AL AIN // Hundreds of people, including relatives and members of the Armed Forces, turned out in Al Ain on Thursday for the funeral of a serviceman, one of four Emiratis killed in Yemen on Tuesday.
The body of Ali Khamis Al Ketbi, 29, was laid to rest at the Armed Forces Martyrs’ Mosque in the Jahili neighbourhood. Some of his relatives were overcome with emotion.
“The sadness is there but so is the pride in Ali,” said Salem, his oldest brother, who had returned to the UAE from Yemen on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old, who was serving in Marib when he learnt of his brother’s death, said he had spoken to Ali the night before the fatal attack in Aden and found him in good spirits.
The four soldiers were among 12 members of the Saudi-led coalition killed in attacks claimed by an ISIL affiliate.
“Since our father died in a car accident a while ago, I see my younger brothers also as my sons after helping my mother raise them,” said Salem, who will return to duty in Yemen.
“I need to stand for my brothers who are there and fight in the memory of my brother and all the martyrs.”
After the funeral prayers, hundreds followed the body to the Mutuwa’a graveyard to pay their final respects.
“He wasn’t just a brother, he was a friend,” said Majid Al Ketbi, 34, who found it difficult to leave his brother’s burial site after most had left.
“I was the closest to him and I can tell you he was loved and respected by so many. He never did anyone wrong and always treated his mother and brothers right,” he said.
In Fujairah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, performed the funeral prayer for Yousef Al Kaabi. Various royal family members and officials were among the crowd gathered at Madhab.
“Sheikh Mohammed Al Sharqi along with many officials, relatives and friends all prayed with us today for our beloved brother and martyr,” said Abdullah Al Kaabi, 31, one of Yousef’s brothers.
“Yousef is our source of pride and we are all ready to give our souls as a gift to the country and act like him.”
His body arrived at the Armed Forces Martyrs’ Mosque yesterday and he was buried in Fujairah cemetery.
Among those gathered for Al Ketbi’s funeral in Al Ain were 29 pupils from Al Ittihad National Private School, each carrying UAE flags.
Musabah Al Ketbi, Ali’s cousin, said many expatriates also came to pay their respects.
“The foreigners were coming to our house in tears for Ali, that’s how much he meant to people,” said Musabah, who also serves in the Armed Forces.
Ali was the youngest of six children – five brothers and one sister.
Since September 4, 60 UAE soldiers have died fighting as part of Operation Restoring Hope, in Yemen.
talsubaihi@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Ruba Haza
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Honeymoonish
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THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
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The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
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
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
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
