H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54 CEO and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, H. E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak with the Stormtroopers. Courtesy twofour54
H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54 CEO and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, H. E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak with the Stormtroopers. Courtesy twofour54
H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54 CEO and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, H. E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak with the Stormtroopers. Courtesy twofour54
H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54 CEO and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, H. E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak with the Stormtroopers. Courtesy twofour54

Stormtroopers descend on Emirates Palace ahead of Star Wars premiere

The National Staff

December 15, 2015

  • English
  • Arabic

Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54, and Chair of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, welcomed guests from another galaxy at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 15.

The six stormtroopers from the UK and German garrisons of the 501st Legion will join the UAE's stormtroopers to greet guests at the second worldwide premiere of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens in Abu Dhabi at Emirates Palace on Wednesday, December 16.

Episode VII, part of which was filmed in Abu Dhabi last year, is one of the most heavily hyped cinema events in recent years, smashing all records for advance ticket sales in the US.

"Having Star Wars: The Force Awakens screen in Abu Dhabi prior to its general release is a real validation for how successful the filming was while the production was here," said Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54's chief executive. "To date, all of the trailers and TV spots for the film have included scenes from Abu Dhabi, which have generated unprecedented excitement around the globe. "We are very proud of our achievements and excited for audiences around the world to experience Abu Dhabi on the big screen".

Abu Dhabi provides the landscape for the planet Jakku, "a frontier desert planet in a remote section of the Outer Rim Territories", according to StarWars.com

With assistance from twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, filming for the movie took place in the Emirate in May last year, during which 650 crew members worked at two locations.

The Force Awakens, is the seventh instalment in the Star Wars franchise and is expected to be one of the most successful films of all time.

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens is scheduled for general release in UAE cinemas at 12am on Thursday, December 17

artslife@thenational.ae

Hotel Data Cloud profile

Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)

Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday

Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

The bio

Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Racecard

6.35pm: The Madjani Stakes – Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m 

7.10pm: Evidenza – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m 

7.45pm: The Longines Conquest – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,000m 

8.20: The Longines Elegant – Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 

8.35pm: The Dubai Creek Mile – Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m 

9.30pm: Mirdif Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,400m 

10.05pm: The Longines Record – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,900m  

MATCH INFO

Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')

Leeds United 0 

While you're here
Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

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

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH DETAILS

Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)

Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)

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Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded

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Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

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