and Atika Bint Zaid School - Cycle 1 (Sharjah) won the Best School Award.
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, emphasised the important role that reading plays among young people.
“Reading opens new doors for understanding,” she said. "It sparks thinking and ambitions inside our children. Reading is the first step of any big dream."
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
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Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
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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.
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
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Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
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Company%20profile
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Where%20the%20Crawdads%20Sing
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Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
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