With reference to your article Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid reveals Dh7 billion housing plan for Emiratis (February 4), people often wonder why UAE citizens are happy and why the country is safe. Well, this is what happens when you take care of your people – simple.
Nicola Siotto, Dubai
This is a great initiative by the Ruler of Dubai to help the citizens of the UAE. Keep up the good work.
Zia ul Haq Abdul Azeez, United Kingdom
Job worries make me concerned about investing in property
I write in reference to your article Why every long-term expat should buy a property in the UAE (February 5): job security is a big problem. If I don't have my job tomorrow, my visa goes and so does the security of paying the monthly installments. The UAE needs organic growth, where people with families live and grow over generations. I agree that no risk means no gain but this feels too big a risk. The fear of losing your job and with it, school fees, monthly installments and visa uncertainties means all your savings could just vanish.
Esha Nag, Dubai
Invest in properties in your own country and while you are here, rent them out so they pay for your investment while you are working here. By definition expatriates will leave at some point so having a property or properties in your own country is the best advice, especially if it is rented out.
Gary Hazel, Abu Dhabi
The Pope shows Erdogan the path to peace
I refer to your article Rome bans protests ahead of Erdogan's meeting with pope (February 5): Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Vatican City, the first by a Turkish head of state to the Holy See in almost 60 years, is a dramatic development. The Pope presented a bronze medallion engraved with an angel embracing the world while fighting a dragon. This symbol of peace, with an angel fighting a demon of war, indicates that he wants to pass on a message of peace, not only in the Middle East but all over the world.
K Ragavan, India
Market forces are at work for India's farmers
In reference to your article Modi unveils pre-election budget in bid to woo voters (February 1), it is farmers who will be most affected. Currently the farmer takes his stocks of wheat to the district procurement centre. The officials will reject the stock or delay the purchase on some flimsy grounds like saying that parts of the wheat crop are wet or infested. The farmer then has to stand in long, serpentine queues of trailers and bullock carts waiting for some remedy. He is then approached by some brokers who will take a 20 per cent commission, get the documents signed by him and arrange the sale. These brokers are in collusion with some procurement officials and then they split the 20 per cent commission. The farmer thus loses 20 per cent of his earnings on the spot.
The farmer comes under greater pressure if he is selling vegetables like tomatoes, which will rot if there is a delay of two or three days in selling them. Hopefully their earnings will improve under new legislation and they will get a fairer deal.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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
