Dubai is implementing a shorter workweek during the summer. The emirate has launched the Our Flexible Summer initiative on a trial basis as part of their Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 2033. This change will see the reduction of working hours, and will apply a three-day weekend starting Monday, 12 August through Monday, 30 September, according to a statement from the Dubai government.

The details: Fifteen governmental agencies are participating in the initiative, with the goal being to help employees achieve a healthier work-life balance, reduce energy consumption, and enhance sustainability. The government will then evaluate the impact of the initiative to determine whether it will be implemented for the entirety of governmental agencies for future summer seasons.

This comes as no surprise from the UAE: The country has been implementing a four-and-a-half-day work week for governmental agencies since 2022, with Sharjah independently adopting a four-day work week.

Other countries are also moving in this direction. Driven by the studied benefits or solving employment decline, multiple countries such as Spain, Japan, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and most recently Germany, have begun implementing four-day work weeks for a number of companies and institutions. Others, like Greece, are steering the other way, which passed a law last July allowing the option to work a six-day work week in exchange for a 40% salary increase.

Will this actually promote sustainability? When testing the four-day system, Microsoft Japan recorded a 23% decrease in the electricity cost needed to operate offices in 2019, in addition to a 40% increase in productivity. The Spanish city of Valencia also recorded a 58% decrease in air pollutants last year due to a shorter work week. With the quickening impacts of climate change and record high temperatures, this may be effective in confronting high operating costs and rationalizing energy in the workplace, which can be adopted seasonally.

Two astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station for two months, and NASA may need to turn to SpaceX for help. NASA has been downplaying the severity of the issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was meant to return astronauts Suni William and Butch Wilmore. Yesterday, the agency admitted that they are forced to consider a backup plan.

But even then, the astronauts could be orbiting into the new year. Even with the involvement of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, it’s unlikely that the rescue mission will be able to be carried out before 2025, with the SpaceX launch being pushed to late September.

It’s a tough blow for Boeing, which has already been struggling with a USD 125 mn write-off related to the Starliner program, adding to a previous USD 1.5 bn in losses. Lets not forget about their issues in their commercial aviation division back in January. NASA’s investigation into the spacecraft revealed helium leaks and degradation in the thrusters, which are crucial for maneuvering, making them unreliable for in-orbit docking.

Sharing isn’t caring over at the House of Mouse. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in an earnings results webcast yesterday that password-sharing crackdowns will begin in September. The company will start tracking subscriber behavior to prompt customers to pay a fee if their account is used outside of their household, reports Wired.

This will likely force users to choose which streaming services are worth paying for. “It is a strategy that works well to grow revenue,” says Sarah Henschel, a principal analyst at Omdia, “However, it drives a lot of [the growing] consumer frustration with streaming.” Some subscribers may remain and pay the additional fees, but others might not keep the service, and instead shift to user generated content, which seems to be developing into the future of media, or even resort to piracy.

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