SHARJAH // Motorists have been warned to beware of stray animals on roads.
The warning came after camels were seen wandering on Al Dhaid Road, which connects Sharjah with the central and eastern regions of the emirate.
In February, a man and his two wives were injured when their car hit a runaway horse in the Al Khuwaneej area of Dubai.
Police said that motorists should slowly come to a halt if a stray is in the road. “It’s dangerous to keep driving when there are stray animals on the road as motorists cannot predict what the animal’s actions would be,” said Lt Saoud Al Shiba of Sharjah traffic police.
“Motorists should park their cars, and refrain from using the horn or hazard lights so that they do not startle the animal. They need to stay inside their cars until the animal is out of their way, before they continue on their journey,” he said.
A spokesman for Al Batayeh Municipality said that fences were erected to keep animals from wandering on to the roads.
“Every once in a while, animals make their way to the main road. Once the municipality receives a complaint, teams get the animals off the road and then impound them,” he said. “The owner of the stray animal is fined Dh1,000 and, if he fails to pay the fine, the animal will be sold through auction.”
Authorities in Ras Al Khaimah have built an underpass on Al Shuhada Road for camels. This was in response to the 213 accidents last year that involved stray animals in the northern emirate.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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more from Janine di Giovanni
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.