During a family trip to London in 2008, Odd Petter Magnussen was struck by a moment of emotional intensity when he saw his two daughters walking arm in arm, smiling and joking with each other.
"I saw these two sisters holding each other so naturally, having a good time together. I stopped them and said, 'This is probably the most happy [moment] in my life as a father to see how close and balanced and in harmony you two are'," he said. "Just three months later it was all over."
The Norwegian's joy of fatherhood was shattered two years ago today when the older of his daughters, Martine Vik Magnussen, a vivacious 23-year-old studying in London, was raped and murdered.
Farouk Abdulhak, the Yemeni man accused by British police of the killing, fled to the country of his birth where it is alleged he is living under the protective umbrella of his father, a powerful and wealthy businessman.
While today will be a time for quiet reflection for Martine Magnussen's family, it also marks two years of a fight for justice that looks no closer to a conclusion. The lack of an extradition treaty between the UK and Yemen means Mr Abdulhak has managed to avoid facing trial.
A senior diplomat in London told The National that Britain was involved in "a delicate, diplomatic balancing act" in discussions with the Yemeni government over the issue.
Magnussen's partially clothed body was found inside the basement of a block of flats at Great Portland Street two days after she went missing. The flats were home to Mr Abdulhak, her friend and fellow student at Regent's Business School.
The pair had left the exclusive Maddox nightclub in the early hours of the morning on March 14, 2008. According to reports, Abdulhak flew out of the UK the same day and friends later noticed he had deleted his Facebook profile.
London's Metropolitan Police has a "wanted" posting for the 23-year-old on its website and in July last year the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Abdulhak. A European arrest warrant has also been issued.
But after Yemen turned down an extradition request in 2009 on legal grounds, the prospect of getting Mr Abdulhak in front of a British court now appears to rest in the hands of politicians.
For Mr Magnussen and his family the current impasse has been a source of "tremendous frustration", but he is determined his daughter's death will help forge a change in the extradition system.
"There is no doubt in anyone's mind that criminal conduct of this nature should be punished," said Mr Magnussen, a 58-year-old civil economist, speaking at his home near Oslo. "The fact you have these lack of extradition treaties is no longer viable when you have a mobile, secular world where migration is a political desire.
"Today it's just a question of an air ticket and you can get away with murder. Just to commit the most serious crime and go home is a hopeless situation." Mr Magnussen said he believes bringing Mr Abdulhak to trial in the UK "would send a strong message that this sort of hopeless legal vacuum cannot be used as a secure way of avoiding law enforcement".
He believes there should be a change in the international regulations that would supersede the lack of extradition treaties including some sort of agreement on entering a country that a person would be prepared to return to stand trial there.
The recent increase in international focus on Yemen after it emerged that the alleged failed bomber on a Detroit-bound airliner had received training in the state has raised hope for Magnussen's family that there would be more pressure to extradite Mr Abdulhak.
"It is now a question of exerting what influence can be brought on the Yemeni authorities," said the London-based diplomat, who requested anonymity. "It is a fact that, since the Detroit incident, there has been a much greater international effort to pour aid into Yemen.
"But this does not necessarily give the UK any more leverage than before. Indeed, it could even be counterproductive in the search for Martine's killer.
"The harsh reality is that the immediate priority of the UK and the rest of the international community is to provide the developmental and security assistance that will stop Yemen's further decline into a base for terrorism. The stakes are very high for all concerned and nobody in the West wants this fragile process to falter because of a row over one individual, albeit one who is a suspect in a murder investigation."
He said this does not mean that the United Kingdom is giving up on the Abdulhak case. "Far from it. But it does mean that everyone is having to tread carefully."
Mr Magnussen admitted that the hope of a diplomatic outcome remains slim but said the pressure is growing both externally and, recently, internally after an opposition group took on his daughter's case to attack the embattled Yemeni government.
The greatest hope for justice, he said, lies with Mr Abdulhak's father, Shaher. The billionaire, who according to recent report in The Guardian, has a business empire extending into petroleum, sugar, soft drinks, tourism and property, is also close to senior figures in Yemen's government.
A Norwegian television documentary filmed the Abdulhak family lawyer last year admitting that Farouk Abdulhak, who has spent most of his life living abroad, now resides at home with his family and studies Arabic at the local university.
Attempts to contact the lawyer were unsuccessful, but David Wilson, the managing director of the public relations firm Bell Pottinger, appointed by Shaher Abdulhak to act as his spokesman in the UK, insisted that the father has little contact with his son, who is not staying in any of his father's properties.
"He's been absolutely consistent throughout that if his son can help the investigation in any way, then he should do so," Mr Wilson said.
Abu Bakr al Qirbi, the Yemeni foreign minister, said his country's constitution does not allow a citizen to be handed to a foreign country. He said Yemen is prepared to prosecute Farouk Abdulhak in Yemen if the British police provide it with evidence.
"We can guarantee a just prosecution here in Yemen," he said. This is an option unacceptable to Mr Magnussen and the British.
"I would wish so much for him and his family and my family that we can end up in a mutual understanding of the need to let justice prevail," Mr Magnussen said. "Martine was extremely lovable as a person. Her tolerance, her mildness, probably was the one thing that killed her."
@Email:jlessware@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by David Sapsted in London
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Cheeseburger%20ingredients
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Moving%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SMG%20Studio%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Team17%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
