In the corner of an unassuming restaurant in Baghdad, children are being taken on a journey around the world.
They huddle around glass tanks, necks craning for a better look at the snakes and reptiles on display as Mahdi Laith, 36, tells them about the creatures and where they come from.
“Raising awareness about climate change, environment and wildlife is a must in Iraq, not only by the government but also by the citizens, mainly the youth,” Mr Laith — who is often compared to the late Australian TV conservationist Steve Irwin — told The National.
It is even more critical now, as the population of 40 million has been reeling under extreme weather events over the past three years that have badly affected communities and livelihoods.
Mr Mahdi is part of a growing environmental activist community in Iraq, a country which is ranked the fifth most vulnerable in the world to climate change, according to the UN Environment Programme.
The journey began when his father bought him his first pet as a reward for passing exams. As his interest in the natural world increased, he joined the Iraqi Green Climate Organisation, through which a 2018 event was held at a Baghdad shopping mall including live reptiles to mark World Wildlife Day.
“I was surprised that most of those who attended were children and I was amazed how they interacted,” said the father of three. “Then, I realised that the change we seek will come from the children.”
“It’s hard for old people to change their habits, so we are focusing on children and that will definitely have a positive impact in the future,” he said.
Since then, he has been focusing on educating the younger generation.
Sometimes he visits schools or takes the students to the zoo to talk about wildlife and the climate crisis, even becoming a regular sight on social media and TV channels, often with pythons slung around his neck or holding a spiny-tailed lizard or turtles.
He doesn't just educate. Mr Laith also takes direct action. He spends his spare time trawling Baghdad's animal market to spot animals that are not supposed to be sold — mainly endangered species endemic to Iraq.
Every Friday, pet lovers flock to the Al Ghazil market to sell and buy a variety of animals including birds, peacocks, dogs, cats, goats, ornamental fish, and even snakes, wild falcons and owls.
He walks in the crowded outdoor market and films the exhausted falcons with their wings taped, reptiles such as the spiny-tailed lizards in cages or endangered birds endemic to Iraq.
In his videos, he tries to explain to the sellers, many of them teenagers, why these animals are not considered pets and that they need to be released.
“They ignore me. They are avaricious, even the kids, they tell me: 'you can buy and release them,'” he said, adding that his posts have caused problems with some in the pet market and hunters, a few of whom have threatened him with tribal justice.
Mr Laith's passion for the environment has also spread online; he has 220,000 followers on Instagram and more than 300,000 on Facebook, where he shares videos of animals he meets and messages about the perils they are facing due to climate change.
In one of his most viewed videos, he holds a small cage made of metal wire with a white-throated Kingfisher inside.
“This bird is not for cages in houses. Its place is the wild, in which it dives into the water to catch a fish or frog,” he says.
“They hunt animals without knowing anything about them, how they live and what they need,” he writes in a post with the video. “This bird can't be in a cage and therefore it will die.”
The video receives numerous comments from followers, mainly expressing sympathy and anger.
“This is a heart-rending scene,” one follower says. Another says: “Al Ghazil market has become a slaughterhouse for some animals that can't be kept in houses and it should be closed down”.
Mr Laith said that at the beginning a lot of people “mocked me, but later they realised the problem and started talking about it and taking action.” He added that many of his followers send him videos related to releasing animals or stopping illegal hunting.
One of the most pressing issues is dwindling water flows in Iraq's main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, due to upstream dams in Turkey and Iran, mismanagement and environmental degradation. The country is experiencing the worst drought in decades as temperatures this summer exceeded 50°C.
“We will bemoan each drop of water that we are wasting today,” he added.
“The government is blamed for part of our water-related problems while we the people are responsible for the other part.
“The people have to appreciate the water and don’t waste it, protect the environment and keep the rivers clean.”
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More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
Fast%20X
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Key facilities
- 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
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
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 Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
More on Coronavirus in France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Hot%20Seat
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Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
