A deadly fire in a Dubai residential building on Saturday claimed the lives of doting fathers and a loving single mother who were the primary providers for their families.
Dubai residents told of the heartache and pain the fatal fire had brought for families who depended on the men and women killed in the fire.
Sixteen people were killed and nine injured when a blaze erupted on the fourth floor of an apartment block in Deira, a crowded Dubai neighbourhood, on Saturday afternoon.
Three Pakistani men, a Cameroonian single mother and an Egyptian father were the sole breadwinners of their families.
We have cried all our tears. This is a shock and very heavy for my family to bear
Alain Awunglefac on losing his 28-year-old sister Nicoline Abinkeng
Witnesses and those who escaped from the blaze reported hearing a blast. They said thick smoke that quickly filled the corridor on the top floor made it difficult for residents to escape.
Dubai Civil Defence authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. Preliminary investigations indicate that poor safety standards and a lack of compliance with security standards caused the fire, according to authorities.
Four Indians, three Pakistanis, six Sudanese, one Cameroonian, one Egyptian and one Jordanian, were killed in the fire.
‘I still hear them screaming for help’
Relatives in Dubai have spent the past few days completing the documentation and clearances required to send the bodies of their loved ones home.
The bodies of the three Pakistani men — Muhammad Bilal, Umar Farooq and Muhammad Sajjad — reached their families on Tuesday.
Friends posted videos on Facebook showing hundreds of mourners gathered outside their homes in Dera Ghazi Khan, in south-west Pakistan, to accompany the bodies to the funeral ground.
Each of the men had three to four children and large families who depended on them, said Mohammed Jamil, a cousin who lived in the same building.
“Telling our families that they died in a fire has been the worst thing I have had to do,” said Mr Jamil, who had a lucky escape as he was praying in a nearby mosque.
“Their children depend on them. They came here to work hard for a good life for their families and now there is nothing.
“We are there for their families but it is not the same.”
Minutes before the fire began, he chatted with his cousin Mr Bilal who wanted to rest for a while.
The accident has scarred Mr Jamil who was on the phone with the men as the flames engulfed the floor they were trapped on.
“I keep crying. I cannot stop crying. I still hear them yelling and screaming, asking us to help,” Mr Jamil said.
“Bilal called me saying, ‘There is a fire, save us.’
“I could do nothing, we were not allowed to go in.”
Police and fire officials cordoned off the building for the safety of residents and onlookers who gathered in an open space in front as the fire raged on Saturday.
On Tuesday, red and white security tape remains stretched around the perimeter.
The top floor balconies are blackened and charred, with the metal railings melted by the intensity of the blaze.
On the lower floor balconies, rows of clothes remain spread across drying lines.
'Everything is gone'
Residents had fled their homes, leaving doors and windows thrown open.
They have since been permitted to enter their residences to gather essentials.
“Everything is gone, they are no more. What will I do with my luggage when we don’t have them,” Mr Jamil said.
“We would sit for hours and hours and talk. They always helped people who were new to Dubai.”
Mr Bilal and Umar Farooq worked in a project management company and Mr Sajjad was employed by an air-conditioner repair firm.
They had worked in Dubai for more than 12 years.
Relatives in Pakistan have shared photographs of the men on Facebook and videos taken of them sharing iftar in the UAE.
“Dua karo (please pray for them)”, says one post.
Young mother with big dreams
A grieving brother said his younger sister’s aspirations for her family were snatched away by the tragedy.
Nicoline Abinkeng, 28, did not go into work on Saturday as she was upset after hearing that her father in Cameroon needed to go to hospital with a stomach ailment.
“She was crying the whole night on Friday and could not go to work on Saturday because she was just too troubled,” said Alain Awunglefac, her brother.
Ms Abinkeng was a chef who worked in a restaurant serving West African cuisine. She had lived in Dubai for seven years.
A single mother, she had a 13-year-old daughter who was being looked after by a sister at home.
“She was supposed to go to work and if she went to work that day, she would have been safe,” Mr Awunglefac said.
“Nicky was lying in bed when a friend rushed in and said they had to leave because of a fire.”
She shared a room with six other girls, one of whom was in the room with her.
Two other friends from Cameroon managed to escape by jumping down to floors below but they lost her in the fire.
“The others got injured in the fall and some got burnt, but they are alive. My sister did not make it,” he said.
“Her biggest dream was to work hard and save for her daughter and our parents.
“She was so popular and was the best chef.
“We have cried all our tears. This is a shock and something that is very heavy for my family to bear.”
A devoted father
Walid El Gamal, 51, an Egyptian father-of-three, was due to start work as a Dubai cab driver after Eid.
Mr Gamal leaves behind children aged nine, seven and three. He worked in Kuwait for 20 years, and Egypt, before moving to the UAE to search for work last year.
His family suspect that he died as he was asleep in a room shared with friends who were not in the building when the fire broke out.
“He got his new residency. He had a new job and had completed his training with the RTA,” said Radwan Haitham, Mr Gamal’s brother-in-law.
“Walid was so happy. He was very intelligent and kind. He had big dreams to work and continue his life for his family in Dubai.”
Mr Haitham said his sister in Egypt spoke to her husband daily and was anxious when calls went unanswered on Saturday.
“I told her it may be network or battery issues,” he said.
“I asked his friends, ‘Where is Walid?’, and that is when we heard of the fire.
“Now I’m focused on getting the paperwork done and sending his body to Egypt.
“This is too hard for my sister and his family. It is too difficult for us.”
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Superliminal%20
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20One%20%26amp%3B%20X%2FS%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PC%20and%20Mac%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
