Motorsport fan Anastasia Bachvarova, from Sofia in Bulgaria, owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S, which she says has enough acceleration to satiate her thirst for speed. The Dubai-based sales manager for discount book The Entertainer has a passion for driving instilled by her father, who focused on teaching her how to drive from an early age, as her brothers had no interest.
"My father first unleashed the petrolhead in me at 11 years old, and I drove him to pick my mother up from work for the first time at the age of 12," the married 28-year-old reminisces. "The car at the time was a 1970s Russian Moskvitch and I had two pillows under my bum to see over the dashboard with the seat pushed fully forward so I could reach the pedals. It must have been ridiculous to see a 12-year-old girl driving her parents, but you can blame the time and place, so don't think my parents are irresponsible," she laughs.
My Car: First-hand accounts of life behind the wheel
Whether they're off-roaders or family transports, vehicles in the Emirates inspire plenty of passion in their owners.
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The Mini's 1.6L, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine produces 172hp, with front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifting. It accelerates from zero to 100kph in 7.2 seconds and is fairly light at just over a tonne. Anastasia calls her Mini Cooper S the "street kart" and feels it suits her job, being small, fast, easy to park and with good fuel consumption, considering her busy schedule and regular travel around the Emirates. "This car was a great choice for me and suited my budget," she says. "I never looked at Minis as an option before, but I think it's funky; initially, felt I was looking at more of a toy rather than a practical car. Yet, when I first test drove it, I was impressed by the amazing acceleration - especially when I pressed the naughty Sport button. It has a small body yet it's very stable and is a car you can rely on for smooth cornering."
Diminutive Anastasia is dedicated to motorsport, volunteering to be a marshal at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. "Almost anyone willing to apply themselves can do it - as long they're not colour blind. I sent my application to Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management and they invited my husband and I to the study course. We had to attend Yas Marina Circuit every Friday from 8am to 5pm, listening to lectures on the FIA and ADMM rules and regulations. This went on for around three months prior to the race. There was a test at the end of the first lecture day and some passed, some didn't. We passed the exam and the next step was to choose whether we wanted to be flag marshals - waving the flags, which we thought sounded boring - or intervention marshals - taking care of car accidents, burning cars, injured drivers and clearing the track of debris, which we chose as we thought it sounded exciting.
"The whole marshal process was an exciting experience, from watching the unseen footage of terrible F1 accidents, to being so close to the stunning cars right on the track and making friends with the Bahraini and Hungarian marshals flown over from their own countries' circuits. Being a marshal is fun but also carries the responsibility for peoples' lives on and off the track and everything happens faster than a blink of an eye. It was one thing to tick off the bucket list and in 2011 we watched it from the grandstand instead," she says.
And to this day Anastasia is still beating the boys on the track. "The last time I raced at the Dubai Kartdrome I finished first out of 10 - and it was a race involving me and nine men," she explains proudly. "I've raced a number of times at the kartdrome and have five trophies, which I'm proud of despite the fact they're amateur. Guys don't like being beaten by a girl - I honestly think they'd rather have their nose broken. The second I overtake them the foul play begins - hitting the kart from behind, trying to block me from both sides. Of course, once the race is finished they would never speak about it, ever again," she smiles. So boys, if you see Anastasia in her Mini, be sure not to underestimate her.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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HAJJAN
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
