King Charles' coronation procession will be led by a cross that includes religious relics given as gifts to the monarch by the Pope.
Two shards of the True Cross — which is said to be the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — were given to the king by Pope Francis to mark the royal occasion.
The small fragments have been incorporated into the Cross of Wales, which will be seen by millions as it is carried into Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Both pieces are shaped as crosses, one being 1cm in size and the other 5mm, and are set into the larger silver cross behind a rose crystal gemstone so they can only be viewed up close.
The Cross of Wales, which is a gift from the king to the Church in Wales to celebrate its centenary, will be blessed by the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, in a service at Holy Trinity Church in Llandudno, North Wales, on Wednesday before it heads to London.
Upon its return, the cross will be shared by the Anglican and Catholic churches in Wales.
Crafted from recycled silver bullion, provided by the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales, the cross also includes a shaft of Welsh windfall timber and a stand of Welsh slate.
Words from the last sermon of St David are inscribed on the back of the cross in Welsh, which read: “Byddwch lawen. Cadwch y ffydd. Gwnewch y Pethau Bychain”, translated as: “Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things.”
The silver elements of the cross bear a full hallmark, including the Royal Mark — a leopard’s head, which was applied by the king himself in November 2022 when visiting The Goldsmiths’ Centre in London.
The Archbishop of Wales said: “We are honoured that His Majesty has chosen to mark our centenary with a cross that is both beautiful and symbolic.
“Its design speaks to our Christian faith, our heritage, our resources and our commitment to sustainability.
“We are delighted too that its first use will be to guide their majesties into Westminster Abbey at the Coronation Service.”
The public service held in Llantrisant will begin at 9am at the start of the Church’s Governing Body meeting.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
