Like many people, John Travolta remembers where he was when O J Simpson was filmed by TV news crews driving a white Ford Bronco in that infamous slow-speed police pursuit in 1994. Simpson eventually surrendered and faced murder charges over the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
"I had just got back from the Cannes Film Festival where we won the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction," says Travolta. "I was on this kind of high, with a new [revived] career and then this American tragedy was happening."
The actor was sharing his memories on the red carpet for Fox’s upfront presentation, part of an event at which networks debut their new TV shows for advertisers.
Travolta has joined Cuba Gooding Jr, David Schwimmer and Sarah Paulson in the cast of a new true-crime anthology series coming to Fox's FX channel called American Crime Story.
Each season will tell the story behind one famous case – and season one will focus on the O J Simpson trial, based on a book by Jeffrey Toobin, who covered it extensively for The New Yorker.
Travolta plays Simpson's lawyer Robert Shapiro. Ryan Murphy – the creator of Glee and American Horror Story – is directing the series, which has just started filming.
“That trial sort of gave birth to a new kind of media coverage,” says Murphy.
“It felt like an original story; something that was the first, and now we’re still dealing with the reverberations of that, so it feels very modern to me.”
Gooding plays Simpson, the former pro-football Hall of Fame athlete and actor who appeared in the Naked Gun films, among others.
“People keep asking me whether I think he did it or not, and I don’t think that’s the goal here – to prove his innocence or his guilt,” says Gooding.
“I think it’s more us putting the judicial system under the spotlight ... We try to find a truth in the moment so that we can find answers. I think this 10 hours of television is gonna be very powerful and I think a lot of people are going to learn a lot.”
Former Friends star Schwimmer plays the late Robert Kardashian, a lawyer on Simpson's defence team. The actor says he spoke to Kardashian's ex-wife, Kris Jenner, for insight into the role.
“I was lucky enough to speak to [her] for a few hours, she was very generous with her time,” says Schwimmer. “I thought, ‘who better to tell me who Robert was as a husband and a father than her?’ – and it’s been a very exciting process so far.”
Jenner will be portrayed by Selma Blair.
Actress Sarah Paulson, who has worked with Murphy on American Horror Story, has been analysing video footage to prepare for her role as prosecutor Marcia Clark.
“I’m just trying to take in her mannerisms, and then at the same time let some of it go,” she says. “At first I thought, well, I have to do her voice. And then I thought her voice isn’t actually iconic. As long as I’m not doing something weird, you’re not gonna know it’s not her voice.”
Paulson decided instead to imitate, for example, how Clark “listened a lot with her head to the side” and other mannerisms of the prosecutor.
American Crime Story is due to debut next year.
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UAE%20ILT20
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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
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
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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