DUBAI // Venus Williams, the five-time Wimbledon champion, yesterday condemned the decision to prevent the Israeli player Shahar Pe'er from competing in this week's Dubai Tennis Championships. Pe'er was refused a visa to the UAE. Tournament organisers said they were concerned for her safety. Williams, a leader in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), suggested that the players might not return for the tournament next year because of how Pe'er was treated.
"I know she had previously played in the Middle East, in Doha last year, so it was my understanding that she would have the opportunity to play here also despite any legislative issues," William said. "Obviously I'm disappointed she hasn't had the chance to play because she is a good person and she works just as hard as everyone else on the tour and should have the opportunity of playing. She was asked why, if she felt so strongly about Pe'er's exclusion from the tournament, she had not led a players' boycott.
"I think that we all have to look at the bigger picture, and the biggest part of the picture is that Shahar Pe'er didn't get the chance to play. But making an immediate decision this year was not practical. "We have sponsors and fans and everyone who has invested a lot in the tournament. I think we are all going to consider what our options are next year, but obviously we didn't even know about this until Saturday."
Williams, who is a member of the WTA Players' Council, which will meet next month to discuss the issue, added: "Obviously my first reaction was that it was unfair. I'm very supportive of Shahar in whatever way I can be. "It is very important to me to be a council member, because I'm part of representing the players, getting their opinions and representing them on everything. So it is a huge matter of concern for me."
Asked what might happen next week when the Israeli men's doubles player, Andy Ram, tries to enter the UAE, she said: "I hope the message would be that, the second time around, they would have an opportunity for every person to play." Jelena Jankovic, the world No 3 from Serbia, made a shock exit from the tournament last night after being beaten by the Estonian Kaia Kanepe. Jankovic was despatched 6-2, 7-5 in 85 minutes.
Serena Williams faced Chinese Jie Zheng and after a tight first set coasted into the quarter-finals a 6-4, 6-2 winner. wjohnson@thenational.ae
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The%20specs
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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