Foreign News
Brunei’s ‘hot prince’ formally marries in 10-day celebration
Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen, lauded online for his good looks and military service, has married his commoner fiancée in a 10-day royal wedding.
The internet-famous prince revealed his relationship and engagement to Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah in December. The announcement surprised many fans of the man once dubbed one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors.
The bride is the granddaughter of an adviser to Brunei’s leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. She is reported to own a fashion and tourism company.
Prince Abdul Mateen, 32, was dressed in ceremonial uniform and his bride, 29, wore a long white dress and jewels for the ceremony at the Istana Nurul Iman palace.
The reported 5,000 wedding guests included royalty from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and the leader of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The pair made their first public appearance as a married couple, waving at thousands of well-wishers from the back of an open-top Rolls Royce, as a lavish procession made its way through the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Schoolteacher Norliha Mohamad told AFP news agency the chance to glimpse the royal couple was a “once-in-a-lifetime moment”.
Prince Mateen is a major presence on social media, with over 2.5m followers on Instagram and thousands more on TikTok.
There were sighs from some of his fans after he posted a picture of himself alongside his bride to be on New Year’s Eve. “2024 starts with a heartbreak”, wrote one follower, with another jokingly calling him an “international heartbreaker”. Many others rejoiced at the news he was about to tie the knot.
Many of his other posts capture the prince at special functions or out exploring, attracting numerous heart emojis and compliments in the comments.
On Wednesday, local TV stations broadcast some of the wedding events in the small, oil-rich sultanate.
Prince Mateen is the 10th child of the Sultan, the world’s longest-reigning monarch and one of the richest.
The prince holds no immediate succession claim to the throne but his profile has risen tremendously.
Video edits of the prince at royal functions, playing in polo matches and being spotted in his army uniform abound online.
The wedding kicked off on 7 January and reached its height in Sunday’s large ceremony.
The Islamic marriage ceremony occurred on Wednesday formalising Prince Mateen’s marriage. It was attended only by male members of the wedding party including the prince and his father.
On Wednesday, footage showed citizens lining the streets of the capital as the royal motorcade carried the Sultan and Prince Mateen to his solemnisation inside a golden-domed mosque.
Prince Mateen wore a traditional white outfit and headpiece that featured a diamond-shaped print. After being bestowed by an imam, he bowed and paid his respects to his father.
(BBC)
Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for two weeks, has had an “isolated” breathing crisis in hospital, the Vatican has said.
It led to an episode of vomiting and a “sudden worsening of his respiratory condition” on Friday following the coughing “bronchospasm”.
The 88-year-old received gas through a face mask to help him breathe.
In an update on Saturday, the Vatican said the Pope had a “peaceful night and is resting”.
[BBC]
European leaders have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump’s furious exchange with the Ukrainian president in the White House.
The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine – with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.
The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who “retains unwavering support for Ukraine”, Downing Street said.
It comes after extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office on Friday as US President Trump clashed with Zelensky, telling him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
[BBC]
Three people have died in Reunion after Cyclone Garance swept through the French Indian Ocean territory with gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph).
The tropical cyclone left more than 180,000 homes without power and 170,000 without running water after making landfall on Friday morning.
The remote island’s entire population – including emergency services and police – were ordered to stay indoors as the maximum alert level was imposed.
Heavy storm rains were expected to continue on Friday evening, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warning on X that the cyclone remained a threat.
The “brutal and violent” conditions were worse than Cyclone Belal, which killed four people on the island in January 2024, Prefect Patrice Latron said.
Garance made landfall in the north of Reunion at 10:00 local time (06:00 GMT), before sweeping south and exiting the island by late afternoon, according to weather agency Meteo France.
Local authorities reduced the alert level by midday to allow emergency services and police to leave their shelters.
The top wind speed of 234km/h had not been recorded on the island since Cyclone Hollanda in February 1994.
Vincent Clain, 45, a resident of the island’s northern coast, told news agency AFP: “This is the first time I’ve seen a cyclone this powerful, and also the first time I’ve been afraid.”
Some 100 troops and firefighters were on standby to be dispatched from the French territory of Mayotte nearly 1,500km (930 miles) away when conditions eased, as well as 100 from mainland France.
Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man went missing in nearby Mauritius on Wednesday after going swimming in rough seas.
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday that Garance was of a “rare intensity”, while Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said armed forces stood ready to provide assistance.
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