There is a nervousness on Cape Cod, a hooked shaped peninsula in Massachusetts in the north east of the US, as it prepares to welcome millions of tourists over the summer, following a fatal shark attack last September.
Arthur Medici, 26, was the first person to be killed by a shark off the Cape since 1936.
Only weeks earlier another holidaymaker, William Lytton, a neurologist from Scarsdale, New York, was badly injured by a shark that sank its teeth into his thigh.
He needed six operations and even then still lost a substantial amount of muscle from his leg.
Now Massachusetts is investing heavily to make sure the Cape is "shark prepared" this summer, rather than risk another incident which would have a devastating impact on the economically vital tourist industry.
With its picturesque towns and abundant sandy beaches, Cape Cod welcomed nearly four million people last year who, according to one estimate, spent around $1 billion (Dh3.67 bn).
Unfortunately for the tourist industry, the number of great white sharks is on the rise as well.
Last July Greg Skomal, a marine biologist in Massachusetts, said his research team had spotted 149 – more than double the 74 seen in the previous year.
The consensus is that shark population growth has been driven by the abundance of grey seals in the region.
According to the latest estimate, there are at least 50,000 seals in Cape Cod. Their numbers have soared since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972.
While the legislation has rescued the seals from the brink of extinction, it has also provided plentiful food for sharks, which have been drawn to the Cape to hunt their favourite prey.
Prior to the Act, there was a bounty on seals, with hunters being paid $5 if they presented a nose to the authorities, because fishermen feared they were devouring the cod on which their livelihoods depended.
"The moratorium on culling seals has allowed that population to rebound," said Bryan Legare, a marine biologist with the Centre for Coastal Studies.
"Protection was put in place for the great white sharks in the 1990s and taking the pressure off has allowed that population to rebound as well."
The rise in the seal population, already blamed for the decline of the cod fishing industry in the Cape, is now threatening the region's other major money-spinner, tourism.
Given the sharp rise in the shark population, action was needed.
Via its Executive Office of Public Safety, Massachusetts announced it was investing $383,000 (Dh1.4 m) to deal with the problem.
The grant will be shared by six towns on the Atlantic Ocean: Truro, Eastham, Wellfleet, Chatham, Orleans and Provincetown.
Perhaps hoping not to put off tourists visiting the Cape this summer, the press release announcing this initiative avoided using the word "shark".
Massachusetts chose a rather more anodyne term – the funds are for "municipal preparedness and response programmes."
The money is being used to pay for emergency telephone boxes in areas where the mobile signal is weak; all-terrain vehicles to speed getting help to where it's needed; satellite phones for lifeguards; and specialised medical equipment.
"We are doing what we can at this point to increase the availability of communication in remote locations and enhancing our emergency response," said Suzanne Thomas, the director of community services at Wellfleet.
"We have no way of protecting people 100 per cent from sharks. What we can do is educate them about how the ocean works… If there was something which would give us 100 per cent protection against sharks we would have done it."
But some question whether the response has been adequate.
"The seals are protected, the sharks are protected but recreational water areas aren't," said Marc Angelillo, a lifelong surfer from Orleans.
"Measures on land to deal with a shark attack do not go far enough," he said. "Technology is available which would track sharks and, in some cases, product is out there now to deter them.
"We have seen enough research. They have been talking and collecting info for about five years now, we are in desperate need to have something in place for all Cape Cod recreational ocean areas."
Some officials on the Cape were reluctant even to discuss the shark issue publicly, fearing that it would generate unwanted adverse publicity.
But Mr Angelillo is among those who want the problem aired publicly and urgent action to be taken.
"What we are talking about is another life-threatening, life-altering catastrophe situation going to happen very soon.
"Unfortunately, next time the victim could be somebody local or from our community."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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