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On Wednesday at Stockholm’s Concert Hall, Princess Madeleine was on hand to give out the Goran Gustafsson Prize, which is distributed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science.
 Johan Engman / SCANPIX Ever since 1991, the prize has honored those in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, molecular biology and medicine. It is the highest award for natural scientific research in all of Sweden.
Each winner gets 4.5 million kronor in research funding over a period of three years, and a personal prize of $100,000.
The recipients of the prize include William Agace from the Biomedical Center in Lund. He won the medicine portion for his research to clarify the normal intestinal immune system and its changes in the case of inflammatory bowel diseases.
Johan Elf, a professor at Uppsala University, got the molecular biology prize for his work on individual proteins and DNA.
The mathematics award went to Par Kulberg from the Royal Institute of Technology. He earned the prize for his studies on dynamical systems and number theories.
Gothenburg University’s Mehlig Bernhard’s studies on how rain and planets are formed got him the physics prize.
As for the chemistry prize, that went to Yi Luo for his work on molecular electronics, synchrotron X-ray studies and dissemination of non-linear optics.
Source: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Abu Dhabi, was laid to rest on Wednesday. In accordance to Muslim tradition, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was buried a day after his body was recovered from a Moroccan lake where the glider he was flying in crashed on Friday.
 Reuters/WAM/Handout In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh’s body was brought into Sheikh Zayed Mosque on a stretcher with the UAE flag covering it. Ahmed’s brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, along with an imam, led the prayers during the funeral. The mosque is the same one built by Ahmed’s father, and it is where his father lies.
Afterwards, the stretcher was carried out of the mosque and brought to an ambulance. The vehicle than drove away to bury Sheikh Ahmed in a nearby cemetery.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalifa received condolences from the rulers of the other emirates and government officials.
Since the death of his brother, Khalifa has received condolences cables from all over the world, including King Mohammed VI of Morocco, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, and King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Now the question is what will become of Sheikh Ahmed’s Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world’s largest sovereign fund. TIME magazine is reporting that there will be power struggle between the Sheikh’s 17 brothers, especially with Crown Prince Mohammed’s powerful clique. The magazine says Ahmed’s ADIA was one area in Abu Dhabi’s economy not controlled by Mohammed. Christopher M. Davidson, senior lecturer at Durham University and author of Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond, suggests the Crown Prince and his brothers are likely to move on ADIA. “Then they will control virtually all of Abu Dhabi’s economy,” he told TIME.
 Reuters/WAM/Handout Davidson also says that the Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, may put his hopes on son-in-law, Sheikh Mansour, who is one of the Crown Prince’s full brothers. “Dubai will be hoping that whoever replaces [Sheikh Ahmed] will be someone who is more open to assisting Dubai, rather than this drip-feed of financial assistance Abu Dhabi has been giving Dubai, little by little, humiliating them every step of the way,” Davidson said.
But at the same time, one of Ahmed’s full blooded brothers may succeed him, particularly elder brother Saif, who is the Interior Minister. Also, Sheikh Khalifa might want to place one of his own sons in charge of ADIA.
Whoever will take over for Ahmed will reflect the power structure within Abu Dhabi’s ruling family as well as the UAE.
Source: AFP, TIME magazine
The body of an Abu Dhabi Sheikh was found in a Moroccan lake Tuesday morning, after his glider crashed into it four days ago.
 REUTERS/WAM/Handout Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s remains were recovered after a rescue search involving about 225 people from four different countries, according to Morocco’s state media. The Sheikh was 41 years old.
In the United Arab Emirates, state television was interrupted with readings from the Koran and banners reading, “Sheikh Ahmed…is in the care of God.” The state news agency WAM announced the country will have three days of mourning starting Wednesday, for the younger brother of the President of the UAE and the head of a sovereign fund that made him one of the most powerful people in the world.
Sheikh Ahmed’s the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), is one of the world’s biggest sovereign funds. The news agency Reuters says it is believed ADIA has assets of between $500 billion and $700 billion. It gets its funds from the UAE’s oil exports.
Last year, the Sheikh was ranked as number 27 on Forbes magazine’s most powerful people list.
Despite his influence, Ahmed was elusive to the media, rarely gave interviews and did not particularly care for being called “Your Highness.”
“He was extremely well respected as part of the work he did for ADIA and it was expected that he would play a vital role in the future development of the emirate as a leading member of the ruling family,” a source told Reuters.
