The UAE health minister has urged politicians to lead by example and quit smoking, as the country looks to cut heart disease and cancer rates and create a healthier society.
Abdulrahman Al Owais asked Federal National Council speaker Dr Amal Al Qubaisi to suggest that all members who do smoke to quit soon and vote to pledge to do so.
“I personally suffer a lot when I see smokers amongst my friends and members [of the council], so I hope that the council starts an initiative for all to quit smoking,” the minister said.
“This will probably be the most difficult vote,” replied Dr Al Qubaisi.
“We have a number of smokers between us, and we wish that they develop the will to cooperate with this initiative - firstly for their health and also so they can be role models for other and in front of their children.”
All 40 members backed the vote. Smoking can cause cancer and heart disease, which is responsible for 3 in every 10 deaths in the UAE>.
“It’s a good sign that all voted and hopefully this will be a good initiative,” she said.
Dr Al Owais made his request after answering a question by FNC member Saeed Al Remeithi about how effective the national anti-tobacco committee has been.
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“Recent figures show that 21 per cent of the UAE population are smokers, and 15 per cent of them are under 18, so this is what we are concerned about," said the Abu Dhabi representative.
“Now the UAE is paying a lot of attention towards its youth, and the age group between 16 and 17 has a high smoking rate, so we have to take a joint stance.”
Mr Al Remeithi said he has not seen anything that specifically targets young people.
Dr Al Owais said the number of specialist clinics that help people quit smoking has increased from six to 14 across the UAE. He said there was a 24 per cent increase in the number of people who visited the clinics quitting, without giving figures.
Dr Saeed Al Mutawa, who represents Sharjah, said the law should allow the legal sale of some vapour devices, to help smokers quit, though he said e-cigarettes remain harmful. The import and sale of such products is prohibited, though they are available on the grey market and the act of buying and using them is not illegal.
“When you try to quit, you start to reduce the amount of nicotine, and lead to a decrease in smoking," he said.
"It is not a cigarette in the sense, and in the end you are using water vapour.”
FNC member Saleh Al Ameri, who is a smoker, said there are no benefits at all.
"There are some things that have advantages and disadvantages, but smoking, none at all," he told The National.
He said as far as he knows there are between five to and seven FNC members who do smoke, roughly in line with the percentage of the population.
He made a quick calculation, based on old tobacco prices before the new tax from October 1, and suggested a heavy smoker could spend Dh15,000 a year on tobacco or Dh150,000 in ten years.
“With this amount you could build a mosque or church, and in the end Allah will ask us what we spent our money on.”
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- 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
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
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Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
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Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
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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
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
