DUBAI // When Khalid's wife calls him from Syria, he can hear the bombs crash in the background.
He can't remember the last time he had a good night's sleep or enjoyed a meal.
"This is my daughter," he says, pointing to a photograph of his three-year-old in a pink dress. "She is with my wife in Syria. They barely escaped the bombing yesterday."
For many Syrians in the UAE, life has become a mind-racking combination of dread and guilt. They hear the violence in the background when they call home, or simply worry when they hear the accounts of the latest atrocity. It has become harder to send money home, and it has become harder to call home.
And for many the guilt of enjoying the stability of the UAE while loved ones are in danger only adds to the tossing and turning at night.
"I feel bad when I have food and I know my family and the people I love don't have any," says Khalid, 26, whose name has been changed to protect his family.
"All I can think about are the horrors my wife and child are being subjected to, the violence my parents and family are witnessing," he said.
"Douma, my home town, is under siege. Nothing goes in or out, no food, no water, no medicine. The tanks drive up and down our streets and there are snipers everywhere."
Khalid has been working as an ice-cream maker in Dubai since February. He tried to bring his family here, but his application for visas was rejected.
"They said my salary wasn't high enough."
Every month, he sends as much of his Dh4,000 salary home as he can.
The money transfers have been going through without problems, although his wife could not access his last transfer - the cashier at the bank told her they didn't have any cash.
When he turned 26 a few days ago, Khalid had little to celebrate. His cousin has been missing since June 28 and his brother-in-law, drafted into the army, was arrested by the military police when he refused to fire at civilians. The family has not heard from him since.
When Khalid describes what happened to his sister, his hands are clenched in fists of rage.
"She had a nine-month-old baby. They were trying to get away from the bombs. One landed too close. She fell and dropped the baby," he says.
"The baby died from a brain haemorrhage."
Khalid's roommate, who called himself Mazin, is also from Douma. He has seen the violence at first hand.
"I was one of the protesters when it all started. We were picketing peacefully, we didn't attack anyone or damage anything," he says.
"Next thing we knew we were surrounded by security forces. They just started beating everyone without warning. Then they picked people at random and arrested them.
"I was one of the people arrested. They blindfolded us, put us on a bus and took us to a detention centre.
"We were beaten mercilessly, and at one point I got a chance to see through a gap in my blindfold. There were 15 guards using canes and kicking a guy who was still handcuffed."
Mazin was tortured for four days. "By that point we would have done or said anything to get out. They forced us to sign documents confessing to be terrorists and saying we were trying to endanger the security of the country.
"I've never touched a gun in my life, now I was signing my name to declare myself a terrorist? When they had their 'proof', they let us go."
But Mazin still counts himself lucky to have been arrested in the early days of protests. "It's much worse now," he said. "They are maiming and disfiguring people - gouging out their eyes."
Every time Khalid's phone rings, he fears the worst.
"I don't know what horrific news I'm about to receive. We get calls at all hours of the night and day," he says. "We're being treated worse than animals. At least when animals get abused you get some kind of reaction from the world.
"Our people are being massacred and no one seems to care."
malkhan@thenational.ae
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Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
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Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
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Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
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Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
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Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
