More than 2 million palm trees in Abu Dhabi have been treated for infestation by pests such as the red palm weevil and stem borer since the beginning of the year.
Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) carried out the work using pheromone and light traps to attract and control pests and limit their spread, state news agency Wam reported. The programme involves treating palms infested with various pests, such as the red palm weevil and stem borer, and removing severely damaged trees.
“ADAFSA implements an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme for palm trees, focusing on environmentally safe techniques to minimise pest impact and reduce indiscriminate use of pesticides,” Wam reported.
“ADAFSA has treated over 2 million palm trees, since the beginning of this year, as part of the fight against blight and dust mites under the IPM programme, which has contributed to controlling agricultural pests and reducing pesticide use.
“Specialist teams successfully eradicated thousands of harmful insects, such as the red palm weevil and stem borer, contributing to crop protection and increased productivity.”
There are currently more than 125,000 pheromone traps and more than 21,000 light traps installed across farms in Abu Dhabi. These traps attract pests in an environmentally safe manner, reducing the need for chemical pesticides Wam reported.
In the first half of 2024 alone, these traps attracted nearly half a million pests, including the red palm weevil and stem and frond borers – key threats to palm trees.
The red palm weevil is an insect known to be a significant threat to the region’s vital date palm trees and infestations have caused farmers to suffer financial losses. The treatment of the trees is part of a wider strategy aimed at protecting palm farms from pests and diseases, improving production quality, and encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.
In addition to the pest control efforts, ADAFSA has launched a series of educational programmes for farmers.
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ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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