ABU DHABI // Police say no decision has been made about the legality of new global positioning system (GPS) devices loaded with the location of radar cameras, but they are not concerned that speeding drivers may use them to evade detection.
Maps on the new Garmin Nuvi 710 device alert drivers to the locations of radar speed cameras in the capital.
However, Col Hamad al Shamisi, the chief of Abu Dhabi traffic police, says he is not worried. "Everyone has already memorised the position of the speed cameras," Col Shamisi said. "In fact, we ourselves put up big red signs to warn motorists that cameras are in use."
Lt Col Khamis al Mahoodi, deputy director of the traffic police, added: "The speed cameras are placed in a conspicuous manner so that drivers see them and slow down. They are not there to catch people speeding, although they often do."
There is some debate on GPS blogs and websites about whether mapping systems loaded with the positions of cameras are legal or not.
Robert Brady of PocketGPSWorld.com, a GPS news, reviews and forums website, confirmed that the latest models were programmed with speed camera locations, but questioned the legality of their use in the UAE.
According to Col Shamisi, their use may not necessarily be illegal.
"No decision was ever made as to whether the maps indicating the position of speed cameras should be banned or not," he said.
"As things stand at the moment, I cannot say they are illegal or legal. It was never discussed."
The National took a radar gun out to test whether drivers knew where the speed traps were located.
The trial was held on Khaleej al Arabi Street heading out of Abu Dhabi towards the airport, where there are a number of speed cameras, and along Corniche Road and in the downtown area of the capital.
On Corniche Road, where the speed limit is 60kph, the radar gun clocked some drivers travelling at more than 110kph.
However, motorists slowed to between 60kph and 80kph when they approached a speed camera, even before it was visible.
Several drivers set off the camera, which took a photograph on average every 10 seconds, indicating that not everybody had memorised camera locations.
Along Khaleej al Arabi towards the airport, drivers were braking before they reached the speed cameras, but accelerating to speeds as high as 180kph after passing them.
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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
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.
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
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- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
How to apply for a drone permit
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What are the regulations?
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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