Terrorists found guilty of the Brussels attacks in which 32 people were killed expressed regret for their actions in court on Monday.
The suicide attacks in the Belgian capital’s main airport and metro system on March 22, 2016 were claimed by ISIS.
In July, the jury found six defendants guilty on all charges of murder, attempted murder and participation in a terrorist organisation.
Several of those on trial had already been convicted of taking part in the Paris terrorist attacks months earlier in which 137 people died.
“I have empathy for you,” said the trial’s most high-profile offender, 33-year-old Frenchman Salah Abdeslam, as he spoke directly to victims sitting in the courtroom north of Brussels.
“I thought of you and I questioned myself. I am not proud to see women who have been disfigured, wounded in the flesh – and men too,” he said.
Abdeslam was already handed a life sentence without parole last year in Paris for co-organising attacks in 2015 that killed 130 people but has always denied being involved in the Brussels attacks.
He acknowledged on Monday that a statement earlier this year in court, in which he said those killed and injured in the Brussels attacks were “not my victims,” had been “tactless”.
He said he had spent six-and-a-half years in prison in isolation without speaking to anyone. As a result, “sometimes, you don’t find the right words,” Abdeslam said.
The terrorist also sought to blame international politics and the civil war in Syria for his decision to join ISIS. He described how he had been influenced by the large number of young men in his neighbourhood in Brussels who left the country to join rebel groups in Syria after the start of the war in 2011.
Monday was the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks against the US. Fellow convicted terrorist Mohamed Abrini, 38, referred to this and said: “Many lives have been turned upside down because of events that happen everywhere on Earth and because of politics.”
Abrini seemed agitated as he spoke to the court and played with his watch.
Abrini, who holds Belgian and Moroccan citizenship, was also sentenced in Paris to life in prison, with 22 years minimum behind bars.
Abdeslam, Abrini and five other offenders were given the opportunity to give one last public speech before sentencing later this week.
Prosecutors had previously asked the jury to sentence the men to life in prison and described Abdeslam as unable to express empathy for his victims but keen to express self-pity.
Belgian Moroccans Ali El Haddad Asufi and Bilal El Makhouki, who were also found guilty on all three counts, said they regretted their actions.
El Makhouki said the trial had made him realise the huge impact the attacks had.
“I cannot excuse myself for what I did,” he said.
“He destroyed my life, but I also destroyed it by not asking myself the right questions,” he said.
Swedish citizen Osama Krayem, also found guilty on all three counts, refused to speak on Monday after remaining silent for most of the trial.
A sixth man, Oussama Atar, is believed to have died in fighting for ISIS is Syria in 2017.
Sofien Ayari, who is Tunisian, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in Paris but absolved in Brussels of the charges of murder and attempted murder.
Ayari said he had already expressed his regrets in a previous hearing, when he mistakenly thought it would be the last time he could speak in public, and had nothing to add.
Herve Bayingana Muhirwa, of Belgian and Rwandan nationality, was found guilty of participation in a terrorist group.
“I cannot repair what happened on March 22, but I’ll try my best to do something better,” said Muhirwa.
After the hearing, victims' families and survivors could be seen leaving the courtroom in tears.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Philippe Vansteenkiste, who lost his sister Fabienne in the airport attack.
“We are in a highly emotional moment, and I think I need time to digest what I heard.
“But some of them still have tunnel vision. There’s still a lot of work to do. I would like to hear them again in a few months or even a year to hear how they feel – it would be more sincere.”
Philippe Vandenberghe, a former employee at Zaventem airport, said he was doubtful whether Abdeslam would ever “calm down”.
“Abdeslam is still very angry against the state and the judicial system,” he said.
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
