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US House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Columbia University on Wednesday and suggested the National Guard should be called in to clear what he called anti-Semitic protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
“There is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” Mr Johnson said in remarks just steps from a pro-Palestine protest camp, which has been a focal point for a fast-growing anti-war movement at universities across the US.
His comments echo those of Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley, two far-right Republican senators who this week advocated for the National Guard to be sent.
Republicans and protest critics say demonstrators, many of whom are Jewish, are being anti-Semitic by criticising Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, where health authorities say more than 34,200 people have been killed.
“We just can't allow this kind of hatred and anti-Semitism to flourish on our campuses,” Mr Johnson said.
“It must be stopped in its tracks. Those who are perpetrating this violence should be arrested.”
He was joined by fellow Republican representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler and Virginia Foxx, all of whom were met with loud boos from protesters.
They said they spoke to Jewish students who told them they are “in fear” and have dealt with bullying.
“This simple truth is neither Israel nor these Jewish students on this campus will ever stand alone,” Mr Johnson said.
The Republican House leader also said they met Columbia University President Nemat Shafik and other school administrators.
Mr Johnson suggested that she should resign “if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos”.
On Tuesday evening, Ms Shafik said in a statement that “a small group of faculty, administrators, and University Senators … [were] in dialogue with student organisers to discuss the basis for dismantling the encampment, dispersing and following university policies going forward”.
She said the university would “have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm” if an agreement is not reached.
Student protest organisers claimed that university leaders “threatened … to call both the National Guard and NYPD if we do not acquiesce to their demands”, and negotiators left discussions as a result.
Columbia said the claim was “untrue” and “unsubstantiated”.
A university cannot request the National Guard be brought in. Only a state governor has that authority.
Organisers referred to the Kent State shootings, an indelible moment in US protest history when National Guard troops shot into an anti-Vietnam War campus protest in Ohio in 1970 and killed four students.
Organisers later issued a new statement saying they had received a “written commitment and concession not to call the NYPD or the National Guard”, calling it an “important victory”.
Columbia said discussions will continue for at least 48 hours.
Columbia's protest – and the university-ordered police arrests of more than 100 people last week – have inspired student protest camps and pro-Palestine demonstrations at university campuses across the US.
“This is a deeply painful, painful moment for many communities,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Most of the student protests have called for their schools to divest from companies working with Israel, shut down academic relations with Israeli institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The President believes that free-speech debate and non-discrimination on college campuses are important – they're important American values,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.
The new movement has drawn the attention of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“What’s happening in America’s college campuses is horrific. Anti-Semitic mobs have taken over leading universities,” he said in a video on Wednesday.
“It’s unconscionable. It has to be stopped. It has to be condemned and condemned unequivocally.”
Universities have seen anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas-led attacks. which Israel says killed about 1,200 people.
Pro-Israel supporters say that criticism of the country is an attack on Jewish people.
But many pro-Palestine campus gatherings have Jewish students taking part, and others are led by Jewish Voice for Peace affiliates.
“I think that it's a really clear, repressive tactic meant to attempt to silence and chill us,” New York University graduate student Alana told The National.
She said she was Jewish and took part in similar anti-war protests calling for divestment at New York University.
“They can use various forms of anti-hatred, anti-Semitic law, different modes of legalised attack on our movement by calling it anti-Semitic, even though a large percentage of every single Palestine protest is Jewish and young Jews,” Alana said.
Pro-Palestine protests at US universities – in pictures
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.
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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.
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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
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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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)
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