Singing, dancing, hugging and crying. Hundreds of Syrians have gathered in Manchester city centre to celebrate the end of the regime, a regime many fled in fear of their lives.
Their faces are full of joy and tears as years of fear, worry and disappointment make way for hope.
They wave flags saying “freedom” and cheer as an impromptu fireworks display lights up the sky.
Many refugees said they’ve dreamt of this moment for years. I’ve never been approached by so many people wanting to tell their story.
After years of repression, they want the world to hear what they’ve been through.
Refugee Yasmin said her words are her weapon, which is why she had to flee Syria. But now she no longer has to be quiet.
She said she was “ecstatic to see President Assad’s repressive regime finally over.
Yasmin says she’s ‘ecstatic’ the regime was overthrown without bloodshed
“It’s an indescribable joy to see your country of origin liberated in the way that it’s been liberated – without any bloodshed, without any destruction, without any division,” Yasmin told Sky News.
After years away, she said she hopes to return home soon – a sentiment shared by many at the celebration.
Yasser has been in the UK since 2015 when he came to Manchester as a refugee. But, like many who fled the civil war, he still has close family back in Syria.
“Every moment there they could be in danger,” he said. “But finally this dream has become true now.
“I was welcomed very well from the Mancunian people – I am very, very happy to stay here, but I’m looking forward to the first flight to Syria to go back.”
Yasser says he was welcomed in Manchester but can’t wait to return home
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Some people at the celebration are unsure if their relatives are still alive.
Amneh was jailed for six months and tortured by a regime she likened to Nazi Germany. She sobbed as she said she could now return to help build a “new Syria”.
“In my dream I cannot imagine we will arrive to this moment,” she said.
“Do you know what happened now – the dictator is done! The freedom for Syria – we paid a huge price for that.”
Hundreds gathered in Manchester to celebrate a new dawn for Syria
Three of Amneh’s brothers were also sent to prison, but she’s had no news about them and isn’t sure if they are still alive.
“We are full [of] hope, full [of] pain – because I lost my three brothers, and for other detainees still missing,” she said.
“[But] I feel hopeful because I want to look forward to the future, to rebuild a new Syria with justice, with democracy for every single person.”
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
UK
Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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British Steel: What happens next?
Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.
Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.
“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”
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