Egypt has repatriated 21 ancient artefacts from Australia in a milestone for its efforts to recover key items of historical heritage that have been smuggled out of the country.
Statues, fragments of coffins and other relics arrived in Cairo on Sunday from Canberra in a transfer enabled by authorities from both nations.
“These artefacts represent Egypt’s unwavering commitment to protecting our cultural heritage,” said Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.
He said the repatriation was a testament to strong bilateral ties between Egypt and Australia, with the countries recently marking 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Among the returned artefacts are a wooden ushabti statue, pieces of a painted coffin and an intricately carved ivory spindle.
A long-missing portion of a funerary stela was also recovered. It had been broken into four parts, with three returned to Egypt from Switzerland in 2017 and the fourth recently identified at Macquarie University in Sydney.
All the artefacts will be restored at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo, before being exhibited.
The Australian repatriation follows another transfer only days earlier from the US in which Egypt recovered 25 artefacts.
These included gilded wooden coffin lids, a portrait of a mummy from the Fayoum region and granite fragments believed to be from the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who reigned between 1479 and 1458BC. The artefacts, which span several historical periods, were smuggled out of Egypt decades ago and surfaced in US collections.
They were returned after three years of investigations and co-operation between Egyptian and US authorities, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The latest repatriations are part of Egypt’s broader campaign to recover an array of artefacts that have been taken illegally over the years. They include items smuggled through black markets, sold at international auctions, or acquired during colonial-era expeditions.
Egypt has intensified its calls for the return of high-profile treasures housed in western museums, including the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum and the bust of Queen Nefertiti at Neues Museum, Berlin.
In 2022, renowned Egyptian archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass launched a campaign for the return of these two iconic items, arguing they were removed under dubious circumstances.
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799 and instrumental in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, has been in British possession for more than two centuries. Similarly, the 3,400-year-old bust of Nefertiti, discovered in 1912 by a German archaeological team, has been the subject of Egyptian demands for decades.
Both items are emblematic of Egypt’s cultural legacy and its enduring struggle to reclaim its heritage.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
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Size: four team members
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Blonde
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
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RESULTS
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
