ABU DHABI JUDICIAL DEPT INCLUDES HINDI AS THIRD OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN COURTS
DUBAI : Abu Dhabi has included Hindi as the third official court language to improve access to justice. The judicial department on Saturday said it has extended the adoption of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the Hindi alongside Arabic and English in labour cases. According to official figures, the Indian community constitutes 30% of the population and is the largest expatriate community in the United Arab Emirates. The move is aimed at helping Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration procedures via unified forms available through the ADJD website.
South Korea agrees to pay more for American troops
SEOUL: South Korea and the US struck a new deal on Sunday that increases Seoul’s contribution to the cost of the American military presence on its soil. Negotiators from the two countries signed a cost-sharing plan which requires South Korea to pay about $924 million in 2019, Seoul’s foreign ministry said. The two countries reaffirmed the need for a “stable” US military deployment amid the “rapidly changing situation on the Korean Peninsula.” AP
New Zealand-china flight forced to turn back mid-air
WELLINGTON: A passenger plane flying from Auckland to Shanghai on Sunday was forced to turn back after 5 hours because it did not have permission to land. Passengers said the captain informed them mid-flight the Air New Zealand plane was not allowed to land in China and would have to go back.
Chimps use branch to make ladder, escape Belfast Zoo
LONDON: Zookeepers said a group of chimpanzees used branches weakened by a storm to make a ladder and escape their enclosure at the Belfast Zoo.
Video taken by visitors to the Northern Ireland zoo showed several primates scaling a wall and perching atop it, one walking down a path outside. AP
UN armoured vehicle accident kills 4 in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE : An accident involving a UN armoured vehicle killed 4 people and injured 9 in Port-au-prince on Saturday, according to authorities. The vehicle of the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti lost the use of its brakes while driving in the capital and collided with a collective taxi. UN put the toll at 4 dead and 9 wounded, among them a Haitian citizen and 8 UN police.
Paris ‘yellow vest’ march demonstrator loses hand
PARIS: A yellow vest demonstrator lost his hand during clashes with police outside the parliament building in Paris on Saturday. He was hit in the calf by a type of stun grenade as the cops attempted to disperse people. “He wanted to bat it away so it didn’t explode by his leg -- and it went off when he touched it,” a witness said. Paris police said the man had lost four fingers.
Sacked cardinal writes manifesto defying Pope
VATICAN CITY: A cardinal who was sacked from a senior Vatican post by Pope Francis has written his own “Manifesto of Faith,” in the latest attack on the pontiff’s authority. Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, 71, issued the four-page manifesto via conservative Catholic media. REUTERS