Arish Fatima, a four-year-old prodigy from Karachi, made history by becoming the youngest Microsoft professional.&nbsp;

At the age of four, Arish Fatima has set a unique example by scoring 831 marks in the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exam, the Government of Pakistan announced via Twitter on Friday.&nbsp;

The minimum score for passing the MCP exam is 700 while Arish broke the world record to achieve great success and made Pakistan proud around the world, the Geo TV reported.&nbsp;

Arish's father, who also accomplished the milestone at a very young age, said that while working from home during the coronavirus lockdown, he saw his daughter's interest in IT and helped her in this test.&nbsp;

Arish's father Osama is also an IT expert and sees his daughter doing wonders in this field.&nbsp;

Arish's parents say that their daughter is "extremely capable and has extraordinary abilities."&nbsp;

Arish Fatima, a four-year-old prodigy from Karachi, made history by becoming the youngest Microsoft professional. At the age of four, Arish Fatima has set a unique example by scoring 831 marks in the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exam, the Government of Pakistan announced via Twitter on Friday.

Arish Fatima, a four-year-old prodigy from Karachi, made history by becoming the youngest Microsoft professional. At the age of four, Arish Fatima has set a unique example by scoring 831 marks in the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exam, the Government of Pakistan announced via Twitter on Friday. The minimum score for passing the MCP exam is 700 while Arish broke the world record to achieve great success and made Pakistan proud around the world, the Geo TV reported. Arish's father, who also accomplished the milestone at a very young age, said that while working from home during the coronavirus lockdown, he saw his daughter's interest in IT and helped her in this test. Arish's father Osama is also an IT expert and sees his daughter doing wonders in this field. Arish's parents say that their daughter is "extremely capable and has extraordinary abilities."

Four-year-old Pak girl becomes youngest Microsoft professional 

Living from one weekend to the next has become the norm for most of us. We thank god it's Friday and dread a manic Monday. We cram all our hobbies, social events, chores, meal planning, workouts and getaways in a two-day window. The result? We feel exhausted and drained even before the week begins.

But what if your weekend was longer? What if you had more time to unwind, to spend with your family and plan all those getaways on your bucket list?

What if you were told that you could enjoy a three-day weekend? Deleting one working day and adding an extra holiday with no loss of pay, sounds like the perfect equation, doesn't it?

It's not a utopian concept anymore. It is becoming the norm in a lot of countries.&nbsp;

Iceland, Sweden, Japan, Scotland are all experimenting with a shorter work week -- four days to be exact. In Spain, big companies are agreeing to a 32-hour week without affecting employees' salaries.&nbsp;

In fact Iceland conducted the world's largest trial of a shorter working week from 2015 to 2019 and found that a majority of working professionals were happier and healthier.

Employers say it boosts productivity and employee well-being. In Japan where big companies take pride in driving an efficient workforce, there is a conscious effort to try and break away from a toxic, workaholic culture.

But is a shorter work week the best way to achieve that work-life balance that we all aspire for?

Many professionals feel that cramming the same amount of work in a shorter period of time may have an impact on their health in the long run. While a compressed work schedule has its benefits with claims of increased productivity, decreased overhead costs for companies and more "me time" for employees, there is a price to pay for this longer weekend.&nbsp;

Why, you ask? Consider another mathematical equation. You will either be working for five eight-hour shifts a week or four 10-hour shifts in a week. Longer hours every week, month on month, year on year, will lead to more stress and fatigue over a period of time.

Speak to working professionals and they will tell you that the scheduling challenges, deadlines and tasks keep adding up and one ends up taking the work -- and the added stress -- back home.

While on paper, you are working less, you are still cramming more work in a shorter period of time.

So, does that mean the four-day workweek is a failure? Not really. It is simply a metaphor for flexible working model which will be the future of workplaces. The pandemic has taught us that rigid working schedules are not in the interest of employers or employees.

Just like diets, nutrition plans, workout and clothes are tailored for us, working models need to be customised. A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn in India found that 7 in 10 Indian women are either quitting their jobs or considering the same due to a lack of flexible working models.

