Experts in 2020 tracked swarms of locusts across more than 800 square kilometres in the region to monitor infestations and crop damage.
Desert regions were surveyed by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority over 10 weeks after sightings of locusts at Dalma Island's farms.
In a situation report, about 430 square kilometres were checked in Al Ain, with control operations on locust populations executed across almost 300 sq km.
"Desert locusts pose a threat to crops and farm production, because their swarms can devour large amounts of vegetation," said Mubarak Al Mansouri, executive director of agricultural affairs at the authority.
“Controlling locusts is a shared responsibility between relevant government entities and farm owners.”
Each insect can eat its bodyweight in food every day, to devastating effect.
The agricultural authority was placed on high alert to combat any swarms coming from locust breeding areas in the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea coasts.
Control measures were put in place on farms in Al Dhafra and Abu Dhabi to protect crops and agricultural land from the insects.
The operation involved 125 engineers and 144 workers, while 72 vehicles were used to spray locusts across the vast area.
Climatic conditions helped the recent outbreak of locusts seen in the region as swarms advanced across East Africa, south-west Asia, and the Red Sea coastal areas.
It posed the greatest threat to food poverty in those regions with the potential to devastate huge areas of crops.
In 2020, the environment ministry developed an online early biosecurity notification system to report sightings, while monitoring the movement of locust numbers elsewhere in the region.
Swarms of up to 80 million locusts have steadily increased since 2019 owing to a series of unusual weather patterns. They are able to cover up to 130km a day devouring huge areas of vegetation in their path.
East Africa was one of the regions worst hit, with farms devastated in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Torque: 390Nm
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