The ruling family of Abu Dhabi owned property in Morocco. It was likely Sheikh Ahmed was vacationing there when he was in his glider over the artificial lake formed from the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah Dam. When the glider crashed, the pilot was rescued but no trace of the Sheikh was found until Tuesday.
Ahmed was the son of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan. He worked for ADIA as an analyst before assuming its head. Though the younger brother of the current Abu Dhabi ruler and President of the UAE, Ahmed was not in line to the emirate.
Experts say ADIA will remain within the al-Nahyan family. A successor could be named in about a week.
Source: Reuters
Princess Maxima of the Netherlands spent part of Monday visiting the headquarters of the Dutch social networking site, Hyves. She got a chance to chat live with the site’s users, known as Hyvers, and discussed money management with them.
 Royal Press/Pool/Patrick van Katwijk During the conversation, a young girl told the Princess she was saving up to buy herself a computer. This led to an honest question: does Maxima’s eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, who would day be Queen and become one of the wealthiest women in the world, save any money too?
The answer was yes.
“Amalia also saves,” Maxima replied. “But she gave all her money away to Haiti during a school action so she must begin again.”
Princess Maxima also said that when Amalia moves on to group 4, which is sort of like the Dutch version of second grade, she will get pocket money like any other child her age.
Maxima was at Hyves to kick-off the Campaign Without Cash, which is meant to teach young people about spending wisely. Some of the young people she spoke to told the Princess that they found it difficult to set priorities. Maxima, a former banker, provided them with some financial tips.
Source: www.at5.nl
 AP Photo/Lex van Lieshout, POOL/FILE She may only be a kindergartner, but Holland’s Princess Alexia is going to have a tulip named after her anyway. On Wednesday, the seaside town of Katwijk Aan Zee will name the flower after the four year-old princess in honor of its centennial Orange Association.
The tulip will be christened by a 12 year-old girl who was born on Queen’s Day. Little Alexia would not be present for the ceremony, even though she was invited. However, she will privately receive her flower.
It is not being reported if whether her parents, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima will be at the christening.
The last Dutch royal to have a tulip named after herself was Alexia’s own grandmother, Queen Beatrix.
The Princess is the second of the Crown Princely couple’s three daughters. She has an elder sister, Catharina-Amalia, age 6, who is second in line to the throne behind Willem-Alexander, and then there’s Ariane who will be 3 later this year.
Source: De Telegraaf
 JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images This weekend, the King of Jordan was at the 22nd Arab Summit held in Sitre, Libya. It was there that King Abdullah II spoke of his commitment to the Mideast peace process, and reiterated his call for a Palestinian state.
“Israel must know that it will never have security unless the Palestinians also have their right to security, freedom and a state… and it must choose between remaining an isolated fortress or living in peace with its neighbors,” the King said in a speech.
Abdullah also said Israel was “playing with fire” by building settlements in East Jerusalem, which is where many Palestinians live. He urged the world to put pressure on Israel to stop the constructions.
But he also mentioned how the Arab world needs to stand together for the sake of the peace process and other plans.
“It is in this context that we support every effort that seeks to clear the Arab atmosphere, achieve Arab solidarity and overcome all differences that lead to external interference in our affairs… not for the sake of championing our just causes but to achieve ambitions of hegemony and influence,” King Abdullah said.
The King also discussed Iraq, and how fellow Arabs need to help the country secure itself.
“I must stress here that what we have done for Iraq is below our expectations… for Iraq needs more than moral support… Iraq needs effective assistance on the ground,” the King said.
Sources: The Jordan Times, AFP
As the Belgian Crown Princely couple wrap their week-long economic mission to India, they leave behind strengthened business ties between the two countries. Their visit took them to Pune and Mumbai, and they got a good glimpse of India along the way.
 BELGA PHOTO/DIRK WAEM In Pune on Wednesday, Crown Prince Philippe presided over the signing of the business agreement between a trade and investment agency in Antwerp, and a Pune Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture. The deal is meant to allow collaborations with firms in the two cities.
While that happened, Princess Mathilde met with local schoolchildren. Some of the little girls who were there to see her were dressed in Disney-like princess dresses.
Later, Mathilde went to the Gandhi National Memorial Society in the Agakhan Palace.
