Dubai's Al Qudra Cycle Track partially closes for two days

One of Dubai's most popular cycle tracks is closed until 6pm on Wednesday, while the Al Salam Cycling Championship takes place.

The 86km Al Qudra Cycle track is often used for sporting events, such as the Spinneys Cycle Challenge and Ironman races, which means it closes to the general public.

"RTA announced a [partial] closure of Al Qudra Cycling Track behind the intersection of Seeh Al Salam St with Al Qudra St on Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th Dec, 2022 from 7:00AM-6:00PM in line with Al Salam Cycling Championship," a post from Dubai's RTA said.

"Cyclists are asked to kindly use alternative tracks."

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Landfill in numbers

• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane

• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming

• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi

• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year

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• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition

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if you go

The flights

Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes

The package

Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January

The info

Visit www.gokorea.co.uk

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Haemoglobin disorders explained

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.