ABU DHABI // The widow of a Filipino who was stabbed to death in January has been told that his body is likely to be repatriated for burial in the Philippines some time this month.
Yolando Castillo, a 30-year-old chemical engineer living in the capital, was taken to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City with six stab wounds early on January 14.
According to Romy Castillo, a family friend but no relation, the man died of internal haemorrhaging at 9.30am on the same day.
His widow, Nancy, wanted to take his remains home when she and her three children left Abu Dhabi on March 5, but she was told by the authorities that the body could not be released until investigations were complete.
Last week Noel Servigon, the consul-general at the Philippine Embassy, said his officials had been working with Mr Castillo's former employer on the issue. On Sunday, Mrs Castillo confirmed that she had been assured the body would be returned within two to three weeks at the company's expense.
"Why has it taken this long?" Mrs Castillo said by phone from her home in Laguna, 54km south of Manila. "My three children know that their father is dead and we have been waiting for his body."
She said her two sons, aged nine and eight, and her 18-month-old daughter had been sick. She appealed to the authorities to "have pity on us".
Mrs Castillo disclosed that the finding of a post mortem examination had been "death at home and suicide", but she rejected this.
"My husband died in the hospital. He was killed," she said. "The doctors and the embassy officials know this. I am appealing for justice for my husband and for the embassy to help us pursue the case in court."
Mrs Castillo declined to discuss further the circumstances behind her husband's death. Neither the police nor the consulate would comment on earlier reports that a suspect had been arrested, or give any details of the investigation.
On September 2, Mr Servigon and two embassy officials, Adel Cruz, the consul, and Carlito Dizon, the case officer, met Mrs Castillo's lawyer for an update on the case.
"We were informed that the investigation has been concluded but the final report has yet to be signed by the prosecutor," Mr Servigon said.
"We requested the lawyer to follow up the release of the final report and to provide us with an official copy so that the next course of action could be considered."
rruiz@thenational.ae
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
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
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Frida%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets