Your article Rahul Gandhi nomination highlights India's dynasty politics (December 7) rings true with me. The nomination of 45-year-old Gandhi was welcomed by the Indian National Congress party despite the fact that there are many capable senior leaders who can do the job better. What is the criteria for his nomination? That he is the son of its leader? It has become abundantly clear that the Congress party is dominated by the Nehru dynasty. This might be something the party can stomach, not the people, at least not until he demonstrates his worth as a politician.
K Ragavan, India
Uniting through prayer is a beautiful thing
In reference to your article UAE Christian churches unite in prayer for the first time (December 10), this is a truly beautiful thing. Imagine, in today's global society, religions coming together to support one another. It seems impossible, yet here in this country, it has happened. This makes my day.
Logan Fish, Dubai
Boat maintenance a must to avert marine tragedies
I refer to your article Thirteen dead in South Korea fishing boat crash (December 4). Boat crashes have become more common in this part of the world, it seems. Many accidents are taking place because there are too many passengers on board old and poorly built boats. Authorities should monitor the maintenance process more closely to avert such tragic incidents.
Name withheld by request
Banning fast food outlets near schools may not make a difference
I refer to your article UAE looks at ban on fast food outlets near schools (December 10). This would work in Europe where kids walk to school (and often, right past the fast food outlets). But in the UAE, children are only ever a phone call away from chauffeurs or an app away from a double cheeseburger. I'm not sure it would be effective. Regulating the size of meals and sugar-laden drinks, however, may work.
Paul Benjamin, United States
Banning fast food isn't the answer. You can get nutritionally void and highly calorific foods at grocery stores and cafes, and you can get nutritionally sound items at many fast food outlets.
Children who are old enough to be leaving school grounds are old enough to be learning to choose more food items that fuel their bodies well and fewer that do not. Teach them what specific foods (with certain preparation techniques) are best for them, not which restaurant categories in general serve more non-nutritious items than nutritious ones.
Lisa Kereliuk, Dubai
While the idea of stripping certain areas of junk food may not ultimately stop everyone from seeking it, this is better than nothing. I remember working in an area that had only a McDonald's in it (and our lunch breaks were 30 minutes), so there was never any time to venture out of the area in search of better food options. How about introducing more options so that people working further out at least have a choice?
Naeema Rahman, Toronto
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
