DUBAI // Beware that rustling noise from the bushes – it could be a venomous, saw-scaled viper with a bite among the deadliest in the world.
A sighting of the small speckled reptile in a villa community has led to warnings for children to be careful while playing and adults to be alert on nightly walks. Snake repellent is also being sprayed weekly after the viper was spotted in a back yard in the Hattan community of The Lakes last month.
"We have told our children not to play near bushes or hedges and to play in the open areas instead," said Christine, a South African.
"Security guards have told people who walk at night to be careful. There is no panic, everything is still normal. It's just that people should be aware."
The owners' association distributed a warning notice with photos of the saw-scaled viper taken by one resident's driver.
"It is not the intention to alarm but to inform you so you can be on your guard, especially those with small children, in respect of the presence of a snake species that warrants an alert as it can be aggressive and venomous," the notice said.
"It was confirmed by Dubai Municipality Pest Control Section that the snake species found and photographed in the area is a saw-scaled viper. There have been several snake sightings, though many unconfirmed and probably even more unreported."
Copies of a municipality fact sheet on common snakes found in Dubai have been distributed to residents. The notice identifies the viper as an aggressive predator that hunts mainly at night, is easily provoked and strikes rapidly when it senses danger.
The saw-scaled viper is also listed as one of five dangerous snakes in the emirate. When threatened, it curls into a series of c-shaped coils and produces a loud, rasping warning hiss, the notice said.
Dr Reza Khan, wildlife and zoo specialist with Dubai Municipality, said people should never attempt to handle the snake or to approach it.
"The saw-scaled viper is a nocturnal creature and it rests by day in cool places," he said. "I don't believe there are many vipers in that area as this is the first time one has been spotted.
"People should avoid going close to any snake, whether venomous or non-venomous, because a snake will immediately strike, fearing that the human will attack it. That's how the snake's brain works."
Dr Khan suggested clearing up yards, thick vegetation and piles of leaves where snakes may hide.
"Cleanliness is the number-one solution," he said. "People must keep areas clean of all rubbish and children should not go near hedges or bushes. Gardeners should trim hedges. Rodents must be controlled, because without food and proper shelter, snakes will move. Snakes do not respond to any pesticide, herbicide or insecticides."
After the snake sightings, the area has been sprayed once a week with municipality-approved snake repellent as a precaution.
"So far, the snakes caught are non-poisonous. We have never seen any harmful snakes," said a pest control officer.
"A snake is not a public-health pest, but a reptile. We don't have the training to catch snakes, nor are we authorised to."
Another snake, found dead after it was run over by a car, has been identified as non-venomous by the municipality last month.
Residents in the nearby Lakes community said they too were on alert, though snakes have not been spotted there yet
"It's not like the snakes will stay only in one area, so we are more alert and don't let our dogs out without a leash," said Anil, an Indian resident.
"Actually, the desert is the snakes' home, isn't it? We have encroached on their territory."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
SPEC%20SHEET
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Business Insights
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Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Starting price: Dh79,000
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Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
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Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
COMPANY PROFILE
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
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- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
The Year Earth Changed
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Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
No%20Windmills%20in%20Basra
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Diaa%20Jubaili%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20180%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Deep%20Vellum%20Publishing%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.