Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
November 23, 2021
In good times as well as bad, few diplomatic events have as much geopolitical significance as state visits. But for countries with royal families, even ones that have limited political power, coverage and popular appeal of their official trips can easily rival the presence of a nation's most senior politician.
We saw this special kind of diplomacy throughout the recent visit by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla to the Middle East. It was not an occasion to discuss geopolitics, rather one to re-emphasise the longstanding friendship between the UK and the region. And while it was not technically a state visit, it was significant. Prince Charles has deep ties with the Middle East and is seen as one of Europe’s most respected royals.
The trip is a sign that Britain values its friends. Politicians change, reflecting the modern, political phases of a country; royal families have a deeper, symbolic association with tradition and identity. The British royals are particularly illustrative of this fact. Constitutionally, they are largely ceremonial. Culturally, however, they are one of the most influential brands around, and a major part of the UK's soft power.
Queen Rania, wearing a white V-neck Dior midi coat with a patterned white blouse, gold Dior belt and a matching Louis Vuitton handbag, poses for a photograph as she visits Queen Rania Family and Child Centre with Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in Amman, Jordan, on November 16, 2021. Reuters
Queen Rania wears a gold and cream abaya to attend a private dinner at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman. Reuters
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a blue flowery dress by Fiona Clare, arrive at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. EPA
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in a pale green Anna Valentine gown, arrives at a private dinner at Al Husseiniya Palace. Reuters
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a black and khaki Fiona Clare dress, take a walking tour of Umm Qais in Jordan. Getty Images
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a white Anna Valentine tunic and trousers, arrive for a centenary celebration of the founding of the Jordanian state, at the Jordan Museum in Amman. AFP
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a pale pink Anna Valentine tunic and trousers, meet Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the first lady Entissar Amer, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo on November 18, 2021. Reuters
The Egyptian first lady, Entissar Amer, in a red skirt and top, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, 2021. Reuters
To visit the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Camilla, Duchess of Sussex, added a white head scarf to her Anna Valentine look. EPA
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wore the same Anna Valentine tunic to tour the Great Sphinx of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, with Prince Charles. Reuters
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing blue Anna Valentine, talks with Magdi Yacoub, retired heart surgeon, during a UK-Egypt reception in Cairo on November 18. Reuters
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wears a pale green Anna Valentine dress, to visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt. Reuters
The current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, has been a friend to the Middle East all her reign. Her first visit to the region was to Libya in 1954. Her first to the UAE was in 1979, when the country was just eight years old. She returned in 2010.
On the advice of doctors, she is now gradually pulling back from her full schedule of state occasions at the age of 95, paving the way for Prince Charles, the monarch-in-waiting, to take on the most important international royal visits. Like his mother, he, too, is a friend of the Middle East, although he has been away for some time; his last trip to the region was in 2006.
He was happy to be back, this time visiting Jordan and Egypt. On the last leg of his trip, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in Cairo called him a "wise and responsible leader”, and the pair discussed issues such as the environment and interfaith dialogue. Charles, like many of the region's governments, has a longstanding interest in both. Charles's passion for the environment is so great – he is a leading global advocate of organic farming – that it has sometimes got him in trouble at home for overstepping the tight controls on the Royals' political neutrality.
But away from home, the mood this week has been one of friendship and optimism. Naturally, it is also one of responsibility. Camilla was clear that this visit was not a "holiday", but an important moment to affirm Britain's strong and enduring ties with the region. Nonetheless, after so many years away, the pair have said at the end of their tour that it was "absolutely brilliant", but also "too short".
Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Tips for avoiding trouble online
Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
There are different types of travel available for pets:
Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
