People enjoy Lake Urmia, one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world, a year ago in north-west Iran. Getty
People enjoy Lake Urmia, one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world, a year ago in north-west Iran. Getty
People enjoy Lake Urmia, one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world, a year ago in north-west Iran. Getty
People enjoy Lake Urmia, one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world, a year ago in north-west Iran. Getty

Iranian police break up protest at drying lake


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Iranian police have arrested an undisclosed number of protesters who were highlighting the drying up of one of the country’s largest lakes.

Lake Urmia, in the mountains of north-west Iran, was once the largest lake in the Middle East but began shrinking in 1995 due to a combination of prolonged drought and the extraction of water for farming and dams, according to the UN Environment Programme.

Urmia, one of the largest “hypersaline” — or super salty — lakes in the world, is located between the cities of Tabriz and Urmia, with more than six million people dependent on agriculture around its shores.

Between 50 and 70 dams have been constructed on rivers feeding the lake, which used to be a popular spot for tourists, before it shrank to about a tenth of its size.

On Sunday, Rahim Jahanbakhsh, the police chief of Iran's West Azerbaijan province, reported the arrests.

He described the suspects as “many evil and hostile elements, who had no other objective than to destroy public property and disturb the security of the population,” according to state news agency IRNA.

On Saturday, the Fars news agency reported that “dozens of people in the cities of Naghadeh and Urmia had protested against the authorities' lack of attention to the drying up of Lake Urmia”.

Fars said protesters had shouted slogans in the provincial capital of Urmia warning the lake was shrinking.

“Lake Urmia is dying, parliament orders its killing”, some shouted, Fars reported, with others calling out that “Lake Urmia is thirsty”.

Largely arid Iran, like other nearby countries, has suffered chronic dry spells and heatwaves for years, which are expected to worsen with the impacts of climate change.

In the last few months, thousands of people have demonstrated against the drying up of rivers, particularly in central and south-western Iran.

Lake Urmia is an important ecosystem, a key stopping point for migratory birds, home to an endemic shrimp, and other underwater species.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

How Filipinos in the UAE invest

A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.

Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).

Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.

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By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt

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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

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Updated: July 19, 2022, 11:15 AM`