WAM
 
Dubai, Jan 4: Private sector businesses in Dubai will be closed for three days to mourn the death of Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Businesses will be closed from Thursday, 5 January through to Saturday, 7 January.

Ministries, government departments and government organisations will be closed for seven days.

The official mourning period will last for 40 days, when all UAE flags will fly at half mast.

The opening ceremony of the Dubai Shopping Festival - which was due to take place tonight has been postponed.

The Ministry of Education has announced that all scheduled examinations have been postponed.

Schools will also be closed from today and open again on January 14.

Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO of DSF told Gulf News: "Dubai Shopping Festival is on hold until further notice."

Most events scheduled for the next seven days in Dubai have been cancelled or postponed.

The Fatboy Slim concert scheduled for Thursday 5th January 2006 at the Dubai International Convention Center has been officially cancelled.

Organizers of the event said there is a possibility it will be postponed to a later date, otherwise fans will receive a refund.

The Dubai Marathon has been postponed until further notice, according to a notice posted on their website.