Goats on the banks of the almost dry Duwaysat dam outside the town of Al Diriyah in Syria's northern Idlib province. Low rainfall, structural damage and extraction by struggling farmers have emptied a key reservoir in north-west Syria, leaving it completely dry for the first time.
A herdsman leads his flock around the Duwaysat dam in Idlib province.
The arid landscape of the Duwaysat dam – the result of poor rainfall, structural damage and extraction by farmers that have emptied a key reservoir in north-west Syria.
The effects of drought in near Al-Diriyah in Idlib province, Syria.
Waterfront properties left high and dry by the falling water levels in the Duwaysat dam.
An aerial view of the retreating water level in the Duwaysat dam caused by the emptying of a key reservoir in north-western Syria, leaving it completely dry for the first time.
Plants cling to life in what water is left in the dam.
The effect of the drought is dramatic. "Because of drought and low rainfall, we can now walk on the floor of the reservoir," says reservoir managing engineer Maher Al Hussein.
Maher Al Hussein says about 800 families rely on the reservoir to irrigate crops and water their livestock.
Cattle farmer Abu Joumaa says 'for 10 years we have come to this reservoir. If God does not send us good rainfall that could fill the reservoir this year ... people won't be able to grow crops they rely on to make a living'.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
