Funny lines to cut a holiday short
As Pope Francis relayed his homily to over 150,000 faithfuls at Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, students across private schools in Dubai were granted the day off so that families could attend the historic mass. But as thousands were distracted by the Pope’s first visit to the Arabian Peninsula, one student saw it as an opportunity to fool the masses.
At 3.59pm, the rogue online prankster tweeted that school was out for the rest of the week.
In a bid to try and get three days off school for the price of one, the mischievous student penned a cunning (but rather shoddily written) tweet under the guise of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). “…there has been a following update for all private schools having the whole week off. Enjoy!”, part of the tweet read. Complete with the KHDA verified logo, on first glance the tweet appeared legit. Sadly though, the amateur phrasing let the cat out of the bag.
Trying but failing to get a few extra days off school, the tweet was quickly shut down by the KHDA, which denied any such extension to the February 5 announcement. But rather than scold the student, the authority’s social media wizards saw the funny side and responded with a lighthearted quip. “While we appreciate the Photoshop skills of some our students (though not their grammar, obvs), we’d like to confirm that schools are open on Wednesday and Thursday.”
The story secured more than 24,500 page views on the Khaleej Times website and was opened via a referral more than 14,200 times. So while it was back to school as normal for kids on Wednesday, the student’s attempt at spreading fake news was a stark lesson in how not to fool the KHDA, and a sobering realisation that maybe he/she needs more time in school, not less.
Wednesday brought with it some news that pricked the ears of thousands across the UAE. In fact, it garnered interest from hundreds of thousands in just a few hours of going live online; 284,007 (on the Khaleej Times website) to be exact.
The headline: Get up to 100% discount on Dubai traffic fines
clearly did the trick in getting readers attention. And, much to the relief of many, it wasn’t clickbait. Drivers in Dubai will now have the chance to wipe their license clean of all traffic violation fines under one condition; they make a pledge to driver better.
Putting the power back into motorists hands, Dubai Police announced that from February 6 good driving will be handsomely rewarded by way of monetary discounts. The dangling carrot works like this. No matter how many traffic fines you have, be it Dh600 or Dh60,000, you’ll get the chance to reduce it by 25 per cent, 50 per cent, 75 per cent, or — and this is the one everyone is vying for — 100 per cent.
Over a period of three, six, nine and 12 months respectively, drivers can avail of the accompanying discounts in exchange for not getting a single fine. So, if you’ve got piling fine amounts that have been keeping you awake for the past few months, here’s your chance to shift them once and for all. Opened via a share more than 41,000 times and opened via social media links 106,300 times across Khaleej Times’ platforms, the interest in this story told us one thing. We’ll go to great lengths for a discount. Such bargain hunters we are!
To conclude with, a story on how scattered showers and rainy weather brought with it a downpour of new opportunities for jobseekers in Ras Al Khaimah.
On Tuesday, the RAK General Headquarters posted a host of job vacancies on their social media site. The reason for the call out? Turbulent weather. The traffic and patrols department is now on the lookout for multiple traffic guides to help keep motorists safe when the heavens decide to open. So, if you’re partial to a bit of rain and don’t mind soggy clothes at the end of a shift, here’s your chance to pay the bills.
Wednesday brought with it some news that pricked the ears of thousands across UAE