Dubai police are just an app away

Dubai's police chief yesterday unveiled a new mobile-phone application that allows people to call up the emergency services at the touch of a button.

Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim revealed the new system during a lecture at the Dubai Police Officers Club. The SOS (Save Our Souls) smartphone application sends a distress signal to the Dubai police command-and-control centre in the case of an emergency.

Developed by Dubai police, the app has been tested and will soon roll out for public use, Lt Gen Tamim said yesterday.

The app, currently available only for Android phones, allows members of the public in trouble or facing danger to have a direct link to the command-and-control room.

Lt Gen Tamim said the app has a large button at the centre of the screen that, when pressed, informs police of your details and GPS location, eliminating the need for voice interaction.

He also said that the application can be used with smartphones and house alarms by any member of the public, including senior citizens.

"We tested it out and it is a success," he said. "Now senior citizens, people with special needs or people in critical situations can immediately inform the command centre during any emergency."

Lt Gen Tamim said that the software programme had been developed to serve the needs of citizens inside or outside the city.

"It works for people out at sea, or in the desert - we even took it to remote areas and it is now in use there," he said.

A device for the home that serves the same purpose has also been developed with senior citizens in mind, the police chief said. It will be paid for and will soon be made available from Dubai police general headquarters.

During a lecture on leadership skills yesterday, Lt Gen Tamim pressed the app button and received a call back from the command centre in less than two minutes. The centre will call back in cases of an emergency, but will also attend the scene.

amustafa@thenational.ae

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE

Join parent networks
Look beyond school fees
Keep an open mind

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Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
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Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying