Cairo // An Egyptian court sentenced ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in prison on Saturday after a retrial for embezzlement.
Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal were present in the caged dock, wearing suits and sunglasses. Mubarak’s lawyers may try to appeal the verdict.
They had already been sentenced to three years on the same charges but an appeal court overturned the original verdict.
It was not immediately clear whether the sentencing took into account time served. The three had all been arrested in 2011, months after Mubarak was toppled in a popular 18-day uprising after three decades in power.
Mubarak waved at his supporters in the benches before the judge read his verdict.
He and his sons were also fined 125 million Egyptian pounds (Dh60.2m) – the amount they were accused of embezzling from funds meant for the maintenance of presidential palaces.
They also have to give back 21 million pounds, the court ruled.
Mubarak will return to the Cairo military hospital where he has spent much of his time since his detention.
Before the verdict, he and his sons had been free men after their pretrial detention period expired.
Mubarak, who turned 87 this month, was cleared of charges in another trial over the deaths of protesters during the uprising in January and February 2011.
Seven of his police commanders were acquitted in the trial. The prosecution has lodged an appeal.
In the months following his downfall, Egypt’s interim military rulers rounded up top Mubarak-era leaders and police commanders and put them on trial, under pressure from protesters.
Most have since been acquitted, as widespread anger shifted to Mubarak’s successor, Mohammed Morsi.
Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, was removed by the army in 2013 and his movement crushed in a crackdown that left hundreds dead.
He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison over deadly clashes outside his palace during his year in power.
Mubarak was overthrown in one of the regional uprisings that swept the Middle East in 2011 after Tunisian protesters forced their president out.
The revolutionary optimism that marked the uprising has given way to fatigue and even nostalgia among many for the stability under Mubarak’s regime.
His former military intelligence chief, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is now president.
Mr El Sisi removed Morsi, who had promoted him to defence minister in a move to purge Mubarak loyalists in the army, after millions protested to demand Morsi’s resignation.
Since then Mr El Sisi has crushed the Muslim Brotherhood, once the country’s largest political movement, while restoring the police’s authority after it had all but collapsed in 2011.
Mr El Sisi has distanced himself from Mubarak, but says the country has little room for chaotic protests as it tries to recover its economy.
*Agence France-Presse
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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
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