DUBAI: Persistent talk about the UAE considering a shift to a Monday-to-Friday working week has stirred global interest anew, with Britain’s oldest daily newspaper The Times carrying a story about the supposed change.
The Times said the new workweek should bring the UAE “into line with the global economy” as the Gulf state has recently instituted a series of reforms, mainly affecting its majority expatriate population, including decriminalization of alcohol consumption and pre-marriage cohabitation. At least 80 percent of the UAE’s almost 10 million population are comprised of expatriate workers mostly from Southern and Southeast Asian countries.
The UAE government has not issued an official statement confirming or denying the latest speculation by The Times, although the topic has been circulating among expatriate communities for months now.
State news agency WAM earlier this year issued a statement to deny claims that weekends could switch in May.
“The news that has been spreading on social media that [the] government was planning to make some changes [to] the weekend is fake. No such news has been issued by the government and people should stop circulating such false information as it is misleading residents,” Mohammed Jalal Al-Raisi, executive director of WAM, said in a statement.
Friday is the Muslim holy day marked by prayer and family gatherings, and could potentially conflict with schedules should the Monday-to-Friday working week be adopted. There are ideas that Friday could become a half-day or a ‘work from home day’.
In May 2006, the UAE changed its weekends from Thursday-Friday to Friday-Saturday, which went into effect in September of that year. All of the Gulf countries subsequently made the change, with Saudi Arabia changing its weekends in 2013.
Speculation of UAE change of weekend generates global headlines
https://arab.news/5y2w4
Speculation of UAE change of weekend generates global headlines
- Persistent talk about the UAE considering a shift to a Monday-to-Friday working week has stirred global interest anew
- The Times said the new workweek should bring the UAE “into line with the global economy”
Elysee Palace silver steward arrested for stealing thousands of euros’ worth of silverware
- The Sevres Manufactory — which supplied most of the furnishings — identified several of the missing items on online auction websites
- Investigators later found around 100 objects in the silver steward’s personal locker, his vehicle and their home
PARIS: Three men will stand trial next year after a silver steward employed at the official residence of the French president was arrested this week for the theft of items of silverware and table service worth thousands of euros, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The Elysee Palace’s head steward reported the disappearance, with the estimated loss ranging between 15,000 and 40,000 euros (($17,500-$47,000).
The Sevres Manufactory — which supplied most of the furnishings — identified several of the missing items on online auction websites. Questioning of Elysee staff led investigators to suspect one of the silver stewards, whose inventory records gave the impression he was planning future thefts.
Investigators established that the man was in a relationship with the manager of a company specializing in the online sale of objects, notably tableware. Investigators discovered on his Vinted account a plate stamped “French Air Force” and “Sevres Manufactory” ashtrays that are not available to the general public.
Around 100 objects were found in the silver steward’s personal locker, his vehicle and their home. Among the items recovered were copper saucepans, Sevres porcelain, a René Lalique statuette and Baccarat champagne coupes.
The two were arrested Tuesday. Investigators also identified a single receiver of the stolen goods. The recovered items were returned to the Elysee Palace.
The three suspects appeared in court Thursday on charges of jointly stealing movable property listed as part of the national heritage — an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a 150,000-euro fine, as well as aggravated handling of stolen goods.
The trial was postponed to Feb. 26. The defendants were placed under judicial supervision, banned from contacting one another, prohibited from appearing at auction venues and barred from their professional activities.
