Expo 2020 Dubai's Jubilee Stage will host the seven-hour HIT Music Festival featuring 15 South Indian artists. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai's Jubilee Stage will host the seven-hour HIT Music Festival featuring 15 South Indian artists. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai's Jubilee Stage will host the seven-hour HIT Music Festival featuring 15 South Indian artists. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai's Jubilee Stage will host the seven-hour HIT Music Festival featuring 15 South Indian artists. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

A South Indian music festival is coming to Expo 2020: here's the line-up


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Following its 2020 debut in Sharjah, the HIT Music Festival, featuring top South Indian musical artists, will make a comeback at Expo 2020 Dubai on Saturday. With 15 artists on the line-up, the marathon seven-hour show on the Jubilee Stage will include performances in several genres and languages, from Tamil to Malayalam.

Artists on the bill include young Keralite singing sensation Suchetha Satish, as well as singer and actress Remya Nambeesan and Sachin Warrier, known for his song Muthuchippi Poloru from the Malayalam film Thattathin Marayathu. Nambeesan is a familiar face on the Malayalam and Tamil film circuits.

Suchetha, 16, who made headlines at age 12 for breaking a Guinness World Record by singing in 102 languages, will begin the festival with a multilingual set at 5pm.

Also on the line-up are rock and blues trio Rock Paper Scissors, and singer, poet and social media sensation, Arya Dhayal, who will also perform her debut single Try My Self.

Singer and actor Siddharth Menon from Kerala, the co-founder of acclaimed band Thaikkudam Bridge, will also perform along with singer Jyotsna Radhakrishnan, who has more than 1,000 songs in her repertoire, and sings in 12 languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

KS Harisankar, a singer and music producer who comes from a family of musicians and predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, will also perform.

Harish Sivaramakrishnan, the lead vocalist of rock band Agam, who performs a progressive version of Carnatic music, the South Indian classical system of music, will be the final performer of the night.

Entry to the festival is free for all Expo 2020 Dubai ticket holders.

Here's the running order for the HIT Music Festival 2022:

1. Suchetha Satish – 5 minutes

2. Singari Melam – 30 minutes

3. Trilok – 45 minutes

4. Rock Paper Scissors – 45 minutes

5. JAM 202 – 20 minutes

6. Tirur – 20 minutes

7. Mangal Suvarnan – 15 minutes

8. Arya Dhayal – 30 minutes

9. Sachin Warrier – 30 minutes

10. Siddharth Menon – 30 minutes

11. Jyotsna Radhakrishnan – 30 minutes

12. KS Harisankar – 30 minutes

13. Remya Nambeesan – 30 minutes

14. Govind Vasantha – 20 minutes

15. Harish Sivaramakrishnan – 45 minutes

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Rating: 3/5

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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches 
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off

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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

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Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged

Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic

Power: 445bhp

Torque: 530Nm

Price: Dh474,600

On Sale: Now

Updated: January 21, 2022, 6:42 AM