One of the 'world's most important' species of wild medicinal plants has been discovered for the first time in the UAE.
The specimen of peganum harmala was discovered in the Houbara Reserve in the Al Dhafra region.
The harmala plant family grows wild in most countries across the Arab world and the Mediterranean, especially in rocky areas and in environments with abundant rainfall.
But according to the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), which announced the discovery, the new specimen is different from the Rhazya stricta species found in eastern parts of the Emirates.
The newly-discovered specimen has been included in the important local plant conservation and propagation programmes run by EAD’s plant nursery in the Al Dhafra region’s Baynunah area, as per the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, EAD chairman and the Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region.
The plant is popular in Middle Eastern and North African folk medicine.
“The importance of this finding also lies in the fact that a whole new genus Peganum has been added to the UAE’s flora, and increases the importance of the plant diversity of the Emirates,” said EAD in a statement.
Peganum harmala is usually found in the desert across the Arab region, as well as dry areas of the sea basin as well as the Mediterranean and Eastern Caucasus.
Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of EAD, said that Abu Dhabi plans to regularly monitor the areas of the new species, as well as collect, preserve and propagate it within the Agency's plant nursery.
“The Agency plans to cooperate with specialised research centres and universities as it is one of the important wild medicinal plants that is internationally documented, and the species will also be added to the databases in Abu Dhabi and the UAE,” said the agency in a statement.
A rehabilitation programme, managed by EAD, was launched last July in Abu Dhabi to help preserve and regenerate some of the UAE’s most endangered plant species in Jebel Hafeet National Park.
More than 100 plants were restored along the 9km stretch of park, which sits at the base of the capital’s highest peak, including 30 Caralluma and 30 Arabian Moringa.
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Mobile phone packages comparison
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
