Dear Ali: I live in Ras Al Khaimah and would like to know where I can get hijama [blood letting though a small skin incision] done since the treatment has helped me in the past with my back pain. RT, Ras Al Khaimah
Dear RT: Hijama rids the body of toxins and stale blood, and encourages healthier circulation. One of the best things about the treatment is that it is beneficial even to people who don't suffer from illness and are looking only to improve or maintain their well-being.
In RAK there is a clinic in the Um Al Arj area run by Moza Al Mazroui. She is a licensed hijama practitioner and a professional who studied hijama as a medicine and conducted research at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt. You might need an appointment. Call 050 110 2626.
Dear Ali: What can you tell me about housing costs and recommendations in Abu Dhabi? I'm thinking of taking a job there and want to be near the American High School, if possible. I would prefer a town house or villa as we're bringing our two dogs and want a three- or four-bedroom place. How much should we budget? ED, United States
Dear ED: You might get accommodation provided by your employer, or receive a housing allowance and find a place of your own choice. I assume you refer to the American International School as a landmark. If you want to find a villa with three or four bedrooms, you should budget between Dh183,000 (US$50,000) a year for a place in the suburbs of Abu Dhabi, such as Mussafah or Khalifa City, and Dh367,000 in Abu Dhabi city.
Browse the property listings of the website www.dubizzle.com, one of the popular online sites for sales and rentals, to get a feel for the market. Go to abudhabi.dubizzle.com/property-for-rent.
Some landlords might not be dog-lovers and would refuse to allow you to keep dogs. Emiratis tend to keep dogs for hunting or guarding, but not really as pets, since this is a bit of a tricky issue with our religious views. Be sure to check with a prospective landlord.
Bringing pets into the country is, in general, not a problem, but some administrative preparation is needed. Visit www.abudhabi.ae and search for "pets".
Dear Ali: I am wondering about starting a business in the UAE. Do you have to register the business if you are planning to sell only to retailers and online (no storefront for the moment)? KB, Dubai
Dear KB: Yes, everyone who wants to operate a business in the UAE must have it registered, or have an agency that represents his or her products or business.
Sometimes local independent companies will buy your products, but major brands and international companies usually buy only from larger sources. If you are not an Emirati and make your products at home, I recommend you get a licence from a free zone in any emirate that may offer a licence to your field. If you plan to sell abayas or jalabiyas that you make, many local stores will buy them, even though it's not legal.
Emirati women may go to the Chamber of Commerce and get the "mubdia" licence, which allows them to operate from home without needing to have an office and rent and so on.
Language lesson
Arabic: Tamweel
English: Funding
When seeking funding for a product or a concept from banks or investors, in Arabic you would say: "Ana mehtaj tamweel", which means "I need funding".
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia