Latest news with #DirectLine
Sharjah 24
a day ago
- Business
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah Ruler directs approval of 400 jobs after Eid
His Highness also approved the implementation plan for the Sharjah Programme to Qualify and Train Job Seekers, which will run from July 1 to December 31, 2025, with a total budget of AED 55.8 million . This initiative aims to enhance employment opportunities and support national competencies. This was announced during a phone call made by Abdullah Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Human Resources, on the "Direct Line" programme broadcast on Sharjah Radio and TV.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Sultan approves 400 new govt positions to be filled after Eid Al Adha
His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has instructed the people concerned to approve 400 new positions in government entities in the emirate. These positions will be filled after Eid Al Adha, with priority given to university graduates who have previously been qualified and trained in government human resources programmes. Sheikh Sultan also approved a plan to implement the Sharjah Job Seekers Training and Qualification Programme, which runs from July 1 to December 31, 2025, with a total budget of Dhs55.8 million, with a view to enhancing employment opportunities and supporting national competencies. This came during a telephone conversation conducted by Abdullah Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Human Resources, via the 'Direct Line' programme broadcast on Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.
Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
Sharjah to build health centres in Al Seyouh and Al Rahmaniyah
Engineer Marwa Obaid Al Taffag, Head of Federal Buildings, Housing and Facilities Design Section at Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, announced the completion of the engineering plans for two health centres in Al Seyouh and Al Rahmaniya suburbs of Sharjah in co-operation with the Emirates Health Services Corporation. Work is underway to award the tender to a contractor, she added. The two centres would provide the highest level of health services and would include clinics for family medicine, dentistry, maternity and childcare, and radiology, in addition to a unit that provides 24-hour medical treatment services, she said. The ministry is keen on establishing the centres according to the highest quality standards to serve the residents of these areas. This was announced in a conversation with Ahmed Sultan on the Direct Line programme broadcast live on Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aviva posts 9% rise in general insurance premiums in Q1 2025
Aviva reported a 9% increase in general insurance premiums in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2025), reaching £2.9bn, up from £2.7bn in the same quarter of the previous year. Its UK and Ireland general insurance (UK&I GI) segment saw premiums increase by 12% to £2bn ($2.6bn), with an 8% rise in personal lines and 15% growth in commercial lines. According to the company, this growth reflects 'strong new business and the acquisition of Probitas'. In Canada, general insurance premiums remained flat at £900m (C$1.68bn) in reported currency basis and up 5% on constant currency basis, with personal lines posting a 10% rise due to pricing strategies. Commercial lines witnessed a 2% decline as the company maintained its focus on 'margins over volume'. The company's retirement division sales also increased by 4% to £1.8bn, driven by individual annuities and equity release. Its protection and health sales rose by 19% to £126m following the completion of an acquisition from AIG in April 2024. Health in-force premiums increased by 11%. The insurer's wealth net flows reached £2.3bn in Q1 2025 as against £2.7bn in Q1 2024, representing 5% of opening assets under management. Additionally, Aviva stated that estimated Solvency II shareholder cover ratio remains at 201%, compared with 203% in the prior year. Aviva stated that it is already a more capital-light business, which accounts for 56% of operating profit, and the acquisition of Direct Line is expected to take this figure to beyond 70% as synergies and profits are delivered. Expressing confidence in meeting its targets, the company aims to achieve an operating profit of £2bn by 2026, Solvency II OFG of £1.8bn by 2026 and cash remittances of more than £5.8bn cumulative for 2024–26. Aviva Group CEO Amanda Blanc said: 'Aviva has got off to a great start in 2025. We continue to trade strongly, serving our customers well, growing profitably right across the group, and demonstrating the resilience of our diversified business in a period of market volatility. 'We continue to be very positive about the outlook for 2025. Our balance sheet is strong, we have a clear customer-focused strategy, which we continue to deliver at pace, and our market-leading businesses are growing well, especially in capital-light areas. We are increasingly confident about Aviva's prospects and meeting our financial targets.' Blanc further added: 'The acquisition of Direct Line is firmly on track. Direct Line shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of the transaction and we expect to complete the deal in the middle of the year.' Recently, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into Aviva's proposed £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line, examining its potential effects on competition within the UK market. "Aviva posts 9% rise in general insurance premiums in Q1 2025 " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
STV News
16-05-2025
- STV News
'You feel violated': Exploring the dark world of tool theft
