Life

A very big happy birthday is in order for HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as he turns 71 today.
Of course, plenty of birthday wishes have been sent to His Highness from the public and government entities, as well as some of his family members.

One of Sheikh Mohammed’s daughters, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, even posted a sweet throwback photo of the Dubai ruler.
“Happiest Birthday to the best Dad anyone could ever wish for,” Sheikha Latfia captioned the image of her father as a young boy.

Sheikh Mohammed’s son, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, also posted a happy birthday to his father on Twitter.

كل عام وأنت بخيرHappy Birthday pic.twitter.com/NFA9luUudp
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) July 15, 2020

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for the UAE also sent a message to His Highness to mark his birthday, also congratulating him on the upcoming launch of the Hope Probe which was set to take off today, but has been delayed due to bad weather at the launch site in Japan.
“Today, we live in a place that is a source of pride for us all, and today we mark a date of achievement and excellence,” the government authority’s Twitter post said. “It is the birthday of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which coincides with the approaching launch of the Hope Probe to Mars, which bears the UAE’s name that strives for excellence.”
Happy 71st birthday to Sheikh Mohammed!
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram.
Feature Image: Sheikh Mohammed Instagram More

Meghan Markle, along with many other strong and notable women including Priyanka Chopra and Michelle Obama, are taking part in the Girl Up Leadership Summit, which is taking place from the July 13 to 15.
On Monday, the former First Lady of the USA opened the event on behalf of the Girls Opportunity Alliance with a message to young female leaders and gender equality activist.

And now the Duchess of Sussex, who is currently residing in Los Angeles with husband Prince Harry, has delivered her empowering keynote speech, a first for her since stepping down from royal life.
In her speech, the former Suits star addressed the “young women around the world who aren’t just poised to change the world, but have already begun changing the world”.

Meghan Markle shares a special message with the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit ✨ pic.twitter.com/MRkcz8fqqU
— L. (@duchessmeghn) July 14, 2020

“I want to share something with you,” she said. “It’s that those in the halls and corridors and places of power — from lawmakers and world leaders to executives — all of those people, they depend on you more than you will ever depend on them. And here’s the thing: They know this.
“They know that all of you, at a younger age than any modern comparison, are setting the tone for an equitable humanity. Not figuratively, literally. This is a humanity that desperately needs you. To push it, to push us, forcefully in a more inclusive, more just, and more empathetic direction.”
The Duchess of Sussex went on to encourage those watching and beyond to “keep challenging, keep pushing, make them a little uncomfortable” in order for change to happen.
“Because it’s only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to reimagine our standards, our policies, and our leadership; to move towards real representation and meaningful influence over the structures of decision-making and power,” she added.
Meghan noted the force for change to create better communities would be a step-by-step process, but encouraged everyone to look at the “big picture”.
Ending her speech on a personal note she said, “I will be cheering you on, so will my husband, so will Archie, as you all continue marching, advocating and leading the way forward.”
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram.
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While it’s safe to say the global COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone, in many ways it has brought people closer together.
It’s something HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has seen throughout the last few months and has praised the Dubai community, which also includes citizens and residents, for coming together during the pandemic.

In a recent statement, the Crown Prince of Dubai said he has been in awe of the “remarkable cohesiveness” that has emerged.
“The solidarity displayed by various social stakeholders in Dubai in the face of the COVID-19 crisis will be remembered by generations to come,” he said. “The remarkable cohesiveness demonstrated by the community and their commitment to meet their social responsibilities is something the world will recognise as an example of how a progressive society should respond to a crisis like this.”

.@HamdanMohammed: The remarkable cohesiveness demonstrated by the community and their commitment to meet their social responsibilities is something the world will recognize as an example of how a progressive society should respond to a crisis like this.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 14, 2020

Along with this, Sheikh Hamdan also gave thanks to those who took part in the Community Solidarity Fund Against COVID-19 which, according to WAM, has channelled more than Dhs343 million into humanitarian efforts to support those most affected by the pandemic in Dubai, whether that be socially, economically or for health reasons.
“We thank all those who contributed to this collective effort including individuals, corporates, charities and various other organisations that helped weather the challenges brought by the crisis,” he said.
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram.
Images: Sheikh Hamdan Twitter More

As she prepares to become a grandmother for the first time, it appears Yolanda Hadid is getting nostalgic.
The Dutch-American TV personality recently took to Instagram to share an adorable throwback photo with her three supermodel children – Gigi, 25, Bella, 23, and Anwar, 21.

In the sweet photograph, the mum-of-three is seen holding a baby Anwar on her lap with a young Gigi and a young Bella on either side of her.

