The Kardashians are offering auction winners a chance to appear in their popular reality series. Getty Images
The Kardashians are offering auction winners a chance to appear in their popular reality series. Getty Images
The Kardashians are offering auction winners a chance to appear in their popular reality series. Getty Images
The Kardashians are offering auction winners a chance to appear in their popular reality series. Getty Images

Sing with Sting and hang out with the Kardashians: celebrities offer priceless experiences to fans for charity


Saeed Saeed
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Fancy recording a song with Sting?

Or maybe exchanging a few Shakespeare sonnets with actor Patrick Stewart?

If global politics are more your thing, how about virtual coffee dates with either former US secretary of states Hillary Clinton or Madeleine Albright?

These are some of the priceless experiences up for grabs as part of Sotheby's upcoming Covid-19 charity auction.

Running for one week from Friday, May 1, the auction aims to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee, whose army of medical professionals are on the front line of the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The auction will be streamed live from New York from 10pm GMT (1am UAE time on Saturday, May 2), with online bids beginning from $50 (Dh183).

The auction can be accessed through Sotheby's website or mobile phone app.

Other experiences on the auction block

The growing list of experiences on offer as part of the auction are eclectic and will be offered through the use of the virtual meet-up app Google Hangouts.

If your musical tastes are too modern for a duet with Sting, you have the option of an online meet-and-greet with New York hipster rockers The Strokes.

If you were inspired by Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri's space mission last year, then the opportunity to talk with Apollo 9 astronaut Russell Schweickart would be right up your galaxy.

Fans of the British period television drama Downtown Abbey could take part in a "sophisticated house party" with series creator Julian Fellows and cast member Hugh Bonneville.

Art lovers and creatives can also benefit from decorating tips provided by celebrity interior designer Jacques Grange, as well tutorials by the likes of designer Paul Smith and British sculptor Marc Quinn.

Kim Kardashian and DJ Khaled join All In Challenge

The Sotheby's benefit auction is not the only event offering such “pinch me” moments.

US celebrities and charities are banding together to raise funds to aid medical professionals in their work and to feed families struggling in the face of the pandemic.

One initiative recently launched is the All In Challenge, which sees a host of stars from the entertainment and sporting worlds offer everything from their personal to professional time to support a series of American charities.

The list of experiences on offer continues to grow by the day.

On Sunday, April 28, Palestinian-American hip-hop star DJ Khaled became the latest big name to wade into the challenge by promising a day full with "off the chain excitement".

DJ Khaled. AFP
DJ Khaled. AFP

The prize includes airfare (to be determined whether that's a domestic or international flight) and a two-night hotel stay in Miami. During that time the winner will ride jet skis with Khaled and grab dinner at his favourite restaurant.

The Kardashians are also participating. Kim Kardashian took to her Instagram on Saturday, April 27 to tell fans to bid for the experience of rubbing shoulders with the famous family by making a guest appearance on their long-running reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

This comes on top of already announced offers, such as a walk-in role in the latest Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

You and five guests could also be in the audience during the recording of the highly anticipated Friends Reunion episode in Los Angeles.

If you are a Drake fan, there's the opportunity to spend a day like Drizzy himself and fly in his Air Drake private jet before joining the rapper and his entourage at a private party.

Beliebers also have the chance to win a visit from Justin Bieber, who will come to your place to sing his hit track One Less Lonely Girl.

For more information about the All In Challenge, click here

War

Director: Siddharth Anand

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor

Rating: Two out of five stars 

The biog

Favourite car: Ferrari

Likes the colour: Black

Best movie: Avatar

Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy

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

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

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