The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre has announced the launch of a new Arabic poetry series entitled Oyoon Al-She'er Al-Arabi (Eyes of Arab Poetry).
Dealing with topics as wide-ranging as glory, harmony, pride, loyalty, ruins and tolerance – to name a few – the series of books will include published works that date back as far as the pre-Islamic era up to the present day.
It will be released in stages, starting with 30 subjects to be published in 30 books during the initial phase. The aim is to release a total of 100 books.
“Poetry is considered a basic literary component of Arab culture, as Arabs see it as a repository of wisdom and a tool to express their pain and hope," said Dr Ali bin Tamim, the centre's chairman.
“In the pre-Islamic era, Arabs used to celebrate their own poets, as they become the spokespersons of their tribes, who documented the achievements of their people and defended those tribes if and when required. Arabic culture is one of few in the world that has preserved its poetic heritage throughout the ages, and we can clearly see the presence of poetry in almost every Arab environment."
Leading professors of Arabic literature will be involved in its preparation, Tamim explained. "[They] will be conducting extensive research for a variety of literary and heritage resource books, and we will do our utmost to ensure the novelty and originality of their contents."
For phase one, the academics have reviewed several books that discuss various topics, including nights, rain, women and illness.
Ultimately, the objective of this project is to educate Arab readers about the "mysteries of their own poetic heritage, as well as celebrating the beauty of poetry and highlighting the changes that have taken place over the ages”.
They will do this by making the poetry as accessible as possible via pocket books that are supported by audio and digital elements. Each book release will also be accompanied by cultural seminars and poetry evenings.
The Arabic Language Centre falls under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and works extensively to support the language's development and modernisation, as well as enrich its contributions to the world's scientific, educational, cultural and creative conversations. They also offer courses to adults and children throughout the year.
Throughout March, the centre also launched initiatives for the UAE's Month of Reading, which included the announcement of 30 new books by the Kalima Project for Translation, which aims to revive translation in the Arab world, and Esdarat, another DCT – Abu Dhabi arm that focuses on publishing intellectual works by Arab and non-Arab scholars.
More information is at arabiclanguagecentre.com
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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The specs
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
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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.
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This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
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Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
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Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
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More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
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Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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