Anthony Bourdain's television programmes, including A Cook's Tour (2002-2003), No Reservations (2005-2012) and Parts Unknown (2013-2018), make great last-minute travel guides. His shows, for instance, have helped me to find underground cafes in Chile and discover spots for Fado singing in Portugal.
Food writer and Bourdain’s assistant Laurie Woolever must have recognised how useful his programmes are for the adventurous traveller searching for the authentic, the local, the unusual and the tourist-free.
This must be why she produced World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, out next Tuesday. It is a guidebook to the places Bourdain, who died in June 2018, loved best, and which he co-wrote with Woolever.
The food writer met Bourdain in 2002 when she was hired to edit and test recipes for Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. Woolever went on to pursue a career in journalism and now hosts the Carbface for Radio podcast in New York.
World Travel: An Irreverent Guide is a mixture of autobiography, travelogue, guidebook and memoir. It is the first book by Bourdain to be published posthumously.
In the short introduction, Woolever writes that "maybe the world could use another travel guide, full of Tony's acid wit and thoughtful observations". However, she observes that the guidebook might produce a "Bourdain effect" for the places featured. "Once a low-key restaurant was featured on the show, its number of customers often skyrocketed ... In theory, this was a good thing ... but it could also utterly disrupt a beloved local institution, turning it into a sideshow."
The reader can alphabetically browse countries from Argentina to Vietnam, while finding quotes taken from Bourdain's TV shows, interviews and other appearances in each section. Woolever adds her own touch, not only providing vital information such as hotel prices and train stations, but also discussing her personal travel experiences.
There are also short essays provided by other chefs, crew and family members on places they have been to with Bourdain. The text is accompanied by stylish but minimal illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook. The drawings are charming but leave you wanting more: many of the dishes and cities described are left to the reader's imagination.
The book provides a large amount of information on travelling in the Mena region. However, the chapter dedicated to the US does seem oversized in comparison to sections on India and China: perhaps a revised version will give both countries their proper due. Israel, Lebanon, Morocco and Oman are also covered, and Bourdain provides his unique perspectives on the Arab uprisings, the Beat Generation in Tangier and oil production in the Gulf. Meanwhile Woolever's informative prose makes travelling in the Middle East approachable, while quotes from Bourdain never shy away from discussing the politics and history of the region.
For instance, Woolever recounts how in 2006 the crew of No Reservations became accidental war correspondents: "[We] visited Beirut and managed to film for two days before war erupted between Lebanon and neighbouring Israel. The crew continued to document ... the experience."
However, the book makes it clear that Bourdain viewed both history and politics as driving influences behind the development of national cuisines:
“I mean everyone’s been through [Beirut]: the Greeks, the Romans, the Phoenicians, the French, so I always knew this was going to be a good place to eat.”
Bourdain seemed drawn to the cosmopolitan and literary centres of the Middle East. Before we know about the mosques and souks of Tangier, we find out that the city is "at the northern tip of Africa, a short ferry hop from Spain, [and is] a magnet for writers, remittance men, spies and artists ... Matisse, Genet, William Burroughs".
This is a trend the reader will find throughout World Travel: An Irreverent Guide – an attraction to the local, the historic, the political, the artistic and the literary. It makes for stimulating reading. However, it is probably a book for veteran Bourdain fans rather than those who want to find an easy entry point into his writing, work and world.
World Travel: An Irreverent Guide is out on April 20
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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
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