 REUTERS/Manav Manglani After Pune, the couple headed for Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. There, the Crown Princess attended the “Day of Hope” celebration, which was organized by the National Domestic Workers Movement. A non-governmental organization (NGO), the movement marks “Day of Hope” with the children of domestic workers and child domestic workers from Mumbai and Thane districts.
In the evening, Mathilde and Philippe rubbed shoulders with Bollywood stars in the likes of Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, during a fashion show, which showcased the latest in Indian style.
On Friday, the couple’s last official day in India, business and trade agreements by four Belgian and four Indian firms in the aerospace and technology sectors were signed. The Crown Prince personally witnessed these signings, which seemed to top off the week-long economic mission. It tightened the already close ties between the two countries. Belgium is India’s third biggest EU trading partner, after Germany and the United Kingdom.
In an interview with the Danish magazine, Billed Bladet, Anne-Marie, the former Queen of Greece, reflected on her childhood as the youngest sister of the future Queen of Denmark.
 Lars Laursen/BILLED-BLADET/FILE “Sometimes it seemed [Princess] Benedikte and I knew enough that she was a little tough, but we have surely also irritated her,” said Anne-Marie.
The interview is part of the celebrations marking Queen Margrethe II’s 70th birthday next month. Queen Anne-Marie revealed to Billed Bladet that recently her sister visited her and her husband, the former King Constantine of Greece, at their home outside of London. But unfortunately, the two women did not spend a lot of time together because Margrethe had the flu.
Anne-Marie also remembered the fun times she, Margrethe and Princess Benedikte did as children.
“We all loved to dress up, and my sister was absolutely the person who took the lead. She decided what to wear, and if anyone had imagined something else, one might as well forget it. It was not shut up, pace and direction, she managed it all, and had also a fantasy without equal. She could dress up in the strangest way of absolutely nothing.”
Anne-Marie’s memory reflects Margrethe’s talents for the arts and designs. To the this day, the Queen designs costumes for ballets and films.
Anne-Marie is the youngest daughter of the late King Frederik XI and Queen Ingrid. She was born in 1946, a year after the Nazis left Denmark. She first met the future King of Greece when she was thirteen. They later met again two years later and it was then Crown Prince Constantine asked Anne-Marie’s parents for her hand in marriage. The couple wed in 1964, just two weeks before her 18th birthday.
Three years later, Anne-Marie fled Greece when a counter-coup set up by her husband failed. The monarchy was then abolished in 1974, but Anne-Marie and her husband maintain the titles of King and Queen of Greece out of courtesy.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe The royals of Monaco dressed to the nines for the 2010 Monte Carlo Rose Ball on Saturday evening, an event which kicks of the tiny principality’s social season.
Prince Albert II, his big sister Princess Caroline and longtime girlfriend Charlene Wittstock turned up for the gala. Also in attendance were Caroline’s two oldest children, Andrea, sporting newly cut hair, and Charlotte whom dazzled in her Chanel haute couture gown.
Their brother, Pierre, also showed up with girlfriend Beatrice Borremo.
This year, the theme for the ball was Morocco. From the decor by Jacques Grange to music by Rachid Taha, there was something to remind guests of the North African Kingdom.
It was Princess Caroline’s idea to have Morocco as the theme, probably to reflect current relations between the two countries.
In fact, a member of Morocco’s royal family, Princess Lalla Joumala, was at the Ball.
As one of the most illustrious and prestigious events in the world, the Rose Ball benefits the Princess Grace Foundation.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe
The brother of the leader of the United Arab Emirates is still missing after his glider went down over an artificial lake in Morocco Friday. Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the managing director of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund which is owned by Abu Dhabi.
“Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahayan…was in a crash of a glider which was airborne in Morocco. The pilot was rescued and is in good condition. The search for His Highness is still continuing,” WAM, the UAE’s state news agency, said in a statement.
The search could be difficult because of recent heavy rains that have risen water levels.
The glider went down near the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah Dam, which forms the fake lake. It is located near the Atlantic coastal town of Skhirat, south of the capital city of Rabat.
Sheikh Ahmed was likely spending time at one of his family’s homes in Morocco, a place where he owns several properties.
Al Nahyan is in his early 40s, and is the younger brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Forbes magazine once ranked him as number 27 in its world’s most powerful people list. Despite his wealth and power, Sheikh Ahmed has been described as “elusive” and gives very few interviews.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the wealth fund he runs, has not responded to any of the media’s requests for comments.
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