Mohammed Hassan Rahma is set to make history by becoming the first ever Emirati player to represent the Arabian Gulf at international level.
The Dubai-based winger has been named in the Global Process Systems Arabian Gulf Sevens squad for the Singapore Sevens at the start of next month.
Rahma's call-up represents a landmark in the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union's (AGRFU) bid to spread the game among native arabs.
Rugby has been established in the UAE for well over 30 years, yet it has been mainly the preserve of expats from the game's traditional powers, such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, plus the UK and France. The region's representative and domestic game are still awash with expats, but the AGRFU have shown a desire to spread the game to nationals.
In 2006 they appointed their first Arabic-speaking rugby development officer, the Jordanian international hooker Ghaith Jalagel. "To have an Emirati representing the Gulf in sevens is abso- lutely fantastic," he said.
"This team will be playing in the IRB Sevens World Cup next March as well, so playing in that would be quite an achievement for him.
"Hopefully it will attract more of his compatriots to play. When they see that one of their guys has got a real opportunity to play in a World Cup, that should be enough to attract new people."
Arab players, such as the Jordanian prop Charbel Kordahi, have played for the Gulf in the 15-man game before, but Rahma is the first player from the UAE to pull on the shirt.
Rahma initially learned the game playing for the UAE Falcons, who became the first Emirati side to play at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens in 2005.
In 2006, he and his Falcons teammate Badir Fikree were sent to England for an intensive training camp with the Guinness Premiership club Sale Sharks.
Following the week-long clinic, Rahma proudly bragged "[the England World Cup winner] Jason Robinson is now my best friend." He has since started his own club, again exclusively for UAE passport holders, called the Dubai Rugby Club, and is also part of the Dubai Exiles squad.
He took his first steps onto the international scene for the Gulf in an unofficial friendly competition against Kazakhstan and Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah last month.
The Gulf coach Mike Lunjevich said: "Mohammed is our most improved player. In terms of speed and agility he is second to none. He may be edged in some of the physical aspects, and obviously in terms of experience, by the guys who have been playing all their lives, but he makes up for that with his skills.
Lunjevich has bolstered the arab presence in his squad further by handing a recall to Taif al Delamie, an Omani who currently lives in Ireland, following a long-term injury.
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
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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
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
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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
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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