Hadid also sweetly captioned the photo saying that motherhood was her “greatest accomplishment in life”.
The 56-year-old is set to become a grandmother for the first time in a matter of months as her eldest child Gigi is expecting her first child with boyfriend Zayn Malik.
Back in April, Hadid told Dutch broadcaster RTL she was “thrilled” about becoming a grandmother.
“I can’t wait to become a grandmother,” she told the outlet, and also added her supermodel daughter was due to give birth in September.
“It is quite special, since I lost my own mother so recently,” she added. “That is the beauty of life: one soul is leaving us and another is coming. We feel very blessed.”
The news about Gigi’s pregnancy was leaked by the press. During an appearance The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon a couple of months ago, the supermodel admitted she would have liked to reveal the news on her “own terms”, but also thanked everyone for their congratulations.
“Obviously, we wish we could’ve announced it on our own terms, but we’re very excited and happy and grateful for everyone’s well wishes and support,” the 25-year-old said.
It’s been reported Gigi and Zayn, 27, are expecting a girl, but neither of them has officially confirmed the gender.
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Image: Yolanda Hadid Instagram, Feature Image: Getty More

As the world of travel has been largely frozen for the last few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things for the industry beginning to pick up not only here in the UAE, but around the globe.
Many countries in Europe including Spain and Italy have opened their borders and regularly scheduled flights are also increasing.

In another sign of good news for travel in the UAE, it appears there’s plenty of people around the globe keen to visit the region.
According to new data which was analysed by luxury travel group Kuoni Travel, which is based in the UK, the UAE ranked number one on the most-searched-for destinations around the world.

“To uncover 2021’s most dreamed of destinations, we reviewed data for 131 countries around the world, including the UK, to discover which countries travellers are searching for on Google for next year,” the travel group stated.

The #UAE is 1st on a ranking of the world’s most searched-for destinations globally, showing the most popular holiday destinations for 2021, according to worldwide data analysed by UK-based luxury travel group @KuoniTravelUK. pic.twitter.com/fuLPrOP58k
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 12, 2020

While the UAE came out on top, it was followed by Canada, the USA and Qatar which all ranked joint second in the google search rankings analysed by the luxury travel group. Completing the top five most searched countries was Egypt.
In perfect timing with the UAE’s top-ranking, Dubai recently opened its borders to tourists.
Dubai is welcoming tourists with open arms as borders reopen, with visitors receiving a new sticker on their passports was unveiled reading, “A warm welcome to your second home.”
Speaking on borders reopening to visitors, Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA-Dubai, said tourists were “always welcome”.
“We welcome all tourists and visitors to the country through Dubai Airports,” he said. “They are always welcome in their second country and we are ready to facilitate their procedures based on the highest levels of safety.”
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There’s nothing better than seeing incredible women coming together for an incredible cause, especially if it includes powerhouse women like Priyanka Chopra, Meghan Markle and Michelle Obama.
The trio, along with other notable names, are set to take part in Girl Up Leadership Summit, set to take place from July 13 to 15.

Obama is set to open the event on behalf of the Girls Opportunity Alliance with a message to young female leaders and gender equality activists, two things the former First Lady is incredibly passionate about.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex, who is currently residing in Los Angeles with husband Prince Harry, is set to deliver a keynote speech.
Other notable names who will also be speaking throughout the digital summit includes Chopra, Nadia Murad, an Iraqi human rights activist and the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer and Mlambo-Ngcuka, director of UN Women.
With all these amazing women speaking, it’s certainly something you’re going to want to tune into.
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram.
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HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, joined Twitter 11 years ago, and for the first time since joining the social media platform the Ruler of Dubai has changed his profile photo and it’s for a very important reason.
Leading the charge ahead of the launch of the Hope Probe on Wednesday, July 15, Sheikh Mohammed changed his profile photo, along with many other senior officials and government entities, to promote what will be a history-making moment for the region.

The profile photo which His Highness’ 10.3 million followers will now see is of the Hope Probe 2020 logo, along with the tagline ‘Arabs to Mars’.
Following suit from Sheikh Mohammed, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also changed their profile photos.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/5glJSk8Q1y
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 11, 2020

Other government entities also followed suit in changing their photos to support the promotion of the Hope Probe including the Dubai Media Office, Dubai Police, Ministry of Education,  General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, the Dubai Road and Transport Authority and more.

The Hope Probe is being spearheaded by the UAE in order to gain a full picture on what the atmosphere of Mars is like. Once the probe reaches the planet some time in 2021, data will be collected over a two-year period, but this could be extended by another two years meaning the Hope Probe has the potential to be in space until 2025.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the probe yesterday, Emirati engineer Hamad Al Hazmi explained to Gulf News the Mars Mission has opened a “new horizon” for the United Arab Emirates.
“No one would have thought that an Arab or Islamic country would reach this level,” he said. “The UAE has opened a new horizon and we are proud of this achievement.”
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Feature Image: Sheikh Mohammed Twitter  More