Since The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power gave Amazon Prime its most-watched premiere, Middle Earth has been back in the public eye with a profile not seen since Peter Jackson was at the height of his powers with his first The Lord of the Rings trilogy, at the turn of the century.
Jackson’s trilogy amassed 30 Oscar nominations between 2001 and 2003, and the director has made six Middle Earth films in total, returning to the fantasy world in 2012 for The Hobbit Trilogy. With the first season of The Rings of Power wrapping up on Thursday, there's no better time to watch these 21st-century takes on JRR Tolkien’s classic books in chronological order.
'The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power' (Season one, 2022)
Amazon’s newest on-screen version is by far the oldest in Middle Earth lore.
Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, the show lays the foundations for everything that’s to come: the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the last alliance between elves and men — it’s all here in a near-10-hour format that makes Jackson’s films seem like they should have competed for the Best Short Film category, aside from the 17 Oscars they won.
Rating: 3/5
'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (2012)
Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy opener introduces us to Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the titular character, who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
What Gandalf doesn’t reveal is that Sauron is rising again, and could use Smaug as a scaly weapon of mass destruction. It’s solid fun, along with the requisite battles, treasure, and audience favourite Gollum (Andy Serkis).
Audiences were split on Jackson filming at 48 frames-per-second, rather than the standard 24, with critics saying it looked like a computer game.
Rating: 3/5
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' (2013)
It's the second Hobbit film, and we’re still questing — largely thanks to Jackson’s decision to stretch the events of a 300-page novel over three films, which clock in at a total of eight hours.
Our heroes finally reach the Lonely Mountain after a battle with orcs and giant spiders en route. On arrival, Smaug the dragon is in no mood to have either the mountain or his vast trove of treasure liberated.
Rating: 3.5/5
'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' (2014)
Smaug is in a beastly mood following the home invasion and, as one would expect of a dragon, launches a visual effects-filled opening as he lays waste to people and property alike in a fiery apocalypse.
It’s the first of many spectacular, CGI-filled scenes over the next two and a half hours, as Sauron makes a cameo and a host of fantastical creatures slug it out across several massive set pieces.
Despite being the shortest in the trilogy at "only" 144 minutes, Five Armies feels like it contains the most padding, with everything in between the set pieces coming across as a filler — perhaps because the plot was long exhausted in the previous two films’ near six hours.
Spoiler alert: Bilbo reveals at the end that he still has the magical ring he stole from Gollum seven hours ago. You’ll need this information later.
Rating: 2/5
'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
The film that made the fantasy genre acceptable again, and a cinematic epic in every sense, Fellowship was, and remains, one of the grandest productions ever to hit the screen.
Sauron is back, 60 years after the events of Five Armies, and he’s looking for the ring he forged back in Power. It has now passed down to Bilbo’s nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) and chaos has already engulfed Middle Earth even before Sauron finds it.
Men, elves and dwarves set their differences aside and agree that the ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. Hence, it’s time for another quest as Frodo and his friends set off for the storied mountain.
Rating: 4/5
'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' (2002)
We’re en route to Mount Doom, deep in the heart of Sauron’s realm of Mordor. Frodo and his fellowship of hobbits, elves, men and dwarves are joined by peripheral allies such as rohirrim (horse/men) and ents (animated trees).
With occasional help from Gandalf, the fellowship must battle with orcs, wraiths, dark wizards and the pervading all-round evil that is Sauron to get there. Gollum’s back too, and was widely praised at the time as a rare example of a believable CGI character. He also hasn’t forgotten about Bilbo stealing his precious ring all those years ago.
Rating: 4/5
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
The Return of the King closes the story, and Jackson pulls out all the stops. With war raging across Middle Earth, Frodo and his hobbit friend Sam (Sean Astin) must continue their quest alone as their larger friends fight Sauron and his allies.
Gollum is serving as their guide, but his only ambition is to steal back the ring. This finale has everything we loved about the previous films and more — magic, epic battles, ghosts, heart-rending departures, brave heroes, evil villains, and, thankfully, closure.
The first fantasy film to win the Best Picture Oscar, the title went on to pick up 10 Academy Awards. Winning every category it was nominated in, it clearly did something right.
Rating: 5/5
Scroll through images of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' below
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Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
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Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
FIGHT%20CARD
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
More Iraq election coverage:
On racial profiling at airports
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
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
