• Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
    Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister met Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Oman New Agency
  • Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Cooperation and Special Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, receives Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Oman News Agency
    Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Cooperation and Special Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, receives Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Oman News Agency
  • Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Cooperation and Special Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, receives Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Oman News Agency
    Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Cooperation and Special Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, receives Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency
    Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits National Museum in Muscat. Oman News Agency

Syria and Oman sign visa-free travel deal for diplomats and special passport holders


  • English
  • Arabic

Oman and Syria agreed on Sunday to offer reciprocal visa-free entry to people with diplomatic, special and service passports.

The agreement came a day after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Muscat for talks with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Al Busaidi.

“The good bilateral relations between the sultanate and Syria were reviewed, and aspects of existing co-operation between them were discussed in a way that serves the common interests of the two brotherly countries and people,” a statement released by Oman News Agency said.

In line with its foreign policy model of co-operation and neutrality, the sultanate normalised ties with Syria last year, becoming the first Gulf nation to do so.

In October, Oman sent Turki Al Busaidi, its newly appointed ambassador to Syria, to Damascus. Muscat withdrew his predecessor in 2012.

From the start of Syria’s conflict, Oman has taken few diplomatic actions against Damascus. It has preferring to work towards ending the war with negotiation, a trend other Arab nations have started to follow.

Last week, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed called for Syria to be readmitted to the Arab League a decade after the country’s expulsion. This call was echoed by Iraqi Foreign Minster Fuad Hussein and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

The pan-Arab body resumed some of its activities in Syria last month.

Mr Mekdad is meeting several ministers on his trip to the sultanate.

On Saturday he visited the National Museum, where he viewed a book on seamanship by Omani navigator Ahmad bin Majid Al Saadi. It was lent to Oman for restoration by Al Assad National Library in Damascus, the Syrian state news agency Sana reported.

Racecard

6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m

6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m

7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m

8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m

9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m

Squad for first two ODIs

Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.

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.

The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre

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 specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
How Voiss turns words to speech

The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen

The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser

This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen

A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB

The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free

Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards

Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser

Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages

At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness

More than 90 per cent live in developing countries

The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device

BRAZIL%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Alisson%2C%20Ederson%2C%20Weverton%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Dani%20Alves%2C%20Marquinhos%2C%20Thiago%20Silva%2C%20Eder%20Militao%20%2C%20Danilo%2C%20Alex%20Sandro%2C%20Alex%20Telles%2C%20Bremer.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Casemiro%2C%20Fred%2C%20Fabinho%2C%20Bruno%20Guimaraes%2C%20Lucas%20Paqueta%2C%20Everton%20Ribeiro.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Neymar%2C%20Vinicius%20Junior%2C%20Richarlison%2C%20Raphinha%2C%20Antony%2C%20Gabriel%20Jesus%2C%20Gabriel%20Martinelli%2C%20Pedro%2C%20Rodrygo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes