From January, the oil-producing Gulf state will have a four-and-a-half-day schedule, with work and schools stopping at noon on Friday for Muslim prayers.
While becoming the only Gulf country not to have a Friday-Saturday weekend, the resource-rich and ambitious UAE now comes into line with the non-Arab world.
The United Arab Emirates is slashing its official working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend to Saturday and Sunday in a major shift aimed at improving competitiveness, officials sai…
The "national working week" is mandatory for government bodies from 1 January and bucks the regional norm of a full day off on Friday for Muslim prayers.