Travellers to the island nation of Palau can no longer bring environmentally-harmful sunscreens into the Pacific Nation.
Situated approximately halfway between Australia and Japan, Palau has banned any sunscreens containing chemicals that it deems dangerous to its natural environment.
Effective from January 1, 2020, the new law also bans the sale and use of any sunscreens containing known environmental pollutants across the country.
Which sunscreens are banned?
Not all sunscreens are toxic to marine life. The biggest culprits are products that contain oxybenzone or octinoxate.
According to the International Coral Reef Foundation, "Oxybenzone can cause corals to become more susceptible to bleaching, it can damage the DNA of coral, and can deform and kill juvenile coral. Oxybenzone has been documented to turn adult male fish into female fish and cause developmental defects, it is also toxic to shrimp, sea urchins, and bivalves (scallops, mussels), and is especially toxic to marine algae."
"We hope that more nations will follow in their footsteps in making strong steps to protect their reefs," a spokesperson from the International Coral Reef Foundation told The National.
What makes sunscreens toxic?
Several ingredients or chemicals used in various brands of sunscreen can be harmful to marine life, according to the International Coral Reef Foundation. Travellers should check ingredient lists carefully before purchasing sunscreen products.
Harmful ingredients to avoid include:
o Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)
o Ethylparaben
o Octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate)
o Butylparaben
o Octocrylene
o 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor
o Benzyl paraben
o Triclosan
o Methylparaben
o Phenoxyethanol
What can I used instead?
Not all sunscreens are banned from Palau and "there are a number of brands which offer reef-safe sunscreens" says the International Coral Reef Foundation.
These include products from Badger, Raw Elements, Thinksport, Loving Naturals and Steam2Sea as well as several other brands.
"Tourists can also make better use of protective sun gear, such as broad-brimmed hats and long-sleeved clothing," says a spokesperson from the foundation.
Championing sustainability
Palau has long been a champion for environmental rights.
In 2017, it became the first country in the world to change its immigration laws for the betterment of its natural resources when it introduced the Palau Pledge.
This pledge is now stamped into every traveller's passport before they enter the country. Visitors must then sign the pledge which affirms they will tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully during their time on the islands.
A new marine sanctuary was established in Palau on January 1, 2019. This closes 80 per cent of the ocean surrounding the island to fishing.
Hawaii to ban sunscreen
Palau is the first country to ban reef-toxic sunscreen, but it will soon be followed by Hawaii. Lawmakers there have already signed a bill that will prevent harmful sunscreens being sold across the island nation from January 1, 2021.
A study by the International Coral Reef Foundation in partnership with Sweden's Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity found reef-toxic ingredients in all seven of the coastal areas examined during the study. These included Gran Canaria, Hong Kong, the US Virgin Islands and Majorca.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The%20specs
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis