Saudi Arabia is staging its first all-women camel race on Monday.
As part of the Crown Prince Camel Festival, a 38-day event celebrating camel racing culture and Arab heritage, the kingdom will hold its first race with an entirely female cast of riders.
The race will take place at the Taif Camel Field. Situated in the Makkah Province in south-west Saudi Arabia, the Taif region is also famous for its roses, with more than 550 million harvested every year.
Camel racing is an ancient sport across the Arab Peninsula with races of the native dromedary camel traced as far back as the 7th century CE. Traditionally an all-male sport, now things are changing rapidly.
A first step towards including women in the sport came last year when female jockeys were invited to join the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. Now, the festival has gone one step further and is holding its first all-female race, with a prize pot of 150,000 Saudi Arabia riyal (Dh146,900).
One team involved is from the Arabian Desert Camel Riding Centre in Dubai, who will compete in the inaugural 2km race. Speaking ahead of the event, team leader Linda Krockenberger explained why the event is groundbreaking.
“It is an honour to finally see a category for women [to be] part of one of the biggest festival schedules. As a team we hope to inspire other women to follow their passion and get involved,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to the race organisers for staging “the first, but hopefully not the last” all-woman event.
Taking place on Emirati Women’s Day, the new race is something of a historic milestone and a major step forward for sports.
“It is an opportunity to showcase skills, but also leave our mark and set an example for other women to join this sport and demonstrate values with camel welfare at their core,” said Coralie Virauloud, a member of the Dubai team. “The team and I have trained all year round for the last two years, and it makes me extremely proud that the efforts are met with an invitation to the first all-female race in Saudi Arabia.”
The Crown Prince Camel Festival is an annual celebration of Bedouin culture in Saudi Arabia and the long heritage of camel racing. The first official race took part in 1964 as part of the Heritage Festival, and today it is regarded as the biggest camel event in the world, where more 10,000 animals take part across 589 races, for a total prize pool of $15 million (Dh55,087,500).
This year's event began on August 1 and will conclude on September 7
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
