A woman who denied her ex-husband visitation rights to their daughters then fled the country with them has had custody of their children taken from her.
The 39-year-old woman was granted a divorce from her ex-husband in her home country of Lebanon in 2012.
At the time, the pair agreed - outside of court - that the mother would have custody of their two daughters.
“My client strongly believes that a mother’s presence in her children’s daily life is essential for a healthy growth,” said the man’s lawyer, Awatif Mohammed from Al Rowad Advocates.
“All he asked for was to see his two daughters freely and she agreed to that, but soon after, she started evading him,” Ms Mohammed said.
According to court records, the ex-wife - who ran a personal business - prevented the man from visiting his daughters and in May, travelled to Canada with the girls. The woman allegedly told her friends that they were merely visiting the country and would return to the UAE soon.
Ms Mohammed said her client was not made aware of the trip and only found out after he went to visit his daughters but could not find them.
"As for her claims that it was a short visit, it's not true, it has been seven months since she left and she is not coming back," said Ms Mohammed. The Emirati lawyer said a travel ban was imposed on the girls but it is not clear how the woman left the country with her daughters.
The man, who is a lecturer at a local university, filed a case against the woman seeking she be dismissed as a legal custodian of the girls, and on December 5, the court heard his witnesses.
"She was giving him a very hard time to see his two daughters and he had no idea that she was out of the country with the girls," the man's brother told Dubai Personal Status Court.
"She should not be given custody, the custody must go to my mother who is alive and well and can perfectly take care of her granddaughters," he said.
According to UAE law - articles 149 and 152 from the Federal Personal Status Law number 28 for the year 2005 - a mother with custody of her children cannot leave the country without the permission of the father and if such permission is not given, she can take the matter to court. The law also states that custody will be dropped if the mother takes the child to a different country with the intention of settling there, thereby preventing the father from seeing his child.
"In our case she made both offences: she left with the girls without his approval or knowledge and she took the girls to settle in a new country which prevents my client from seeing his daughters," said Ms Mohammed.
Last week, the court ordered custody of the children be taken from the woman.
Once the verdict is executed, the woman will be arrested upon her return to the UAE. She will also be obliged to pay her husband's legal fees.
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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EA Sports FC 25
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Results
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m, Winner: RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Mnasek, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Grand Dubai, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m, Winner: Meqdam, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Cosgrave, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Madkhal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.