Farah Hashi hired the Dh1.3 million Lamborghini Huracan on July 30. Patrick Ryan / The National
Farah Hashi hired the Dh1.3 million Lamborghini Huracan on July 30. Patrick Ryan / The National

The UAE’s roads are not a playground for the rich



I write in reference to your article Lamborghini hire firm pleads with UK Embassy to pay British driver's speeding fines (August 13) and the fact it appears the offender is not subject to any further action, other than the possibility of having to pay the speeding fines.

The British tourist was obviously flaunting the road traffic regulations, driving at excessive speeds and endangering the lives of other motorists.

He would have been aware that he was driving at excessive speed and the cameras would have flashed as he passed by, yet he continued racking up 33 speeding tickets.

The UAE’s highways are not a playground for the rich and famous to display such reckless behaviour and total disregard to the safety of other road users.

I think motorists deserve better protection from the authorities and a punishment imposed on this offender that would act as a deterrent to others.

Robert Nicholas, Dubai

A word of thanks to the Abu Dhabi authorities for clearly establishing the new speed limit protocols. The next step would be to unify this throughout the UAE and once that is complete, to focus on the atrocious lack of lane discipline along the nation’s highways.

Mohamed Kanoo, Abu Dhabi

Proper pay for public sector is first step in tackling graft

I write in reference to your editorial Corruption is the single biggest hindrance to progress (August 11): ensuring that public servants and ministers are well-paid, in line with the private sector, is necessary to remove corruption from many societies.

Very often, government employees are paid 30 to 50 per cent of the equivalent salaries in the private sector. The government of Singapore, for instance, has hiked the salaries of all ministers to ensure that they are comfortable and happy. It strikes me as a solid approach to reduce corruption.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Homage to Chatterjee: a truly decent human being

The death of 89-year-old Indian communist leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee is a great loss to Indian politics.

Chatterjee was universally liked by those from all political parties  because of his humble nature and his aversion to criticising others.

He lived with strong principles and had a calm and soft nature. Above all, Chatterjee was a decent human being.

He stuck to his beloved communist party throughout his career and died a legend. May his soul rest in peace.

K Ragavan, Bangalore

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Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Six tips to secure your smart home

Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.

Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.

Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.

Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.

Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.

Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.

List of UAE medal winners

Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)

Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)

Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)