Olive Obina is an assistant picture editor at The National
Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)
If you ask its fans what makes Dune the greatest sci-fi novel of all time, some will say that it highlights issues pertaining to the environment, imperialism and the ability of the human mind. For me, it is its depiction of the native Fremen. They are written as a fierce group of people who were able to survive and thrive in the harsh environment of Arrakis.
The Stand by Stephen King (1978)
If you noticed my love for huge epic-scale stories, you have this book to blame. Though not a high fantasy with knights and kings, this is a classic good versus evil tale, with people trying to survive in a world devastated by first, a flu; then by people who are on the side of evil, either by choice or circumstances; and lastly, the evil being who just wants to destroy the world.
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (2007 and 2011)
So far, we have followed Kvothe’s journey from orphan to university student, to famous musician. For the third and final book, fans are waiting to discover how he came to be known as ‘The Kingkiller’ and ended up living as an innkeeper under a different identity. Whenever we are on the brink of giving up, we keep thinking of George R R Martin’s fans.
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (2010 and 2014)
These books are huge, literally, with up to 2,400 pages of fleshed-out characters, epic battles, history and mythology. The series is part of the larger Cosmere world in which Sanderson’s other novels are set. He is a prolific writer and has 10 books on track, with the third scheduled for publication in November.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (1990)
What do you get when two masters of storytelling combine forces to pen one book? Well, you get a ridiculously entertaining story about the apocalypse. One cannot help but be charmed with the characters, especially the 11-year-old Adam Young, the reluctant Anti-Christ who just wants to protect the things he loves.
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The life and times of Amis, an anthology
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
