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Yusra Mardini, the star swimmer who fled the Assad regime and competed as a refugee in the Olympics, plans to return to Syria and pick through the remains of the demolished home as she begins to move on with the next chapter of her life.
Speaking to The National at an event in Dubai, Ms Mardini, 26, said she looks forward to embracing her grandmother for the first time in a decade.
“This is a sad one, because the plan for me is to immediately go see my family and friends. That's the first thing I'm going to do,” Ms Mardini said.
“I didn't see my grandmother for 10 years, so I'm going to see her. And then I'm going to see my 100 per cent destroyed home … destroyed in the first year of the war.
“I'm hoping that I walk around my building and find some pictures of myself or something.
“And I'm going back to the pool as well. It still stands," she said of the facility near Damascus, where she reached world-class swimming standard.
I want to go back and I want to see how can I help as a female to shape the government, and to shape swimming in Syria
Yusra Mardini
"The first visit is going to be very private, just trying to do it for myself.”
Ms Mardini, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, expects she will meet officials at a later date and hopes to see more of the country as the situation stabilises.
Ms Mardini and her sister, Sarah, left Syria in 2015 for Europe, through Lebanon, Turkey and Greece. The overladen boat they were on sank, and the girls kept the dinghy afloat for three hours, saving two other people.
She and Sarah were named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
Ms Mardini said the people of Syria need time to process the horrors of what happened under president Bashar Al Assad. Even now, after the regime was overthrown, little is known about the 100,000 prisoners who vanished and are believed to have been buried in mass graves.
Hundreds of thousands more died during the civil war.
“It's gonna take me a long time to recover from this … knowing how the bodies were just shipped in bags in huge trucks. I'm just imagining I was in the car as a child and there were trucks full of bodies.
“The stories that came out are really, really, really sad. And the Syrian people need to heal for a very, very long time.”
Despite a decade in exile and new horrors of the civil war emerging now, Ms Mardini says she is grateful for all of the opportunities she has had to train, and later study at university in Los Angeles, and more recently mentor athletes at the Paris Olympics. She mentioned how thankful she was to Germany for taking her in and giving her a new life.
“The title for the next chapter is healing, and I really want to help in Syria. I want to go back and I want to see how can I help as a female to shape the government, to shape swimming in Syria.
“I want to be someone that people in Syria can look up to and say 'hey, she made it, so can I'.
“90 per cent of the Syrian population relies on humanitarian aid, and it's really sad that 40 per cent of schools are destroyed. There's so many kids in the streets selling cigarettes right now. So for me it's about healing, and it's about going back.”
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Background: Chemical Weapons
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
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- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
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Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
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- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Arrived in the UAE: 2007
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
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Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
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