Two charged with Somali man's murder


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DUBAI // Two men face the death penalty for premeditated murder after prosecutors charged them with stabbing and killing a Somali man last September.

The defendants, the Abu Dhabi-born Somali national AO, 24, and his compatriot AM, 26, were charged yesterday at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance. Both men denied the charges.

AO told prosecutors he did not intend to kill the victim, identified as Ahmed Sulaiman, but was defending himself during a fight.

"He pulled a knife on us during the fight, I stabbed him with a metal pike in his chest. I did not want to kill him," AO had said in a statement to prosecutors.

The alleged murder took place in the Naif district of Deira. A police officer told prosecutors that the attack was reported by a bystander who heard screams and said he saw the two men pull Sulaiman into a building.

According to their statements, AO and AM said that they went to see Sulaiman, who was residing at a woman's flat in Naif. The three argued and were kicked out by the flat owner.

AM told prosecutors that he left AO fighting, and Sulaiman was alive. AO, however, claimed that when he was attacked with the knife he stabbed the man, and then held him and AM stabbed him with a broken alcohol bottle.

Forensic evidence presented to court showed that police collected broken glass at the crime scene and had found a broken half of a whisky bottle.

The court will reconvene on January 9 to hear defence statements.

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Multitasking pays off for money goals

Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.

That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.

"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.

Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."

People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.

"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."

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Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

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