Nine-year-old Shannon Matthews failed to return home from school and has been missing for almost a month. The police are in the process of interviewing the girl's relatives and their next stop is the flat of her stepfather's uncle. When knocks at the front door go unanswered, they kick it down and hear whispers coming from the bedroom.
The officers find the girl squashed into a drawer under the bed beside
her captor.
Something doesn't add up. When her mother, who cried herself silly during media interviews, pleading for her daughter to come home, finds out that Shannon is alive and well, she behaves oddly.
When she first sees her daughter after the rescue, all she says is ...
The rest of the story will have to wait until my drive home, as I've just pulled up at the office. I've been listening to case 58 of Casefile, a true crime podcast out of Australia. Each episode recounts a hair-raising mystery – some which have been solved, and some which are cold cases. And while they're certainly entertaining – in the same way that psychological thrillers and horror films are – the stories are also a reminder that my life in a city that's incredibly safe is sheltered.
I've lived in Dubai for 12 years, and in that time have adopted some habits that would appear to be the opposite of "street-smart". I don't think I would ever notice if another car was following me, and I don't always check to see if my front door is locked before going to bed. If eating at a restaurant with a buffet, I often leave my phone – or even my handbag – on the table.
In any other city, my actions may be perceived as terribly careless; a kidnapping or burglary waiting to happen. You may be wondering what has made me realise my naivety?
Not my mother's stories of her car getting broken into when she lived in New York, or my husband's vigilance when it comes to checking the doors and windows before heading to bed. No, it's the crime podcasts I listen to during my daily journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi that have proven to be my wake-up call.
During my first 18 months commuting, the radio provided me with a suitable soundtrack for my hour-long drives. But when I realised I had memorised the lyrics of every Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars track on the charts, I decided to try listening to Serial – a podcast my husband had been urging me to get into for months.
The first episode introduces the story of Pakistani-American Adnan Syed, who was arrested for killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. He maintains his innocence from prison.
American journalist Sarah Koenig tells his story through a series of 12 episodes. After listening to the first one I was hooked, unable to leave my car until an episode had concluded – even if that meant spending 10 minutes in my parked car before entering my home or office.
Within a week, I had listened to season one, and moved onto season two, which recounts the story of American sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who left his post in Afghanistan only to be captured and held by the Taliban for five years.
After finishing Serial, I started Someone Knows Something. The first season looks into the 1972 disappearance of 5-year-old Adrien McNaughton. The second season suggests Michael Lavoie had something to do with the disappearance of his fiancé Sheryl Sheppard in 1998, although no arrest has been made, and no body found.
These crime podcasts have done more than provide me with entertainment. They've been a reality check, reminding me that I can't afford to get too comfortable, regardless of how safe I may perceive my surroundings to be.
The UAE is not devoid of crime entirely. As I write this, a scan of recent court stories on The National's homepage reveal details about the rape and murder of an 11-year-old boy, a woman whose bag was stolen at knifepoint and a fake dentist who used anaesthetic on his patients. I'm currently listening to Casefile and Sword & Scale at the moment – both are equally riveting, and have changed the way I view my commute.
The drive, believe it or not, has become something I look forward to. Even now, I'm eager to continue where I left off this morning, and with a bit of self-control, I'm refraining from using Google to discover the outcome.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Persuasion
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarrie%20Cracknell%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDakota%20Johnson%2C%20Cosmo%20Jarvis%2C%20Richard%20E%20Grant%2C%20Henry%20Golding%20and%20Nikki%20Amuka-Bird%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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
