Sheikh Hamdan at 41: Crown Prince of Dubai celebrates birthday with throwback photos


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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, is celebrating his 41st birthday on Tuesday.

Sheikh Hamdan, popularly known as Fazza, has been Crown Prince since 2008.

On his birthday, he reposted photos shared by his family members on Instagram Stories.

Sheikh Hamdan also shared a photo of him kissing one of his children.

In May 2021, he became a father, welcoming twins Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan and Sheikha Sheikha bint Hamdan with his wife, Sheikha Sheikha bint Saeed. They welcomed a third child, a baby boy named Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamdan, in February.

Sheikh Hamdan stands on top of the Burj Khalifa. AFP
Sheikh Hamdan stands on top of the Burj Khalifa. AFP

Known for his adventurous side, Sheikh Hamdan often completes adrenalin-pumping activities such as skydiving, free diving and scaling Burj Khalifa.

In summer, he shared a video of himself conquering the perilous Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park in California. Rising more than 1,500 metres above Yosemite Valley and 2,682 metres above sea level, Half Dome is one of the most challenging hikes in Yosemite.

His passion for fitness also led to the creation of Dubai Fitness Challenge in 2017. The month-long annual event, which is under way at the moment, aims to transform Dubai into one of the world's most active cities by encouraging everyone to commit to doing physical activity for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. Free citywide activities have been launched for everyone, irrespective of their age or fitness levels.

He regularly takes part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge, including the flagship Dubai Run, which is on November 26 this year.

Sheikh Hamdan took part in the Dubai Run last year. Photo: Dubai Media Office
Sheikh Hamdan took part in the Dubai Run last year. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Sheikh Hamdan is also known for his love of animals, his forward-thinking nature and his passion for the country. He has a loyal social media following, as well as countless celebrity friends.

He has shared several glimpses into fatherhood with his 16 million Instagram followers, including introducing his children to his beloved horses at F3 Stables during a summer trip to the UK and taking them for a bike ride alongside his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

Sheikh Hamdan often shares throwbacks to his childhood on Instagram too, stressing the importance of family to him. From ski trips to desert adventures, his feed is full of nostalgic childhood memories from the UAE and afar.

His devotion to his family and siblings is also clear from his social media posts, while he frequently praises his father Sheikh Mohammed both as a ruler and a mentor.

He has also spoken publicly about the death of his brother, Sheikh Rashid, from a heart attack at 33, paying tribute to him on the anniversary of his passing.

Education

Sheikh Hamdan received his elementary education at Rashid Private School in Dubai. He then followed his father for officer training in the UK, graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2001, a few months before his 20th birthday.

The experience, Sheikh Hamdan said in a 2012 interview with a Dubai magazine, “showed me the importance of self-discipline, commitment, virtue, responsibility, endurance, understanding, teamwork and friendship … and the benefits of hard work".

After Sandhurst, the Crown Prince continued his education at the London School of Economics. “Continuing my studies overseas was important,” he said in the same interview. “It provided me with new skills and taught me how to apply them.”

Four years later, Sheikh Hamdan assumed his first official position, as Chairman of Dubai’s Executive Council in September 2006. Two years later, he was named by Sheikh Mohammed as Crown Prince of Dubai, an appointment that added more responsibilities and his own staff and office.

Why do many call Sheikh Hamdan 'Fazza'?

Like his father, Sheikh Hamdan writes poetry, which he sometimes shares online.

Fazza means "a person who speeds to the help and support of others". From the Emirati dialect, it's a term often used in Nabati poetry, which is a common art form in the UAE.

Sheikh Hamdan has described his poetry as "my identity and poetic character through which I humbly attempt to rekindle joy in the hearts of people, alleviate their suffering in my own simple way. I express their hopes and aspirations".

THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

BORDERLANDS

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A

Coal Black Mornings

Brett Anderson

Little Brown Book Group 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Company%20Profile
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Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

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Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated

Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
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25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: November 14, 2023, 8:46 AM`