SHARJAH // Some families who lived in a residential tower gutted by fire 12 days ago have been forced to sleep in their cars or in parks.
The tenants of the Abdul Naser building in Sharjah had been staying in hotels at the expense of Emirates Red Crescent. But three days ago they were given notice to leave.
And on Monday night, hotels cut off air-conditioning and deactivated their room key cards when they failed to leave and so they had to sleep in their cars or in parks.
However, their misery might soon be over after Sharjah’s Civil Defence director, Brig Abdullah Al Suwaidi, said that they have been offered housing by the building’s owner.
Residents of the 32-storey building on King Faisal Road were initially sheltered in 12 hotels throughout Sharjah by the Red Crescent.
Tenants who had no financial means, relatives or friends to give them shelter had to sleep in their cars parked in front of the building with their children after being told to leave the hotels.
Father of three Anas Al Dbsi spent the night in his car with his children and wife. “Yesterday, the hotel where we were staying cut of the air conditioning to force us out of the room,” said the 41-year-old, adding that the promises made by the building owner, that their apartments would be repaired and they could return, have not materialised.
Mohammed Mirza, 52, a father of four, said he slept with his family on grass near the corniche. “We slept on green grass and I also slept in the car with my children and wife,” he said.
Jihan Abdulfattah said that her family left one hotel and moved to another. “I moved to a new hotel with my two kids but we can’t afford to stay there any longer, so we need to find a solution,” said the 35-year Egyptian.
Hazim Kusaibi was another who spent the night in his car. “We were left without a shelter, now that the hotel kicked us out,” said the 32-year-old father of two. “I don’t know where to go or what to do.”
Brig Al Suwaidi said on Tuesday that a meeting had been held with the representative of the building and they had agreed to hire a maintenance company within 24 hours to start working on fixing the building.
“The owner has pledged to house the affected tenants at his expense until the building is fixed and passed the fire and safety regulations,” he said.
The tenants need to coordinate with the Red Crescent and the building representative to be housed, said Brig Al Suwaidi.
Sharjah Municipality’s engineering department has surveyed the burnt-out tower and found 54 apartments either partially or completely fire damaged. “According to our estimation, each burnt apartment would require two months to be fixed,” said Khalifa Al Suwaidi, director of the engineering department.
The fire, which broke out on October 1, forced 200 families from the building.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
LEADERBOARD
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
