Turkey's glaciers hit by climate change as pictures show mountain ice melting fast


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Visitors and locals who once marvelled at beautiful ice-capped mountains now increasingly see only rock and grass as melting snow gradually runs into rivers below.

Turkey's Cilo Glaciers, in the southeastern Hakkari province on the Iraqi border, are melting fast in a trend that is increasing year after year.

The change is being caused by a rise in global temperatures, a result of human-caused climate change.

A UN report on desertification worldwide estimates that 88 per cent of Turkey's territory is at risk. Rainfall is expected to decrease by 30 per cent by the end of the century, while temperatures are expected to rise by 5 to 6°C, compared with averages recorded between 1961 and 1990.

“There were glaciers 10 years ago,” said Kemal Ozdemir, a mountain guide for 15 years in Turkey's Kurdish majority south-east. He was referring to Mount Cilo, the country's second-tallest at 4,135 metres.

“You can see that there are quite a few pieces of glacier in the water right now. The reason why the waterfalls flow lushly actually shows us how fast the ice is melting.”

Turkey is experiencing heatwaves and drought, including a record temperature of 50.5°C in Silopi, about 200 kilometres from Hakkari, on Friday.

“The melting process is faster than we expected,” said Onur Satir, a professor at Yuzuncu Yil University and specialist in geographical information systems in the eastern province of Van.

“According to our research, in the past 40 years, we lost almost 50 per cent of this continuous snow and ice cover in this place.

“Some places melt faster than other places, so actually it's showing us which places must be protected but we have no opportunity to cover the whole ice area.”

According to the UN, glaciers in several regions of the world will not survive the 21st century, threatening the water supply of hundreds of millions of people.

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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

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Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

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The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

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The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Updated: July 31, 2025, 9:19 AM`