Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Christine Dawood, whose husband Shahzada and son Suleman died aboard the Titan submersible, has revealed that the 19-year-old was a Rubik’s Cube obsessive who could solve the puzzle in 12 seconds.
“Suleman did not go anywhere without his Rubik’s cube,” Dawood told the BBC in her first interview since the tragedy.
“He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic,’” she added.
“He was so excited about this,” Dawood said of her son, describing how he taught himself to solve the puzzle using YouTube videos.
Dawood also revealed that she met husband Shahzada at university, and recalled how his great curiosity about the world meant he would make the family watch documentaries together.
“He had this ability of childlike excitement,” she said.
The family had been planning a trip on the Titan submersible for some time, Dawood said, but it was postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
She had originally planned to make the trip with her husband because Suleman was too young at the time.
“Then I stepped back and gave the space to Suleman because he really wanted to go,” Dawood said.
“I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time,” she added.
Asked how she felt now about her son taking her place on the submersible, Dawood declined to say.
She did recount the moment that those on board the Polar Prince support vessel – including herself and her 17-year-old daughter, Alina – were told that staff were no longer able to communicate with the Titan.
“I didn’t comprehend at that moment what that meant – and then it just went downhill from there,” she said
Everyone thought the submersible would resurface, Dawood added.
“There was a lot of hope,” she said.
“I think I lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark,” Dawood said, adding that at that point she messaged her family.
“I said: ‘I’m preparing for the worst.’ That’s when I lost hope,” she said.
As for what happens now, Dawood said she doubted she and Alina would ever be able to find closure.
“Is there such a thing? I don’t know,” she said.
However, the pair have vowed to learn to solve the Rubik’s Cube, she added.
“We promised ourselves we’re going to learn it for Suleman,” said Dawood.
The family will also work to continue Shahzada’s work.
“He was involved in so many things, he helped so many people and I think I really want to continue that legacy and give him that platform… It’s quite important for my daughter as well,” she said.
“I miss them,” she added. “I really, really miss them.”
The Dawoods are from a prominent Pakistani business family.
Dawood Hercules Corp., their business, is among the largest companies in the country, with a portfolio spanning energy, petrochemicals, fertilizers, information technology and food and agriculture.
Shahzada and Suleman joined a voyage on board the Titan submersible – roughly the size of a minivan – to observe the wreck of the Titanic ocean liner, which lies around 12,500 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic.
The submersible went missing on June 18, about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent to explore the wreckage. On Thursday, debris from the sub was found by search teams, indicating that the vessel had suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five people on board.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”