Tetsuya Yamagami is apprehended near the site of the fatal shooting of Shinzo Abe in Nara, western Japan. AP
Tetsuya Yamagami is apprehended near the site of the fatal shooting of Shinzo Abe in Nara, western Japan. AP
Tetsuya Yamagami is apprehended near the site of the fatal shooting of Shinzo Abe in Nara, western Japan. AP
Tetsuya Yamagami is apprehended near the site of the fatal shooting of Shinzo Abe in Nara, western Japan. AP

Tetsuya Yamagami charged with murder of Japan's ex-PM Shinzo Abe


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A man has been charged with murder by Japanese prosecutors after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a court said on Friday.

Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested immediately after Mr Abe was shot with a home-made gun as the former leader was making a campaign speech on July 8 outside a train station in Nara, western Japan.

Mr Yamagami will now stand trial for murder after a six-month mental evaluation, which prosecutors said showed he was fit to appear in court.

The 42 year old will also face a charge of violating gun laws, Nara district court said.

Police said Mr Yamagami told them he had killed Mr Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of the latter’s apparent links to a religious group he hated.

Mr Yamagami said in statements and social media postings attributed to him that he his mother had made huge donations to the Unification Church, bankrupting his family.

  • A man suspected of shooting former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is tackled to the ground by police at Yamato Saidaiji Station in Nara. Abe was pronounced dead in hospital. AFP
    A man suspected of shooting former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is tackled to the ground by police at Yamato Saidaiji Station in Nara. Abe was pronounced dead in hospital. AFP
  • A man believed to be former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is carried on a stretcher upon arrival at a hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, in western Japan. Reuters
    A man believed to be former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is carried on a stretcher upon arrival at a hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, in western Japan. Reuters
  • Police officers at the scene where Abe was shot at a political event in Nara on Friday. Bloomberg
    Police officers at the scene where Abe was shot at a political event in Nara on Friday. Bloomberg
  • People watch TV news reports on Abe's condition after the shooting. AP
    People watch TV news reports on Abe's condition after the shooting. AP
  • The shooting shocked a nation where gun violence is rare. AP
    The shooting shocked a nation where gun violence is rare. AP
  • Abe suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital. Reuters
    Abe suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital. Reuters
  • He was not showing any vital signs of life upon being admitted to hospital, officials said. AP
    He was not showing any vital signs of life upon being admitted to hospital, officials said. AP
  • He was shot during a campaign rally before Sunday's vote to elect politicians to Japan's upper house of Parliament. Reuters
    He was shot during a campaign rally before Sunday's vote to elect politicians to Japan's upper house of Parliament. Reuters
  • He stepped down as prime minister in 2020 due to health problems. Reuters
    He stepped down as prime minister in 2020 due to health problems. Reuters
  • Abe's term made him Japan's longest-serving prime minister. AP
    Abe's term made him Japan's longest-serving prime minister. AP

Lawyer Masaaki Furukawa told AP on Thursday that Mr Yamagami will have to take responsibility for the serious consequences of his alleged actions but his defence lawyers would do their best to reduce his sentence.

Japanese law allows capital punishment for murder but experts told AP the death penalty was usually imposed for multiple killings.

No date has been set for the trial and Mr Furukawa said it could be months before it begins.

Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe died after being shot in the west of the country. AP
Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe died after being shot in the west of the country. AP

Allegations of producing weapons, breaching explosives control laws and causing damage to buildings could also be added to the list of charges.

The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954 and is famous for its mass weddings.

It relies on its Japanese followers as a vital source of income.

The killing shed light on evidence to reveal deep and longstanding relations between the church and Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians.

The LDP has denied any organisational link to the church, but has acknowledged that many political figures have ties to the religious group.

The approval rate of current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government fell to record lows amid revelations about connections between the church and LDP members.

Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier

ICC Academy, November 22-28

UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal

ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan 

UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman

The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars

Fixtures

Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am

Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E640hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20from%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E11.9L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh749%2C800%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
FINAL SCORES

Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs

(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)

Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs

(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS

Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.

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 

 

UAE SQUAD

Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Most wanted allegations
  • Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
  • Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
  • Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer. 
  • Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
  • Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
  • John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
  • Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
  • Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain. 
  • Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
  • James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
  • Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack. 
HAJJAN
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Updated: January 13, 2023, 9:19 AM