After a long day doing household chores, Manjula Devi rolled out a mattress on the floor of her modest home in India's eastern state of Bihar and prepared to go to sleep.
However, minutes later she was woken by excruciating pain in her toe. Her screams awoke her husband and two children in their two-room mud-and-brick house in the village of Jalalabad. Turning on a light, the family were shocked to find a cobra, one of the world's most venomous snakes, slithering across the floor.
“We always sleep under a mosquito net because of the fear of snakes, but it still bit me,” Ms Devi, 30, told The National in early September from a hospital bed. She had deep blue marks on her toe.
She was lucky. The homemaker was taken to the area's Government Medical College, the only state-run centre treating snake bites in her district of Purnea, where she was given anti-venom.
Many others are not so fortunate. In India, about 50,000 people die every year from snake bites. An estimated three million to four million people are bitten by snakes every year in the country, with doctors and politicians saying the number is rising as serpents are displaced by climate change and come into contact with humans.
A few beds away in the ward, Jameela Khatoon, 70, shows another deep blue wound on her leg from a cobra she encountered near her home last month.
“It was still dark. I was walking home when I felt a sudden pain. When I lifted my sari, I saw a long snake hanging from my leg, its fangs still deep in my flesh,” Ms Khatoon said. “It was about an arm’s length … I ran home, crying for help.”
Her neighbours tied a rope around her leg to stop the venom from spreading through her body, before her son-in-law brought her to the hospital on his motorcycle. “Doctors said I am out of danger, but it is painful,” she told The National.
Dozens of snake bite patients are treated at the medical centre every day, with statistics showing an increase across the state on the banks of the Ganges amid lots of lush vegetation. It is a perfect sanctuary for snakes and other reptiles.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a Bharatiya Janata Party politician, told parliament in August that more than 10,000 deaths from snake bites were reported in Bihar in the past year and that climate change was partly to blame.
Globally, about 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year, the World Health Organisation said, with between 1.8 million and 2.7 million of those involving venomous snakes. There are about 130,000 deaths annually. Many more victims are forced to amputate body parts or are left with permanent disabilities. Doctors in Bihar say about 90 per cent of bites are caused by four serpents – the common krait, Indian cobra, Russell's viper and saw-scaled viper.
“We receive an average of 15 to 20 cases every day. Of them, five per cent are fatal. We have seen a sudden sharp rise in snake bite cases,” Dr Vinay Kumar Jha at the Purnea Hospital's Emergency and Toxicology Department told The National.
Climate change to blame
Several studies have found climate change is driving an increase in the number of snake bites by forcing the reptiles into greater contact with people. The Lancet Planetary Health journal in a March report suggested global warming would alter snake habitats, pushing them into populated areas and increasing the likelihood of encounters with humans.
“Climate change is expected to have profound effects on the distribution of venomous snake species, including reductions in biodiversity and changes in patterns of envenomation of humans and domestic animals,” it said.
Indian researchers reached similar findings in a paper issued in July. Future of snake bite risk in India: Consequences of climate change and the shifting habitats of the Big Four in the next 50 years, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, said the warming of the planet had diverse effects on global biodiversity, including shifting the geographic ranges of snakes.
Climate change and other man-made threats result in a loss of snake habitats and cause the reptiles to search for food near humans, Shantanu Kundu, an assistant professor at South Korea's Pukyong National University and one of the authors of the report, told The National.
Vishal Santra, a herpetologist and snake bite expert, said farmers in neighbouring West Bengal had been using more water for harvesting due to a lack of rain, causing snake habitats to flood and pushing the reptiles into proximity with locals.
“There is a shift in agricultural patterns and crops due to a shift in climate. Some years we don’t get rain at all, some years see a lot of rain,” Mr Santra said. “We have seen a shift in breeding patterns of some venomous snakes like cobras that are laying two clutches of eggs a year because females are coming to cycle again.”
Health care under pressure
Adding to the problem is a creaking healthcare system in many parts of rural India, meaning some victims struggle to get the help they need before it is too late. When schools in Purnea began their summer holidays in July, Gaurav Kumar, eight, visited his grandparents in Singhia. Four days into his stay, he was bitten by a snake while playing outside the house. His family took him to a traditional healer but he died.
“We didn’t have a car or a bike to take him to the hospital, which is 15km away. We first took him to a healer so his condition could be stabilised, before taking him to hospital, but he died on the way,” said his grandfather, Panchanand Mahaldar.
Dr Soumyadeep Bhaumik, an Indian doctor at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, told The National that the high number of fatalities in India was due to a lack of robust healthcare infrastructure.
“We are always focused a lot on anti-venom but it is not just that, it is the entire functional health system – doctors, good health facilities and facilities for people from villages to rapidly reach hospitals,” he said. “None of these are happening.”
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All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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