The conservatorship that has controlled the life of Britney Spears for 13 years neared a possible end on Wednesday after a judge suspended her father.
The pop superstar said later that she was "on cloud 9 right now".
At a contentious three-hour hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny removed Jamie Spears from oversight of his daughter's $60 million estate and set a November date to discuss whether to terminate the entire arrangement.
Scroll through our gallery above to see supporters of Britney Spears celebrating the news.
In an Instagram post following the judge's ruling, the Stronger singer posted a video showing her seated next to a pilot in the cockpit of a small plane and manoeuvring the controls.
"First time flying a plane and first time in a prop plane! Geez I was scared," she wrote, without mentioning the conservatorship.
In court, Penny removed Jamie from his role after the singer's attorney said she did not want him involved for even one more day.
"The current situation is not tenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of Jamie Spears, effective today," Judge Penny said.
The judge said she would hold a hearing on November 12 to discuss a petition to terminate the conservatorship that controls Britney's business and personal affairs.
Britney, 39, has been struggling for years to get free of the legal arrangement. She did not take part in Wednesday's hearing.
"It's a great day for Britney Spears and it's a great day for justice," the singer's attorney Mathew Rosengart told fans gathered outside the Los Angeles courthouse. "Britney Spears has been faced with a decade-long nightmare, a Kafkaesque nightmare, orchestrated by her father and others."
Jamie will be replaced by an accountant, John Zabel, on a temporary basis, Penny said.
'It’s logical, it’s fair'
#FreeBritney fans erupted in cheers as the judge's ruling was conveyed. Pop singer Cher tweeted: "I'm more than thrilled 4 her. Bless our super star."
Jamie had been in charge of his daughter's business affairs since 2008, when he put in place a wide-ranging, court-approved conservatorship after she suffered a mental breakdown. The details of Britney's mental health have never been revealed.
Rosengart said he envisaged an orderly transition in which the conservatorship could end before the close of the year. “It’s simple, it’s logical, it’s fair, it’s just,” he told the judge.
Ironically, it was Jamie who earlier in September reversed years of objections and abruptly called for the conservatorship to end. But he argued that he should remain in his role to smooth the transition.
Rosengart, however, demanded that Jamie be suspended immediately.
"According to Britney Spears, his service has been abusive, it’s been toxic and it’s been cruel,” he said.
A New York Times documentary released last week alleged that the singer's phone and bedroom were bugged by security staff working for her father. Conversations with friends, her children and her previous lawyer were monitored, a former security staffer said.
Her father has said his actions were within his authority as conservator. "Mr Spears has faithfully and loyally served as a court-appointed conservator for 13 years. His record is impeccable," his attorney Vivian Thoreen said on Wednesday.
Britney stepped up her efforts in June to break free of the conservatorship, telling the judge in her first public comments that she wanted her life back.
Public support, helped by three documentaries, has swelled.
Two weeks ago, Britney announced her engagement to Sam Asghari, 27, her personal trainer boyfriend of more than four years. The pair hope to marry after negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement.
"Free Britney! Congratulations!" Asghari wrote on his Instagram account after the hearing.
Other celebrities have also taken to social media to congratulate Britney on having her father removed from the conservatorship.
Singer Dionne Warwick said it was "wonderful news" and told her to "enjoy your life":
A Thousand Miles singer Vanessa Carlton tweeted that she was "thrilled to see that freedom and hopefully justice is finally coming" while calling Britney a "brilliant lady":
La Toya Jackson offered a "huge congratulations":
American singer and actress Bette Midler congratulated Britney and said she "is free" while also praising her for not giving up for 13 years:
- Additional reporting by The National
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
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
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Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Specs
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
