Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
If the US presidential elections were held today, only 18 per cent of Arab Americans in four key states would vote for President Joe Biden, a poll published on Thursday suggests.
This is a significant drop from the nearly 60 per cent recorded four years ago.
The poll, conducted by the Washington-based Arab American Institute, highlights how Mr Biden's handling of the Israel-Gaza war has cast a heavy shadow over his re-election prospects.
“The simple reason why Biden’s numbers and ratings are so low is, in a word, Gaza,” the report said.
According to the poll, 60 per cent of those surveyed said the war in Gaza was one of their most important issues, and 88 per cent said they have a negative view of the way Mr Biden has handled it.
Muslim and Arab Americans, some of whom have relatives in Gaza, have been horrified by his policies since October 7, when Israel launched a massive retaliatory campaign in the enclave after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, more than 36,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
Mr Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, has refused to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza or place conditions on military aid to Israel – two central demands of Arab Americans.
Many Arab Americans have vowed never to vote for him again.
The poll surveyed voters in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia – four states with sizeable Arab-American populations.
Michigan and Pennsylvania are another two of a handful of must-win states for both candidates.
According to the poll, 17 per cent of Arab Americans view Mr Biden favourably, a sharp decline from the 74 per cent in 2020.
Hundreds of thousands in Michigan, Virginia and other states cast “uncommitted” or blank votes during the Democratic primaries this year in protest against Mr Biden’s position on Gaza.
But despite international and domestic pressures, he has shown little sign of changing his policies on the eight-month-old war.
Israel has intensified its operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and said the war was likely to continue throughout this year.
More than 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, local authorities report, many of them displaced people living in makeshift tent camps.
The Biden administration has for weeks said it does not support a ground operation in Rafah, and that attacking a densely populated area would lead to a change in US policy towards Israel.
But so far, Washington has said that Israel's assault on Rafah was not a major operation.
Meanwhile, in the US, the most recent polls show Donald Trump, the putative Republican nominee, leading slightly over Mr Biden in a head-to-head contest.
The AAI poll found that 32 per cent of Arab American voters would vote for Mr Trump.
Sixty per cent of Arab Americans said they were not very enthusiastic or unenthusiastic about voting in the presidential election.
Mr Trump, Mr Biden's predecessor, has vowed to reinstitute an order barring entry to the US for people from several Muslim countries if he wins.
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Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
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
if you go
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The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
RIDE%20ON
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Bullet%20Train
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The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
