Russian president Vladimir Putin will visit Egypt on Monday to discuss expanding political, economic, energy and trade ties, officials said.
The Russian leader will hold talks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi on issues related to stability and security in the Middle East and North Africa, the Kremlin said.
The Egyptian government said Mr Putin's visit reflected the shared commitment to "strengthening the historic and strategic relations" between Moscow and Cairo.
Mr Putin's visit follows the Russian government's announcement last week that Moscow and Cairo have drafted an agreement for Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases.
The deal comes as part of Moscow's efforts to further expand its military foothold in the region following its campaign in Syria.
Under Mr El Sisi, Egypt has expanded military ties with Russia and signed a slew of deals to buy Russian weapons.
On a visit to Cairo last week, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu noted an increase in military cooperation between the two countries and emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.
An ISIL affiliate based in the northern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula claimed responsibility for the October 2015 downing of a Russian passenger jet that killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists.
The bombing prompted Russia to cut commercial flights with Egypt, a heavy blow that decimated the country's vital tourism industry.
Moscow and Cairo have held talks on boosting airport security and resuming the air link, but no agreement has been reached so far.
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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Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
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Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
