Getting married without the need for a guardian or witnesses, inheritance distribution and expediting divorce procedures are some of the changes announced for non-Muslim residents in Abu Dhabi.
Before the new law, first introduced in September, residents from non-Sharia countries were subject to rules on inheritance, marriage, divorce, child custody and alimony which were significantly different to those of their home countries.
To keep in step with the international community, Abu Dhabi authorities created the Civil Family Court to better suit residents who are not required to follow Sharia.
So how do these new laws compare with the old ones? The National explains.
Divorce and Mediation
Now for first time, the court has introduced a “no fault divorce”.
From the first divorce hearing, a couple intending to divorce may do so without the need to prove harm or justify the reasons for separation.
There is also no longer a need to go through mediation sessions which were previously required to facilitate reconciliation. The process could delay divorce procedures for many years.
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) said the new provisions will ensure divorces can proceed in a “swift manner in order to reduce quarrels and discord between the spouses especially if the couple has children.” The intention is to conclude all divorce cases within 30 days to limit any damaging effects on children involved.
Custody
Another new law pertains to the equal and shared custody of children. Under the federal laws, a mother would have custody of her children to the age of 11 for her daughter and 13 for her son.
A woman would also immediately lose custody if she remarried or if the court found her unfit to care for her children.
The father would be allowed supervised visits of his children depending on the judge’s decision.
Under the new law, parents will share equal custody of their children. Officials said custody of children is, from the outset, “systematically granted on an equal basis to the father and mother and details the method of alternating and dispatching joint custody between the parents, either weekly, fortnightly or monthly".
Alimony
Once divorced the wife will receive alimony. Previously, alimony would be paid monthly and depend only on the spouse’s monthly income. The husband's total assets would not be taken into consideration.
Under the new laws, the total assets will be a factor in deciding alimony, in addition to providing the wife with the same lifestyle and financial statuses she held during the marriage.
Compensation
For the first time the wife will be given “a lump sum” in compensation for leaving her job to care for the children. The number of years a couple has been married will also be taken into account, where a longer marriage results in a higher amount. The age of the spouses and the extent to which one of them contributed to the breakdown of the marriage will also be taken into account.
There were previously no such laws that compensated spouses for leaving a lucrative career to care for children.
Inheritance
Under federal laws, in cases where there is no will in place, Sharia meant a son would receive twice as much as the daughter. The Civil Family Court will now distribute inheritance more equally if there is no will in place. Half of the estate will automatically go to the spouse, with the other half distributed equally among their children.
Marriage
Under federal law a woman of any age needs the consent of a guardian to marry. This was often difficult with couples whose parents or guardians were in their home country.
It was also previously a requirement to have two witnesses present.
Now with the new laws, no guardian or family member's consent is needed, and witnesses are not needed for a couple to get married.
Tourists and residents from other emirates can now easily tie the knot in the capital making it a desirable new location for destination weddings.
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Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
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4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
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Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
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Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
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On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
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If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
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2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
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