Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, inaugurated the new UAE embassy in London on Monday.
The ceremony began with the raising of the UAE flag and was followed by the national anthems of both countries.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Alistair Burt, the UK's Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, then unveiled a commemorative painting to mark the opening of the new headquarters of the UAE embassy, before touring the facilities of its new building.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said the opening of the new UAE embassy in London reflects the desire of the UAE government to enhance its bilateral relations with the UK and develop cooperation in various fields, according to state news agency Wam.
He went on to say that the relations between the UAE and Britain are well established and have been for decades, due to the support and patronage of the leaders of both countries, while highlighting the aspiration of the UAE to strengthen bilateral ties further to serve the interests of the people of both nations.
Mr Burt expressed his happiness at attending the opening of the new UAE embassy in London, which will enhance the communication between the two countries and their people, as well as maintain the strong and distinctive bilateral relations that bind them.
The new embassy is located between Belgrave Square and Hyde Park corner in south-west London.
The opening ceremony was attended by Sulaiman Hamid Salem Al Mazroui, UAE Ambassador to the UK, Khaled Al Duwaisan, Kuwait's Ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, Egypt's Ambassador to UK, Bahrain's Ambassador to the UK, Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, plus several other diplomats, consuls and officials in the UK, as well as the embassy’s staff.
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
