A bitter January wind is biting in central London and passers-by shrink into their coats. But Liam, who is homeless, is still smiling as he tries to get people to stop and talk to him.
Aside from his winning smile, he also offers an element intrigue, thanks to an unusual box hanging from his neck?
"I say to people: 'Hi, like to come and talk about this box?' The box makes people stop," says Liam, 34, who did not reveal his full name and is currently sleeping in a night shelter.
People can tap their credit or debit cards on his box to give a £3 ($4.07) donation via contactless payment.
While £2 goes towards Liam's wages, the other £1 is donated to two homeless charities. In return, donors get a small art card depicting one of the week's news events.
Tapping into the increasing use of contactless payments for everything from commuting to minor retail transactions, social enterprise TAP London is offering work for the homeless as charity fundraisers, all without any cash changing hands.
Homelessness is on the rise in England, with at least 4,100 people sleeping rough on any given night in 2016, according to the homeless charity Crisis.
At the same time, use of contactless payments more than doubled last year, according to trade group The UK Card Association.
All of TAP London's vendors are homeless and telling their personal stories often persuades people to donate.
Since being kicked out of his family home at the age of 16, Liam has spent the last 18 years on and off the streets, struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Following rehab, he's been clean for 13 months.
"I'm trying to do something different rather than sit there and moan that the government won't do anything to help me," says Liam.
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The idea for the social enterprise came after TAP cofounder Polly Gilbert tried to donate food to a homeless man one evening. He rejected the hot dog she offered, explaining he had already been given five that evening.
"Both of us had cared about homelessness but were frustrated at not knowing what to do," says fellow cofounder Katie Whitlock, 28.
Newspaper reports about street beggars making lucrative gains by pretending to be homeless and concerns about donated money supporting addictions have left people confused about whether to give money, says Ms Whitlock.
Ms Gilbert and Ms Whitlock quit their advertising jobs and spent a year researching contactless payment options and homelessness, meeting charities and local government councils before launching TAP London in November.
They work with the homeless charity St Mungo's to find their vendors but have also found them through other means - Liam had used classified ad website Craigslist to advertise that he was fit, healthy and ready to work.
"More employment opportunities are needed. Homeless individuals are rarely given a chance to be part of their solution," says Ms Whitlock. For those that do not spy one of the boxes, donations can also be made directly via the company's website.
For TAP vendor Viktor, 37, there is a big difference between asking for money from the public in this way and begging.
"When you are begging on the pavement ... the police are after you. You don't enjoy any minute of begging. It's very shameful," he says.
Now being paid £9.75 an hour, the 'living wage' in London, he is able to stay in a night shelter that only takes residents who are working.
On a good day, five people per hour stop and donate - but vendors are paid their hourly wage regardless of how many donors they attract.
Do people ask why he is homeless?
"Yes, and I really welcome that. It's better when the conversation is interactive," says Viktor, who wanted to be identified only by his first name.
He became homeless after losing his job due to drug addiction. Once, while unconscious on the street, a bag containing a bank card and his passport was stolen.
"What employment does is create a footprint again. They're thrilled to be paying taxes," says Ms Whitlock. "They have contracts and a place to be each day."
Potential donors, on the other hand, are drawn in by the box.
"As soon as I saw the thing I was interested as to what was round his neck. The box made me stop. And he had a smiley face," says Samantha Maclean, 27, who had stopped to tap for Liam.
"The amount of times you walk past and wish you had cash to give but genuinely don't have any. £3 is nothing really. It's less than a coffee from Starbucks," she says.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
