• Staff of a former McDonald's restaurant prepare for its reopening under a new brand, Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and that's it), in Moscow on Sunday. EPA
    Staff of a former McDonald's restaurant prepare for its reopening under a new brand, Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and that's it), in Moscow on Sunday. EPA
  • Wrapped double cheeseburgers in the new restaurant. Its opening comes after US fast-food company McDonald's pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all its restaurants in the country in March due to the war in Ukraine. AFP
    Wrapped double cheeseburgers in the new restaurant. Its opening comes after US fast-food company McDonald's pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all its restaurants in the country in March due to the war in Ukraine. AFP
  • The first 15 rebranded outlets open in Moscow on Sunday. EPA
    The first 15 rebranded outlets open in Moscow on Sunday. EPA
  • Oleg Paroev, chief executive of Vkusno & tochka, said the company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer. EPA
    Oleg Paroev, chief executive of Vkusno & tochka, said the company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer. EPA
  • The chain will keep its old McDonald's interior, but will expunge any references to its former name, said Mr Paroev, who was appointed Russia's McDonald's chief executive only weeks before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24. AFP
    The chain will keep its old McDonald's interior, but will expunge any references to its former name, said Mr Paroev, who was appointed Russia's McDonald's chief executive only weeks before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24. AFP
  • Siberian businessman Alexander Govor is the new owner of the outlets. He told Reuters he was striving launch something similar to the famous Big Mac. AFP
    Siberian businessman Alexander Govor is the new owner of the outlets. He told Reuters he was striving launch something similar to the famous Big Mac. AFP
  • 'Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience,' Mr Paroev told a media conference in the restaurant. He said the chain would keep 'affordable prices' but added they would likely rise due to inflation but not higher than its competitors. AFP
    'Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience,' Mr Paroev told a media conference in the restaurant. He said the chain would keep 'affordable prices' but added they would likely rise due to inflation but not higher than its competitors. AFP
  • The rebranding coincided with Russia Day, a holiday marking the country's independence. AFP
    The rebranding coincided with Russia Day, a holiday marking the country's independence. AFP
  • Scores of people queued outside what was formerly McDonald's flagship restaurant in Pushkin Square, central Moscow on Sunday. The outlet sported a new logo - a stylised burger with two fries - plus a slogan reading: 'The name changes, love stays'. Reuters
    Scores of people queued outside what was formerly McDonald's flagship restaurant in Pushkin Square, central Moscow on Sunday. The outlet sported a new logo - a stylised burger with two fries - plus a slogan reading: 'The name changes, love stays'. Reuters
  • Some people said they could not taste the difference between the new and old food. EPA
    Some people said they could not taste the difference between the new and old food. EPA
  • Workers use a crane to dismantle the McDonald's golden arches while removing the logo signage from a drive-through restaurant in the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad. Reuters
    Workers use a crane to dismantle the McDonald's golden arches while removing the logo signage from a drive-through restaurant in the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad. Reuters
  • A worker carries dismantled McDonald's golden arches outside a restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters
    A worker carries dismantled McDonald's golden arches outside a restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters
  • Traces of the dismantled signage are seen on the facade of a McDonald's restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters
    Traces of the dismantled signage are seen on the facade of a McDonald's restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters

Russia's new McDonald's runs out of French fries until autumn


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Russia's replacement McDonald's restaurants have run out of French fries, its new owners said.

The US fast-food company pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all of its restaurants in the country in March in protest against the war in Ukraine.

A number of them reopened last month under the ownership of Vkusno & tochka, which translates into "Tasty and that's it".

However, after initial big queues, the restaurant chain has run into problems with sourcing potatoes due to supply chain disruption amid the conflict with Ukraine and western sanctions.

French fries will return to the menu in autumn at the start of the new harvest, Russian state news agency Tass reported.

Vkusno & tochka said that country-style potatoes, a thicker version, may also not be available, blaming 2021 as a lean year for potato varieties.

For the past eight years, the company had focused on Russian suppliers, it said. It had become impossible to import from markets that could become temporary suppliers of potatoes for enterprises in Russia, it said.

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture, however, denied there was a potato shortage.

The market is "fully provided" and products of a new crop are already arriving, eliminating the possibility of a shortage, the ministry said in a Telegram statement, which added that it expects an increase in the harvest of potatoes this year.

McDonald's employed 62,000 people in Russia and most were kept on for the new venture led by Siberian businessman Alexander Govor.

The new outlets, sporting a fresh logo, offer burgers and fries, which some said tasted and appeared much the same as they did under the McDonald's branding.

Vkusno & tochka did not have the right to use any mention of McDonald's, Mr Govor told Reuters last month.

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's," he said. "We will definitely do something similar. We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

The company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June — and all 850 by the end of the summer.

Other US brands to exit Russia include Starbucks, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, as they sought to comply with sanctions and deal with threats from the Kremlin that foreign-owned assets may be seized.

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

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How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
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6025 – Dh20
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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

The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright

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Crops that could be introduced to the UAE

1: Quinoa 

2. Bathua 

3. Amaranth 

4. Pearl and finger millet 

5. Sorghum

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

MATCH INFO

Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)

Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

INFO

What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.

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

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide

Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.

The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.

Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years

 

Updated: July 11, 2022, 10:05 AM