A circular centre stage that rotates, with a 360-degree screen overhead, plus beams of fire shooting out of its edges – Ed Sheeran's Dubai concert is as dazzling (and dizzying) as it gets.
About 30,000 attended The Sevens Stadium on Friday evening – throngs of fans from a wide demographic, enamoured by the singer's hit-making virtuosity.
And he did not disappoint. From his contagious energy to the theatrics of the production, Sheeran has seemingly perfected the formula of his Mathematics world tour. He is in Dubai for two nights to show it off, accompanied by opening act Calum Scott, who proved that he's more than just a mere opener. For many in the audience, the entire night was a two-for-one concert.
With his soaring vocals, Scott definitely warmed up the crowd, who sang along to his power ballad You Are The Reason and his defining cover of Dancing On My Own.
The cosiness intensified in the open-air stadium when the British singer became visibly emotional at one point, saying “I've never been more nervous in my life” to a swooning crowd.
From Scott's set, you'd already be made aware of the quality of the production. The sound system, for example, is audibly top-notch – and as it should be, for a major concert at a vast open-air venue, one without the acoustics advantage of a closed hall. Also, it's Sheeran, who is by all accounts a true-blue musician first before anything else, and he wouldn't have allowed a clunky set-up.
Immediately, in his first of 26 songs, Tides, the British singer-songwriter's passion for live performance is palpable. Donning a guitar and running around the circular stage, Sheeran's energy fired up the audience, while literal flames caught people a bit off guard when they started flaring by the second song Blow.
The two-and-a-half-hour set list is a good collection of his discography. A few songs come from his latest album Subtract, while many are lifted from his earlier records. When he played The A Team, Sheeran was candid in explaining how it was the song that ultimately launched his career.
Sheeran's charm on stage is also thanks to his signature live looping. Instead of a band, he creates all of the sounds on stage, deftly layering them on top of each of other using a looper. This is why even when there seems to be a lot going on, with the rotating platform and the overhead screen, the stage is still aptly bare, making the audience focus on him.
He used the pedal system in most of the songs, but there were also tracks that needed the support of other live instrumentalists, such as during Beautiful People, I Don't Care and Galway Girl, where he invited a violinist to join him on stage.
Sheeran's career is punctuated with many chart-toppers, and he knows it. Before singing his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud, for instance, he pre-empted people's urge to sing along. And people did sing along, also in the case of Perfect (2017), Photograph (2014) and Love Yourself (2015), which he wrote for fellow pop artist Justin Bieber.
The singer broke away from his set list to perform a surprise number, saying how he “really likes the atmosphere” and felt the song needed to be performed, Tenerife Sea, part of his Multiply album in 2014.
Sheeran wrapped up with a few more of his chart-topping songs – to audiences who didn't mind standing for over three hours, and still, with full energy, singing along Shape of You and Bad Habits as the concert came to a close. Of course, a small fireworks display had to conclude the evening.
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
UAE%20ILT20
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
