It's been a busy year for the Jordanian royal family with two big weddings. But Queen Rania and her family are finally getting a much-needed timeout for the summer.
The Jordanian queen posted pictures from a recent holiday, which included her husband King Abdullah II and her two younger children Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.
“Summers are sweeter with you … So thankful,” Queen Rania posted.
Last month, she also shared pictures of her youngest son Prince Hashem, 18, suiting up in motorsports gear. “Stay safe always,” she captioned the photos.
A week before that, she attended the annual Sun Valley Conference for what looked like a working holiday, along with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein and his new bride Princess Rajwa.
Named after the Idaho resort the event is held at, the conference is known for drawing A-list executives from around the world, including Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella.
Queen Rania's eldest daughter, Princess Iman, 26, married Jameel Thermiotis at a glitzy ceremony in March on the outskirts of Amman.
This was followed by Crown Prince Hussein's wedding to Princes Rajwa in June, attended by about 1,700 VIP guests from around the world, including the UK's Prince William and his wife Kate as well as US first lady Jill Biden.
The grand wedding was preceded a week before by a glamorous henna party in Amman. Sharing photos from the event, Queen Rania was joined by other members of the royal family, including Princess Iman and Princess Salma, as well as women from across Jordan.
“No celebration would be complete without our Jordanian family. Celebrating our beautiful Rajwa,” Queen Rania wrote on Instagram.
Queen Rania alluded to her busy schedule in an Instagram post a few days later.
Sharing pictures from Prince Hashem's high school graduation, she captioned the photo: “Guys, can we slow down a bit? This mum needs to catch her breath! Another proud family moment at Hashem's high school graduation today.”
Prince Hashem was presented with his diploma by his father, who proudly kissed him on the cheek as he walked on stage to collect it, with his family clapping from the front row.
It looks like Prince Hashem is now being groomed for more royal duties – he accompanied his parents in their last official trip to Spain in June, to attend the Aqaba Process meeting in Cordoba, a city in Andalusia.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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