A novel by Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak has been chosen as one of five reads in the Duchess of Cornwall’s new virtual book club.
This week, Camilla took to Instagram to launch the Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room, her own book club which aims to delve "into some of Her Royal Highness's favourite books", as well as feature in-depth interviews with authors.
Set in Istanbul at the height of the Ottoman empire, the Duchess calls Shafak's The Architect's Apprentice, "a magical, colourful tale", which revolves around Mimar Sinan, a celebrated Ottoman architect.
Shafak, who writes in both Turkish and English, has so far published 17 books, of which 11 are novels. She has won numerous literary awards and accolades over the years, including the Rumi Prize and the prestigious Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in her native France.
The Architect's Apprentice is her 10th novel, with Shafak praised by The New York Times Book Review as: "[Having] a particular genius for depicting backstreet Istanbul, where the myriad cultures of the Ottoman Empire are still in tangled evidence on every family tree."
"I am so happy and truly honoured to see the Duchess of Cornwall choosing The Architect's Apprentice as one of the first four picks for her online book club to explore and celebrate world literature," Shafak, 49, wrote on Instagram.
Officially launched on Friday, January 15, the Duchess has been updating her lockdown reading list, which so far includes five books, as well as posting videos in which she talks about her own love of reading.
“To me, reading is a great adventure. I’ve loved it since I was very small and I’d love everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do,” she said. “You can escape and you can travel and you can laugh and you can cry. There’s every kind of emotion that humans experience in a book.”
Among her first recommendations are acclaimed children's book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy; The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel; Delia Owens's Where The Crawdads Sing, which was also chosen by Reese Witherspoon as her book club pick, with the A-lister working to adapt it for the big screen; and Restless by William Boyd, which Camilla described as "a wartime thriller featuring a resourceful woman in grave danger ... a great read."
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
