Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has called on the country to mark UAE Flag Day next week.
Wednesday, November 3, will be the ninth time that the annual celebration takes place.
But this year’s Flag Day will be particularly special, coming just weeks before the UAE’s Golden Jubilee on December 2.
“Brothers and sisters, the UAE will celebrate the 50th year Flag Day on November 3. We call on our citizens, organisations and ministries to hoist the flag simultaneously on November 3 at 11am,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.
“This symbolises the state, sovereignty and unity of the past 50 years and shall remain with us for the next 50 years to establish belonging, loyalty and love to the UAE soil.”
The event, which was conceived by Sheikh Mohammed to celebrate the accession of Sheikh Khalifa as President of the UAE in 2004, was first marked in 2013.
It is commemorated every year on the anniversary, which is not a public holiday.
The day is marked by schools, government offices, businesses and individuals, who hang the national flag outside their homes and workplaces.
Flag-raising ceremonies, in which the national anthem is played, are also held to mark the occasion.
The UAE flag was designed by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maainah, in 1971, as part of a competition in Al Ittihad newspaper.
The young Emirati intended the four colours to represent Arab unity, as described in poetry written by Safi-u-ddin Al Hali.
These are red for courage, green for hope, white for honesty and black for strength of mind.
His submission beat more than 1,000 entries vying to become the new nation's emblem.
Mr Al Maainah was 19 at the time, and later went on to become the minister of foreign affairs.
Only two flags were raised in December 1971 to mark the formation of the nation – one in Abu Dhabi, the other at Union House in Dubai.
Next Wednesday, there are likely to be hundreds of thousands.
The authorities have released a set of rules people must abide by if they want to fly the UAE flag.
According to the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, flags flown permanently at government buildings or embassies should be rectangular in shape, with its height being half of its width and the colours in the correct order.
The flag’s condition must be checked every 45 days to ensure it is not damaged; it must be changed every six months.
Regulations also exist to govern the short-term use of flags. According to the rules, the flag should be made of nylon and it must weigh more than 122.5 grams for every square metre.
Heavy penalties exist for anyone who is found abusing the flag.
According to Article 176, “anyone who publicly insults the President, flag or the national emblem of the State, shall be punished by detention".
Article 3 of federal law No 2 for 1971 says whoever uses the flag inappropriately will face a jail sentence up to six months, and / or a fine “as the country’s flag should be treated with dignity and respect, and should not be insulted, and not raised below any other flag or banner”.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
