In every part of the world, most people trying to get by share many of the same concerns: securing safety, health, well-being and that of their loved ones, employment, and being able to afford the price of basic needs – food, rent, electricity, schools, health care, and so on.
With time, however, it is inevitable for the cost of living to rise. This is bound to include an increase in food prices, although by how much depends on various factors, such as demand-supply, governance and political churns, albeit to varying degrees in different countries. It is not a surprise that in this past year, the highest food inflation, according to the database Statistica, was seen in Zimbabwe, Argentina and in the Palestinian territories.
In the UAE, where consumers benefit from economic stability, predictable prices and progressive governance, consumers now have some additional relief when it comes to food prices.
On Tuesday, new measures were announced to bolster price controls on staple foods such as cooking oil, eggs, dairy, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread and wheat. Starting January 2, there is to be a minimum six-month gap between increases of these items, which would protect consumers and ensure affordability.
The new regulation complements other such UAE consumer-protection laws already in place that cap prices for thousands of items. This added measure goes to ensure fairness in pricing and affordability for all.
At a time when global food prices have been at their highest, as of October, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, measures such as these provide an important safety net for everyone.
Broadly speaking, people tend to expect consistency of pricing and are averse to unscrupulous retailers, and price volatility, not least because monthly budgets for many households are often synced with the expected price of provisions and groceries in the coming weeks and months.
And while under this new regulation it appears consumers stand to gain by instances of arbitrary price rise of essential commodities being eliminated, considerable thought has been given to the needs of vendors to run a business profitably. In 2022, the Ministry of Economy had already decreed that a maximum profit margin for suppliers or traders for each commodity would be determined by the Ministry, and that a formal channel would be available for suppliers and traders to submit price-hike requests. Now, starting in the new year, prices, too, can only be raised with approval from the Ministry.
It is also good news for customers to know that the larger shops, with premises exceeding 1,000 square metres, are required to clearly display prices a unit so that people know what they are paying for. This eliminates the unpleasant business of customers potentially being disadvantaged by arbitrarily hiked prices in certain shops, a not altogether unknown phenomenon, and for which violators have been penalised in past years. No one is unfamiliar with fluctuating prices and the experience of a loaf of bread or a whole chicken costing very different sums in different supermarkets or convenience stores.
Transparency and clarity on pricing are important for basic food stuffs, while a wide range of products are left to market variables. Agility and diversification are key components in a dynamic country like the UAE.
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Superpower%20
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
