It's the first soothing and calming thing you hear when you play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. One of the biggest video game releases of the year, Nintendo has now uploaded a video showing the wholesome theme song being performed by the musicians who created it.
Consisting of Eric Miyashiro (flugelhorn), Tetsuro Toyama (acoustic guitar/ukulele), Mataro (percussion), Takashi Ebinuma (double bass), Saburo Tanooka (accordion), and Nobuyuki Aoyagi (mixing engineer), who recorded the official theme music for the Nintendo Switch game, the musicians got together virtually during quarantine to record a new rendition of the tune.
The tweet from Tom Nook (everyone’s favourite debt collector in the game) showing the performance has now gone viral with almost 35,000 retweets and more than 106,000 likes in 24 hours.
Since being released on March 20, the game has found success all around the world. It's also been known to be popular with celebrities such as Elijah Wood, Brie Larson and Mark Hoppus among others.
It's the fifth release in the Animal Crossing series, which first premiered in 2001. The fourth iteration, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, debuted in 2012, meaning fans have had an eight-year wait for the latest addition.
The popular game, which has a 9.1 rating on Metacritic, can be played on the Nintendo Switch and is a real-time life simulation that allows players to live a relaxed life in the outdoors, and meet up with friends online in the game, which is helpful considering we're still urged to practise social distancing.
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.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
