• A car drives through floodwater in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region, following heavy rain on January 13. All photos: Safin Hamed / AFP
    A car drives through floodwater in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region, following heavy rain on January 13. All photos: Safin Hamed / AFP
  • The city's major roads were submerged in water.
    The city's major roads were submerged in water.
  • People clear water-damaged items from their homes.
    People clear water-damaged items from their homes.
  • Firefighters pump water from a flooded building.
    Firefighters pump water from a flooded building.
  • People clear water from their flooded homes in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region, in the aftermath of flash floods following heavy rain on January 13, 2022. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP)
    People clear water from their flooded homes in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region, in the aftermath of flash floods following heavy rain on January 13, 2022. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP)
  • A man stands at a corner of a flooded street.
    A man stands at a corner of a flooded street.
  • A man salvages a few belongings from his home.
    A man salvages a few belongings from his home.
  • An aerial picture taken by a drone shows the extent of the damage.
    An aerial picture taken by a drone shows the extent of the damage.
  • Now the rains have stopped, the cleaning up begins.
    Now the rains have stopped, the cleaning up begins.

MENA

Flash flooding hits Erbil in Iraq - in pictures

Residents of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region clean up after heavy rain

The National

January 15, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

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Oppenheimer
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

Longreads
Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm

How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is  ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

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

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
While you're here
Updated: January 15, 2022, 12:58 PM
IraqPhotography