Divorce rates in four of the seven emirates fell by 17.9 per cent in 2020. Getty Images
Divorce rates in four of the seven emirates fell by 17.9 per cent in 2020. Getty Images
Divorce rates in four of the seven emirates fell by 17.9 per cent in 2020. Getty Images
Divorce rates in four of the seven emirates fell by 17.9 per cent in 2020. Getty Images

Divorce rates decline in Northern Emirates


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

Divorce rates in the Northern Emirates fell significantly last year.

Statistics from the Ministry of Justice revealed 618 couples in the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain ended their marriages in 2020, a 17.9 per cent drop from 735 the previous year.

The number comprised 290 Emirati couples and 328 in which at least one of the spouses was an expatriate.

The figures continue a recent trend of falling divorce numbers in the four emirates, with 739 couples splitting in 2018 and 740 parting ways in 2017.

The country has made key decisions related to family stability

Official statistics for Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah were not available.

Emirati lawyer Awatif Mohammed called for high-school pupils to be taught about the importance of marriage and for more advice and support to be given to those about to tie the knot.

“The goal of which [would be] to promote the importance of communicating with one’s family members to help achieve stronger bonding that will naturally lead to more respect and understanding,” she said.

A senior judge said that some family disputes were fuelled by stay-home measures implemented in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak.

“This doesn’t mean the pandemic is to be considered a cause, it was a secondary factor that brought some existing marital problems to the surface,” said Khalid Al Hosani, chief justice for Dubai's Court of Personal Status.

He said cases seen by Dubai’s personal status court in the first 10 months of 2020 revealed that marriages end because of four main factors.

“These included domestic violence, failing to provide for the family, abandonment, and a cultural and social incompatibility between the husband and wife,” he said.

A legal expert said changes made to UAE’s family law, requiring a stronger basis for divorce to be granted when first filed, were proving effective.

"The country made key decisions related to family stability by changing the law that helped bring the number of divorces down," said Dr Hasan Elhais, legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates.

“Before the law was amended, divorce cases filed on the basis that one part is being harmed by their spouse were referred to family dispute counsellors.

"If counsellors failed to resolve the marital dispute, they would recommend divorce.

“But now the case doesn’t get referred to counsellors, because the revised law made it mandatory the spouse provides proof of the harm they claim, otherwise the case is dismissed.

“If the couple file for divorce again, in this case, the court could be called on to mediate and will refer the case to counsellors."

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Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE

Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)

Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder

Gearbox  Nine-speed automatic

Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm

Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

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Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: HyperSpace
 
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Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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