Emergency personnel transfer a person rescued from a missing tour boat in Shari, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on April 24, 2022. AP
Emergency personnel transfer a person rescued from a missing tour boat in Shari, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on April 24, 2022. AP
Emergency personnel transfer a person rescued from a missing tour boat in Shari, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on April 24, 2022. AP
Emergency personnel transfer a person rescued from a missing tour boat in Shari, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on April 24, 2022. AP

Ten deaths confirmed in Japanese tour boat tragedy


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Japan’s coastguard said on Sunday that at least 10 of the 26 people aboard a tour boat that went missing off the northern island of Hokkaido have been confirmed dead, while the search for the others was continuing.

The coastguard launched a rescue operation on Saturday after the 19-tonne Kazu 1 sent a distress call saying its bow had flooded and that it was beginning to sink and tilt, while travelling off the western coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula.

The boat had two crew members and 24 passengers aboard, including two children. None were found until Sunday morning.

The Transport Ministry, meanwhile, launched an investigation into the boat’s operator over its safety standards and decision to conduct the tour despite rough weather.

“We will thoroughly investigate what caused this situation and what kind of safety oversight was involved to allow the tour in order to prevent another accident,” said Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito, who visited the area on Sunday.

We will thoroughly investigate what caused this situation and what kind of safety oversight was involved to allow the tour
Tetsuo Saito,
Transport Minister

The ministry will also investigate if or how Saturday’s accident was related to two previous accidents involving the same boat last year, Mr Saito said. The operator had been instructed to take steps to improve its safety following the incidents.

The coastguard confirmed that the same boat capsized in the area last June, although nobody was injured. In May, the boat collided with an object at sea, causing minor injuries to three passengers.

An official for the vessel’s operator, Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise, declined to comment, saying he had to respond to calls from worried families of the passengers.

The coastguard reported finding nine people earlier on Sunday after the rescuers intensified their search. All of them were found near the tip of the peninsula, north of where the boat sent a distress call. The location is known as a difficult place to manoeuvre boats because of its rocky coastline.

The coastguard initially said it could not confirm whether they were rescued alive. NHK public television said they were unconscious.

Rescuers search for the missing after 'Kazu 1' went missing off the Shiretoko Peninsula of Japan's Hokkaido island. Reuters
Rescuers search for the missing after 'Kazu 1' went missing off the Shiretoko Peninsula of Japan's Hokkaido island. Reuters

Footage on NHK showed one of the rescued people arriving on a helicopter and being transferred to an ambulance on a stretcher, while rescuers held up blue plastic shields for privacy.

An orange-coloured, square-shaped life-saving float with the boat’s name on it was also seen on the rocky coast.

The first reported rescue on Sunday came after nearly 19 hours of intense search involving six patrol boats, several aircraft and divers. The search continued through the night and was expanded with local fishing and tour boats joining the efforts, while Japan's Self Defence Force sent a destroyer and three planes.

The coastguard said they were told that everyone on board was wearing a life jacket. However, average April sea temperatures in Shiretoko National Park are just above freezing, greatly reducing the chances of survival.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but experts suspect there may be a safety negligence, and the boat ran aground and was damaged in rough seas in an area known for strong currents and a rocky coastline.

High waves and strong winds were reported in the area around noon on Saturday, according to a local fisheries co-operative. Japanese media reports said fishing boats had returned to port before noon because of the bad weather.

NHK said there was a warning for high waves of up to three metres.

A tour boat crew belonging to another operator told NHK that he warned of rough seas when he spotted the Kazu 1 crew and told them not to continue the trip.

Yoshihiko Yamada, a Tokai University marine science professor, said the boat was likely to have capsized after it was tossed around in high waves and damaged, flooded and probably sank. A tour boat of that size usually does not carry a lifeboat, and passengers possibly could not escape a rapidly sinking vessel with its windows likely to have been closed to shield them from strong winds.

In an interview with TBS television, the professor said there was also a slight possibility the boat could have been hit by a whale.

According to the operator’s website, a tour takes around three hours and offers scenic views of the western coast of the peninsula and includes potential sightings of animals such as whales, dolphins and brown bears. The national park is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site and is famous as the southernmost region to see drifting sea ice.

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Student Of The Year 2

Director: Punit Malhotra

Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal 

1.5 stars

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Torque: 1075Nm
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INDIA SQUAD

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Transmission: eight-speed automatic

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Updated: June 21, 2023, 6:25 AM`