Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University researcher detained because of his views on Gaza, has been released from custody in Texas after a judge ruled the US government overstepped by arresting him in March.
A US district judge made the much-anticipated decision on Wednesday. Mr Suri was released on bond and will be able to return to Virginia.
"After months of sorrow, loss, and pain, when I saw my kids, it was like an oasis in the desert, and in their arms I found my life again. It was a surreal experience," he said shortly after his release.
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, his administration has turned a critical eye on students, scholars and professors expressing sympathy for Palestinians amid the continuing Israel-Gaza war.
Non-citizens in the US on visas have been detained and threatened with deportation by federal authorities.
Some are student protest organisers, others have simply written in support of Palestine.
In Mr Suri's case, his marriage to someone who had expressed support for Palestine was sufficient for the government to arrest him.
Pro-Palestinians are also being targeted by groups using artificial intelligence to expose them and report them to authorities.
The State Department reportedly hasn't ruled out using AI to help it revoke the visas of international students accused of supporting Hamas, again, often without due process or a nuanced interpretation of what demonstrators may have said or done.
The State Department has not provided current figures on how many visas it has revoked. In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at least 300.
Here is a look at some of the most prominent cases.
Mahmoud Khalil: in custody and facing deportation
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who was a leader in campus pro-Palestine protests last year, is being held in an immigration detention centre in Louisiana.
He was arrested in New York on March 8, with video showing agents from the Department of Homeland Security taking him into custody without a warrant, handcuffing him and forcing him into an unmarked car.
Shortly after his detention, Mr Trump wrote that Mr Khalil was a “radical foreign pro-Hamas student”.
Despite his legal team's arguments that Mr Khalil's right to free speech was violated and that he was apprehended without due process, Judge Jamee Comans disagreed. She said the government had demonstrated sufficiently Mr Khalil’s presence in the US could have “potentially serious foreign policy consequences”, therefore the case met the legal threshold for deportation.
Late last month, federal immigration authorities denied Mr Khalil’s request for temporary release from detention to attend the birth of his first child. He has filed an appeal to try to prevent his deportation and the case remains under adjudication.
Mohsen Mahdawi: released
Authorities in Vermont apprehended Mohsen Mahdawi on April 14.
A student, Mr Mahdawi has been an outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and organised campus protests. He cofounded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mr Khalil.
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security deemed Mr Mahdawi “removable” under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It also said his actions could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise compelling US foreign policy interest”.
He spent 16 days in detention until US District Judge Geoffrey Crawford raised doubts over the State Department's rationale for the arrest and detention.
“The two weeks of detention so far demonstrate great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime,” the judge said.
Mr Mahdawi could still be deported depending on how things unfold in court, with US authorities appealing the Vermont judge’s decision.
He plans on starting his master’s degree at Columbia beginning in the autumn.
Rumeysa Ozturk: released
On March 25, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to meet friends and break fast during Ramadan when masked agents surrounded her and took her into custody near her home in Massachusetts.
The Department of Homeland Security accused Turkish student Ms Ozturk, 30, without providing evidence, of “engaging in activities in support of Hamas”, the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government.
Ms Ozturk, who is also a Fulbright Scholar, last year co-wrote an opinion piece in a student newspaper criticising Tufts's response to student calls to divest from companies with Israel ties and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide”.
A federal judge on March 28 stopped her deportation after Ms Ozturk's lawyers filed a lawsuit saying her detention infringed her right to free speech and due process.
After spending six weeks in a Louisiana detention centre, Ms Ozturk's legal team secured a major victory by convincing a judge to order her release on the grounds US federal authorities had not provided evidence to justify her arrest. It is expected the Trump administration will challenge the ruling.
Badar Khan Suri: judge orders release
On March 17, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen studying at Georgetown University in Washington DC, was arrested at his Virginia home by the Department of Homeland Security.
Department officials claimed Mr Suri “has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas”, and that Mr Rubio had determined that the scholar's activities “rendered him deportable”.
His lawyers have so far successfully argued for a lack of due process and charges to justify his deportation.
In the weeks since his initial detention, demonstrators have gathered on Georgetown's campus in support of Mr Suri and the university's dean Joel Hellman issued a lengthy statement explaining his concern over the arrest and detention.
As noted above, Mr Suri was released on bond on May 14.
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
