Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
Etihad Airways is to provide extra flights to ensure thousands of travellers can complete their journey to Makkah to perform Hajj.
The UAE's national airline told state news agency Wam on Saturday that it has increased its service by offering additional non-scheduled flights for pilgrims.
Shuaib Al Najjar, general manager of Etihad Airways Operations, said the move is to serve pilgrims travelling from Far Eastern destinations such as Jakarta, Islamabad, Karachi and Mumbai.
The airline did not say how many flights would be added to its schedule.
Etihad Airways has regular scheduled flights to three destinations in Saudi Arabia, including Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) using its Boeing B787, in addition to its operating flights.
The airline also has dedicated staff and check-in counters at Abu Dhabi for pilgrims.
For those returning from Jeddah, Etihad Airways will permit Hajj pilgrims to carry a five-litre container of Zamzam water free of charge and will provide extra care for its handling.
Up to two million pilgrims from across the world are travelling to Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage, which begins on Monday June 26, followed by Arafat Day, with Eid Al Adha celebrations beginning on Wednesday June 28.
Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court had called on Muslims in the kingdom to sight the crescent moon on Sunday evening. An official committee was set up to sight the moon at sunset.
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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