Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Cross-border fighting along the Lebanon-Israel front intensified on Sunday despite the arrival of France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Lebanon as part of a western diplomatic push to de-escalate the conflict.
Mr Sejourne, on his second visit to the region since February, said he would present proposals aimed at preventing war and easing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel to Lebanese officials.
“It is in no one's interest for the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel to expand,” Mr Sejourne said in Beirut after meetings with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and army commander Gen Joseph Aoun on Sunday.
France is seeking to avert “a regional war in Lebanon”, he said. “We call on all parties to exercise restraint,” he added.
Earlier, following a visit to the headquarters of Unifil, the UN agency charged with keeping peace between Israel and Lebanon, Mr Sejourne said he was in Lebanon to “convey messages and propose initiatives to the authorities here to push this region towards stability and avoid the outbreak of war.”
But even as Mr Sejourne did the rounds in an attempt to broker peace – or at the least make diplomatic progress – fighting along the Lebanon-Israel frontier continued to escalate.
The powerful Lebanese Hezbollah group said it launched several attacks on Israeli territory on Sunday in retaliation for Israel’s attacks “on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes” in Quzah, Markaba, and Serbin villages the previous day. At least nine people were wounded in the attack on Serbin, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Hezbollah’s retaliation included rockets fired into the northern Israeli town of Meron and a series of drones and missiles launched at a military headquarters housing members of Israel’s 51st Battalion and the Golani Brigade in Manara.
“There is renewed momentum for diplomacy on the Lebanese front as the focus has now shifted away from the Iran-Israel escalation,” a Western diplomatic source told The National.
There have been several unprecedented incidents between Israel and Iran in recent months that have drawn the enemy states closer to the brink of war. Iran's attack on Israeli soil, in response to Israel's deadly attack on the Iran consulate in Damascus, drew fears of a larger regional conflagration.
Though Israel's measured retaliation, to which Iran said it has no plans to respond, has soothed fears of a regional conflict for the time being, Israel has continued to threaten war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has set a deadline of September for tens of thousands of evacuees to return safely to their homes near the northern border. That is currently impossible due to Hezbollah, a far stronger militia than its ally Hamas in Gaza, holding positions close to the border.
“Such a deadline means there's a risk of war in the summer if a diplomatic solution is not found,” the diplomatic source said on Friday, underscoring the urgency behind the French FM’s visit.
Hezbollah has repeatedly said that there will be no talks to end border hostilities without a ceasefire in Gaza. Diplomatic sources suggest that the French initiative in Lebanon is only intended to lay the groundwork for negotiations once a ceasefire is reached.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
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 Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
