The funeral procession for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi began on Tuesday, with events to be held across the country before he is buried in the north-eastern city of Mashhad on Thursday.
Funeral rites began in the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan province, where a lorry carrying the remains of the president and his entourage were paraded through tightly packed streets as government officials gave speeches to the crowd.
Mourners also gathered in Tehran's Valiasr Square ahead of the cortege arriving in the capital on Wednesday.
The hardline president, 63, died in a helicopter crash in north-western Iran on Sunday night. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan provincial Governor Malik Rahmati and Mohammed Ali Ale Hashem, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative to East Azerbaijan, were also killed.
State TV broadcast scenes of large crowds of mostly men in Tabriz, where streets were adorned with images of the Mr Raisi and others killed in the crash.
The remains were then flown to Tehran's Mehrabad Airport before being transferred to the holy city of Qom, where Mr Raisi studied at a seminary as a teenager.
Some Tabriz mourners held Palestinian flags, while many others held pictures of Mr Raisi with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani, who was killed in a US air strike in January 2020.
Mr Raisi was travelling to Tabriz when the helicopter crashed in heavy fog, near the village of Tavil. On Tuesday night, a “people's farewell” ceremony is to be held at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran.
About 70 rescue teams searched mountainous terrain on foot overnight before finding the wreckage of their Bell 212 helicopter on Monday morning.
As mourning ceremonies got under way, Iran's Assembly of Experts – a body which appoints the supreme leader – met in Tehran for the first time since elections in March, with a portrait of Mr Raisi placed on an empty seat.
The assembly appointed Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani, Tehran's Imam for Friday Prayers, as its new chairman.
Mr Raisi's body will be taken on Wednesday morning from Tehran University towards the city's Azadi Square, before a ceremony is held involving delegation of high-ranking foreign officials. Mr Khamenei will also pray over Mr Raisi's body in Tehran.
Another funeral ceremony will be held in the eastern city of Birjand, before Mr Raisi is buried in his hometown of Mashhad, state news agency Irna reported.
Five days of national mourning were declared by Mr Khamenei following the death of the president, who was widely expected to succeed the 85-year-old as supreme leader.
Iranian authorities have declared Wednesday to be a national holiday. The second Wednesday in June has also been declared an official holiday from now on.
National exams scheduled for this week have been cancelled and governors may decide to “close” provinces where funeral ceremonies are held, Iran said.
While flags are flying at half-mast and black banners have been raised at shrines in Qom, where Mr Raisi studied in a seminary as a teenager, the mood among the Iranian public has varied.
Mr Raisi was unpopular with many and was known as the “butcher of Tehran” for his role in the execution of about 5,000 political detainees in the 1980s.
More recently, the arrest and killing of demonstrators during the Mahsa Amini protests, and the tightening of restrictions on women's freedoms, also hardened opposition towards the president.
Critics of the regime have held events outside Iranian embassies in the UK and Canada since his death was announced.
Iran's First Vice President Mohammed Mokhber was named interim president, while Ali Bagheri Kani, who lead Iran's nuclear negotiations with western powers, has replaced Mr Amirabdollahian as foreign minister.
Iran is to hold presidential elections on June 28. Iran held parliamentary polls in March that were marred by a record low turnout of voters, with public apathy compounded by crackdowns on critics of the regime and an economy hit hard by sanctions.
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A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
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Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
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Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
