The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has its first winner from Algeria.
Abdelouahab Aissaoui scooped the prestigious award for his novel, The Spartan Court, in a virtual ceremony streamed on YouTube today.
The Spartan Court is a multilayered tale of five characters and their varied experiences of colonialism in 19th-century Algiers.
While delighted to win the prize, Aissaoui acknowledged that such a pedigree comes with a new wave of expectation.
“Winning the prize is a great prospect and dream to which every novelist with a project aspires,” he said. “But it also means greater responsibility and it raises expectations of readers – those interested in literature and critics – when they read the successful book and future works by the writer.”
Sponsored by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and run in conjunction with the Booker Prize Foundation, the IPAF is one of the world’s most generous literary awards.
In addition to his $50,000 (Dh183,600) cash prize, Aissaoui’s book is set to receive a guaranteed English translation, which will be released next year.
Historical novels' main objective is to search for questions and concerns that we face now and have faced before, in the context in which they first appeared
The award also confirms Aissaoui as an important literary voice in the region.
His award-winning book is preceded by his 2013 debut, Jacob's Cinema, which went on to win Algeria's President of the Republic Prize.
His talent was spotted by IPAF as far back as 2016, when he was invited to take part in the award's annual Nadwa writing workshop in Jordan in 2016. Aissaoui followed this up by winning Kuwait's Suad al-Sabah Novel Prize in 2017 for his third book, Circles and Doors.
The chairman of the judging panel, Iraqi literary critic Muhsin Al Musawi, hailed The Spartan Court for its rich construction and multilayered plot line.
“It is polyphonic – with multiple voices telling the story,” he said. “The novel invites the reader to gain a greater understanding of life under occupation and the different forms of resistance that grow against it. With its deep, historical narrative structure, the novel does not live in the past, but rather it challenges the reader to question present reality.”
It is a description sure to delight Aissaoui, as he admitted that his book is not meant to be an easy read.
In an interview with the IPAF website prior to the ceremony, he stated that The Spartan Court is intended to make readers reflect on how history can have an influence on today.
“In general, historical novels do not reconstruct stories for the sake of the stories themselves,” he said. “Their main objective is to search for questions and concerns that we face now and have faced before, in the context in which they first appeared.”
While the news will be hailed in Algeria, it will undoubtedly be a source of disappointment for Lebanon's Jabbour Douaihy. The veteran author, who was up for the award for his book The King of India, was the sentimental favourite. He was shortlisted for the IPAF in 2008 with June Rain and 2012 with The Vagrant, and longlisted in 2015 with The American Quarter.
This year's shortlist also featured one female writer, Iraq's Alia Mamdouh, who was acknowledged for her title The Tank.
As part of the announcement, the IPAF also confirmed that last year's winning book, The Night Mail by Lebanese author Hoda Barakat, will be published in English in October. And the English translation of 2018 shortlisted novel The Frightened Ones, by Syria's Dima Wannous, will be out before the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the English translation of Shahla Ujayli's 2019 shortlisted novel, Summer with the Enemy, is already under way. It will be published later in the year.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Anghami
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Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
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Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
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Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series
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Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Aahid Al Khalediah II, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Whistle, Harry Bentley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup - Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alsaied, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
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8pm: President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Medahim, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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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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Racecard:
2.30pm: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoun Emirates Breeders Society Challenge; Conditions (PA); Dh40,000; 1,600m
3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m
