King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan met French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte in Paris on Monday.
During the visit, they discussed the instability in the Middle East and the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” unfolding in Gaza, according to a statement released on Queen Rania's official website.
The Jordanian royals were in Paris to renew the call to the international community “to increase humanitarian aid flow to Gaza through all possible means”. The meeting at Elysee Palace also covered the importance of supporting stability in Lebanon.
For the talks, Queen Rania chose a softly striped look by Elie Saab, from the Lebanese designer's pre-autumn 2024 collection. Comprising a collared shirt and matching skirt in moss green, the look was accessorised with a matching scarf knotted at the neck, plus a pair of cream pumps and a green shoulder bag.
Choosing to wear a look by a Lebanese designer – knowing that her choice of outfit will be scrutinised around the globe – was no doubt a deliberate move by the queen.
The queen has long understood the importance of choosing the right dresses when attending public events. To mark Jordan's 74th Independence Day in 2020, for example, she chose a kaftan by Palestinian designer Dar Noora. In white and blue, the kaftan was covered in traditional tatreez embroidery, by a label that looks to celebrate and preserve Palestinian heritage.
Earlier this year, she attended an iftar with women from the Bani Sakher tribe, in the Central Badia region of Jordan, wearing another traditional, embroidered thobe. Not only did it show respect and affinity with her hosts, but it also offered the world a peek inside the rich culture and heritage of the region.
For the wedding of her son Crown Prince Hussein to Princess Rajwa last year, she welcomed guests at Zahran Palace in a sombre high-necked haute couture look by Christian Dior. Restrained and elegant, the quiet yet deeply sophisticated look presented an air of maturity and continuity, while ensuring it did not distract from the bride.
For the wedding ceremony itself, Queen Rania looked to Elie Saab once again, in a simple fitted gown with pearls strewn across the bodice, which underpinned the solemnity of the royal family and the significance of a new member joining its ranks.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
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Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
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I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
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