Dream it, Live it from RAKBank
Benefits: RAKBank credit card holders can now sign up for the Dream it, Live it programme to win packages to events from The Brit Awards 2015 in London to international holidays and the ODI Cricket Finals. Simply SMS "Dreams" to 7010 and every Dh500 spent on your RAKBank credit card equals one chance in the draw.
Watch out for: Spend wisely. There is no point building up unnecessary debt in the hope of winning a prize.
Diners Club card from Emirates NBD
Benefits: Sign up for the Diners Club credit card from Emirates NBD and get discounts of up to 30 per cent at more than 1,500 restaurants in the UAE. The card also comes with airport lounge access as well as savings on restaurants, hotels and entertainment. Other bonuses include free travel insurance and roadside assistance.
Watch out for: There is an annual fee of Dh400 on this card.
Mashreq Novo
Benefits: Film buffs can spend on this credit card, accumulate Salaam Entertainment points then redeem them instantly for free tickets and refreshments at Novo cinemas. The card also offers a 50 per cent discount on tickets at the box office or online. Cardholders also have dedicated ticketing and food and beverage counters.
Watch out for: Cardholders are only entitled to a maximum of eight discounted tickets a month.
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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
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m