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Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi has become the first-ever Arab woman to head up an 124-year-old international organisation.
It was announced on Monday that Sheikha Bodour has been appointed President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), an organisation which was established in 1896. She will officially assume the position at the beginning of next year in January 2021.

Prior to being appointed president, Sheikha Bodour had been vice president of the international organisation since 2018.
For years, Sheikha Bodour has continually championed the publishing industry in the UAE and the wider GCC region.

In 2007, she founded Kalimat Group, which became the first publishing group in the UAE focussing on children’s books in Arabic. She is also the founder of the Emirates Publishers Association, which was established in 2009, and is the founder of the UAE Board on Books for Young People.
Being an avid supporter and leader in the UAE publishing industry, earlier this year Sheikha Bodour launched a Dhs1 million emergency fund to help the industry which has been struggling due to the knock-on effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Emirates Publishers Emergency Fund worked with local publishers and Emirati bookmakers in order to identify the challenges the industry is currently dealing, with the aim of helping to boost business.
“With every crisis, comes an opportunity, and we need to rope in appropriate mechanisms to boost industry resilience and emerge out of it stronger,” Sheikha Bodour said at the time. “Today, we stand with our publishers to support and lead them onward to fulfilling vital projects that will boost our knowledge and creativity.”
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Since she welcomed her daughter a little over two months ago, Gigi Hadid has largely kept the newborn under wraps only sharing a few images of the baby here and there.
However, the supermodel has now given the most candid insight to date into her life as a new mum with baby Hadid-Malik.

Taking to Instagram, Hadid shared a rare photo with her baby girl and also showed off her Christmas decorations after getting in the festive spirit early.
“A whole new kind of busy & tired,” the 25-year-old admitted in the caption of the post. “But she’s da bestie so she got Christmas decorations early.”

Clearly tugging at heartstrings with her series of photos, the model’s father, Mohamed Hadid, commented saying, “Need to be close to her. Love you and her so much.”
It’s not the first snap Hadid has shared of her baby girl. In celebration of Halloween, the model shared the first Hadid-Malik family photo complete with herself, baby girl Hadid-Malik and new dad Zayn Malik in celebration of Halloween.
While it’s the first family photo she has shared, Hadid kept her daughter’s face hidden and prior to this only photos of the newborn’s hand had been shown.
Similarly, to date, the name of baby Hadid-Malik has been kept private, but according to E! News, the newborn’s moniker is “unique”.
Regardless, the model appears to be taking to motherhood naturally and enjoying every minute of it.
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Images: Gigi Hadid Instagram More

It’s been quite a year for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would be stepping down from their roles as senior royals and would be splitting their time between North America and the United Kingdom.

The couple have been back to the UK once together, and Harry a further time alone, but given the ongoing pandemic the pair have stayed put in California for the last six months with their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
It appears the pair don’t have any plans to return to the UK permanently either, given that they recently offered up their Windsor home to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

According to ITV, the couple are “delighted to be able to open up their home to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank as they start their own family.”
However, this doesn’t mean Harry and Meghan won’t be staying away from the UK permanently. In fact, when the pair travel to the UK they will “share the property” with Eugenie and Jack.
But this latest move from the Sussexes does make it evermore likely they will not be returning to their roles as senior royals, as their formal royal roles are subject to a twelve-month review period which will be approaching in March 2021.
What remains in store for the couple as senior royals remains to be seen.
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Images: Getty/Sussex Royal Instagram More

World-renowned barrister and human rights activist Amal Clooney has been recognised for her work in defending the rights of journalists and freedom of the press, receiving a prestigious award.
During the virtual ceremony for the 2020 CPJ International Press Freedom Award which took place on November 19, Clooney was awarded the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award for her legal work defending journalists.

