ABU DHABI// As he navigates his 4x4 vehicle expertly through the sea of white sand dunes in a protected area to which few get access, Hamad Al Reisi's days as a post-office clerk are far behind him.
"It was not a bad job, but it was not my thing," says the 25-year-old Emirati.
That was his life until five years ago, when he heard about the work of the National Avian Research Centre in his hometown of Sweihan. The facility is one of several in the UAE and abroad supported by the International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
The organisation, based in Abu Dhabi, works to preserve the endangered houbara bustard, a species that has been pushed to the brink of survival in many countries by hunting, poaching and habitat destruction.
The centre breeds the rare birds in captivity and, since 2004, has taken part in a programme to release birds back into the wild. Mr Al Reisi's job for the past four years has been to monitor how the birds are surviving.
Surrounded by a tall concrete wall topped with barbed wire, the site is kept secret to protect the animals living there. Once allowed in by security, Mr Al Reisi drives through a small, flat valley. Patches of it have been turned into forest with row upon row of local trees, such as damas and acacia, irrigated by groundwater.
"In the summer, the houbara live under the trees, because there is irrigation and shade," he says.
After several minutes, the small road he had been driving on disappears. It is time to take to the dunes, and the complexity of his job starts to become apparent.
He may get to spend a lot of time driving off-road in beautiful areas, but he has to take care not to damage the shrubs and grasses growing on the dunes.
The lack of fresh water and extreme summer temperatures in the desert are challenge enough for the plants, and it is their presence that the houbara bustard's well-being depends on.
A shrub with small, rounded leaves growing alongside the dunes, Haloxylon salicornicum, is essential in providing habitat for the beetles and insects the birds eat. Another, Dipterygium glaucum, is a source of food itself, with houbara snacking year-round on its flowers and fruit.
Mr Al Reisi reaches for a cable behind his seat and plugs it into a receiver which picks up radio signals.
On release, some of the birds bred in Sweihan are fitted with radio transmitters. Each bird transmits on a unique radio frequency, so its identity is known before the researchers have seen it.
Mr Al Reisi and his five colleagues in the field spend their days tracking the birds and recording their exact location, their behaviour and whether they are interacting with other birds.
Standing on top of a dune, Mr Al Reisi holds a directional antenna that can detect a signal from 5 kilometres away. As he gets back in the car, having found a bird about 1.5km away, his driving skills are tested. He is driving with one hand and holding the antenna with the other. A sound like the ticking of a clock, coming from the receiver, suggests the presence of the bird.
"We will see it any minute now," he says, and the houbara is quick to prove him right.
As the vehicle goes down a sand dune, the bird appears in full view - a female released into the wild in November 2011.
The fund released 1,400 birds in the UAE during the last season, which lasted from October 2011 to March last year. This year, the centre aims to breed 12,000 birds, and the number released will be disclosed only after the effort is complete.
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RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
From Zero
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
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Started: January 2018
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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The specs
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Teams in the EHL
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
