When Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein marries Rajwa Al Saif in Amman next week, their wedding car will be accompanied through the streets of the capital by red 1980s Land Rovers with sawn-off tops, and air-cooled red BMW motorcycles.
The vintage machines belong to the Royal Convoy Unit, part of a special military formation known as the Royal Guards, that will be part of the pomp and ceremony around the wedding on June 1.
The unit will escort the Crown Prince and his bride from the 1950s palace where their wedding ceremony will take place, to a newer and larger one that will host the wedding reception. Crowds are expected to line the streets along the 10km route.
The wedding is a rare occasion for Jordanians to see members of the Hashemite monarchy up close and to witness in action the symbolism associated with it. The Hashemites, who came from Hijaz in modern-day Saudi Arabia, have ruled Jordan since its inception as a British protectorate in 1921. In past centuries, the Hashemites, who are related to the Prophet Mohammed, were main political players in the Arabian Peninsula.
The wedding convoy will consist of 16 Land Rovers and 10 BMW motorcycles, some with side cars, said Muntaha Abdullat, a consultant on Hashemite heritage in Jordan who headed the documentation department at the Royal Palace.
The Royal Guards trace their origin to an infantry battalion established under the late King Abdullah I, Jordan's first monarch, who ruled from 1921 to 1951. Under his grandson, King Hussein, the unit adopted the colour red for its vehicles, instead of regular army brown, Ms Abdullat said.
“Red is the colour of the Hashemites,” she said, pointing out that the flag of the Hashemites is red.
At the front of the convoy, in one of the Land Rovers, will be the Royal Guards' chief, who will be wearing Jordanian headgear, a red and white scarf secured by an agal cord. The cars will carry the unit's yellow and green flag, which has a lion's figure as its crest, as well as the Hashemite flag.
The type of car the bride and groom will be riding in has not been disclosed.
The convoy will progress slowly to benefit the crowds cheering them from the roadside, Ms Abdullat said.
She expects significant crowds, partly because two thirds of Jordan's population are of similar age to the crown prince, or younger. It is also the first time in modern-day Jordan that the wedding of a king's son coincides with the son being a crown prince.
“It will be an almost unique scene,” she said.
Land Rover stopped making the boxy shaped model that defined the company in 2016, while BMW still makes a “heritage” model that looks similar to its motorcycles of old.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Company%20profile
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