According to data from Direct Line, there are 10,000 cases of tool theft in London each year, as ITV News reporter Antoine Allen investigated. For many tradespeople, their tools are their livelihood. But across Britain, thieves are turning vans and building sites into prime targets, fueling an underground economy where stolen power tools are being openly sold at boot sales with little fear of consequence. ITV News has been investigating this growing crimewave – and the devastating emotional impact it is having on the workers at the sharp end of the crisis. I explored the hidden mental health crisis linked to tool theft, which is impacting thousands of tradespeople across the UK. Stephen Barker, a multi-trade from Hertfordshire, told me that he attempted to take his own life after £15,000 worth of his tools were stolen, leaving him unable to work and spiraling into debt. 'It's not just a tool – it's a whole way of putting bread on the table for our families, a whole way of buying school shoes for our kids, a whole way of taking families on holidays and making magical moments. 'People sit there and think 'oh it's just a drill', but that drill earns me money to do what I've got to do. 'So when it's taken you 14 years to build up all your gear…. within five minutes you're gone, everything you've worked for – gone. 'You feel violated, you feel worthless.' According to the Tradespeople Against Tool Theft white paper by On The Tools, the scale of the mental health impact is alarming: 86% of tradespeople now worry about tool theft, up from 80% in 2022. 58% worry about it daily. Every 21 minutes, tools are stolen across the country Exclusive data obtained by Direct Line business insurance reveals the scale of the crisis: £40m worth of tools were stolen in 2024. On average, a tool theft was reported to police every 21 minutes – amounting to 70 thefts per day. 25,525 tool thefts were reported in 2024, with nearly half – 12,414 thefts – coming from vehicles. Despite a reported 18% fall in thefts last year, the crime remains a pressing concern. Trades people told ITV News the decline could be due to some victims losing faith in the police, and simply not reporting the thefts. A staggering 79% of tradespeople say they've been victims at some point in their careers, and 65% believe the problem is still getting worse. It's not just opportunistic thieves at work. My investigation uncovered evidence that rogue traders are using car boot sales to offload stolen tools in plain sight, often hiding valuable goods inside vans or under stalls. The lack of regulations makes car boot sales an ideal place to sell stolen goods, with cash transactions hard for the police to track. / Credit: ITV News At Willow Farm Boot sale in Essex, I joined Metropolitan Police and Essex Police officers for an early morning raid: the two police forces' first attempt to work together to tackle the tool theft gangs. Despite initially struggling to catch sellers red-handed – with many hiding tools in vehicles – the raid resulted in four arrests and the recovery of an estimated £50,000 worth of stolen power tools. 'It's a small win,' once of the officers on the raid told me. 'From the scale of it here, we are only just starting, and we will continue to do this. 'The message really is, get your tools marked – it will make it so much easier and quicker for us when we are having to go through with UV lights finding the owners.' But the problem runs deeper. I found similar stalls brazenly selling tools at Denham Farm, Vauxhall, and Hounslow boot sales – without a single police officer in sight. Taking the fight to Westminster Frustrated by what they see as years of political inaction, tradespeople took their anger directly to Westminster earlier this year. Tradespeople protesting outside the Houses of Parliament on February 3 2025. / Credit: ITV News In February 2025, hundreds of tradespeople, led by campaign group Trades United, brought roads around Parliament to a standstill with a mass van rally, sounding horns and displaying banners like 'Hands off our vans' and 'No tools, no trade.' Organiser Shoaib Awan said up to 500 tradespeople joined the demonstration, calling for tougher sentencing for tool thieves, stronger policing, and a crackdown on boot sales. Shoaib has led the charge to bring more regulation at the boot sales. He explained to ITV News that cheap prices make it easy to spot a suspected stolen tool. Shoaib holding a brand new suspected stolen tool, which retails at £399, and is being sold for £85. / Credit: ITV News 'How does that [tool] work out at £85 when a tradesperson like myself will go out into a shop and buy it for £400?' 'Why would they sell brand new?', he asks me. 'And why would they have two of them?' The rampant tool theft has made tradespeople spend money on expensive security features and seen a rise in insurance premiums. Tradespeople told ITV News that those costs are being passed on to customers. A resolution at last? Their message was finally heard at the highest level this week. At Prime Minister's Questions, Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, directly challenged Keir Starmer to take urgent action. 'Tradespeople aren't just building Britain, they're holding our communities together,' she said. 'It's time we recognised the real cost of this crime and made the punishment fit the crime.' Amanda Martin has become one of the most vocal MPs on the issue since attending the Westminster rally earlier this year and introducing the Theft of Tools of Trade (Sentencing) Bill, which will get its second reading in Parliament later this year. In response, Keir Starmer – whose late father worked as a toolmaker – acknowledged the 'devastating impact' of tool theft, telling the Commons that his government would address the problem by: Investing £1.2bn extra into policing, Introducing 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers, Instructing the Justice Secretary to carefully consider Amanda Martin MP's proposed bill to toughen sentencing. The Prime Minister admitted that tool theft can mean 'thousands of pounds of work lost, and with a huge impact to businesses and to families.' For the tradespeople I spoke to, the fear is that unless boot sales face stricter checks, sentencing is strengthened, and police are given the powers to act swiftly, the tools of their trade will keep disappearing into the shadows —fueled by a crimewave hiding in plain sight. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
