Employees in the UAE will enjoy a four-day weekend to mark Commemoration Day and the country's 51st National Day.
It will run from Thursday, December 1, through Saturday, December 3, and with Sunday, December 4 being off, employees will be back in the office on Monday, December 5, UAE Media Office said on Twitter.
It is likely both the private and public sectors will enjoy the same number of days off but that has yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
Commemoration Day, earlier called Martyr's Day, is an annual event to remember those who have lost their lives in the line of service.
The day officially falls on November 30, but it has been marked with a public holiday on the following day in recent years, a move that is being repeated this year.
The UAE celebrates National Day to commemorate the formation of the country in 1971.
The holiday marks the day that six emirates bound together to form the UAE, with Ras Al Khaimah joining as the seventh and final emirate the following year.
Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, led efforts to unite the emirates and became the first President.
What events are planned for National Day 2022?
The UAE will mark its 51st National Day in style with 10 days of celebrations in store next month.
December's holiday festivities will also be momentous for the country as President Sheikh Mohamed will oversee his first National Day as leader, having been elected in May after the death of Sheikh Khalifa.
The traditional National Day show will be broadcast on TV and online on Friday, December 2, followed by live events at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from December 3 to 11.
Organisers have not confirmed specific details of the showpiece December 2 event.
Tickets for the nine shows ― which start at 6pm each day ― are available for Dh200 on the official National Day website.
This year, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi has a full programme of festivities planned for the National Day holiday, starting on November 28.
A fireworks display is set to take place on the hotel's beachfront on the evening of December 2, although times have yet to be confirmed.
The Grand Dome will double as a family-friendly cultural village with themed activities, a falconer and a dates exhibition, and it will host traditional dance performances from 3pm to 6pm.
Elsewhere, those who sign up for the picnic in the Palace Gardens can catch the National Day air show, while the Palace terrace will put on a live Khaleeji concert at 7.30pm on December 1 and 3.
In Dubai, The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah will host not one but two celebratory shows on National Day. At 9pm on December 2, guests can expect a dazzling fireworks show set against the backdrop of the dancing waters of The Palm Fountain.
The two shows will be a treat for the eyes as well as the ears with the fountain set to the tune of Ya Salam Ya Dubai.
In Abu Dhabi, fireworks usually happen on the Corniche and Yas Island, while in Dubai fireworks can be enjoyed at a range of locations, including The Burj Khalifa, Atlantis, The Palm on Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters Island.
Other emirates will also have fireworks and events planned to celebrate the day.
Last year, stunning Golden Jubilee celebrations took centre stage in Hatta before an audience including President Sheikh Mohamed, who was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, both of whom could at times be seen recording the spectacle on their mobile phones.
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
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.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
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Rating: 4/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
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Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
