Almost two weeks on from The Torch fire – that ripped through one of the world’s tallest residential buildings in Dubai Marina — and it appears many UAE residents have learnt little about protecting their belongings.
According to a new survey from Souqalmal.com, almost seven in 10 residents in the Emirates are still not bothered about signing up for a home contents policy, even with the tower blaze fresh in their minds.
Almost half of those polled go so far as to say it is “not a priority”.
The price comparison website launched a similar survey in 2012 in the aftermath of the Tamweel Tower that revealed similar results.
“The results of this week’s survey confirm that this gap has not shrunk even after multiple incidents — like the recent Torch Tower fire which left 101 apartments inaccessible to this day due to the extent of fire damage,” says Ambareen Musa, founder of Souqalmal.com. “Very little has changed in attitude towards protecting home contents.”
Earlier this week, David Harris from RSA Insurance told Your Money that there had been a 400 per cent increase in enquiries and 90 per cent increase in policy purchases following the Torch fire. But he stressed that it is often only in the immediate aftermath of an event of this nature that residents are willing to purchase policies.
Something that is perhaps concerning for the insurance companies themselves is that 34 per cent of those polled by Souqalmal.com say they do not know how to sign up for home contents cover.
However, home contents policies can cost as little as Dh1 a day with some purchasable in minutes.
It appears that rather than just bemoaning the low penetration rates of home contents insurance in the UAE (less than 10 per cent according to industry figures), insurers need to activate more aggressive marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the need for cover and the ease of acquiring it too.
Forced Deportations
While the Lebanese government has deported a number of refugees back to Syria since 2011, the latest round is the first en-mass campaign of its kind, say the Access Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization which monitors the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“In the past, the Lebanese General Security was responsible for the forced deportation operations of refugees, after forcing them to sign papers stating that they wished to return to Syria of their own free will. Now, the Lebanese army, specifically military intelligence, is responsible for the security operation,” said Mohammad Hasan, head of ACHR.
In just the first four months of 2023 the number of forced deportations is nearly double that of the entirety of 2022.
Since the beginning of 2023, ACHR has reported 407 forced deportations – 200 of which occurred in April alone.
In comparison, just 154 people were forcfully deported in 2022.
Violence
Instances of violence against Syrian refugees are not uncommon.
Just last month, security camera footage of men violently attacking and stabbing an employee at a mini-market went viral. The store’s employees had engaged in a verbal altercation with the men who had come to enforce an order to shutter shops, following the announcement of a municipal curfew for Syrian refugees.
“They thought they were Syrian,” said the mayor of the Nahr el Bared municipality, Charbel Bou Raad, of the attackers.
It later emerged the beaten employees were Lebanese. But the video was an exemplary instance of violence at a time when anti-Syrian rhetoric is particularly heated as Lebanese politicians call for the return of Syrian refugees to Syria.
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BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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