Clitoria ternatea, Blue Pea Vine This captivating, blue-flowered, evergreen climber is useful for covering fences, trellis or training over other plants. It grows vigorously as a vine by twining with its slender stems on whatever support it comes into contact with, or as a creeper on the ground.
Its bright blue flowers have a pale yellow or white throat and are either notched or rounded at the apex. Besides the typical royal blue colour, the striking flowers can be white, with some fabulous varieties bearing sky blue, blue-violet, bright purple and mauve flowers that even appear in double-petalled form, such as C ternatea var pleniflora (plena) and C ternatea var alba plena.
In South East Asia, Clitoria's flowers are used as a natural blue dye to colour food, and in Malaysia, they are sun-dried to provide a blue tinge to rice and in glutinous rice cakes. In Thailand, the flowers are used to make a syrupy blue drink, while in Kerala and the Philippines they are eaten as vegetables.
Water Clitoria regularly to keep it from defoliating in the summer. Propagate by seed or cuttings. After soaking seeds overnight, germination should take place within seven to 10 days.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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
