The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Fareed Lafta's life sounds like it has sprung from the pages of a book.
The Dubai resident, 40, is a trained cosmonaut, pilot, avid skydiver, parachutist and scuba diver. He has more than eight Guinness World Records to his name and the Iraq-born adventurer has now set his sights on another mammoth task: promoting peace worldwide.
Raised in Baghdad, Capt Lafta and his family left for Dubai after the second Gulf War broke out in 2003. Having studied aviation at the US Aviation academy, Capt Lafta is now pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Management in Sydney, Australia, all while managing a family business in Dubai.
He says his love for adventure started at a very young age, when, aged 5, he would climb cupboards around the house and jump from them.
“My mother used to get mad at me,” says Capt Lafta. “My parents thought I was possessed.”
If not possessed, he was obsessed and, in 2008, the former Iraqi weight-lifting champion broke his first record after flying to the peak of Mount Everest and skydiving from a height of 9 kilometres.
His antics drew the attention of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences and he was selected for training to become the first Iraqi in space.
He has yet to make it to the stars, but he did co-pilot a MiG 29 to the edge of space.
His mother, to whom he credits his success, died a few years ago, leaving him distraught but nonetheless determined to pursue risky adventures.
“My mother is my guardian angel. I am very proud of her. May she rest in peace.”
Two years after earning his first world record, Capt Lafta achieved his second. Amid the subfreezing temperatures of the North Pole, he skydived almost 1km from a helicopter to a Russian icebreaker ship sailing through the Arctic Ocean.
His love for his homeland is at the centre of every challenge he undertakes. In 2012, he flew the largest Iraqi flag while parachuting over Chicago. A year later, he orchestrated the creation of the world's largest Dove of Peace Symbol measuring 450 square metres and made up of 1.2 million red, white, green and black buttons to represent the Iraqi flag at Burj Plaza in Downtown Dubai.
He invited school pupils and university students to help him place the buttons. More than 100 volunteers took part.
“Peace is not made by politicians or celebrities or me, or even Angelina Jolie,” he says with a chuckle. “It can only be achieved through the communal efforts of society.”
Though his stunts may appear to be part of a search for personal fame, Capt Lafta’s lesser known achievements reveal their true purpose. He hopes to emerge as an example to children that cross-cultural peace can be achieved beyond political means.
In 2015, he organised the largest Arabic reading lesson with 3,000 pupils taking part in Baghdad.
"The lesson deemed rewarding," he said. "The lecturer Ali Al Tamimi consolidated the students reading skills with grammar and Arabic phonetics tips."
The same year, Mohammed Al Sudani, Iraq’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and President of the Children Welfare Committee, appointed Capt Lafta as a Children Ambassador. The nomination was in response to his worth with Iraqi non-government organisations to launch Al Basma (The Smile) campaign that regularly distributes donations to displaced Iraqi children and orphans.
Since then he has worked with Iraqi musicians to create music videos where the core message is bringing hope to children.
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Dubai resident to create world's largest symbol of peace out of buttons
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"I want to bring a smile to Iraqi children, especially children of fallen Iraqis, and tell them that we can defeat terrorism by promoting love and peace. It is with love that my mother used to solve problems and I shall carry on her legacy," he told The National.
With eyes back on the stars, and in collaboration with the Iraqi Aviation Army, Capt Lafta broke another Guinness World Record by heading back to Baghdad and executing a helicopter formation flight over the city for 30 minutes.
On a clear blue sky, the pilot led 30 helicopters to fly in formation over the Iraqi capital. To achieve this feat, the pilots trained for more than a year "but the result was well worth it," he says.
Last year, Capt Lafta’s charitable work with children culminated at Dubai International Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition where he was named Goodwill Ambassador of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society.
With so many achievements under his belt and so many ambitions for the future, The National asks him what is next?
But the adventurer remains coy: “I shall declare it when it’s completed.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents