Together for Palestine, a benefit concert on September 17 at London's Wembley Arena, will help raise funds for the people of Gaza, and is set to feature a number of artists and celebrity guests.
Who is performing?
The line-up for Together for Palestine continues to grow, featuring a mix of British and Palestinian artists committed to supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Confirmed performers include rock band Bastille, Brian Eno, Cat Burns, Celeste, Damon Albarn, Elyanna, El Far3i, Faraj Suleiman, Greentea Peng, Hot Chip, James Blake, Jamie xx, King Krule, Leigh-Anne, Mabel, Nadine Shah, Nai Barghouti, Obongjayar, Paloma Faith, PinkPantheress, Rachel Chinouriri, Rina Sawayama, Riz Ahmed, Saint Levant, Sampha and oud player Adnan Joubran of Le Trio Joubran.
Motaz Malhees, Jameela Jamil, Amer Hlehel, Bilal Hasna, Charithra Chandran and Stephen Kapos have also been added to the line-up.
Meanwhile, special appearances include Amelia Dimoldenberg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Guy Pearce, Louis Theroux, Ramy Youssef and more.
These artists will perform live and via video, contributing to a night of music, reflection and hope. The concert will raise funds for Choose Love, a UK charity supporting Palestinian-led humanitarian organisations. All proceeds from ticket sales are being donated to these efforts.
Who is Brian Eno?
Brian Eno is a famous British composer, producer and visual artist, widely recognised for pioneering ambient music, as well as his work with bands including Roxy Music, U2 and Coldplay. Eno is also an outspoken activist on humanitarian issues, particularly relating to Palestine.
“In the face of the horrors of Gaza, silence becomes complicity. Artists have always helped societies to point out injustice and imagine better futures. That’s why this concert matters. It’s time for us to come together – not just to raise our voices, but to reaffirm our shared humanity,” Eno has said previously.
Last year, Eno and Greek politician Yanis Varoufakis co-wrote an open letter to the International Criminal Court urging immediate action against Israel’s actions in Gaza. He's also long been a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, refusing to perform in Israel and urging others to do so as well.
Eno said he's helping to organise Together for Palestine because silence should no longer be an option. “This evening can become a moment of courage where artists come together to speak the truth in their hearts – which is what we trust artists to do.
“Whether on stage or by video from around the world, this is a chance for us to stand together and say: this can’t continue.”
What is the UK charity Choose Love?
Khaled Ziada, the founder and director of the London Palestine Film Festival, is a co-organiser of the concert. He added: “In a world where governments and mainstream media have fallen silent in the face of genocide, this gathering becomes a chorus of resistance – where artists and communities come together to grieve, to rage and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people and with all those who suffer injustice.”
Proceeds from Together for Palestine will go to Palestinian partners via Choose Love, a UK charity that supports humanitarian efforts in conflict zones. They focus on providing fast, flexible and transparent humanitarian support to refugees and displaced people around the world.
Founded in 2015 by a group of friends, it now operates across more than 30 countries and has supported more than five million people with emergency aid, medical care, legal advice, education and mental health support through local and community-based partners. Choose Love also operates a shop, where purchases help fund vital support for refugees.
What to expect at Together for Palestine
The show was announced by Eno, who said the event would be a “night of music, reflection and hope” that will raise funds for families in the enclave.
“What we are witnessing in Gaza isn’t a mystery, and neither is it a blur of competing narratives making it 'hard to understand'. When dozens of non-partisan organisations like Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders describe it as genocide, the moral line is clear,” Eno wrote on social media.
Eno's fellow concert organisers include Ziada; British actor and activist Khalid Abdalla of Kite Runner fame; and Victoria & Abdul producer Tracey Seaward.
In a letter addressed to his “artist friends” on Instagram, Eno wrote: “I’ve had the good fortune to work with remarkable artists for over 50 years. But one of my biggest regrets is that so many of us have remained silent about Palestine.
“Often that silence has come from fear – real fear – that speaking out could provoke a backlash, close doors or end a career. But that’s now changing – partly because some artists and activists have lit the path, but mostly because the truth of what’s going on has become impossible to ignore.”
This isn't the first time Eno has spoken out in support of Palestine. Last month, the composer and producer – along with British band Massive Attack – formed a syndicate to protect artists who are protesting against Israel’s attack on Gaza.
The alliance of musicians, which also includes Irish bands Fontaines DC and Kneecap, aims to protect artists – especially emerging names – from being “threatened into silence or career cancellation” by groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel.
How to get tickets for Together for Palestine?
Tickets for the event are now sold out. Fans who missed out may check official resale platforms, but organisers warn that tickets purchased elsewhere may not be valid.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
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
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
