Dubai // Complaints about insects and rodents are increasing in number in Dubai, but projects under way should soon streamline the response system, officials say.
More than 300,000 complaints about insects and rodents were registered by the Public Health Pest Control Section of Dubai Municipality last year. Ants topped the list, followed by rodents and cockroaches.
Hisham Abdulrahman al Yahya, the head of the section, said complaints had increased with the population.
"Complaints from Emirati families increase by more than 20 per cent annually due to the rise in families," Mr al Yahya said.
Complaints received from expatriates are redirected to private pest control companies, which are licensed and monitored by the municipality.
"Our policy is to make Dubai free of pests, but if the Government worked alone it would cost millions," Mr al Yahya said.
Almost 100 private pest control companies in the city have been trained to government standards of safety and quality, and each one is evaluated every three months.
The pest control section at Dubai Municipality is working on two initiatives to speed up response to complaints.
The first involves the initial complaint stage. At present, complaints flow into the municipality call centre, which then uploads information onto its database before passing it to the pest control section, which re-enters the data onto its own system.
But by the end of April, a new unified system should be ready to replace the old method.
The second approach is to equip all field workers with devices enabling them to upload pest information to a central database as they record it.
This Geographical Distribution of Pests in Dubai (GDPD) project, to help track trends and identify potential outbreaks, is the first such initiative in the world, officials say.
"Before, we used to go to sites, fill a sheet and manually enter data," Mr al Yahya said. But with the new system, outbreaks can be spotted and counteracted quickly.
"We are also monitoring more than 200 community developments to check for problems such as mosquitos or rats," said Motahar Hussain, a pest management specialist at the section.
"At markets, we look for German cockroaches, for example, and we check cattle for any ticks," he said.
"Dubai developed very fast and there was a rise in construction," Mr Hussain said. "Only now, people are aware of how these pests come."
Most problems are a result of poor standards in cleanliness.
"We raise awareness but education takes time and effort," Mr al Yahya said. "Each family should put responsibilities into practice."
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
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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
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Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
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The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
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