So simply deleting a day from our work week will not help us work more efficiently or enjoy more on our days off. &nbsp;

We need to look at the big picture and ask ourselves, is long-term fatigue worth a three-day weekend?

Living from one weekend to the next has become the norm for most of us. We thank god it's Friday and dread a manic Monday. We cram all our hobbies, social events, chores, meal planning, workouts and getaways in a two-day window.

Living from one weekend to the next has become the norm for most of us. We thank god it's Friday and dread a manic Monday. We cram all our hobbies, social events, chores, meal planning, workouts and getaways in a two-day window. The result? We feel exhausted and drained even before the week begins. But what if your weekend was longer? What if you had more time to unwind, to spend with your family and plan all those getaways on your bucket list? What if you were told that you could enjoy a three-day weekend? Deleting one working day and adding an extra holiday with no loss of pay, sounds like the perfect equation, doesn't it? It's not a utopian concept anymore. It is becoming the norm in a lot of countries. Iceland, Sweden, Japan, Scotland are all experimenting with a shorter work week -- four days to be exact. In Spain, big companies are agreeing to a 32-hour week without affecting employees' salaries. In fact Iceland conducted the world's largest trial of a shorter working week from 2015 to 2019 and found that a majority of working professionals were happier and healthier. Employers say it boosts productivity and employee well-being. In Japan where big companies take pride in driving an efficient workforce, there is a conscious effort to try and break away from a toxic, workaholic culture. But is a shorter work week the best way to achieve that work-life balance that we all aspire for? Many professionals feel that cramming the same amount of work in a shorter period of time may have an impact on their health in the long run. While a compressed work schedule has its benefits with claims of increased productivity, decreased overhead costs for companies and more "me time" for employees, there is a price to pay for this longer weekend. Why, you ask? Consider another mathematical equation. You will either be working for five eight-hour shifts a week or four 10-hour shifts in a week. Longer hours every week, month on month, year on year, will lead to more stress and fatigue over a period of time. Speak to working professionals and they will tell you that the scheduling challenges, deadlines and tasks keep adding up and one ends up taking the work -- and the added stress -- back home. While on paper, you are working less, you are still cramming more work in a shorter period of time. So, does that mean the four-day workweek is a failure? Not really. It is simply a metaphor for flexible working model which will be the future of workplaces. The pandemic has taught us that rigid working schedules are not in the interest of employers or employees. Just like diets, nutrition plans, workout and clothes are tailored for us, working models need to be customised. A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn in India found that 7 in 10 Indian women are either quitting their jobs or considering the same due to a lack of flexible working models. So simply deleting a day from our work week will not help us work more efficiently or enjoy more on our days off. We need to look at the big picture and ask ourselves, is long-term fatigue worth a three-day weekend?

A four-day work week: The future of workplaces?

&nbsp;Competing at the Olympic Games is the dream of most athletes but&nbsp;Indian&nbsp;wrestler&nbsp;Ritu&nbsp;Phogat&nbsp;has always wanted to script a different destiny.

Phogat&nbsp;won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship but switched to the combat sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in February, much to the disappointment of India's wrestling federation who saw her as a strong medal contender in the 48kg category at Tokyo 2020.

Phogat, who will make her&nbsp;MMA&nbsp;debut against South Korea's Kim Nam-hee at One Championship's Age of Dragons event in Beijing on Saturday, says she never gave much thought to qualifying for the Olympics.

"It never crossed my mind," she told Reuters by telephone from Singapore where she trains. "I always wanted to do something different. Script my own journey on the international stage.

"I want to win a&nbsp;World&nbsp;Championship belt for India. I want to be the first in mixed martial arts to win that for my country."

The 25-year-old is from one of India's most famous wrestling families.

She started in the sport aged eight, under the tutelage of her&nbsp;wrestler&nbsp;father Mahavir Singh and followed in the footsteps of her elder sisters Babita and Geeta, who have both won Commonwealth Games gold.

Their cousin, Vinesh, is one of India's top medal hopes for Tokyo.

