40 days of mourning, flags at half mast and suspension of work in the public and private sectors for three days. These are the decisions taken by the United Arab Emirates following the death of the president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. He was 73 and had been battling a disease for a long time .
He was one of the richest sovereigns in the world: in office since 2004, he had taken the place of his father and is now replaced by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed, today elected president, his half-brother.
Under the leadership of Al-Nahyan, the Emirates faced the severe financial crisis of 2008.
Messages of condolence came from all over the world.
(Unioneonline / ss)
