• A fluid kaftan at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    A fluid kaftan at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • A tweed jacket is covered with sewn-on lucky charms, at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    A tweed jacket is covered with sewn-on lucky charms, at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • A tweed patterned dress with jersey knitted top, at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    A tweed patterned dress with jersey knitted top, at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • Delicate floral embroidery trails up sleeves at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    Delicate floral embroidery trails up sleeves at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • A '60s-era mini dress with Chelsea boots at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    A '60s-era mini dress with Chelsea boots at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • A graphic print covers a flowing dress at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    A graphic print covers a flowing dress at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • Evening looks mixed rich velvet with crochet capes at Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    Evening looks mixed rich velvet with crochet capes at Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • Loose and relaxed, an oversized shirt dress at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
    Loose and relaxed, an oversized shirt dress at the Chanel cruise 2021/22 fashion show. Courtesy Chanel
  • A timeless Chanel tweed two-piece is updated with a graphic T-shirt. Courtesy Chanel
    A timeless Chanel tweed two-piece is updated with a graphic T-shirt. Courtesy Chanel
  • A polka-dot leather suit offered a rebellious edge. Courtesy Chanel
    A polka-dot leather suit offered a rebellious edge. Courtesy Chanel
  • A half-velvet, half-chiffon skirt was worn with a velvet bolero for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
    A half-velvet, half-chiffon skirt was worn with a velvet bolero for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
  • Another cropped jacket is worn with a full skirt for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
    Another cropped jacket is worn with a full skirt for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
  • Flowers are embroidered across high-waisted trousers, worn here with a crochet bralet. Courtesy Chanel
    Flowers are embroidered across high-waisted trousers, worn here with a crochet bralet. Courtesy Chanel

Chanel cruise 2021 / 2022: the best looks from the punk-infused runway show


  • English
  • Arabic

The Chanel cruise 2021 / 2022 show took place on Tuesday evening, set in the magnificent surroundings of the Carrieres de Lumieres in Les Baux de Provence, France.

A disused quarry (the name literally means quarry of light), the vaulted space left inside the mountain after centuries of excavation has long been used as an art space.

Drawing on the deep friendship between Chanel's founder, Gabrielle Chanel, and the artist, poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, the predominantly black-and-white collection was inspired by Cocteau's 1960 film The Testament of Orpheus, which used the quarry as its setting.

The stars that Jean Cocteau signed next to his name appeared on draped mini skirts for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
The stars that Jean Cocteau signed next to his name appeared on draped mini skirts for Chanel cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel

Watching the film again recently, Chanel's creative director, Virginie Viard, explained to Vogue that she was struck by how the film was "so modern, so fresh and so strong", and was compelled to conjure a monochromatic, graphic collection that would hold its own against the soaring space.

The result was a 66-look collection that drew together many threads of reference.

The dashed-off stars that Cocteau signed against his name in correspondence were scattered across draped mini skirts, black on white, while objets d'art collected by Chanel herself for her apartment appeared drawn on billowing shirts and dresses as rough outlines of lions, doves and even faces. The lucky symbols that Gabrielle kept close also appeared, such as golden charms stitched on to a white tweed jacket.

In a nod to the 1960s, Viard sent out brief mini dresses with glossy white Chelsea ankle boots. For a harder, more punky edge, every skirted look was styled with fishnet tights, giving a downplayed feel, as graphic tees were paired with classic Chanel jackets, in the way everyone under the age of 50 actually wears it.

Loosely woven woollen tops featured holes and were covered with sketched doves, as a mini skirt and trouser suit carried white studded polka dots on black leather.

But amid the looks came pieces that were pure Chanel. A below-the-knee skirt was slashed till the thigh and worn with a boxy jacket, while a long skirt in a delicate print started as dense velvet around the hips, before falling away to fluid chiffon. Teamed with a velvet bolero, it was extraordinary.

Classic Chanel tweed was mixed with a graphic tee for cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel
Classic Chanel tweed was mixed with a graphic tee for cruise 2021/22. Courtesy Chanel

Another cropped jacket, now with a collar, appeared over a full midi skirt, while delicate flowered embroidery crept up sleeves and around high-waisted trousers. Elsewhere, a longline tweedy print dress with a contrasting, knitted top was a delight.

A new, relaxed direction came via shirt dresses and fluid kaftans, in either graphic prints or dazzling white, which will resonate in this region, and add to Chanel's stable of wide-legged trousers, while the finale was a series of bias-cut velvet evening dresses, featuring leather ruffles and worn under crocheted capes.

A thoughtful collection, it carried enough of the classic codes to satisfy the most die-hard client, while offering an eye-catching array of younger, fresher pieces that will speak to a younger generation; the crowd that already wears a T-shirt under their Chanel jacket.

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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 

 

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

SQUADS

Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed

Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Oscars in the UAE

The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

LEADERBOARD
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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