Mayssa Karaa shined as a special guest of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli during his New Year's Eve performance at Emirates Palace. The Lebanese singer appeared during the second half of the gala performance, held in a purpose-built venue on the sprawling grounds of the Mandarin Oriental resort, for a four-song set including duets with Bocelli and solo work.
Karaa was then tasked to count down to the new year, which set off a fireworks display. Speaking to The National at the end of the show, she said she couldn't have started 2025 on a better note. "As an Arab woman standing on that stage, it was a powerful moment," she says. "I wished everyone a year filled with peace, love, and happiness before starting the countdown to the fireworks."
Preparations for Karaa's performance began earlier this week, an experience which had her rehearsing with Bocelli and his technical team. She explains that the onstage charm and serenity displayed by the opera star are also reflected backstage.
"What struck me most was the team's professionalism and kindness," she says. "You could feel he's surrounded by family – people who have been with him for a long time. This energy was contagious; we all felt like we'd known each other for ever. Andrea was present at rehearsals and attentive to all details. Despite his stature, he remains very involved in everything concerning the repertoire."
Karaa's performance began with a duet of Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love followed by Adagio from 18th-century baroque composer Albinoni. Up next was a joint rendition of The Prayer, where Karaa adapted her part (originally sung by Celine Dion in English and Italian in 1999) to Arabic.
"It was a significant moment as I believe it's the first time Andrea has sung with an artist in Arabic," she said. "I had adapted the lyrics previously, which they liked enough to add to the repertoire."
Karaa's section finished with another duet, this time of Bocelli favourite Canto della Terra. Her abiding memory of the evening will be the gentle displays of encouragement from him during the performance.
"It felt magical, and time flew by," she adds. "While it was an honour to perform with him, something felt familiar, as if I'd sung with him a million times before. He was incredibly kind, even encouraging me during the performance, saying 'beautiful' and 'great job'. It made everything extremely pleasant and smooth."
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
%3Cp%3EFrom%20September%2018-25%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%0D.%20The%20two%20finalists%20advance%20to%20the%20main%20event%20in%20South%20Africa%20in%20February%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3EGroup%20A%3A%20United%20States%2C%20Ireland%2C%20Scotland%2C%20Bangladesh%0D%3Cbr%3EGroup%20B%3A%20UAE%2C%20Thailand%2C%20Zimbabwe%2C%20Papua%20New%20Guinea%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3EUAE%20group%20fixtures%3A%0D%3Cbr%3ESept%2018%2C%203pm%2C%20Zayed%20Cricket%20Stadium%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Thailand%0D%3Cbr%3ESept%2019%2C%203pm%2C%20Tolerance%20Oval%20-%20PNG%20v%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3ESept%2021%2C%207pm%2C%20Tolerance%20Oval%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Zimbabwe%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3EUAE%20squad%3A%20Chaya%20Mughal%20(captain)%2C%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20Rinitha%20Rajith%2C%20Rithika%20Rajith%2C%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20Priyanjali%20Jain%2C%20Suraksha%20Kotte%2C%20Natasha%20Cherriath%2C%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%2C%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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.
