Read also: Inside a Dubai school preparing for the return of pupils
Nurseries in the UAE are preparing to open for the autumn term in line with government Covid-19 safety regulations.
Home Grown Children's Eco Nursery in Dubai has two branches – in Umm Suqeim and Al Safa – that are due to open on September 7.
Fortunately, not a great deal has altered since the last academic year, when in order to reopen nursery owners had to adhere to strict Covid-19 regulations.
Children will still learn and socialise in bubbles with their classmates, but will be kept separate from other groups to help reduce transmission of the virus, said Eithne Mulhern, 47, director of education and head teacher at Home Grown Children's Eco Nursery.
"The social distancing rules have changed, and children are now allowed to be one metre apart rather than 1.5 metres," she said.
"Other than that, the bubbles have been made slightly bigger, from eight to 12 pupils in the one to two age group, and from 10 to 15 in the two to three's, and three to four year old's.
"We'll be continuing with hand washing and temperature checks every hour for all the children, as per the regulations, which also require us to record those results, Ms Mulhern said.
"Plus we sanitise any bags that come into the nursery, and we ask parents to sanitise them at home, and to wash their child's uniform every day."
First-day nerves
For many parents, their child's first day of nursery is one of the most nerve-wracking.
Normally the process is staggered, with parents settling their child into the classroom, staying for a while and playing. This is no longer allowed and parents can only stay for 15 minutes.
This is difficult for first-time parents, said Ms Mulhern from Ireland.
"From a parent's point of view, it is heartbreakingly tough to leave your child on their first day.
"To help, we make sure we're reachable by phone, and we have an app where we send photos to parents, and they get them instantly. We also take videos of the classrooms, so parents can see what they look like.
"The good news is that because there are less adults in the building, it's less confusing for the children, and we noticed last year they did settle more quickly in the classrooms. So there are some plus points."
The atmosphere in nurseries has changed dramatically compared to before the pandemic.
Adults and teachers must wear masks at all times and play areas are regularly sprayed with disinfectant, including sandpits and climbing frames.
Certain toys are prohibited because they are too fiddly to disinfect and staff members have to wear plastic gloves and aprons when feeding babies, while also retaining a distance of one metre.
Even toddlers have to be taught not to play with children who are not in their bubble, something Homegrown has resolved by partitioning the garden using parking cones and tape.
Ms Mulhern said parents have understood things had to change in order for them to reopen.
"We know the parents are behind us and they're backing us, and they're doing exactly what we've asked them. Plus they know that everything that we're doing is to minimise the risk to our children, and to the teachers and to themselves."
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
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Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Moon Music
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
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Rating: 3/5
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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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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
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