Local government employees in Umm Al Quwain will work a four-day week during Ramadan, officials have said.
The decision by the emirate's government was announced on Tuesday, following directives from Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain.
A circular sent to local public departments in the emirate said employees will work from Monday to Thursday, with a three-day weekend.
During the holy month, Umm Al Quwain government employees will start work at 9am and finish at 2.30pm — in line with the other emirates for Mondays to Thursdays.
Obaid Ghanim, 37, who works at the emirate’s municipality welcomed the decision.
"I am grateful to the government for this thoughtful gesture for the second year in a row. This change provides us with an opportunity to dedicate more time to our families and spiritual practices during the holy month," he said.
"The four-day work week allows us to perform our duties efficiently while ensuring that we have enough time to rest and rejuvenate which contributes to our well-being."
On March 10, the UAE announced working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said in a circular that Ramadan working hours would be from 9am to 2.30pm from Mondays to Thursdays and from 9am until noon on Fridays.
Ministries and federal departments would be allowed to implement flexible working or remote work schedules, state news agency Wam reported then.
Two days later, the ministry said the working day for private sector employees would also be reduced by two hours.
It said companies would be able to introduce “flexible or remote working patterns” during the holy month.
Contracted hours vary in the private sector, with many members of staff typically working nine-hour days.
Ramadan will begin in the UAE on Thursday, authorities have announced.
The Moon-sighting committee met at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department after maghrib prayers on Tuesday and announced it could not yet see a new crescent moon, meaning Ramadan would begin on Thursday, state news agency Wam reported.
Ramadan preparations around the world - in pictures
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.
Record breaker
- The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
- The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
- Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
- Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
- The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
- The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
- The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft
COMPANY PROFILE
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
