UAE National Day holidays announced for Public, private sectors

The Federal ministries and entities will be off work on Sunday and Monday; December 2 and 3, to mark the 41st National Day, according to a circular issued today by Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Federal Government Human Resources Authority.

The circular, which based on law no. 11 of 2008 on government human resources, said work will resume on Tuesday, December 4, 2012.

Al Qattami congratulated President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Their Highnesses, Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates and people of the UAE on the occasion.

Private sector holiday

The private sector institutions and companies will be off work on Sunday, December 2, 2012, on the occasion of the 41st National Day of the UAE, according to a circular issued today by Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour.

Ghobash extended his congratulations to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates and people of the UAE on the occasion.

Reduced working hours for all during Ramadan: Ministry of Labour

The Ministry of Labour on Wednesday announced that working hours will be reduced by two hours during the holy month of Ramadan.

The ministry said in a statement that official working hours have been reduced to six hours per day or 36 hours a week. This rule applies to all residents of UAE irrespective of their religion.

However,  labourers will continue to avail noon break and those violating the rule will heavily be penalised, the ministry said.

The Ministry of Labour also said that the those employees doing overtime will be paid 25 per cent of their basic salary for t day time work and 50 per cent for  night time duty.

A circular issued last year by the ministry had said that work at Federal ministries and departments will be from 9am to 2pm during Ramadan.

Earlier this month, the Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP) announced that most Islamic countries may begin the Holy Month of Ramadan on Saturday, July 21st after moon sighting.

Mohammad Showkat Awda, chairman of the project said most Islamic countries have started the month of Sha'ban on the same day in a rare phenomena, therefore these nations would start monitoring the Ramadan Crescent on Thursday, July 19 which is Sha'ban 29 however the moon day would not be possible in all northern and some middle regions of the world.

He noted that the new moon of Ramadan in the rest of the Arab world will not be possible on Thursday due to the reason that moon will set along with sun or after a few minutes which doesn't not allow to see the moon even with the powerful astronomical telescopes, and so these regions should complete the month of Sha'aban with 30 days and the beginning of Ramadan would be on Saturday July 21st.

Awda said that Ramadan could be on Friday 20 of July in both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, because they are adopting the sighting of the moon on Thursday.

Ramadan may start on July 21 and Eid Al Fitr holidays from August 19 UAE Astronomer

A UAE astronomer has forecast the Muslim's fasting month of Ramadan might start on Saturday, July 21, and the Eid Al Fitr would be on August 19.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Astronomy Researcher and Supervisor of Sharjah Planetarium, said that the birth of the crescent moon will be on Thursday, 19th July 2012, at 8:24 am (UAE time), and the sunset will be at 5:09 pm, while the moon will set two minutes after sunset.

''The crescent moon of Shawwal 1433 will born on Friday 17th August 2012, at 5:54 pm local time, and the sunset will be at 6:49 pm same day," he added.

Al Jarwan said sighting the crescent would be impossible on Thursday night, but it would be visible on Friday night.

Therefore Saturday, 21st of July would be the first day of Ramadan, he anticipated.