The UAE, Sheikh Zayed once declared, will always welcome those in need. The generosity of the Founding Father has been the animating spirit behind this country's approach to giving. These past 12 months, designated by President Sheikh Khalifa as the Year of Giving, have broadened our understanding of benevolence while fostering solidarity. The objectives of the Year of Giving were threefold: to strengthen social responsibility, encourage the spirit of volunteerism across society and promote service to the nation.
Where once giving was regarded as a private virtue or a state imperative, the Year of Giving has taught us that it can be an act in service of a larger goal. Being kind, donating books or blood or clothes, and radiating tenderness towards those in need: these seemingly simple actions are all forms of giving. Every individual can make a difference, as demonstrated by the 275,000 volunteers who devoted 2.8 million hours to good causes.
______________
Read more
Year of Giving: millions of volunteer hours and a billion dirhams
How the Year of Giving and the Year of Zayed offer the same strong message
As the Year of Giving draws to a close, spare a thought for those less fortunate than you
______________
The spirit unleashed by the Year of Giving will not end when the year ends, and the compassion shown by individuals at the local level will continue to be on the world's stage by the state. Between 1971 and 2014, the UAE gave nearly $50 billion in foreign aid alone. As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said earlier this year: "The UAE does not provide conditional assistance and neither does [it give aid] for the sake of reciprocal interests. It does so only for the good and stability of all peoples." In April, it was ranked the world's most generous donor for the third consecutive year by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Thanks to the UAE's unyielding efforts, polio has practically been eradicated from its last remaining hideouts in Pakistan.
Instead of resting on its laurels, the UAE promptly hosted the Reaching the Last Mile forum to find a way to eradicate malaria and other deadly diseases. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, made a personal donation of $20 million to the $100 million fund announced at the forum. As Sheikh Mohammed said as he announced his generous gift at the Last Mile Forum, "Sheikh Zayed's life and legacy are a never-ending celebration of the principles, values and beliefs that are foundational to our country's identity." It is fitting that the Year of Giving will segue, come January 1, 2018, into the Year of Zayed, dedicated to celebrating and honouring his vision.
Follow The National's Opinion section on Twitter
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
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
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
