The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa, has died aged 73.
The news was announced on the afternoon of Friday, 13 May, by the country’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
There will now be 40 days of official mourning with flags at half mast and three days of closure of ministries and official entities at the federal and local levels and in the private sector.
Remembering Sheikh Khalifa
Sheikh Khalifa had been the president of the UAE, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces since 2004.
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa was the second President of the UAE and the 16th Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, who is credited as being the Founding Father of the UAE.
The tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa, was named in his honour.
Read more about how the famous superstructure was built here.
Official mourning period
As per the state news agency Wam, the official three-day mourning period will be Saturday, Sunday and Monday – meaning all government and private sector workers will return to work on Tuesday, 17 May.
Events in the UAE
In Abu Dhabi, live music and entertainment have been suspended as a mark of respect until at least Tuesday, 17 May,
Meanwhile in Dubai, a circular from the Department of Economic and Tourism ordered a hold to be put on all entertainment activities that feature music and dance for the same period.
This is a developing news story and more information will be added as we become aware of it.
