Abdulhamid Yusuf, who lost 19 members of his family, including his wife and two children, visits the graves of his relatives in Khan Sheikoun, on March 31, 2018. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP Photo
Abdulhamid Yusuf, who lost 19 members of his family, including his wife and two children, visits the graves of his relatives in Khan Sheikoun, on March 31, 2018. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP Photo

Survivors of Syrian sarin attack grieve one year on



On his wedding anniversary on Wednesday, Abdulhamid Yusuf will have nothing to mark but a chemical attack that killed his wife and their two babies.

At least 80 people died on April 4 last year when war planes dropped sarin gas on his hometown of Khan Sheikhoun in north-west Syria.

The chemical attack on the rebel-held town was one of the most shocking of Syria's seven-year war, causing global outrage and rare retaliatory air strikes by the US.

"I've been deprived of part of my body, of my soul," said Yusuf, 29, breaking into tears as he sat in the garden of his empty home.

An image of him holding the lifeless bodies of his 11-month-old twins – Aya and Ahmad –spread around the world. His wife Dalal and 16 other relatives, including a brother, nephew and many cousins, were also killed.

Yusuf's grief and anger remain raw 12 months on as he visits the cemetery to weed the graves of his loved ones.

"I won't be able to start over. I won't forget the past," he said.

Khan Sheikhoun lies in Syria's Idlib province, the last in the country to remain largely beyond the control of President Bashar Al Assad.

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UN war crimes investigators said they have evidence Syrian government forces were responsible for the attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The allegations have been rejected by the Assad regime and its ally Russia.

"We want the international community to take a strong stand ... Assad needs to pay," said Yusuf.

Thirty children were among those killed in the early morning raid, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Witnesses said people dropped to the ground, convulsing violently, some with white foam pouring out of their mouths.

Ahmad Al Yusuf, 20, lost his parents and two young brothers –Mohammed and Anwar – on a day he says he will never forget.

His mother had woken him up to perform morning prayers before he headed out to work on his grandfather's land.

After the strikes hit, he rushed back home to find his neighbour sitting on the ground, shaking uncontrollably and incapable of talking – but staring straight at him.

"I'll never forget that day or those details," said the young man with a short haircut, who now runs the family's convenience store on his own.

"I lost all my family – everything that was dearest to me."

He clings on to their memory even as he adapts to his new life alone.

"Whether I'm coming or going at home, I always see them in front of me."

The deadly strikes on Khan Sheikhoun sparked international condemnation and caused the United States to fire 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield allegedly used in the attack.

But the bereaved residents feel nothing more substantial has been done to hold those responsible to account.

Mohamed Al Jawhara, a 24-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes, lost his parents, nephew and several cousins.

"It was such a shock. How do you bear seeing them all die in a single day?"

The Khan Sheikhoun attack was yet another low point in seven years of Syria's war, which started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Multiple rounds of UN-backed talks have failed to stem the fighting, and Russia-backed regime forces have instead made significant military gains across the country.

Mr Al Jawhara expresses frustration at what he sees as the insufficient response of the international community in holding Mr Al Assad to account.

"We hoped he would be tried and have to pay" for what he did, says the student, who aims to be a teacher one day.

World leaders "have made statement after statement, but in the end they have been weak".

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

Managing the separation process

  • Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)

5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi

7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi

7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

Company%20profile
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)

Mumbai Indians won by three runs