An Australian Muslim living in the UAE has been reunited with his two daughters after a prolonged legal battle.
The ruling by Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court is believed to be the first instance in the region of an expatriate Muslim father being granted full custody of his children, with the mother receiving only visiting rights.
The Abu Dhabi resident and his two daughters, who were seeking a child protection order against the mother, burst into tears when the ruling was announced.
It allows his daughters to live with him full-time and the mother can see them only with agreement from her ex-husband.
It shows a court that is willing to engage with complex children cases involving expatriates
Byron James,
partner at Expatriate Law in Abu Dhabi
Speaking to The National under the pseudonym Peter, he said: "For an Abu Dhabi Court to take immediate action to protect my daughters means a lot to us.
"For an expatriate, it shows that the rule of law will prevail here and things will be done in the best interest of the children.
“This is comforting to expatriate families who have moved to Abu Dhabi and unfortunately have a parenting dispute … to have it resolved here, where both sides are heard, is really important.
"An important part of any decision to come here is the feeling that there is a rule of law, especially when it comes to protecting children.”
Peter moved to the UAE in 2017 and has lived in Abu Dhabi for the past year. His former wife is a US citizen.
The couple were divorced in 2019 in Australia and the children then lived in the US with their allegedly abusive mother while Peter was in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court heard the "complex" case. Before its formation in 2021, such cases would have been subject to the personal status law, which gives full custody to the mother unless she remarries.
“This is a massive moment for the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court," Byron James, a partner at Expatriate Law in Abu Dhabi, told The National.
"It means that, as an expatriate, you can have your cases dealt with here instead of your home country where you might not have lived for many years.
"It shows a court that is willing to engage with complex children cases involving expatriates. The judge deserves a lot of praise for being so brave and child-focused."
Mr James went on to highlight the pioneering role of Abu Dhabi, where the legal system is "providing a jurisdiction for children in this situation and where no other jurisdiction exists".
"Can you imagine how many children living in the UAE whose parents are going through a divorce and, if not for the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, there would be no court looking after their welfare?" he said.
The only option would be to go through the criminal court, Mr James added, and “most parents don’t want to file a criminal case against their partner for the sake of their children".
Peter's daughters wrote letters of appeal to the judge asking that they remain with their father and not be sent back to their mother.
They claimed their mother caused them physical, mental and emotional harm.
Most of the legal sessions were held online since the mother lives in the US.
“We just cried. Nobody said anything,” Peter said of their reaction to the court's decision.
“That was our first reaction when we heard the ruling. There was such a huge sense of relief. That it was over. It is like a weight has been lifted.”
The court is in the process of registering the order in California which, The National understands, would be the first time an order of the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court will have been endorsed by a court abroad.
The case remains subject to appeal.
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
