Prince to be celebrated at Paisley Park
Influential pop star Prince will be celebrated with a four-day festival at his Paisley Park studios compound in Minnesota on the first anniversary of his death. Dubbed Celebration 2017, the event will take place from April 20-23, with tickets starting from $499 (Dh1,832). Musical artists confirmed to perform include Prince's principal band, The Revolution; Morris Day, and another Prince band, 3RDEYEGIRL. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming months. Prince, best known for songs like Purple Rain and When Doves Cry, died this past April 21 from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. He passed away at his Paisley Park estate in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen and was 57. - Reuters
Jazz musician Carlton Kitto dies aged 74
Acclaimed jazz musician and Indian Bebop guitarist Carlton Kitto had died at the age of 74, following a prolonged illness. The news was confirmed by president Dickoo Nowroji of the Calcutta School of Music, where Kitto used to teach jazz. During his career, Kitto collaborated with many of his American jazz contemporaries, including Sonny Rollins and Chico Freeman as well as Indian musicians like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Louiz Banks. Born in Bangalore, and having started his early working life on the railways, Kitto went on to perform for countless celebrities over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II. - IANS
Blair Underwood praises Priyanka Chopra
American television actor Blair Underwood has praised the on-set conduct of his Quantico co-star Priyanka Chopra. "She is very gracious, she is very humble, she is always prepared, she is professional she is about her business," says the 52-year-old. Underwood has joined the cast of the US drama series to play the role of a CIA officer Owen Hall. Chopra, 34, portrays the bright FBI recruit Alex Parrish. "We watch the show through her eyes and her perspective, so she is very much the star of the show. She carries it with aplomb," Underwood added. - IANS
47th International Film Festival of India closes
The 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) drew to a close in Goa with the screening of South Korean film director Kim Jee Woon's, Age of Shadows. More than 300 films from 90 countries were screened during the nine-day event, including the opening film of After-Image which was written and directed by the late Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda. South Korea was the country of focus at this year's IFFI, and several films from the Asian nation were screened during the festival. Eminent South Korean film director Im Kwon-taek was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the festival and the Indian singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was awarded the Centenary Award for Indian film Personality of the Year. - IANS
Broadway star and Tony-winner Fritz Weaver dies
Tony Award-winning character actor Fritz Weaver, who played Sherlock Holmes and Shakespearian kings on Broadway, has died aged 90. Weaver won a Tony award in 1970 playing a private-school disciplinarian in the play Child's Play and among his many television credits he had guest parts on Murder, She Wrote, Magnum, P.I. and Gunsmoke. While the six-foot-three American star created memorable roles on television and in film, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Marathon Man, he was happiest when treading the boards. "The stage is where I began," he said in 1986. "That's where I have the most accumulated experience. Movies and television have always been a means of earning a living. And I'm growing more and more familiar with the vocabularies of both those things." - AP
Akshay Kumar’s new film to be released in March
The Bollywood action thriller Naam Shabana, starring actress Taapsee Pannu and actor Akshay Kumar, will hit screens in the spring of next year. 49-year-old Kumar took to Twitter to announce the release date of the film alongside a picture of his glamorous co-star. "Get ready to see the awesomeness of Taapsee in Naam Shabana on 31st March, 2017," he wrote. "This film belongs to you baby!" he added, directing the comment towards 29-year-old Pannu. The movie, which was shot at locations in India and Malaysia, was written and directed by Shivam Nair and also features the critically acclaimed Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee. - IANS
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
Ireland v Denmark: The last two years
Denmark 1-1 Ireland
7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
19/11/2018, Nations League
Ireland 0-0 Denmark
13/10/2018, Nations League
Ireland 1 Denmark 5
14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
