Smoking rates are falling worldwide but more young people are taking up the habit despite high regional taxes, according to the latest global report on tobacco trends.
Data from the World Tobacco Atlas showed the number of people smoking has declined by more than a third in Saudi Arabia, and almost a quarter in Qatar.
In the UAE, two years after a 100 per cent excise tax on cigarettes was introduced in 2017, Abu Dhabi’s consumption rates fell significantly, with tobacco trade reducing from Dh410 million to Dh62.4 million.
The latest figures for Saudi Arabia show 37 per cent fewer people were smoking in 2020, compared to 2014 when the last survey was completed.
While heavy taxation in the country drafted in in 2017 pushed some towards vaping, others relied on cheaper, imported cigarettes.
“It's been a tough time for smokers considering more than 10 million people smoke in the country," says Nael Ali, a customer at a store in Jeddah.
"During the Covid-19 lockdown I was in panic mode, and no stores had stock of cigarettes.
“I drove outside the city to look for alternatives but it wasn't possible, so I switched to vape because it's cheaper.”
Saudi Arabia taxed smokers out of the habit with $7 packs
Saudi Arabia aims to slash tobacco consumption to just 5 per cent by 2030, while authorities banned smoking in public places such as airports, restaurants, educational institutes and public transport.
A new policy introduced in 2017 increased the price of a 20-cigarette pack of the most popular brand to 27.50 Saudi Riyals ($7.33) with the tax portion being 68.09 per cent, within the benchmark recommended by the World Bank to help curb smoking.
Annual importation of cigarettes declined by 27.41 per cent from 2013 to 2019 after the imposition of value-based and value-added taxes in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while the price of a pack of cigarettes increased by 115.1 per cent from 2016 to 2018.
"During the lockdown was when things really went out of hand,” said Khalil Ahmed, a store manager in Jeddah.
“I had people calling me to reserve a large number of boxes for them and coming to the shop everyday in hopes of getting access to cigarettes and storing them for the future as we didn't know how long it would take.
”Since the prices went up we have tried many ways to get access to packs from outside for instance but you end up paying at customs so it's the same thing.”
Priced out of lighting up
Another shop owner in Jeddah, Bashir Khan from Pakistan, said customers were buying less often due to higher prices.
"Generally people cannot afford to buy packs of cigarettes like before,” he said.
“Now my regular customers buy less packs and less frequently. The whole market is like this.”
Worldwide, the number of smokers has fallen from 22.7 per cent of the population in 2007 to 19.6 per cent in 2019, around 1.13 billion people.
Tobacco use surges among teens
However, in 63 of 135 nations surveyed, tobacco use increased in children aged 13-15, with more than 50 million adolescents smoking cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products.
In several of these countries, including Haiti and Mauritania, tobacco use among adolescent girls is now more common than among adult women.
Since 2009, the number of smokers has increased over a decade in four Middle East nations.
The percentage of Egypt's population that smokes had increased from 37 per cent to 42 per cent, in Jordan it went up from 46 per cent to 51 per cent, in Iraq it went up from 26 per cent to 32 per cent, and in Oman numbers almost doubled from 7 per cent to 13 per cent.
Meanwhile, a 2019 UAE National Health Survey showed the number of adult smokers had fallen 18 per cent since 2010.
According to the survey, the prevalence of tobacco use among both sexes accounted for 9.1 per cent of the population — 15.7 per cent and 2.4 per cent for men and women, respectively.
Public awareness remains key
Dr Sheena Tan Go, a general practitioner at NMC Golden Sands Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, said the latest tobacco atlas was a reminder that more public education was required.
“We are finally reaping the benefit with the fall of smoking prevalence globally, but our mission is not yet over,” she said.
“There are still a lot of things to be done to lower the morbidity and mortality rates from cigarette smoking.
“We have to continue to work together to reach out and get the message across to where cases are increasing, such as in adolescents, under-developed and developing countries.
“Regardless of the time it takes to turn-around, every small step towards reducing the prevalence of smoking can impact individuals, families, and communities and can contribute to a better quality of life in the long-run.”
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Racecard
6.35pm: The Madjani Stakes – Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.10pm: Evidenza – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: The Longines Conquest – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,000m
8.20: The Longines Elegant – Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
8.35pm: The Dubai Creek Mile – Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Mirdif Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,400m
10.05pm: The Longines Record – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,900m
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Kandahar%20
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57%20Seconds
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
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The years Ramadan fell in May
