A Dubai resident who conquered Everest last week has revealed how she has had to overcome abuse from online trolls.
Naila Kiani, 37, has climbed six of the world’s highest peaks in the last two years.
It was a little more than a year ago that the Pakistani banker quit her job to focus on reaching new heights.
However, it is only now, having climbed Everest, that she feels she is receiving the respect she deserves.
“Because I’m a woman from Pakistan, nobody took me seriously in my own country as a mountain climber,” Ms Kiani told The National.
Social media abuse
“They were calling me things like a fake mountaineer. I guess it’s because it was a sport seen to be associated more with men than women," she said of messages which largely came from social media accounts based in her own country.
“A lot of trolls didn’t seem to like what I was doing and would comment on it. It used to get to me but I try not to let it affect me any more.”
Last week, she became only the second Pakistani women to reach the top of Everest, a climb of about 8,850m.
The achievement was all the more remarkable given that the mother of two has only been climbing mountains for two years.
At one point, last year, she felt that if she was going to complete her dream – of climbing the 14 highest mountains around the world – she would need to leave her day job.
The 14 peaks are all famous for standing taller than 8,000m high.
“I climbed my first peak during maternity leave. There was no problem when I then asked my boss if I could have six weeks’ leave off to climb another,” said Ms Kiani.
“It was all approved and then, at the very last minute, they cancelled it. Now the same people who wouldn’t give me permission to go are congratulating me."
Remarkable career change
Ms Kiani said she made the difficult decision to quit her job and used her gratuity to fund her love for mountaineering.
Since then, she has conquered six of the world’s tallest peaks – Everest, K2, Lhotse, Annapurna, Gasherbrum 1 and Gasherbrum II.
She began climbing mountains seven months after giving birth to her second daughter.
“I was always a sporty girl and was an amateur boxer in the past. I was always competitive and I liked exploring,” she said.
This led to her to take on Gasherbrum II, which stands at slightly more than 8,000m on the border between Pakistan and China.
“I never thought I would be able to reach the summit but I managed it without any problem,” she said. “This encouraged to try more mountains and it has become an addiction.”
Not content with conquering Everest last week, she went on to reach the summit of Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain, before returning home to Dubai this week.
Next month, she plans to climb both Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m).
Ms Kiani also plans to open her own business with a friend, which she describes as adventure life coaching. She expects it to give her the flexibility to continue her passion for mountaineering.
She hopes that her adventures will go some way to inspire more women to follow in her footsteps, and follow their passions.
“My message to women in a similar situation to me is never believe anything is not possible,” she said.
“I would also say to men from my culture to support the women in their lives who talk of adventurous things, be it a wife or a sister, because they could be achieving something amazing.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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.”
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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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
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
