UAE traffic fines made headlines this week – firstly when an offer to slash prices was announced, and then when new violations were introduced.
The nation’s education system was also in the spotlight, with exams going online and also school holiday dates revealed.
Elsewhere, billionaire businessman rebuffed remote working plans and called on workers in the city to grind seven days a week.
In Saudi Arabia, new images of $500bn megacity NEOM were published and in Pakistan travellers were given a warning over travel to the UAE.
Among all of that, there was guidance about Ramadan in the UAE and an update on Emirates ID cards.
It has been a busy week in the Middle East. If you missed the stories making the news, check out the Arabian Business pick of the biggest stories of the week.
UAE workers ‘need to put heads down and grind 7 days a week,’ Emaar founder Alabbar says
“Don’t ask me [about remote work] … I believe we should put our heads down and grind seven days a week,” Alabbar said.
The billionaire noted that, relatively speaking, the UAE is still “far behind compared to the world.” To make up for this gap, all workers and businesses in the UAE need to be “grinding hard” to help achieve growth.
UAE traffic fines slashed
Some UAE motorists can get a discount of up to 35 per cent if they pay traffic fines early.
The announcement was made during a Sharjah Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.
The early payment offer for Sharjah motorists begins on April 1. Motorists who pay fines within 60 days of the offence will receive a discount of 35 per cent off the original fee.
UAE announces major changes to school exams
The UAE has made changes to the way exams are undertaken in schools across the country. UAE schools have tested the use of digital technology for exams.
Subjects adopting the electronic online system for exams in the UAE include:
- Arabic
- English
- Maths
- Physics
- Science
Pakistan issues UAE travel warning, all passengers must follow new rule
The Pakistan Embassy of UAE has released a new travel advisory on Tuesday for nationals travelling to the UAE.
All nationals must also exit the UAE before the visa expires, to avoid fines and penalties. In a second thread of the Twitter post, the embassy also added that if nationals are travelling to another country from the UAE, the visa must be obtained before leaving Pakistan.
UAE announces new Emirates ID application update
The UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) announced details regarding the new Emirates ID registration form, on Tuesday. The new form has multiple new features including a redesign, QR code tracker, next steps section and more.
The video was shared via the ICP’s official Twitter account. “We developed the Emirates ID Card Registration Form to reflect visual identity and facilitate customer procedures,” the video detailed.
UAE announces new traffic fines
Abu Dhabi Police announced the traffic law via a video on Twitter. The video details rules and regulations to be followed by motorists at intersections.
Rules to follow include:
- Observe the mandatory lane on the right when turning right at intersections
- Observe the mandatory lane on the left when turning left at intersections
- Avoid overtaking and exiting from one lane to another
- Do not change the direction of your vehicle at intersections
- Follow what the traffic light indicates
- Follow the arrows on the road
UAE Ramadan: Shorter working hours, rules to follow, public holidays
February 21 marked the beginning of Sha’ban, according to astronomical calculations. The beginning of Sha’ban counts 30 days to the start of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast for up to 14 hours a day, with the duration of the fast increasing by a few minutes each day.
UAE visa support event in Dubai stopped after one day
The UAE’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) created the pop-up at Deira City Centre, where it planned three days of support and invited people to come forward if they have issues or questions about visa status.Officials and staff had planned to be at Deira City Centre from February 25 to February 27, between 10am and 10pm. However, following an overwhelming uptake, the GDRFA event was brought to a close after just one morning.
Huge crowds were seen at the shopping mall location in Dubai, before the support event was brought to an early conclusion. The GDRFA shared a social media post explaining that the awareness campaign would be moved to a new location at a future date.
Revealed: New NEOM images show Saudi Arabia’s progress on The Line, Trojena, Sindalah, Oxagon
NEOM is the kingdom’s upcoming $500 billion megaproject to boost tourism and encourage partnerships. The project is part of the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its national economy away from oil.
In January, the giga-project also released a three-minute progress film showing footage of construction taking place across various regions as part of the project. This included The Line, Trojena, Oxagon and Sindalah. Nevertheless, these new images show new updates and progress made at the sites of the upcoming megaprojects.
Dubai school holidays 2023-2026 revealed
Dubai is home to a diverse education system. The education system in Dubai follows a traditional academic calendar, where the school year is divided into three terms. This week the school holidays for the next three years were revealed.
The first term usually starts in early April and lasts until mid-December, followed by a winter break of two to three weeks. The second term begins in early January and runs until late March or early April, followed by a spring break of two weeks. The final term starts in mid-April and ends in late June, with a summer break of approximately two months.
Each term typically lasts for approximately 10 to 12 weeks, with breaks in between. For Indian-curriculum schools in Dubai, the academic year has two terms, with the first term beginning in April. The second term usually begins in August.
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