November 15, 2010 / Abu Dhabi / (Rich-Joseph Facun / The National) People gather at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque for the Eid al-Adha Prayer, Tuesday, November 15, 2010 in Abu Dhabi. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates.
People gather at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi for Eid. Joseph Facun / The National

Public sector to get a week's break for Eid Al Adha



UPDATE: Eid Al Adha holiday for private sector announced

The public sector will get a week-long break for Eid Al Adha this year with the government announcing a five-day holiday from Sunday, August 19, to Thursday, August 23.

Employees of ministries and federal departments will resume work on August 26, after the regular Friday-Saturday weekend, according to a Cabinet directive announced on Saturday.

Holidays for the private sector have not been declared yet.

The Cabinet's announcement came after the Saudi Supreme Court said the Islamic month of Dhu Al Hijjah would begin on August 12, meaning Eid Al Adha will fall on August 21.

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The court announced the start of the final month of the Islamic calendar after witnesses testified to seeing the crescent moon at sunset on Saturday.

Accordingly, Arafat Day, the 9th day of Dhu Al Hijjah, will fall on August 20, and Eid Al Adha begins the next day.

Eid is a time when families and friends come together to celebrate, usually over a meal.

It is customary for a family to have a goat or sheep butchered at an abattoir and share the meat between themselves, their relatives and the underprivileged.

This tradition is informed by the Quran, which tells of how God asked prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as a test of his faith. As Ibrahim prepared to submit to God's will, the devil tried to dissuade him and he threw rocks at him. This is an act is repeated by pilgrims at Hajj who throw stones at symbolic pillars.

Just before Ibrahim carried out God's command, God replaced his son with a goat. Now Muslims celebrate Eid by feasting on a goat.

What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

RESULT

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5

Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')

Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

TWISTERS

Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung

Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos

Rating:+2.5/5

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

Company Profile

Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000

Bridgerton season three - part one

Directors: Various

Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey

Rating: 3/5

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends

Inside Out 2

Director: Kelsey Mann

Starring: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri

Rating: 4.5/5

Results

Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent

Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent

Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent

SRI LANKS ODI SQUAD

Perera (capt), Mendis, Gunathilaka, de Silva, Nissanka, Shanaka, Bandara, Hasaranga, Udana, Dananjaya, Dickwella, Chameera, Mendis, Fernando, Sandakan, Karunaratne, Fernando, Fernando.

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Sweet Tooth

Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5

Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR

US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.

KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.

 


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