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NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies

Crammed car loses control, three dead


Dubai - Oct. 24: Three people died and three others were seriously injured when a two-door Mitsubishi Pajero carrying nine people lost control and hit the central barrier between the third and fourth interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road. A police source told 7DAYS that three of the car’s occupants were thrown out of the car, which was heading in the Abu Dhabi direction, and into the path of oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road at 2:50pm yesterday.

The speeding Pajero is believed to have lost control after hitting an unknown object on the road.  “With such massive overload and speed, I would not be surprised if the car flipped from hitting a hair,” a police source told 7DAYS yesterday. “We have no idea how nine people can actually fit into a two-door Pajero,” he added.

Two of the passengers who were flung out of the car were hit by moving vehicles while the third landed on the windshield of a Prado stopped on the hard shoulder while its driver changed a flat tyre. All three were killed instantly.  All nine occupants of the Pajero were of Indian nationality. Police could not confirm names or ages of the occupants. 

The crash caused long delays as police had to ask drivers to move along while the road was being cleared. “Rubberneckers are the last thing we want to deal with but somehow in every crash we end up having to do just that,” the police said.

SEVEN DAYS

Cancer-stricken doctor jumps to death
 

Sharjah: Oct. 24: A doctor, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, jumped from his apartment yesterday morning and died instantly, police said.

The Palestinian doctor, who was working for a hospital in Dubai, had been undergoing treatment in Al Ain Hospital. But his condition took a turn for the worse and was told that he had only a short time to live, police said.

The doctor, who was in his late fifties, jumped from his ninth floor flat adjacent to the Khalid Lagoon.

His body was found by worshippers who were going to the mosque for Eid prayers. They immediately contacted the Al Buhairah Police Station.

His friends and relatives told the police that he was depressed and may have killed himself as he did not wish to suffer from his illness.

His colleagues told police that he apparently could not tolerate the pain of the cancer.

 
GULF NEWS

Vendors 'endure cramped and unhygienic conditions'


Sharjah: Oct. 24:Shopkeepers have been operating for years in the narrow corridor of the subway walkways in Rolla, with the salesmen having to put up with the heat, lack of hygiene and space to make a living.

Selling all sorts of gadgets and leather items, the salesmen are confined to sitting in a chair surrounded by their goods, and have the discomfort of putting up with the pedestrians' bad habits.

"Sometimes the people spit on the floor in front of me, but the worst is when they spit out their pan," Shareef Ahmad, complained, who makes his living selling watches, wallets, sunglasses, alarm clocks and radios.

Disgusting

"They don't care that I am sitting in front of them, and that I have to see them spitting all day. It is a disgusting thing to watch," he said. He has been working in the subway for 18 years.

Pan is a tobacco that is chewed and when spat out leaves a dark red stain.

Even though the municipality cleans the subways on a daily basis, the white-tiled corridors have faint stains of the widely-used pan since they are very difficult to eliminate

Occupying a space that is almost two metres wide, the shopkeepers have to tolerate people squeezing around their goods to pass by, as well as enduring the heat and humidity.

"I have an electric fan behind me that keeps me cool, so I don't mind the heat anymore because I've got used to it," said Abdullah, 55, who has to pay rent of approximately Dh10,000 per year.

The best time for business is on Fridays, say the shopkeepers, when everyone is enjoying their weekend, and during Ramadan it is after iftar.

The majority of the stands are open from 8am to 11pm, and although some of the shopkeepers rotate shifts, others that are run single-handedly have no other option but to close for a few hours at midday instead.

"I stay at my shop the whole day to make Dh500. I would like to have a shop above the ground, but I cannot afford it.

"This is the only thing I can do," said Ateeq.

 
GULF NEWS

'We are forced to cook on open fires'
 

Dubai: Oct. 24:Labourers are being forced to cook on open fires due to a lack of cooking gas facilities - creating a fire hazard for themselves and others.

