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Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh was confined to a deserted stable for having banned books in his possession, while serving as a conscript in the Iraqi army during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. It was in these squalid conditions that he began writing a poem that would become one of the longest in Arabic history. It's called Uruk's Anthem and is over 500 pages long and took 12 years to write. The poem not only brought Adnan international recognition, but also put his life in danger, forcing him to flee his homeland in 1993. Now, for the first time, substantial extracts from Uruk's Anthem have been published jointly in English and Arabic - the book is called Let Me Tell You What I Saw and was co-written and translated by Jenny Lewis.

Mike Pelley from California has made it his mission to scuba dive in treacherous rivers to save precious objects that have been lost there. He鈥檚 so enthusiastic about his marine missions he鈥檚 given himself another name - Merman Mike. Although he doesn't get paid he says his reward is seeing the smiles on people's faces when they're reunited with a long-lost treasure from their past. He's been telling Outlook's Saskia Edwards all about it.

Tim Connaghan also brings smiles to people's faces. He's America's full-time national Santa Claus. Known as Santa Tim he's been a Santa Claus impersonator since 1970 and over the years has appeared in hundreds of TV commercials and magazine adverts. He also runs the International University of Santa Claus where you can get a PhD in something called 'Clausology' and learn how to answer those tricky questions from kids. He spoke to Outlook's Colm Flynn in 2017.

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Picture: Adnan Al-Sayegh holding the book Wait for me under the Statue of Liberty
Credit: Adnan Al-Sayegh