Neighbours, the Australian soap opera that launched the careers of Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce and all three Hemsworth brothers, shot its last episode on Friday, wrapping the country's longest-running television drama after four decades.
A fixture of the small screen in Australia since 1985 and in Britain since 1986, the cameras stopped rolling on the fictional Ramsay Street and its families after the main financial backer, British free-to-air broadcaster Channel 5, cut the series from its schedule to make way for local content.
From a peak in the late 1980s, Neighbours' ratings steadily declined as beachside rival Home and Away captivated soap viewers and competition from reality television and streaming platforms exploded.

Its demise still brought an outpouring of nostalgia.
"It's a melancholy day for me," said Stefan Dennis, who played villainous, six-times-married Paul Robinson, the only original cast member working on the show at the end.
"I closed the studio door behind me on my very last dialogue scene and I suddenly surprised myself by getting incredibly emotional. I just kept it to myself and went to my dressing room," added Dennis in an on-set interview on Channel 10, where Neighbours had been relegated to its youth channel since 2011.
Neighbours once dominated Australian and British pop culture. Its performers graced magazine covers and topped the music charts and its cast once appeared onstage at Britain's Royal Variety Performance, a charity event attended by Britain's royal family.
The soap provided an early training ground for actors who achieved international acting prowess.
Russell Crowe appeared in four episodes in 1987, five years before his role in skinhead drama Romper Stomper made him a sensation in Australia and caught the attention of Hollywood.
The same year, musical theatre performer Jason Donovan, who early this month sang at Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee concert, starred in Neighbours' highest-rating episode when his character married Minogue's.
That episode, one of 60 that featured weddings in the show's run of nearly 9,000 instalments, attracted nearly 20 million viewers in Britain alone.
Kylie Minogue's style evolution, from 'Neighbours' regular to red carpet royalty — in pictures
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Kylie Minogue, in a black blazer, walks through Heathrow Airport ahead of the Royal Variety Show in London, England, on November 21, 1988. All photos: Getty Images -

Kylie Minogue, in a gold-embroidered satin jacket, attends the Aria Awards in Sydney, Australia, on March 6, 1989. -

Kylie Minogue, in a gingham mini dress, attends a photography exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on February 1, 1995. -

Kylie Minogue, in a brown-toned mini dress, attends the opening of Fox Studio in Sydney, Australia on November 1, 1999. -

Kylie Minogue, in a one-shouldered top, attends a party on January 21, 2000 at Raleigh Studios' Stage 5 in Los Angeles, California. -

Kylie Minogue, in a tiered white dress, arrives at a charity gala in Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England, on June 11, 2001. -

Kylie Minogue, in a sequinned midi, arrives at the premiere of 'Moulin Rouge' on September 3, 2001 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in jeans and a jersey top, promotes her album 'Fever' on November 26, 2001 in Madrid, Spain. -

Kylie Minogue, in a black dress coat, attends the Brit Awards on February 20, 2002 at Earls Court in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in leather trousers and a metallic vest, attends the MTV Europe Music Awards on November 14, 2002 in Barcelona, Spain. -

Kylie Minogue, in a red halterneck dress, and Olivier Martinez attend the Laureus World Sports Awards on May 20, 2003 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. -

Kylie Minogue, in an embellished green mini dress, attends the MTV Europe Music Awards on November 6, 2003 in Edinburgh, Scotland. -

Kylie Minogue, in a feather-trimmed LBD, attends the MTV Europe Music Awards on November 18, 2004 in Rome, Italy. -

Kylie Minogue, in a tiered black dress, attends the Elle Style Awards at Spitalfields Market on February 15, 2005 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in a sequin-trimmed shift dress, attends an event for her book 'The Showgirl Princess' on September 30, 2006 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in a purple maxi dress, attends a retrospective exhibition at the V&M Museum to celebrate her career on February 6, 2007 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends the Baftas at the Royal Opera House on February 11, 2007 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue , in a strapless LBD, attends amFAR's Cinema Against Aids gala at Le Moulin de Mougins on May 23, 2007 in Cannes, France -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends a Dolce & Gabbana party at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2007. -

