The UAE's weekend switch has left some parents trying to adjust to a new week, which means they will be working when their children are off.
Government offices and schools shifted to a Monday-to-Friday working week from January 1.
Private companies, however, have been allowed to set their own schedule, with some choosing to stick with the old Sunday-to-Thursday routine for now.
This means some parents will work on Sundays while their children are off, but be off work on Friday mornings when their children are at school.
There is more time off school, which means we've got to spend more. But we'll have more family time
Hasaah Hadi
"Our company has announced it will not be changing to the new weekend, which will massively impact my family life," said Louise, 38, who works in the construction management and consultancy sector that will be sticking with the old working week for now.
"My husband's company will be changing to the new weekend so this means that I will have only one day per week with my family," said Louise, a mother of two who did not wish to give her second name. "This is a deal breaker," she said. "I will give it a few months to see if my company changes. If not, I will be looking for a new job."
Louise said she will probably increase her nanny's salary to pay for the extra time needed to care for her two children.
Kimi, 47, who works in a private school and has a son who is autistic and needs extra care, said the new working week will affect their routines.
"The only impact will be longer hours in school," said Kimi, who also declined to give her second name. "[Our] son, who is in special school, will leave at his regular time but as a professional in a private school I have to stay back longer, which is very tough for us."
Kimi anticipates having to spend extra time preparing lessons to ensure all children can cover the curriculum within the shorter school week.
She is often nervous about leaving her son with her maid for extended periods because he has substantial needs. "Being on the [autism] spectrum, he can have big meltdowns if he is not handled with care," she said. "He is sensitive to commands and demands. [It] will surely affect his schedule and mine too."
But parents working for companies who have chosen to switch welcomed the new week.
Wealth manager Hasaah Hadi described the move as brilliant because she would get to spend more time with her family.
She works full time and will be putting her two sons, aged 12 and 13, into after-school clubs on Friday, costing her an extra Dh1,500 a month.
"But at the same time, our income level needs to go up as well, because there is more time off school, which means we've got to spend more," she said.
Ms Hadi thinks she will have to work about an hour longer each day during the new 4.5-day working week. "But [we have] more family time."
Meanwhile, childcare providers and after-school clubs have noted a surge in inquiries for Friday afternoon from parents who will be at work while their children are off.
"We have had an increase for demand on Friday," said Joanna Dawson, childcare manager for Malaak Mama and Baby Care, a childcare agency.
Jump Sports Academies, which offers activities such as gymnastics and football, are preparing to add classes on Friday afternoons, said Mattias Bjork, its director of business development.
Carissa Valentim-Du Toit, childcare development manager at CloudNine Kids, a childcare company based in Dubai, said many parents working in the private sector will not be making the transition to the new 4.5-day working week, while others do not yet know what their employer plans to do.
"We believe that January will be a month of trial and error for everyone in the UAE," Ms Valentim-Du Toit said.
"[So people can] identify what works best in terms of their work and family responsibilities."
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pmÂ
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm;Â Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm Â
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm;Â Brighton v Arsenal 6pm;Â West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm;Â Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pmÂ
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm;Â Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pmÂ
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm;Â Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pmÂ
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28Â Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pmÂ
Monday June 29Â Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30Â Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pmÂ
Wednesday July 1Â Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2Â Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Company%C2%A0profile
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BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasionÂ
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for workÂ
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’tsÂ
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agalÂ
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
