DUBAI // A speedboat driver who fatally injured a 72-year-old Emirati fisherman when he crashed into his boat was sentenced to a month in jail and fined Dh1,000 yesterday.
DE, 37, from Lebanon, was piloting the speedboat to the World Islands development for his employer, the Dubai Water Sports Association, when the accident happened on May 3 last year.
Before setting out, DE had told DB, an employee at the Dubai Water Sports Association, to load seven two-metre-high floating barriers on to the speedboat - five on the front of the boat and one on each side.
"I wasn't able to see clearly because of the barriers," DB said.
He said that he was travelling at 30 knots (55kph) despite poor visibility at the time.
The fisherman, AM, had stopped his boat behind the fishing port. Shortly after 6.30am, two crewmen screamed a warning that a speedboat was approaching. Both men then jumped into the sea.
The speedboat hit the fishing vessel, flew into the air and landed on top of the craft, injuring AM.
The two crewmen called police, and an ambulance took the unconscious AM to Rashid Hospital.
A forensic report confirmed he had suffered severe injuries to his head and left lung, and multiple fractures. He died on August 25.
At a hearing in February at the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours, DE denied causing death due to negligence and lack of attention, as well as causing Dh31,000 in damage.
DE's lawyer, Mohammed al Saadi, said last night that his client had initially pleaded not guilty because he had misunderstood the charge as one of intentional killing. Once the charge had been explained, DE had changed his plea to guilty, Mr al Saadi said.
DE had spent a month in jail before trial and had been freed already, he said. The lawyer said his client would pay the fine "soon", and that diyya (blood money) would be covered by insurance.
Mr al Saadi welcomed the leniency of the sentence, saying the court had taken into consideration his client's guilty plea and lack of intent.
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
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Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
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
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