The labourers who live in accommodation in Sonapur say they have no choice. According to them the distribution of gas cylinders was discontinued suddenly last month.

"We learnt that our company owes money to the cooking gas company. We are told that things will improve but until then we are forced to cook on open fires," said a labourer.

Some of them have bought themselves expired gas cylinders.

The labourers who work at various construction sites in Dubai told Gulf News that they collect wood from their worksites and take it back with them to their accommodation each day.

Risk factor

"It takes much longer to cook on an open fire. Usually each of us cooks our meals individually but at times when we are short of time we do it collectively," he said.

Those who have managed to get themselves an expired gas cylinder said they are aware of the risk factor involved but do not have the patience to cook on an open fire.

"We managed to get a medium-size phased out gas cylinder by paying considerably less to the agency people who regularly distribute gas cylinders in various other accommodation," said one labourer.

According to them they do not mind sharing the cylinder with others - provided they pay.

"They have to pay us for using our cylinder facility. We have risked buying it. We have paid for it. How can we allow them to make use of it for free."

The labourer shrugged off questions about a fire hazard and said that all they do as a "safety precaution" is to remove all the clothes that are being hung outside each room to dry.

"We do not have time for all these things. We are labourers and come home tired. As soon as we are back in our accommodation we just want to eat and sleep," said one labourer.

Gulf News could not find a single fire extinguisher in the accommodation.

 
GULF NEWS

Company sells live fish at Deira market
 

Dubai: Oct. 24: Fish lovers can now buy and take home live fish from the Deira Fish Market. A special section opened four months ago to cater to people and restaurants who like their fish super fresh.

Emirates Aqua Live located in the Deira Fish Market is the first live fish shop in the UAE and supplies to individuals as well as top restaurants.

The special air-conditioned building with water temperature controlled tanks has all the regional fish, live crabs, lobsters and more. Hamad Al Rahoomy, general manager of Emirates Aqua Live said there is a high demand for live fish, especially in hotels.

"We have ornamental fish and fish you can eat. Some people like to have hammour in aquariums for decoration but sometimes they have a lot of fish and they can choose what to eat when they want it," he said.

Fishing boats have also been devised with special tanks so fish can be transferred easily once back to shore.

The aquarium tanks can be viewed for a fee of Dh5.

 
GULF NEWS

Beach monitored


Dubai - Oct. 24: Dubai police increased their presence and rescue vehicles were placed on standby throughout the day yesterday as thousands of Dubai residents flocked to the open beach on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. Additional lifeguards monitored the area as hundreds of people plunged into the sea as plain clothes CID officials tracked troublemakers.

“It was all silent here until yesterday but people started pouring in from 7am today,” a beach security guard told 7DAYS. “It has been a wonderful day so far with no untoward incidents reported. Life guards have been told to stay alert and be prepared for any eventuality,” he added. Three lifeguards usually monitor the free stretch of beach next to Dubai Marine Club but yesterday the number was increased to six.

“The majority of people who come here do not know how to swim. They just jump into the water to play and the possibility of accidents is high. We are on high alert,” said one of the lifeguards. According to reports a few alert people on another stretch of open beach saved a man who was about to drown on Friday evening. The incident occurred on a stretch of beach that is not monitored by lifeguards.

Swimming after sunset is not allowed, but lifeguards, who finish work at 7.00pm, say the rule is regularly flouted. “We are more worried about the evening. Despite repeated warnings people refuse to get out of the water. But when hundreds crowd into the water nothing much can be done about it,” he said.

7DAYS spoke to several residents, who said the open beach in Jumeirah continues to be their number one picnic spot in Dubai. “The beach is much better than a park. Entry is free and we get access to the water,” said Kumar, a Sharjah resident. The road beside the open beach was packed with vehicles and motorists were scrambling for parking spaces yesterday. There was a long queue which stretched down Jumeirah Beach Road as far as the flagpole at the end of Al Diyafah street.

SEVEN DAYS

  

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