- Have at least two strategically placed smoke detectors in your home. Since the goal is to have the alarm wake sleeping residents, place the devices in bedrooms and in hallways where smoke would travel. Stairways and kitchens are also good locations.
- Make and review an evacuation plan. Make sure family members and house staff are familiar with the plan, and know where to meet in case of emergency.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in your home. Regularly check the pressure gauge to ensure the extinguisher is at proper levels, and replace it if it has expired.
- Smoke outside. Civil Defence estimates that 25 per cent of fire accidents in the UAE are caused by smoking, so use sturdy ashtrays that will not tip over, ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and never toss hot cigarette butts in the bin.
- Always store matches and lighters out of reach of children.
- Do not leave the kitchen while cooking, and keep children away from the stove. Clean cooking surfaces to prevent food and grease build-up, and keep flammable materials away from hot surfaces.
- Never overload outlets. Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately, and keep electrical appliances away from wet floors and counters. Pay special care to electrical appliances in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Keep routes to fire exits open and cleared of clutter. Each home should have more than one exit, and windows should not have bars, so they can be used as an exit in case of emergency.
- Never barbecue in an enclosed area, and do not wear loose clothing while cooking, because it can catch fire. Be careful when using lighter fluid. Do not add fluid to an already lit fire because the flame can flash back up into the container and explode.
* Jen Thomas
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 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
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances