Our Working Wonders of the UAE series takes you to some of the country's most recognisable destinations to uncover the daily duties of the talented employees working there
Biologist Barbara Lang-Lenton has dedicated her life to rescuing injured turtles along the UAE’s shores.
She launched the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project in 2004, rejoining the team in 2021 to lead the project.
To date, the programme has rescued and released 2,109 hawksbill, green, loggerhead and olive ridley turtles, some of which were later tracked as far as India and Thailand.
Ms Lang-Lenton, 46, originally from Spain, now spearheads biodiversity initiatives across the region and spends her weekends leading rescue missions with her three children in tow.
Here, she invites The National for a day at the lagoons to meet permanent residents Humpty and Dumpty and reveals how her team helps put other injured turtles back together again.
What does your job involve?
If someone goes to the beach or out at sea and finds a stranded or injured turtle, they can contact us through 800TURTLE and then we go and collect them and bring them back to Burj Al Arab’s aquarium facilities. The resort is where the initial assessments are carried out before animals are transferred to Jumeirah Al Naseem's lagoons next door.
We have very large quarantine areas and that's where we do the clinical part of the project.
More than 60 per cent are young hawksbills that are born in this part of the Gulf and get sick in the winter months – they are quite easy to treat.
We also get a lot of cases where turtles get tangled in fishing gear or discarded waste. They may also have developed intestine impaction from eating plastics.
Less frequently we get boat strikes, where turtles are basically cracked open from big impact or are cut with a propeller.
We keep the turtles with us for as long as they need. Once they are swimming on their own and can feed by themselves, they get moved to the turtle rehabilitation lagoons in Jumeirah Al Naseem.
Once in the lagoons, the turtles continue to build up their strength and fitness until the weather conditions are favourable for release back into the ocean.
We have two permanent residents, Humpty and Dumpty, whose shells are too badly damaged to survive in the wild, but we aim to get all of our turtles back into the ocean where they belong.
What are some of the most exciting aspects?
I do ecology monitoring around Burj Al Arab and other hotels, so I get to go diving in the ocean and interact with a lot of people and kids.
I love to see people sharing my passion for the first time. Witnessing that first reaction is precious and it’s really rewarding on a personal level.
I see a bright future for more projects to come, and we just want to expand on the work that we initiated almost 20 years ago.
What are the most challenging parts?
It's getting a lot easier now that sustainability is increasingly at the forefront of everyone's minds but pollution in the ocean is very frustrating.
Tests find most turtles have plastics in their digestive system, regardless of any other injuries.
On a more personal level, I have three children and it’s a lot of work in the winter season when we go around the country and rescue a lot of turtles.
They are five, eight and 11 and have become little turtle rangers with me.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Of course, releasing the turtles is really rewarding but I do get emotional when I say goodbye to the turtles that have been with us a while.
We have tracked 77 of our turtles since we started the project and it’s amazing to see where they go in the world once they leave us.
We had an olive ridley turtle named Oli who was very sensitive to changes in the water temperature and her health was up and down throughout the time she was with us.
She was very nervous but she travelled all the way to India to some of the breeding sites before we lost signal. We assume she was going there to nest, which was a very nice thought.
We also had a huge male green turtle that travelled around nesting sites in Oman, meeting with a lot of the females for three months or so until we lost signal.
These very successful stories are great because we see these animals that were about to die travelling back to their place of birth, potentially to procreate and continue with life.
We had one turtle going all the way to Thailand, and it’s rewarding to know that the work we do has an impact on the wider turtle population.
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
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