• US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys performs at Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020 Dubai, where she launched her eighth album, ‘Keys’. AFP
    US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys performs at Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020 Dubai, where she launched her eighth album, ‘Keys’. AFP
  • Keys demonstrated her versatility during the performance. AFP
    Keys demonstrated her versatility during the performance. AFP
  • The show was billed as 'Live in 360’ because people around the world were able to watch it on streaming platforms. AFP
    The show was billed as 'Live in 360’ because people around the world were able to watch it on streaming platforms. AFP
  • Keys held the limelight, whether playing the piano or moving across the stage. AFP
    Keys held the limelight, whether playing the piano or moving across the stage. AFP
  • Al Wasl Dome made for a dramatic backdrop. AFP
    Al Wasl Dome made for a dramatic backdrop. AFP
  • The gentle sound of a string quartet provided Keys with an understated entrance, as she swept past the audience in a flowing gown by Dubai designer Furne One of Amato Couture. AFP
    The gentle sound of a string quartet provided Keys with an understated entrance, as she swept past the audience in a flowing gown by Dubai designer Furne One of Amato Couture. AFP
  • Keys ran through her hits and new songs. AFP
    Keys ran through her hits and new songs. AFP
  • She was accompanied by a small orchestra. AFP
    She was accompanied by a small orchestra. AFP
  • Emirati singer Balqees Fathi joins Keys onstage. AFP
    Emirati singer Balqees Fathi joins Keys onstage. AFP
  • Those streaming the show from home could explore the venue from the comfort of their own living rooms. AP
    Those streaming the show from home could explore the venue from the comfort of their own living rooms. AP
  • The hits came thick and fast. AP
    The hits came thick and fast. AP
  • A dance troupe kept a low profile around the circular stage. AP
    A dance troupe kept a low profile around the circular stage. AP
  • Keys also visited the UAE in 2013 and 2019. AP
    Keys also visited the UAE in 2013 and 2019. AP
  • The setting of the show at Expo 2020 was breathtaking. AP
    The setting of the show at Expo 2020 was breathtaking. AP
  • Keys wore an embroidered gold catsuit and an intricately patterned tulle cape, both studded with Swarovski crystals. Reuters
    Keys wore an embroidered gold catsuit and an intricately patterned tulle cape, both studded with Swarovski crystals. Reuters

Review: Alicia Keys mesmerises Expo 2020 Dubai with old hits and a new album


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There’s a high-concept idea behind Alicia Keys new album, Keys, and it’s all about contrast and variation. The first half, dubbed Originals, is a stripped-back collection of songs showcasing Keys at her most intimate, with her voice and much-celebrated piano work at the forefront. The second, Unlocked, offers a whole new perspective on those same songs, with added beats, loops and lush orchestrations.

Expo 2020 Dubai will have been delighted that Keys chose to celebrate the launch of that album at Al Wasl Plaza, on Friday, and the show certainly demonstrated all of her versatility, making for a hugely impressive but somewhat disjointed show.

It was billed as "Live in 360”, allowing people across the world to witness the show via streaming platforms, where they could pan around the venue from the comfort of their own living rooms; across the stage, into the audience and up to the skies, where gently oscillating purple blobs gave the sense of being imprisoned within a gigantic lava lamp.

Keys' live concert was also streamed around the world. AFP
Keys' live concert was also streamed around the world. AFP

The gentle sound of a string quartet provided Keys with an understated entrance, as she swept past the audience in a flowing gown in a golden hand-embroidered bodysuit paired with a tulle cape with intricate patterns by Dubai designer Furne One, who's behind the Amato Couture label.

She sang a heartfelt tribute to one of her favourite artists, urging us all to be the best we can be: “While you standing tall like the Taj Mahal / Be unforgettable / Like Nat King Cole.”

“Let everything go,” she urged us, “and come with me on this journey.”

For the most part, that journey was a slick sashay through a career of more than two decades, with songs such as 2012’s Girl On Fire and 2009’s Un-Thinkable making a strong connection with the Dubai crowd. Keys, either behind the piano or moving slowly around it, was the primary focus throughout; a small band accompanied her fairly unobtrusively, while a barely-visible dance troupe were a somewhat shadowy presence around the circular stage.

Alicia Keys entered the plaza in a flowing gown. AFP
Alicia Keys entered the plaza in a flowing gown. AFP

The hits came thick and fast, perhaps even too fast; as the lilting reggae of Wasted Energy (from her last album, Alicia) hurriedly segued into the soulful You Don’t Know My Name, you almost got the sense that it was a race to cram in as many recognised tunes as possible for an audience that don’t get to see her perform very often. Her last two visits to the UAE were in 2019 and 2013 respectively.

It certainly provided a perfect primer for anyone unfamiliar with the depth and range of her work, but you occasionally wished for the songs to be explored more fully, to hear the full extent of her keyboard talent and for the band to be used to their full potential.

The presentation of new songs was consistent with the theme of her new album; she played snatches of them as Originals (quieter, piano-led) and then Unlocked (toughened up) and asked the crowd which version they preferred. Perhaps inevitably, the bigger, beatier versions always got the biggest cheers, perhaps prompting Keys to wonder why she’d bothered with the piano-based versions at all?

Keys with Emirati singer Balqees Fathi on stage. AFP
Keys with Emirati singer Balqees Fathi on stage. AFP

But in truth, the most breathtaking moments of the show were the more understated ones. For the free-floating Best Of Me, the lighting in the venue became warmer and more inviting, and we became more drawn into her world. The sustained chords and downtempo beats of Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart, from the album The Element Of Freedom, saw her immaculate voice really take off for the first time. And Old Memories, also taken from the new record and played in full, was truly mesmerising; harking back to 1960s soul and doo-wop, the gentle piano arpeggios and stripped-back accompaniment needed no apology or disclaimer, and the crowd rose to it.

A surprising take on Fallin’, her first and perhaps best-known hit, involved the song presented in jazz-trio style, all extemporised drums and piano flourishes. While you can’t really blame Keys for taking liberties with a song she’s probably had to sing at every show she’s done for the last 20 years, you wondered if the crowd might have preferred a more familiar version.

However, the anthemic Empire State Of Mind and No One both truly soared, the crowd lighting up the venue with their smartphones, Keys in her element, and in the cutest of finales, her two small children, Egypt and Genesis, arriving on stage bearing flowers for mum.

On Friday night, Keys demonstrated that it’s not always easy to be an R&B maestro and piano balladeer simultaneously. But whichever one she happens to turn her hand to, she’s still world-class.

RESULTS

Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)

Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)

Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)

Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

Company%20Profile
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

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

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Bangladesh tour of Pakistan

January 24 – First T20, Lahore

January 25 – Second T20, Lahore

January 27 – Third T20, Lahore

February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi

April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi

April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi

GROUPS

Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)

Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

 

 

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Updated: December 11, 2021, 1:09 PM