Kylie Minogue, in a floral strapless dress, attends the NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals on January 26, 2008 in Cannes, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in a black halterneck dress, attends the Goldene Kamera Awards at the Ullsteinhalle on February 6, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, arrives at the Elle Style Awards at The Westway on February 12, 2008 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Chanel, attends the Baftas at the Royal Opera House on February 8, 2009 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in black sequins, arrives at the Brit Awards at Earls Court on February 18, 2009 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Emanuel Ungaro and Dolce & Gabbana, arrives at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Berkeley Square Gardens on June 2, 2009 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dior, attends the Christian Dior show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 25, 2010. -

Kylie Minogue, in Hasan Hejazi, attends the Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena on December 5, 2010 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Pucci, attends the National Movie Awards at the Royal Festival Hall on May 26, 2010 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Balmain, attends the 40 Principales Awards at the Palacio de los Deportes on December 10, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. -

Kylie Minogue, in Richard Nicoll, and Andres Velencoso attend the Aria Awards at the Allphones Arena on November 27, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. -

Kylie Minogue, in YSL, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 21, 2012 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Pucci, attends the 'Holy Motors' photocall at the Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends the 'Holy Motors' premiere at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in Pucci, attends the amfAR Cinema Against Aids gala at Hotel Du Cap on May 24, 2012 in Cap D'Antibes, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in Roberto Cavalli, attends the closing ceremony of the 65th Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2012. -

Kylie Minogue, in Jean Paul Gaultier, attends the 'Holy Motors' premiere at Cinema Gaumont Opera on June 28, 2012 in Paris, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in Stella McCartney, attends the Q Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel on October 22, 2012 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Stella McCartney, attends a photocall to launch her book 'Kylie/Fashion' at Harrods on November 28, 2012 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Roberto Cavalli, attends the 'Les Salauds' premiere during the 66th Cannes Film Festival at Salle Debussy on May 21, 2013. -

Kylie Minogue, in Moschino, attends Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Berkeley Square Gardens on June 4, 2013 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in William Wilde, attends the Brit Awards at the 02 Arena on February 19, 2014 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives at the Logie Awards at Crown Palladium on April 27, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. -

Kylie Minogue, in Juan Carlos Obando, attends amfAR's 21st Cinema Against Aids gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 22, 2014 in Cap d'Antibes, France. -

Kylie Minogue, in Stella McCartney, attends the British Fashion Awards at London Coliseum on December 1, 2014. -

Kylie Minogue, in Jean Paul Gaultier, attends the amfAR Inspiration Gala on April 10, 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. -

Kylie Minogue, in a red wool cape, turns on the Oxford Street Christmas lights at the Pandora flagship store on November 1, 2015 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Aton Couture, attends the Aria Awards at The Star on November 26, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 24, 2016 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, arrives at Bocelli and Zanetti Night on May 25, 2016 in Rho, Italy. -

Joshua Sasse and Kylie Minogue, in Roberto Cavalli, attend the 'Absolutely Fabulous' premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square on June 29, 2016 in London, England. -

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presents Kylie Minogue, in a floral chiffon maxi, with the Britain-Australia Society Award at Windsor Castle on April 4, 2017 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Alice McCall, attends an exhibition as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2017. -

Kylie Minogue, in Temperley, attends the premiere of 'Swinging Safari' on December 12, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. -

Kylie Minogue, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends a gala for the Santiago ePrix on February 2, 2018 in Santiago, Chile. -

Kylie Minogue, in Ralph & Russo, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 21, 2018 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Maria Lucia Hohan, arrives for the Echo Award on April 12, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. -

Kylie Minogue, in Emilio de la Morena, attends a 'Vogue' party at Casa Velazquez on July 12, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. -

Kylie Minogue, in a floral shirt dress, attends '9 to 5 The Musical' at The Savoy Theatre on February 17, 2019 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Ralph & Russo, attends the summer exhibition preview at the Royal Academy of Arts on June 4, 2019 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Ralph & Russo, attends the GQ Men of the Year Awards at the Tate Modern on September 3, 2019 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Erdem, attends the 'Last Christmas' premiere at BFI Southbank on November 11, 2019 in London, England. -

Kylie Minogue, in Chanel, attends the BFI Fellowship at Rosewood London on March 2, 2020 in London, England.
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
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
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5

