For many, Zoom video calls have been a lifeline to the outside world. Whether it's work or play, it's been a primary method to staying in touch with those you need to.
Six weeks in, living and chatting through a video may, for some, have grown a little tiresome.
So, why not mix the video calls up with a few Zoom-friendly games, which will mean the conversation will be less "How's your day been?", "Oh, I haven't done much really ... just worked, napped, worked and read" ... and more "Fancy a game of Charades?", "You're clearly Harry Potter."
Of course, there are also plenty of interactive games to play via programmes, but here we round up the best games to play over video calls:
Quizzes
Everyone and their pet dog has either hosted or been invited to join a quiz via Zoom. A very low-maintenance game, simply get your friends and family to join a meeting at a set time – this works with as many or as few people as you want – and get quizzing.
Either have one quiz master, or share the rounds around, and work on a trust basis when it comes to marking the answers. Thanks to Zoom's share screen function, picture and music rounds are also totally doable with a bit of organisation.
Just make sure you get everyone to mute themselves, or it will be a very easy round with one chatty brain box on the call.
Charades
Another easy game to play by video call is Charades. Simply silently act our your film, TV show, book or play of choice to your friends, for them to guess. If you're extra strict, you can even mute them so there's no chance of cheating.
If you want to keep it totally fair, you could even use a Charade Ideas Generator to provide the titles.
Pictionary
Pictionary is another easy win, and fun for players of all ages. Using Zoom's whiteboard function, which you can access when you click share screen, you can draw out objects, movies, TV shows and books out to your heart's content. Just make sure you give your fellow players a time limit, or you could be there all day watching them create digital art before your eyes. Ideas generators, such as the Game Gal's, also work well here.
Catchphrase
This works best of you have some words or phrases pre-prepared, so print them off or write them out. Then work your way through the words, getting your fellow players to guess them, without saying the actual word.
For example if the phrase was 'fried egg', you'd be able to say 'Chickens lay this, and then you cook it in a pan with oil'.
Most Likely To
If you're a group of people who know each other well, you can work through a game of Most Likely To. Simply read out categories and have everyone vote for the person they think would do each thing.
Most likely to leave the milk on the counter? Most likely to win a spelling competition? Most likely to fall into a swimming pool? Most likely to get a parking fine? You get the drill...
Card games
Providing you all have the boxes, group card games like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme? are not off the table.
Get everyone to deal themselves the pre-decided number of cards, and work your way through the pack as usual, and show your chosen cards by the camera link.
It removes a little of the anonymity and there is a small chance you'll double up, but working your way through a pack of the laugh-out-loud (but not family friendly) game is still totally possible.
Head's Up
If you all have the app, there is no reason why you can't work through Head's Up's many rounds. Keep describing the words on the player's screen, without saying them of course. This works best if you pin the main player each round, so that they don't disappear in gallery view, leaving you unable to see the words on their screen.
Bingo
If you have a printer, you're off to a flying start when it comes to a few rounds of Bingo. Website myfreebingocards.com will guide you through the making and organising of the game, depending on how many rounds you want and people you'll have playing. You can even upgrade to a paid version that provides a set of Bingo cards from $10 (Dh37) on the site.
With the paid version, the website then gives you an auto generated call list, which the organiser can read out by Zoom, and when someone calls, 'Bingo!' you can type in their sheet number to see if they do, in fact, have the full house.
Classic Bingo calls, including "22, two little ducks," "11, legs 11" and "17, dancing queen" are to be added by you.
Just watch a film or series together
At the end of the day, many of us have more time than ever on our hands to binge a series, but that doesn't have to be a solitary experience. Get Zoom going and tee up your show, then with a simple "3, 2, 1 ... Go!" countdown hit play, that way you're watching in time with your friend, and you can chat about the on-screen happenings to your heart's content.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
