Royal Commission for AlUla Announces Arrival of New Leopard in Taif

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the arrival of a new Arabian leopard to the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center (ALBC) in Taif. SPA
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the arrival of a new Arabian leopard to the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center (ALBC) in Taif. SPA
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Royal Commission for AlUla Announces Arrival of New Leopard in Taif

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the arrival of a new Arabian leopard to the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center (ALBC) in Taif. SPA
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the arrival of a new Arabian leopard to the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center (ALBC) in Taif. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the arrival of a new Arabian leopard to the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center (ALBC) in Taif, as part of its efforts to preserve and protect the Arabian leopard, contributing to environmental balance in AlUla and aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals.

The animal is the second leopard to arrive, enhancing genetic diversity within the breeding program.

As part of the breeding agreement, the RCU agreed to potentially transfer leopard cubs to broader centers across the peninsula in the future, sharing knowledge and expertise in the breeding process.

The first leopard, named Al Ain, came from Al Bustan Zoological Center in the UAE last April and was integrated into the ALBC's leopard population in July.



Iraq Sandstorm Closes Airports, Puts 3,700 People in Hospital 

A wheelchair-bound person is assisted by others to cross to a traffic island in the middle of a road in low visibility conditions amidst a massive dust storm in Iraq's southern city of Basra on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
A wheelchair-bound person is assisted by others to cross to a traffic island in the middle of a road in low visibility conditions amidst a massive dust storm in Iraq's southern city of Basra on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Iraq Sandstorm Closes Airports, Puts 3,700 People in Hospital 

A wheelchair-bound person is assisted by others to cross to a traffic island in the middle of a road in low visibility conditions amidst a massive dust storm in Iraq's southern city of Basra on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
A wheelchair-bound person is assisted by others to cross to a traffic island in the middle of a road in low visibility conditions amidst a massive dust storm in Iraq's southern city of Basra on April 14, 2025. (AFP)

A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put more than 3,700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties, the health ministry said Tuesday.

Visibility fell to less than one kilometer (barely half a mile) in central and southern cities as the storm cloaked the region in an eerie orange haze, AFP photographers reported.

Basra and Najaf airports both closed for the duration of the storm, which began to dissipate on Tuesday morning.

Health ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr said Basra was the worst-hit province, accounting for more than 1,000 of the 3,747 hospital admissions attributed to the sandstorm.

Many of those who dared to venture out in Basra wore face masks to protect themselves from the choking dust, an AFP photographer reported.

Sandstorms are a perennial feature of life in central and southern Iraq but the environment ministry has warned the country can expect to suffer a rising number of "dust days" in coming decades due to the impact of global warming.

A heavy sandstorm in 2022 saw one person die and more than 5,000 treated in hospital for breathing difficulties.