Abu Dhabi includes Hindi as third official court language
Dubai : In a landmark decision, Abu Dhabi has included Hindi as the third official language used in its courts, alongside Arabic and English, as part of a move designed to improve access to justice.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on Saturday said it has extended the adoption of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the Hindi language alongside Arabic and English in labour cases.
This 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, the judicial body said.
According to official figures, the UAE population is estimated to be around five million of which 2/3rd are immigrants from foreign countries.
The Indian community in the UAE, numbering 2.6 million, constitutes 30 per cent of the total population and is the largest expatriate community in the country.
Yousef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the ADJD, said the adoption of multilingual interactive forms for claim sheets, grievances and requests, aims to promote judicial services in line with the plan Tomorrow 2021, and increase the transparency of litigation procedures.
"This is in addition to facilitating registration procedures to the public through simplified and easy forms and raising litigants' legal awareness via interactive forms of the statements of claims, to ensure access to the legal materials related to the subject of the dispute," Al Abri was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.
He indicated that the extension of the adoption of interactive forms in several languages comes under the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and ADJD Chairman.
Al Abri explained that the adoption of new languages comes as part of the bilingual litigation system, the first phase of which was launched in November 2018, through the adoption of procedures requiring the plaintiffs to translate the case documents in civil and commercial lawsuits into English, if the defendant is a foreigner.
"The foreign investor receives the case files translated, thus contributing to the provision of a global judicial service that meets the requirements of residents in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi," he added.
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White Smoke signals new Pope elected after Francis' death
Vatican City: The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope. White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening, accompanied by the ringing of St. Peter’s Basilica’s bells, signalling that the College of Cardinals has elected a successor to Pope Francis.
The announcement came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who began their conclave behind the Vatican’s ancient walls on Wednesday. At around 6:08 p.m. local time (1608 GMT), the much-anticipated white smoke confirmed that the cardinals had reached the required two-thirds majority needed to select the new pontiff.
A wave of joy and applause swept through the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square as they witnessed the historic moment. Many had been waiting for hours, watching the chimney for signs of a decision.
The identity of the newly elected pope and the name he has chosen will be officially announced from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly. He is also expected to deliver his first address and blessing to the faithful assembled in the square.
The conclave was called following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Francis, who led the Church’s 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, had left behind a mixed but impactful legacy. Known for his push for reform, he encouraged dialogue on complex issues like the role of women in the Church and greater acceptance of LGBT Catholics. His papacy was marked by a vision to modernise the Church while maintaining its core spiritual values.
Though there were no clear favourites ahead of the vote, speculation centred on Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Others considered possible candidates included French Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, Italian Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
The decision of the cardinals, who had been cut off from the outside world and sworn to secrecy during the conclave, reflects the Church’s next direction. They were tasked with choosing between continuing the progressive path laid by Francis or shifting back towards a more conservative leadership.
During the voting process, which started with an inconclusive round on Wednesday evening and continued through two more rounds on Thursday morning, the cardinals remained secluded. Their only connection with the outside world was through the colour of the smoke signals — black for no decision and white when a new pope is elected.
Traditionally, it takes an average of around seven ballots to elect a pope. Pope Francis was chosen after just five rounds in 2013. The precise number of rounds taken this time has not been disclosed yet.
The world now awaits the formal appearance of the new pope, who will step out to greet the global Catholic community and outline the tone of his papacy.
