Who is Rajwa Al Saif, the Saudi fiancee of Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein?

Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Rajwa Al Saif announced their engagement on Wednesday, much to the family's delight.

The engagement took place at the home of Al Saif's father in Riyadh. It was announced on Twitter with four photos showing the couple, with Prince Hussein's parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, pictured alongside members of Al Saif's family.

Queen Rania also took to Twitter to share her happiness.

“I didn’t think it was possible to hold so much joy in my heart! Congratulations to my eldest Prince Hussein and his beautiful bride-to-be, Rajwa,” Queen Rania wrote.

Who is Rajwa Al Saif?

Al Saif was born in Riyadh, on April 28, 1994, according to Roya News in Jordan.

She is the youngest of four siblings — alongside Faisal, Nayef and Dana — born to businessman Khalid Al Saif and his wife Azza Al Sudairi.

Her secondary education took place in Saudi Arabia, before she moved to New York, US, to complete her higher education at the College of Architecture at Syracuse University.

During her time there, Al Saif took a nine-day field trip to Dubai in 2016, as part of the course. “What made this trip so memorable for me was seeing the students in the studio experience Arabic culture and architecture for the first time," said Al Saif, as reported on Syracuse University's website.

"Dubai is very intriguing, having contemporary architecture while also attempting to maintain the traditional beauty of the Arabic culture and history.”

Princess Iman gets engaged

Prince Hussein's engagement only comes a few weeks after his sister, Princess Iman, announced her engagement to Jameel Alexander Thermiotis.

Princess Iman is the first daughter and the second child of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.

The princess, who was born in Amman in 1996, studied at Georgetown University in Washington, following in the footsteps of her newly engaged brother.

Thermiotis was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1994 and is of Greek descent, said Jordan's royal court. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and works in finance in New York.

The court congratulated the king and queen on the engagement, wishing the couple “a lifetime of happiness”.

Jordanian royal weddings through the years — in pictures

1955: King Hussein of Jordan weds first wife, Dina bint Abdul-Hamid, former Queen of Jordan, on April 19. Getty Images
1961: King Hussein of Jordan and second wife, Antoinette Gardiner, who became Princess Muna al-Hussein upon marriage, leaving the Zahran Palace after their wedding ceremony, Amman on May 29. Getty Images
1970: Princess Basma of Jordan with Timoor Daghistani after their wedding ceremony on April 2.
1993: The wedding of Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania on June 10. AFP
1993: The couple on their wedding day with King Hussein of Jordan, far right, and Queen Noor. AFP
2004: The wedding of Prince Hamzah bin Hussein of Jordan and Princess Noor. Getty Images
2020: Princess Raiyah, centre, daughter of Queen Noor of Jordan, left, marries Roald Dahl's grandson Ned Donovan in small UK ceremony. Photo: Arabia Royal Agency
2020: The couple announced their engagement in 2019, and put a big wedding on hold because of pandemic. Photo: Twitter / RaiyahHKJ
2023: Princess Iman married Jameel Alexander Thermiotis in Amman on March 12. AFP

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday

AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)

Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)

Benevento v Parma (5pm)

Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)

Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)

Lazio v Spezia (5pm)

Napoli v Crotone (5pm)

Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)

Torino v Juventus (8pm)

Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

The Old Slave and the Mastiff

Patrick Chamoiseau

Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETerra%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hussam%20Zammar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mobility%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%20funding%20of%20%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A