The&nbsp;Phogat&nbsp;sisters achieved cult status in 2016 when the film 'Dangal', which is based on the family's story, became the highest-grossing&nbsp;Indian&nbsp;movie ever made.

Before they were famous, however, growing up in their village in Haryana was tough.

"We struggled to fit into society,"&nbsp;Ritu&nbsp;Phogat&nbsp;said. "Our family was surrounded by naysayers in those early days, but we had each other for support. Together we found a way to block out all the outside noise."

The sisters are very close – Babita and Geeta sprung to&nbsp;Ritu's defence when her decision to quit wrestling drew criticism on social media earlier this year.

MMA&nbsp;is the third-most popular sport in the&nbsp;world, behind soccer and basketball, according to Nielsen. India alone accounted for nearly 100 million viewers last year, Rajesh Kaul, the head of Sony Pictures Networks India's sports business, told the Hindu newspaper March.

Phogat, who discovered&nbsp;MMA&nbsp;on YouTube at the age of 18, said her decision to sign for the Asian promotion One Championship in February was a "no-brainer".

"I see this sport growing by leaps and bounds in India," she said. "My debut will be shown live on TV and I hope it inspires the next generation ... Our country is changing. Young girls now have a platform for take up any sport."

Phogat&nbsp;has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and muay Thai ahead of her&nbsp;MMA&nbsp;bow but she remains a&nbsp;wrestler&nbsp;at heart.

"My natural style makes it much easier to control all the takedowns ... I hope I can use that to my advantage," she said.

Competing at the Olympic Games is the dream of most athletes but Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat has always wanted to script a different destiny. Phogat won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship but switched to the combat sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in February, much to the disappointment of India's wrestling federation who saw her as a strong medal contender in the 48kg category at Tokyo 2020.

Competing at the Olympic Games is the dream of most athletes but Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat has always wanted to script a different destiny. Phogat won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship but switched to the combat sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in February, much to the disappointment of India's wrestling federation who saw her as a strong medal contender in the 48kg category at Tokyo 2020. Phogat, who will make her MMA debut against South Korea's Kim Nam-hee at One Championship's Age of Dragons event in Beijing on Saturday, says she never gave much thought to qualifying for the Olympics. "It never crossed my mind," she told Reuters by telephone from Singapore where she trains. "I always wanted to do something different. Script my own journey on the international stage. "I want to win a World Championship belt for India. I want to be the first in mixed martial arts to win that for my country." The 25-year-old is from one of India's most famous wrestling families. She started in the sport aged eight, under the tutelage of her wrestler father Mahavir Singh and followed in the footsteps of her elder sisters Babita and Geeta, who have both won Commonwealth Games gold. Their cousin, Vinesh, is one of India's top medal hopes for Tokyo. The Phogat sisters achieved cult status in 2016 when the film 'Dangal', which is based on the family's story, became the highest-grossing Indian movie ever made. Before they were famous, however, growing up in their village in Haryana was tough. "We struggled to fit into society," Ritu Phogat said. "Our family was surrounded by naysayers in those early days, but we had each other for support. Together we found a way to block out all the outside noise." The sisters are very close – Babita and Geeta sprung to Ritu's defence when her decision to quit wrestling drew criticism on social media earlier this year. MMA is the third-most popular sport in the world, behind soccer and basketball, according to Nielsen. India alone accounted for nearly 100 million viewers last year, Rajesh Kaul, the head of Sony Pictures Networks India's sports business, told the Hindu newspaper March. Phogat, who discovered MMA on YouTube at the age of 18, said her decision to sign for the Asian promotion One Championship in February was a "no-brainer". "I see this sport growing by leaps and bounds in India," she said. "My debut will be shown live on TV and I hope it inspires the next generation ... Our country is changing. Young girls now have a platform for take up any sport." Phogat has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and muay Thai ahead of her MMA bow but she remains a wrestler at heart. "My natural style makes it much easier to control all the takedowns ... I hope I can use that to my advantage," she said.

Wrestler Ritu Phogat ready for tilt at MMA world title

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