A Dubai aviation company with a taste for global hot spots has agreed to run airport operations in Mogadishu.
SKA Air and Logistics, which prides itself on "doing difficult jobs in difficult places", has signed an agreement with the transitional government of Somalia to bring Aden Adde International Airport into compliance with international standards, said a company official in Dubai who wished to remain anonymous.
"We will be putting a lot of manpower and equipment in place in next few weeks," he said.
The 10-year contract includes managing the passenger terminals, security screening and passenger security, SKA officials in Somalia told Agence France-Presse.
SKA has operations at airports throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. The company's promotional video says it "specialises in working in the world's hot spots, war zones and troubled areas where few others could manage such complex and difficult projects". SKA's Iraq operations involve ground control and flight support, including conducting flights for crop-spraying, and missions in support of national elections. It said it has conducted more than 36,000 flight missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past three years.
Several SKA staff members are already based at Mogadishu airport training Somali personnel, according to news reports. Airport operations are restricted to a "sunrise to sunset" schedule, but SKA plans to improve efficiency when features such as runway lighting are restored, the official said.
The biggest operators using Mogadishu airport at present are UN charters, Jubba Airways of Somalia, African Express Airways of Kenya, and Daallo Airlines of Djibouti.
Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, has had no functioning central government since 1991, and rebel forces control much of the capital and surrounding areas.
Aden Adde airport, on the seafront in the area of Mogadishu controlled by the government, is secured by troops from the African Union force AMISOM, which has its main base there.
When asked about the safety of basing company officials in Somalia to begin implementing the contract, the SKA official said: "It is fair to say Mogadishu is still a dangerous place, but safety has improved."
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
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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Star rating: 2/5
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Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
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6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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Rating: 1/5
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Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
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