A greater and brighter future lies ahead and we should all be optimistic, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid told thousands of new graduates on Tuesday.
The Vice President and Ruler of Dubai made his remarks while virtually attending a graduation ceremony for 2,294 students of UAE University.
Sheikh Mohammed typically attends the graduation ceremony and helps hand out the diplomas, but this year the outbreak of coronavirus led to the closure of the university campus in Al Ain and the event was held online instead.
Sheikh Mohammed congratulated the graduates on their success, saying he wished he could shake their hands in person today.
“Every year, I am keen to be with graduates at the headquarters of our national university, to honour them and personally salute them. However, the circumstances are different this year, and I am not able to be personally present. I assure you that I know the students of UAEU and their potential, and I know some of its graduates who now hold senior and prominent positions in the country’s ministries and authorities,” he said.
“My sons and daughters, you are shaping the future, and what we are going through now is temporary. Be optimistic, the future will be better and your country is great and will be greater day after day. We have not and will not stop, as the UAE is great due to the graduates who are building the nation. I wish you luck and success.”
Saeed Ghobbash, the university’s president, also gave a speech urging the graduates to contemplate their experience and pay tribute to the parents and teachers who supported them throughout their undergraduate study.
“Today you are more powerful than you can imagine. Today, you embrace life with hope, energy and good vision in facing a new stage in your life. The country is proud that among its pioneers is this group of graduates,” he said.
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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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