Presenting the award was Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. During her acceptance speech, Clooney joked about Streep’s connection with her husband George Clooney, pointing out the fact they were “married”.
“I regret missing the opportunity to share a stage with the brilliant Meryl Streep,” Clooney said at the start of her speech.
READ: Everything in George Clooney’s life changed after he met Amal

“Meryl, thank you for your kind words while introducing me. You are an inspiration as a woman, as an artist, as a press freedom advocate,” she continued. “I know I can’t ever hope to win the number of awards that you’ve won, but it does occur to me that we have something special in common, which is that we’ve both been married to my husband.
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“And honestly, the fact that you did it as Mr. and Mrs. Fantastic Fox just makes that so much less awkward.”
The actors starred together in the 2009 animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox.
While she was able to make some lighthearted comments, Clooney also noted the importance the award and the Committee to Protect Journalists had for “shining a light on the importance of press freedom at a time when many of our fundamental freedoms have been under threat”.
“It is true that hope springs eternal and this is a time for optimism,” she continued. “But, optimism should not mean complacency…What we see happening in the world should remind us that rights should not only be secured, but jealously guarded.
“Democracy must constantly be defended and journalists vigilantly protected.”
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Whilst we only had a public holiday some two weeks ago, you may be already looking forward to the next break.
And we’re here to tell you there’s not long to wait at all.

Want even better news? The next long weekend is set to be a five-day break.
Three public holidays are set to combine with a weekend, making that week a two-day work week and a five-day weekend.

So, when exactly can we look forward to this break? The answer – in just a few weeks.
Tuesday, December 1, in the UAE will mark Commemoration Day which honours the Emiratis who have sacrificed their lives to protect their country.
Then, on Wednesday, December 2 and Thursday, December 3, the UAE will celebrate UAE National Day, which celebrates the unification of the seven emirates.
Starting off the final month of 2020 with a five-day weekend really doesn’t sound bad at all.
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Feature Image: Christoph Schulz on Unsplash More

Oscar-winning actor George Clooney has opened up about his relationship with his wife Amal Clooney.
The couple first met in July 2013 and married the following year in September 2014. However, Clooney has admitted that meeting Amal changed everything for him.

Prior to their relationship, the actor was convinced marriage and kids were not for him.
“I was like, ‘I’m never getting married. I’m not gonna have kids. I’m gonna work, I’ve got great friends, my life is full, I’m doing well,” he told GQ in a recent interview. “And I didn’t know how un-full it was until I met Amal.

“And then everything changed. And I was like, ‘Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space.’”

It was especially after the pair welcomed their twin children – Ella and Alexander – in 2017 that Clooney felt he was given a greater purpose in life.
“I’d never been in the position where someone else’s life was infinitely more important to me than my own. You know?” he said. “And then tack on two more individuals, who are small and have to be fed.”
The couple now resides in the UK together with their two children. Clooney is still acting and Amal is a top barrister as well as being a human rights activist.
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Feature image: Getty More

If there’s one thing that this New Year marks for many, it’s a reset button after the challenging year that has been 2020.
It’s been announced that the fireworks and laser show at the Burj Khalifa will take place on December 31, starting at 8.30pm, with the New Year countdown beginning at 11.58pm.

In line with safety precautions, thermal cameras will be present, social distancing measures will also be in place for those attending in person and regular disinfection and cleaning will take place. In particular, for families attending, Burj Park will be a dedicated space for them with screens, food and beverage stands and more to see in the New Year.
However, the whole spectacle will also be live-streamed for those staying home.

Of course, surrounding venues with Burj Khalifa views will also be open for punters to view the fireworks.
In a year that’s been difficult, Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar, the owner of the tallest building in the world, explain that this year’s spectacle aims to send a message of “hope, happiness and positivity”.
“We want to send a message of hope, happiness and positivity into the world because that is the spirit of Dubai that we have learned from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who continues to inspire what we do with his extraordinary leadership,” he said.
“Here we reinvent ourselves, achieve the impossible and execute the unimaginable, and we are doing that again with Emaar NYE 2021.”
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Feature image: Visit Dubai Instagram More