KABUL // The winner of Afghanistan's first Olympic medal is to be given a house as a reward on the orders of President Hamid Karzai, a palace official said today.
Rohullah Nikpai thrilled Afghans with his bronze medal in the men's 58kg taekwondo.
"It's a time of big celebrations for all of us," said shopkeeper Khair Mohammad. "I'm so happy that despite the war, lack of sports facilities and training Nikpai managed to secure a medal."
Many Afghans were unable to watch last night's bout live because power is intermittent and only some households have access to cable television.
But a recording of Nikpai's victory over the world flyweight champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain was later played over and over on local stations.
"It is indeed a big honour and a matter of great happiness for all of Afghanistan, for this is the first time an Afghan athlete has managed to win a medal," said Taj Mohammad Ahmazada, head of archives at Afghan National Radio.
President Karzai personally called Nikpai to congratulate him on winning the medal, the palace official said.
Nikpai stayed cool and grew in confidence as the bronze-medal bout went on, playing off a supportive crowd and burying the Spaniard in the third round. He fell to his knees after the referee called time and wept after embracing his coaches.
Nikpai is sure to get a hero's welcome when he returns home.
The head of a local welfare organisation had already promised rewards for Afghan medal winners, with US$10,000 (Dh36,279) for a bronze.
*Reuters
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Creator: Mike White
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
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Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
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How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
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