UAE Public Holidays Announced; Schengen-Style Gulf Visa; Petrol Price Slashed; Free Housing, Ronaldo Leaving Saudi Arabia? – 10 Things You Missed This Week
UAE public holidays may seem like a long time away, but it it is never too soon to start planning your next break.
Potential dates for upcoming Eid Al Adha 2023 and even Dubai summer holidays have been announced.
Also hitting the headlines this week have been stories about a game-changing partnership deal between Etihad and Emirates airlines and the potential for a new Schengen-style visa to be introduced in the Gulf.
Reports in European news websites suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo is considering packing his bags and leaving Saudi Arabia, just months after a record-breaking move to Al Nassr in the Kingdom.
News about plummeting petrol prices in the UAE, unemployment insurance and the possible sale of the GEMS education group have also made the news.
If you missed any of it, don’t worry, the Arabian Business editors have picked 10 of the biggest news stories of the week.
UAE public holidays 2023: Upcoming dates revealed
UAE public and private sector employees can expect a few public holidays this year on account of various occasions including Eid Al Adha, Islamic New Year and National Day.
Eid Al Adha is predicted to fall in the month of June with a three-day expected holiday on June 28, 29 and 30. Prior to the three-day scheduled Eid holiday, a day off has been announced for Aarafat Day on June 27. Falling in line with the UAE weekend, this would give residents up to a six-day break.
Expected dates have been announced to give residents a chance to plan ahead. See more UAE public holidays already announced for this year.
UAE issues warning for companies to provide housing for employees
The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced that establishments need to provide labour accommodation, as part of Ministerial resolution No. 44 of 2022.
In a Twitter post, MoHRE said that an establishment must provide accommodation if:
- It has 50 workers or more
- Worker’s wages are AED1,500 or less
However, these accommodations must meet the standards set by the authority. These standards must:
- Comply with the general standard guidelines for shared labour accommodation and its services.
- Comply with the general standard guidelines for shared accommodations dedicated to accommodating less than 500 workers.
Dubai’s KHDA says schools to close on June 26
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) says that all schools are to close on June 26. In a previous update according to the KHDA academic calendar, schools were not to end the academic year until June 28. However, due to the predicted Eid Al Adha and Arafat Day holidays, schools will be closed from Monday, June 26.
Eid Al Adha is predicted to fall at the end of June, with predicted dates of June 28, 29, 30, subject to the sighting of the moon by official authorities. Arafat Day has already been announced as a public holiday on June 27.
Students across the UAE will official break for Eid Al Adha followed by summer holidays during the months of July and August.
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘wants to leave’ Saudi Arabia: reports
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, according to media reports in Europe.
The UK’s Daily Mail, citing Spanish newspaper El Nacional, reports that Ronaldo could be looking for an exit just months after moving to the Kingdom. A return to Real Madrid and even a remarkable return to the Premier League with Saudi-owned Newcastle United have been listed as possible destinations for Ronaldo.
The Portugal star joined Al Nassr on a reported $214m a year contract in January. Since joining, the prolific forward has scored 12 goals and recorded two assists in 15 games. According to the media reports Ronaldo is considering an early exit.
Emirates, Etihad major ticket change: Fly from either Dubai, Abu Dhabi on single booking
Emirates and Etihad Airways have announced an interline agreement, which is aimed at increasing tourism in the nation.
The UAE airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that expands their interline agreement. This landmark agreement will provide travellers with additional itinerary options, thereby increasing tourism in the region.
The agreement between the two airlines, visitors can now experience more than one destination in the UAE with a single itinerary.
UAE, Saudi Arabia to launch ‘Schengen-style Visa’ for tourists: Report
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are in talks to introduce a “Schengen-style visa” that would allow tourists to visit all partner countries under one visa.
The announcement was made by Fatima Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Bahrain, Undersecretary HE Abdulla Al Saleh, Government of UAE, and Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
“We have huge opportunity, the effort is in how to unify all the countries in the GCC. We had 9.9 million visitors in 2022. How? There was one key initiative that year, we started to co-promote Bahrain as a unified destination with the GCC,” Al Sairafi said, adding that the opportunities are “incredible” if all GCC countries unified their efforts in promotion.
UAE announces major unemployment insurance update
The UAE mandatory unemployment insurance has a new major update. Freezone and semi-government entity employees can now subscribe to the job loss scheme.
In a new announcement, a pop-up on the official portal states “Do you work in semi-government entities or companies registered in a UAE Freezone? You can subscribe now by clicking on subscribe here and proceed to Non-Registered in MoHRE.”
The UAE unemployment insurance scheme came into effect on January 1, 2023 and was made mandatory for employees in the country. However, semi-government entities and Freezone employees were previously exempt.
UAE petrol prices plunge 33%, diesel drops 39%
UAE petrol and diesel prices have plummeted up to 39 per cent in the space of less than a year.
The cost of E-Plus 91 now stands at AED2.97 per litre, a decrease of more than 33 per cent on July of last year when it was AED4.44.
Diesel has seen even sharper falls. At AED2.91 per litre it is now approximately 39 per cent cheaper to fill up than July 2022, when it cost AED4.76.
GEMS Education sale in distress
GEMS Education will reconsider the sale of the business after possible $6bn sale talks stalled, according to Bloomberg.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said potential suitors for the education powerhouse have so-far been unable to reach a valuation.
GEMS values the business at $6bn.
Dubai announces major changes for expat driving licenses: Full details revealed
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has announced a “golden chance” for expats to get their UAE driver’s license without attending driving classes.
“This is your Golden Chance to apply for a new driving license without attending driving classes and get a direct road test via RTA’s website,” the RTA said via Twitter.
Under the new scheme, individual customers, citizens and residents in Dubai, who are above the legal age and medically fit, are eligible to apply for this service, as per the RTA website.