• Laser light show on Burj Khalifa during the New Year Eve at Dubai Mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Laser light show on Burj Khalifa during the New Year Eve at Dubai Mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • People watch fireworks display at the Sydney Opera House on December 31, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images
    People watch fireworks display at the Sydney Opera House on December 31, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images
  • An aerial photograph shows a fireworks display held with the Christ the Redeemer Monument in the foreground during New Year celebrations, at Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EPA
    An aerial photograph shows a fireworks display held with the Christ the Redeemer Monument in the foreground during New Year celebrations, at Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EPA
  • The year's first sunrise in Damascus, Syria. Reuters
    The year's first sunrise in Damascus, Syria. Reuters
  • People praying on the first day of the new year 2025 at Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Gurdwara in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    People praying on the first day of the new year 2025 at Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Gurdwara in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Visitors bathe in incense smoke as part of a cleansing ritual at Sensoji Temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo. AP
    Visitors bathe in incense smoke as part of a cleansing ritual at Sensoji Temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo. AP
  • A Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhara devotee performs fire breathing stunts in a procession towards the Trevini Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, during the first 'royal entry' (Peshwai) for the Mahakumbh festival, in Prayagraj, northern India. AP Photo
    A Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhara devotee performs fire breathing stunts in a procession towards the Trevini Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, during the first 'royal entry' (Peshwai) for the Mahakumbh festival, in Prayagraj, northern India. AP Photo
  • Women talk on a street surrounded by buildings that were destroyed during the civil war at the district of Khalidiya in Homs, Syria. AP
    Women talk on a street surrounded by buildings that were destroyed during the civil war at the district of Khalidiya in Homs, Syria. AP
  • Women fight at the annual Takanakuy festival, which means to "hit each other" in Quechua and is celebrated to resolve conflicts, in Llique, Chumbivilcas province, Peru. Reuters
    Women fight at the annual Takanakuy festival, which means to "hit each other" in Quechua and is celebrated to resolve conflicts, in Llique, Chumbivilcas province, Peru. Reuters
  • A skater observes snow pancakes on the frozen Lac des Rousses in central-eastern France. AFP
    A skater observes snow pancakes on the frozen Lac des Rousses in central-eastern France. AFP
  • Women touch the image of Saint Benedict as they take part in the nine-day Marujada religious festival in Braganca, Para state, Brazil. AFP
    Women touch the image of Saint Benedict as they take part in the nine-day Marujada religious festival in Braganca, Para state, Brazil. AFP
  • Revellers covered in flour celebrate the traditional Els Enfarinats (the floured ones) festival at Ibi, Alicante, Valencia, Spain. They stage a mock coup and battle with fireworks, eggs and flour on the Day of the Innocents, a Spanish version of April Fools' Day. EPA
    Revellers covered in flour celebrate the traditional Els Enfarinats (the floured ones) festival at Ibi, Alicante, Valencia, Spain. They stage a mock coup and battle with fireworks, eggs and flour on the Day of the Innocents, a Spanish version of April Fools' Day. EPA
  • Wounded Palestinians displaced from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza by Israeli troops, arrive at Al Ahli Al Arabi Hospital. Reuters
    Wounded Palestinians displaced from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza by Israeli troops, arrive at Al Ahli Al Arabi Hospital. Reuters
  • Alaa Hamami gazes into a fragment of a broken mirror as she poses for a portrait beside her deteriorating cosmetics in her tent at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip. AP
    Alaa Hamami gazes into a fragment of a broken mirror as she poses for a portrait beside her deteriorating cosmetics in her tent at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip. AP
  • Madagascar ring-tailed lemurs huddle together at the Exzootic Indoor Zoo at the Avenues Mall in Kuwait city. AFP
    Madagascar ring-tailed lemurs huddle together at the Exzootic Indoor Zoo at the Avenues Mall in Kuwait city. AFP
  • A group of migrants waits to be treated by the Red Cross after arriving on a fibreglass boat at the beach of Castillo del Romeral on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. Reuters
    A group of migrants waits to be treated by the Red Cross after arriving on a fibreglass boat at the beach of Castillo del Romeral on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. Reuters
  • Buddhist monks mourn for the victims of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft that crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, South Korea. AFP
    Buddhist monks mourn for the victims of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft that crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, South Korea. AFP
  • Two men dressed as Brodacze (bearded men) in Slawatycze, Podlasie region in eastern Poland. AFP
    Two men dressed as Brodacze (bearded men) in Slawatycze, Podlasie region in eastern Poland. AFP
  • Ethnic Karen men climb a greased pole during the Karen New Year's celebration in Yangon, Myanmar. EPA
    Ethnic Karen men climb a greased pole during the Karen New Year's celebration in Yangon, Myanmar. EPA
  • A person displays a bag with local citrus fruit at a market in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. EPA
    A person displays a bag with local citrus fruit at a market in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. EPA
  • Sikh devotees take a dip in the holy sarovar at the Golden Temple during the New Year's Day in Amritsar. AFP
    Sikh devotees take a dip in the holy sarovar at the Golden Temple during the New Year's Day in Amritsar. AFP
  • The hot air balloon festival in Pokhara, Nepal, takes off. AFP
    The hot air balloon festival in Pokhara, Nepal, takes off. AFP
  • A member of the Shembe Church kneels in prayer as a surfer walks into the ocean on New Year's day in Durban. AFP
    A member of the Shembe Church kneels in prayer as a surfer walks into the ocean on New Year's day in Durban. AFP
  • Japanese Princess Hanako, Empress Emerita Michiko, and Emperor Emeritus Akihito attend a New Year's Greeting celebration at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. EPA
    Japanese Princess Hanako, Empress Emerita Michiko, and Emperor Emeritus Akihito attend a New Year's Greeting celebration at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. EPA
  • Crows perch on a tree branch on a winter's morning in Chennai, India. AP
    Crows perch on a tree branch on a winter's morning in Chennai, India. AP
  • Britain’s Billy Harris hits a return to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz during the warm-up before their men’s singles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia. AFP
    Britain’s Billy Harris hits a return to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz during the warm-up before their men’s singles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia. AFP
  • A man dashes across the street on a rainy, windy day in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
    A man dashes across the street on a rainy, windy day in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
  • Children play in the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Bureij camp for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza. AFP
    Children play in the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Bureij camp for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza. AFP
  • A boy wrapped against the cold winter morning sits in a bed in a parking area in Delhi, India. Reuters
    A boy wrapped against the cold winter morning sits in a bed in a parking area in Delhi, India. Reuters
  • A sunken boat on the Bridgewater Canal, after heavy rain caused part of the bank to collapse, in Little Bollington, north-west England. EPA
    A sunken boat on the Bridgewater Canal, after heavy rain caused part of the bank to collapse, in Little Bollington, north-west England. EPA

News

Pictures of the week: From new year celebrations to winter flooding

Striking images from around the world

The National

January 03, 2025

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
More from this package
Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20six-cylinder%20turbo%20(BMW%20B58)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20340hp%20at%206%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20500Nm%20from%201%2C600-4%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20ZF%208-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100kph%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.2sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20267kph%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh462%2C189%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWarranty%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030-month%2F48%2C000k%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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

Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

Updated: January 03, 2025, 6:02 PM
WeekendPhotography