A Dutch traveller hoping to travel to Dubai from Amsterdam by using public ground transport alone was forced to change his plans after hitting problems at the Iranian border.
Wiebe Wakker, 35, made it as far as Erbil in northern Iraq before giving up on his attempt to travel to the UAE by rail, bus, and car to highlight sustainability issues.
Iran’s borders have been closed to all but cargo transport since December 25 but had been due to reopen on January 9.
When that did not happen, Mr Wakker was forced to rethink his plans and took a flight from Erbil to Amman instead.
From there, he will continue his journey overland to make it in time to speak at the World Future Energy Summit as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on January 18.
“I started the day with a visit to the hospital to take a PCR test for Jordan,” Mr Wakker said in his social media blog on January 9.
“Although it was my plan B, I hadn’t done any research about the countries on this (new) route.
“I’ve been having a good time discovering Erbil’s culture and the city itself.
“My trip is so amazing. I unexpectedly end up in the most beautiful and interesting places.
“A lot of people came to ask me where I'm from and what I'm doing."
It was the second enforced change of plan, after his proposed talk at the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai had also been cancelled owing to Covid-19.
The self-styled sustainable adventurer, who travelled more than 100,000 kilometres to Sydney from Amsterdam by electric vehicle in 2016, realised his plans would change when he arrived in Dogubeyazit, eastern Turkey.
He was due to enter Iran and head for Tabriz before taking the train to Tehran, and then across the country to Bandar Abbas before catching a ferry to Dubai.
Making it within just 34km of the Iranian border during a global pandemic when many countries were imposing new travel restrictions was a feat in itself.
His route will now take him through Jordan and Saudi Arabia before arriving to the UAE.
“I was a bit nervous going into Kurdish Iraq because of the stories you hear, but quickly felt calm and free,” Mr Wakker said.
“I wanted to keep travelling to the UAE by land, but I was unable to go through Syria or Iraq.
“The only way to continue was to fly over it, so I chose the shortest air route.”
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Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
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The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Uefa Nations League
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Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
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League D:
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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GCC-UK%20Growth
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