Each day, thousands of deliverymen across the country cope with life-threatening work-related risks. The pressures of the job are constant: dangerous encounters with motorists and long hours in return for wages and occasional tips. Then there is the weather – with summer almost upon us, more people are choosing to order in their meals and groceries rather than venture outside.
Restaurants and neighbourhood baqalas know that delivering orders quickly is a good way to expand business. Even though some restaurants and shops don’t set strict time limits for deliveries, these men know that they have to be quick. This pressure – and the fear of getting scolded by their employers – can make them literally zigzag through traffic, risking their lives and those of others.
Unfortunately, deliverymen have few defenders or advocates for their well-being. The pizza delivery company Freedom Pizza is one of those few. As The National reported yesterday, the company has launched a Safety Delivered initiative, to protect motorcycle delivery riders.
Each of the company’s 125 drivers has been asked to sign a pledge to drive safely. They also wear helmets with pictures of their family members with phrases such as “I am a son” and “I am a father”. The intention behind this move is to remind them of who they live for.
This is an important step, considering the statistics. Out of more than 1,500 road accidents recorded last year in Dubai, motorbikes were found to be at fault on around 10 per cent of occasions.
Although there is no way to determine the number of offences committed by delivery drivers, there are reasons for other businesses to follow this simple policy. But that alone is not enough. It needs to be the obligation of every individual to be mindful of the dangers and consequences involved for delivery drivers. Public awareness campaigns on this issue can help reduce the suffering of these people. Just as we want our food delivered safely, we should wish a safe journey on those who make the delivery.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
