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25 years after leaving the Military Academy in Zaragoza, Crown Prince Felipe swore to the Spanish flag again during the ceremony commemorating the silver anniversary of the swearing of allegiance to the promotion of XLIV, which belongs to the future King of Spain. He, along with 216 other colleagues, renewed their oaths by kissing the flag.
 REUTERS/Luis Correas After the components swore their allegiance, Lt. Col. Eduardo Diz, delivered an emotional speech to all present, but especially to their peers.
He mentioned Prince Felipe, who “shared with us an intense year of hard training in this academy and today also renewed his oath of fidelity.”
Diz stated that during these 25 years, “we have seen changes, restructurings and integrations sometimes very painful, but today we rededicate ourselves here again.” He said that since the year 1989 when operations abroad began, “we can say that there have been no where has not served any of the components of the XLIV.
“We had to make efforts not small to accommodate the new demands of these missions, often sacrifice our personal and family life, but we have always done with joy,” Diz said.
In addition, he was proud to “renew a commitment to service to Spain ahead of future officers,” as this “constitutes a challenge and a great responsibility.”
Felipe joined the Academy on September 1st, 1985, and made his vow to the Spanish flag on October 20th of that year. The rest of his classmates swore their allegiance on December 20th.
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been all over the business news this week. First with him selling stakes to a major American news company, and then him reiterating his support for Citigroup’s CEO.
 REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed On Tuesday, the Prince announced his Middle East entertainment giant Rotana Group was selling a 9 percent stake to media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. This was a big surprise for many business watchers, since Murdoch’s newspapers and news stations are believed to be pro-Israel and Prince Alwaleed comes from the staunch Islamic Saudi royal family.
Alwaleed acknowledged that difference in a press conference. “It’s not only Fox [News Channel] that in general is against the Arab world. It’s an American syndrome,” he said. “We will always do our best to lower that tone.”
Perhaps what Murdoch is thinking is a way to gain audiences in the Middle East.
“A stake in Rotana expands our presence in a region with a young and growing population where GDP growth is set to outstrip that of more developed economies in the years ahead,” James Murdoch, Rupert’s son and chief executive for News Corp in Europe and Asia, said in a statement.
Murdoch and the Prince have been business partners to some extent for a while. Alwaleed has acquired a 7 percent stake in News Corporation through his Kingdom Holdings, a global investment firm.
On Saturday, Prince Alwaleed was in the news again, albeit briefly. As a major investor in Citigroup, he showed his support for its CEO Vikram Pandit. The bank has been suffering major losses based on risky investments and failing consumer loans.
The King of Morocco spent the past two days in the city of Fnideq. There, he laid foundation stones and opened facilities, thus establishing a new era the northern city.
 Maghreb Arabe Presse On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI placed the signifying stone for a sea wall built to protect a fish unloading site. Costing $6 million dollars, the wall is meant to improve the site, increase the fishing days and income of local traditional fishermen.
Later in the day, the King laid another foundation stone – this time at the Institute of Applied Technology. Due to open in September 2011 with 700 students expected each year, the $2.7 million project will provide training in management, computer networks, accountancy, secretarial work and office automation.
 Maghreb Arabe Presse The next day, Mohammed inaugurated Fnideq’s multi-sport field which is part of major sporting center. With $14.8 million spent on this facility, it is meant to promote local talent and help sports and youth clubs.
Finally, the King laid his third foundation stone in the city. It was for a $15.5 million socio-medical complex which will have places for TB examination, respiratory infections, cancer treatments, hemodialysis and kidney diseases plus a dentist clinic and rooms for medical staff training and meetings. His Majesty was briefed on how this complex will further help the health service in Fnideq.
The city of Fnideq is located at Morocco’s northern most tip, almost touching Spain’s Ceuta enclave. It has a population of about 55,000.
 Nigel Waldron/Getty Images The Norwegian Crown Princess has been stricken with pains in her vertebrae for the past three weeks, and looks like it is not lightening up. Mette-Marit was forced to cancel engagements during this time, and she might have to do the same for upcoming duties.
According the Norwegian Royal Court, she will be re-examined by a doctor next week. The Princess was told to be as still as possible to recover from the injury during much of February.
She was unable to accompany husband, Crown Prince Haakon to the Vancouver Olympics. By the looks of it, Mette-Marit may not be with Haakon for their scheduled official trip to Malaysia in early March.
Spain’s Infanta Cristina inaugurated the “Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600–1700” at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The exhibit was formerly on display at the London National Gallery, and now has made its way to the United States.
 Kris Connor/Getty Images North America “Sacred Made Real” includes 20 pieces of art, such as sculptures and paintings made by some of Spain’s most famous artists of that time, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Alonso Cano, Pedro de Mena and Francisco Pacheco.
The exhibition coincides with the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, which the country will have for the first half of this year. It will run from February 28th to May 31st 2010.
Infanta Cristina was the likely person to open this event. She and her husband and children recently moved to the U.S., outside of Washington, because of her husband’s job.
On Wednesday, Jordan’s Queen Rania inaugurated the new premises of the Arab Open University (AOU) in the Tareq area of Amman. She was joined by three Saudi Princes: Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Alwaleed Bin Talal, Abdul Rahman Bin Talal and Turki Bin Talal. In addition, Prince Raad Bin Zein of Jordan attended, as well as Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Rifai.
 REUTERS/Ali Jarekji The Queen and Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz are both co-chairs of the University, which has branches throughout the Middle East. The two unveiled a new plaque on the building, which is to house the latest technology to improve services.
Afterward, those in attendance watched a short documentary on AOU and the university’s anthem was sung by Jordanian singer Omar Abdallat.
AOU opened in Jordan in 2002. Since then, over 3,100 students have studied there. The school offers degrees in English language and literature, computer science, business administration and educational studies.
 Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe Monaco’s Charlotte Casiraghi turned heads at a recent charity event in London Tuesday night. Dressed in a coral Valentino haute couture dress, the daughter of Princess Caroline stood out as she mingled with models and other famous people at the Love Ball.
The ball raised money for model Natalia Vodianova’s The Naked Heart Foundation. The proceeds will go to building playgrounds in Vodianova’s native Russia.
Celebrities such as Kate Moss, Leona Lewis, Peaches Geldof and Elizabeth Hurley attended the event.
It coincided with London’s Fashion Week, which Ms. Casiraghi could be expected to make appearances at some fashion shows, being the fashionista she is.
 AP Photo/Seth Wenig Yesterday in New York, Sweden’s Princess Madeleine was at the United Nations event, “Engaging Philanthropy to Promote Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment”. She was with numerous other high-profiled women at the three hour event, including actress Geena Davis and Sarah, the Duchess of York.
Although the Princess did not make any speeches or speak the press, her presence exuded volumes as she has been getting involved in many social issues lately. That includes her mother, Queen Silvia’s charity, the World Childhood Foundation, which aims to secure the lives of children around the world. Madeleine has visited many countries that benefit from WCF and spent last fall promoting it in the United States.
Since Sunday, the Nepali capital of Kathmandu has been the site of numerous protests to reinstate the country’s monarchy. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N), a small political party, has been fueling these rallies.
 AP Photo/Binod Joshi In 2008, the monarchy was abolished after Maoists came to power and forced the unpopular King Gyanendra to abdicate. Nepal became a secular republic once that happened. The protesters say the people were not consulted on whether to keep the monarchy or not.
“Our main objective is to ask for a referendum on the Hindu state and the fate of the monarchy,” party leader Kunti Kumari Shahi told AFP.
On Monday, there was a general strike in which stores and schools were closed and vehicles were not seen on the road. About one thousand chanted “Establish Hindu rule” and “We don’t want a republic.”
On Tuesday, demonstrators clashed again with police as they blocked the road leading to Singhadurbar, the complex that houses key government offices including the prime minister’s office. While the police say there were little disturbances, party leaders say about 200 were arrested.
This is the first time Nepal’s monarchists have been able to protest. The country still suffers from instability ever since King Gyanendra gave up his autocratic powers in 2006 and was dethroned two years later. A new constitution is to be written by May of this year, but Nepal’s political parties cannot come to an agreement.
The RPP-N has only four members in the 106 seat Parliament.
The heir to Japan’s Chrysanthemum throne marked a milestone Tuesday. Crown Prince Naruhito turned 50 years old, and he believes he still has a lot in learn in life.
 AP Photo/Imperial Household Agency “On the one hand, I am astonished that I am already 50, on the other, I have so much more to devote to my self-improvement that it feels like it’s only just the beginning,” he said during a press conference.
“The Confucian saying ‘to understand your Mandate of Heaven’ means to understand your destiny … In other words, I believe it means knowing how to devote yourself to other people.”
“I would like to look to the past lessons learned in order to mold the future of the Imperial family.”
According to Naruhito, the Imperial family has changed with the times. Once seen as living deities, they are now figureheads who have little political power.
When asked about the role of the Emperor as the symbol of the state, the Crown Prince said it would be important for him to share “the joy and sorrow of the people and hoping for their happiness.’‘
Naruhito spoke about his wife, Crown Princess Masako’s mental health and discussed her recovery. “There has been steady progress towards better health … She is still in need of treatment. And for my part, I intend to take the advice of the doctors and do all I can to support her.”
Last year, Naruhito spoke at length about water-related issues. This time, he said he would like to also focus on the environment, children and the elderly.
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