High winds and heavy rain hit the usually-arid state of Kuwait on Tuesday, leading to road washouts and closures, as the government scrambled to minimise damages.
Kuwait's parliament declared Tuesday a holiday for all ministries, schools and universities to avoid accidents and traffic-related incidents on the country’s major highways.
Forecasters at Kuwait's meteorological department expect conditions will improve incrementally throughout the day.
The fire service directorate said it received more than 160 calls on Tuesday, mostly from people whose cars were caught in floods or had flooding in their basements. They said there were no serious injuries.
The director of the fire service said in a press conference that his teams were on alert and ready to respond.
Kuwait’s interior ministry released a statement urging people to remain in their homes because of road washouts. The public works ministry and Kuwaiti police are working on clearing flooded highways, and underpasses, the statement said.
Undersecretary of Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water Mohammad Boushehri said there were no problems with the power grid, but noted that power cuts were normal in such weather conditions.
Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said that air traffic at Kuwait International Airport is proceeding normally, refuting earlier news reports that flights have been suspended.
Dr Mohammad Hadi Al Huwaila, a Kuwaiti parliamentarian said the storm highlighted the need for the government to form a crisis management commission to cut losses and minimise damages in the future. In a statement on Twitter he posted images of a draft legislation he had previously submitted to parliament calling for the establishment of such a body.
Meanwhile, Kuwaitis took to social media networks to share images and videos of the storm. A hashtag, "Kuwait is drowning," was trending on Twitter on Tuesday.
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Extreme weather in the UAE: Tales of sun, sand and even snow
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Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
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Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
