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.”
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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 specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Stage 3 results
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 4:42:33
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:56
General Classification after Stage 3:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb) 0:02:06
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
