This week's UAE calendar features plenty of variety – there's a film festival in Abu Dhabi, a winter pop-up in Sharjah and a much-awaited concert at a new venue in Dubai.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates, from October 21 to October 27.
Monday, October 21
With some UAE schools off this week, parents might want to check out Expo City Dubai's midterm camp that goes on until Friday. The activities are suited for young campers, aged five to 12, with activities focused on unleashing creativity, embedding a healthy lifestyle from a young age, mindfulness, photography workshops, cultural tasks and more. Participants can sign up for a full week for Dh845, while day tickets are available at Dh190.
Until October 25, 9am-2pm; from Dh190; Terra, Dubai Expo City
Tuesday, October 22
If you're looking to revamp your living space, in ways big or small, the Dubai Home Festival is ongoing until Sunday. More than 80 furniture stores across the city are offering discounts of up to 75 per cent on selected products. At Chattels and More, for example, a round glass-top dining table made of walnut is on offer for Dh4,778, down from Dh9,554, while The Home’s Azura corner sofa is selling for Dh4,900, down from Dh6,535.
Other participating brands include 2XL,, Pan Home, Galeries Lafayette, Crate & Barrel and Bloomingdale’s. Shoppers can also join raffle draws at participating malls including City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif, where a minimum spend of Dh300 could convert to a Dh100,000 home makeover.
Until Sunday; various locations across Dubai
Wednesday, October 23
Fans of Japanese anime can head to Manarat Al Saadiyat, as the five-day Animenia festival opens on Wednesday. Among the event highlights are musical performances, with headliners such as Rasha Rizk, the Syrian singer-songwriter and cartoon voice actress known for her work in the Arabic dubbed version of Detective Conan.
The event offers meet-and-greet opportunities with some of anime's biggest names too, such as Naoto Ohshima, the artist responsible for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Yoko Shimomura, the music composer of Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario RPG. Gaming zones are also set up and there's a costume competition with a prize pool of Dh400,000.
Wednesday to Sunday, 4pm onwards on weekdays, 2pm on weekends; from Dh65 for a day pass; Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi
Thursday, October 24
Plan your New Year's Eve ahead of time as tickets for the Burj Park celebration go on sale on Thursday. The event provides front-row seats to the world-famous fireworks and laser show at Burj Khalifa, at a considerably cheaper price than booking to see the same at a restaurant in the neighbourhood.
Tickets cost Dh580 for adults and Dh370 for children, inclusive of Dh60 food and beverage vouchers to spend at more than 10 stalls at the park. The party starts at 3.30pm on December 31, and there are plenty of activities and entertainment lined up until the big midnight show.
Mandatory badge collection will take place from December 26 to 30, at designated areas across Dubai Mall, Dubai Hills Mall and Dubai Marina Mall.
From Dh370; tickets from mydubainewyear.emaar.com
Friday, October 25
Located in Al Madam, Sharjah, My Space Cafe has reopened, ushering in the UAE's cooler months. The desert pop-up serves an array of bites, from burgers to hot dogs, plus hot and cold beverages, from steaming espresso to a refreshing passion fruit mocktail. The USP is that you're sat in the middle of the desert, surrounded by picturesque dunes. Indoor seating is available by way of mirrored cabanas. There are plenty of spots for picture taking, including a wooden swing.
Daily, 3pm-midnight; Al Madam, Sharjah; 052 729 6666
Saturday, October 26
Award-winning DJ and record producer Calvin Harris, a frequent Dubai performer, is returning on Saturday to play a set at Ushuaia Dubai, an outpost of the popular Ibiza club. The Scottish artist has a long list of chart-topping hits, including How Deep is Your Love, Outside and This is What You Came For.
Saturday; doors open 6pm; from Dh650; Dubai Marina; dubai.platinumlist.net
Sunday, October 27
Film buffs can head to Blue Hall at NYU Abu Dhabi for the three-day film festival All Living Beings. The free event takes inspiration from a verse in the Quran that reads: “All living beings roaming the Earth and winged birds soaring in the sky are communities like yourselves.”
A selection of short and full-length features are on the line-up, which is also a mix of classic and new movies from dozens of countries. Some of the screenings include Red Turtle by Michaela Dudoka De Wita, The Night Visitors by Michael Gitlin and Against the Tide by Sarvnik Kaur.
Film viewings aside, panel discussions are also scheduled throughout the festival, with topics such as an insider look at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and marine biodiversity in the UAE. While the event is free, online registration is required.
Thursday to Sunday; various timings; NYU Abu Dhabi
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.”
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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 Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Pathaan
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
