ABU DHABI // Toxic threats will continue to grow, international experts have said, and combating them requires expertise.
Among the counter-measures that can be implemented are training programmes.
“Threats of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) and toxin devices have been with us for a lot longer than just recently and they will continue to,” said Gwyn Winfield, editorial director of CBRNe World in the UK. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been looking into thousands of incidents a year. Many of the skills, training techniques and equipment have a wide variety of utility in a number of incidents, not just in CBRN.”
These high-tech threats include toxic chemicals, pathogens, micro-organisms, radioactive materials and radiation from nuclear devices. They can cause paralysis and can leave long-standing effects.
“It’s not a theoretical threat, it’s multi-dimensional,” said Dr Henk Geveke, managing director of defence, safety and security at The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. “It’s a real threat which is why it’s on the political and research agendas.”
He said these threats were ones of low probability and high impact.
“No politician can afford to do nothing about it,” he said. “You need to have cost-effective solutions because it’s a low-probability incident so not much money goes into it.”
He said the main question remained how to counter such threats. There are fourth pathways, Dr Geveke said: counter-proliferation, weapons destruction, shoot-before-you-get-shot and counter-measures. He said the main challenge was to be technology smart, designing a multifunctional device.
“That’s the way ahead,” he said. “Innovate in your crisis management system and make the public aware. Politicians and the public tend to regard them as a technical scary thing but there is a risk and you need to show them facts. Governments must make the trade-off by adopting a comprehensive approach. That’s the only way to have investments proportional to the threats.”
Dieter Rothbacher, director of operations at Hotzone Solutions Group in Austria, said preparedness, including extensive training programmes, was key.
“The risk of CBRN attacks and their detrimental consequences in an urban setting has been recognised for some time but very little has been done to quantitatively assess those risks.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding