How best to mark the beneficence of a person who has given so much to her country and her people? In the case of Sheikha Fatima, the answer is obvious: to create something in which everyone can share and that also celebrates the achievements and contributions of others. The Mother of the Nation Festival, which begins on the Abu Dhabi Corniche today, takes its name from Sheikha Fatima, the wife of our Founding Father Sheikh Zayed, and rightly acknowledges her tireless philanthropy over many years. But its focus is on all mothers. It celebrates all the women who give so much to their families, their communities and this country.
This festival is about the women who are the backbone of their families, who raise children, run households and, increasingly often, also hold responsible positions in the public service and private enterprise. The UAE leads the region in the empowerment of women, offering opportunities in education and employment that are not available elsewhere. But, at the same time, we recognise the central role that many women play in their own homes, as the glue that keeps their families together. Mothers are their children’s first and most important mentors, and it is their love, their dreams and their prayers that guide their children to success and happiness in life.
While the meaning behind the celebration is a serious and important one, the emphasis over the next 10 days will be on fun for mums and their families. Abu Dhabi certainly knows how to plan and deliver this kind of festival. And, as we have seen with events as diverse as the annual Qasr Al Hosn Festival and the entertainment programme surrounding the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, the people of this emirate and this country love to celebrate. Under the auspices of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, the festival will include art installations, pop-up shops and food stalls each day from 4pm to midnight until April 2. Activities range from the passive – browsing through rarely seen photographs from the 1950s and 1960s – to the active, including parkour and free-fall jumping. Visitors can learn how to create a home garden, listen to the latest in urban music, or chill out at the Beach Juice Bar.
Most of all, though, this is about us all coming together, for mothers to celebrate and for their husbands, children and others to show their appreciation of the too-often unsung heroes of every household.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
