It will be a subdued Eid Al Fitr for many survivors of a deadly Dubai apartment building blaze that killed 16 people and injured nine more.
They will mourn and pray for friends and family who died in Saturday's devastating fire.
The four-storey building in Deira was home to people who shared close, decades-old ties.
Many neighbours had grown up in the same towns and villages in India and Pakistan and often visited each other's homes.
Several residents said they did not have the heart to celebrate Eid this year, while others said they would pray for those killed in the fire.
Memories of past Eid celebrations
Mansour Thekkilparambil’s family fled from their third-floor apartment in time, seconds after he heard shouts of "fire" on Saturday afternoon.
He tried to warn his friend Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, and his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32, who lived on the floor above where the blaze began, but the couple were trapped by the heat and smoke.
Mr Thekkilparambil, 31, from Kerala, and his wife and his daughter are temporarily staying with friends after Dubai Civil Defence sealed off the building for investigation and safety reasons.
“This time there is no Eid for us,” he said.
“Every celebration we spent time together with Rijesh and Jeshi. Most times during Eid they were always with us.
"We will pray for them.”
The night before the fire took the lives of his friends, the families shared iftar and suhoor and chatted until the early hours of the morning.
Ms Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath then left Mr Thekkilparambil's residence at about 3am on Saturday.
That was the last time the couples saw each other.
The families had planned to meet at the Kalangadan home for iftar on Saturday evening.
Instead, Mr Thekkilparambil frantically called his friend to tell him to leave the building as the fire took hold. He also raced up the back stairs along with three others to try and get the couple to safety.
"It is impossible to think of not seeing them and of life without them," he said.
Mr Thekkilparambil is Muslim and Mr Kalangadan a Hindu, and they are from the same village in Mallapuram district in India's southern Kerala.
“They are Hindu, we are Muslim, that does not make a difference. We celebrated all festivals together.
"We said 'bye that morning and were to be together for iftar in a few hours.
“Their heart was so good. We miss them."
Prayers for victims
Residents have been allowed to enter the building to retrieve their belongings.
The building management has told them they will be allowed to return after investigations and cleaning operations are completed.
Salinga Gudu described it as the “saddest time” as he accompanied his younger brother’s body to their home town in Tamil Nadu.
Gudu Saliyakoondu, 48, a watchman, died as he was trying to save residents trapped inside the building.
When the fire and thick smoke spread across the fourth floor, Saliyakoondu rushed up to try and help residents desperately crying for help.
His elder brother Mr Gudu, 55, who lived near by, watched helplessly as the fire spread.
“My brother went to his death. We now just have his memories,” Mr Gudu said.
“No one knew him in life. The world knows him in death because of the people he helped save.
“All we can do is pray for him. He had three young children.
"Not one of us can understand how to handle our grief."
Together in mourning
Volunteers and social workers who have been assisting families with paperwork share their grief.
Social worker Naseer Vatanappally has been working with the Indian consulate to help survivors with the documentation to repatriate the bodies.
“There are too many calls from families asking for help, to understand the procedures and how to complete the steps to take the bodies home,” Mr Vatanappally said.
“We are with these families in mourning. It will be a sad Eid for all of us."
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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.
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
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What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Race card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m
9.25pm: Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
10.35pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm: Shahm, 7.05pm: Well Of Wisdom, 7.40pm: Lucius Tiberius, 8.15pm: Captain Von Trapp, 8.50pm: Secret Advisor, 9.25pm: George Villiers, 10pm: American Graffiti, 10.35pm: On The Warpath
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
