An Egyptian woman is seeking a divorce from her husband after four years of marriage citing that he had refused to buy a new TV to replace their old malfunctioning one.
While the reason may seem a bit unusual, the woman refered to as Heba, said she filed for divorce because she saw that her husband “is afraid to spend his money and only works to collect more of it.”
It was a “traditional marriage” that had brought them together, she told news website Masrawy, adding that her parents approved the 33-year-old husband because he was “financially stable.”
Four years into their marriage, Heba said she had always felt that her husband “had a weak personality” and “unable to protect” her.
The couple have a young daughter, who was born in the first year of their marriage.
“It’s for the sake of my beautiful daughter that I held onto this marriage,” she said.
“My husband prefers going out all the time alone to run away from household responsibilities.”
But it was the TV which pushed the woman too far, prompting her to file for divorce, she said.
“We had friends and relatives visiting our home, and during the visit, their children wanted to watch TV. I spent an hour trying to turn on our old TV, but to no avail. It just wasn’t working.”
While the husband was present at the time, Heba claimed that he “deliberately ignored” the issue while she felt “embarrassed in front of the guests.”
“When the guests left, we argued about it, and he still refused to buy a new TV.”
When she spoke to one of his family members over the incident, her husband's relative replied: “Will you ruin your marriage just for a TV?”
She told the news website that she left for her parents’ house after the incident, hoping to find a solution. But her husband refused to discuss the matter, she added.
Heba then asked him to divorce her, but he refused. This has prompted her to seek khula, a procedure through which a woman can divorce her husband in Islam, by returning the dowry that she received from her husband.
The case is now before a family court in Cairo’s Imbaba district awaiting resolution.
Egyptian wife asks for a divorce from husband for ‘refusing to buy new TV’
Egyptian wife asks for a divorce from husband for ‘refusing to buy new TV’
Who will triumph at the BAFTAs? ‘Hamnet’ has the home advantage
- ’Hamnet’ favored for BAFTA best film award
- ’One Battle After Another’ will pose strong challenge
LONDON:“Hamnet” could edge ahead of “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” to win the top prize at the BAFTAs, as the heartbreaker about Shakespeare, his wife Agnes and the death of their son is likely to win over British voters, experts said.
Action-packed dark comedy “One Battle After Another,” directed by US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, leads the field with 14 nominations ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, followed by vampire thriller “Sinners,” which has received the most nods for next month’s Oscars.
But “Hamnet,” directed by previous Oscar winner Chloe Zhao and based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, is the bookmakers’ favorite to take the best film award at the BAFTAs.
“I think it’s going to be about ‘Hamnet’,” said Tim Richards, founder and chief executive of Vue cinema group.
“’One Battle After Another’ is another extraordinary film, but ‘Hamnet’ ... just feels like the kind of movie that BAFTA will go for.”
The 79th British Academy Film Awards will be held in London on Sunday evening, hosted by Scottish actor, TV presenter and director Alan Cumming.
CHLOE ZHAO VERSUS PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
Ian Sandwell, movies editor at Digital Spy, said BAFTA loved to recognize its own.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised to see (’Hamnet’) walk away with best film and maybe even Chloe Zhao challenging Paul Thomas Anderson in director as well, and then the acting awards,” he said.
Richards said if “Hamnet” wins best film, Anderson could receive best director, or vice versa, as BAFTA divides the top awards between “two extraordinary films.”
For leading actress, Jessie Buckley is a shoo-in for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife, according to bookmakers.
Leading actor is harder to call, with Timothee Chalamet vying with Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan for their respective performances in “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.”
Sandwell said Chalamet had been picking up awards, including a Golden Globe, in the run-up to the BAFTAs for the table-tennis movie “Marty Supreme.” “It would be his first (BAFTA), so it probably will happen,” he said.
But Sandwell said he would love to see Robert Aramayo walk away with the prize for his acclaimed performance as Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson in “I Swear.”
“Sometimes BAFTAs throw out a surprise in these leading actor categories to give it to a local lad, and it would be absolutely brilliant to see him win on the night,” he said.
In the supporting acting categories, the race is open but bookmakers currently favor Stellan Skarsgard and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas from Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.”
One notable movie — “KPop Demon Hunters” — is not nominated because it did not have a theatrical release in Britain before it was available to stream on Netflix.
But the singing stars of the animated feature will perform their global hit “Golden” at the awards.
