Some nations such as Canada and the U.K. observe Boxing Day on Wednesday for a potential five-day weekend.

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Thanks in large part to the continued strong performance of Skyfall, the box office for the five-day holiday weekend was up almost 30% over last Thanksgiving, according to Exhibitor Relations.

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Burmese president Thein Sein is scheduled to make a five-day visit to Japan this weekend.

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Football fans planning to fly out to the World Cup in South Africa could also be affected, with the last of the five-day stoppages beginning on the weekend before the tournament starts.

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The Defense Department this weekend began hosting a five-day international conference in Washington bringing together scientists, breast cancer survivors, physicians and policy makers.

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SMU's vice president of external affairs, Brad Cheeves, said it was fortunate that the incident occurred on Memorial Day weekend, when the campus, which is located about five miles north of Dallas, was closed for regular activities.

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Holland America is introducing the first five-day trip to Alaska in September, opening the market to the long weekend crowd.

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He said that meant people no longer necessarily worked a strict five-day, Monday to Friday week, and they no longer saved all their socialising for the weekend - affecting the days people might take off as "sick leave".

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