This week we reveal the deadliest place in Europe to be a young man. It is the suburbs of Stockholm and other major Swedish cities.
That's largely because of gun deaths caused by two feuding Kurdish-controlled gangs has soared.
Travelling through Sweden's bare concrete housing block estates, a 16-year old gave us some understanding of how he was sucked into the world of gangs.
Alan revealed how Rawa Majid, 39, the man know as the Kurdish Fox, rewards his teenage killers despite years of exile. Sitting in the back of a car on the way to an underground interview point, Alan smiles as he talks nonchalantly about the buzz he got from shooting his rival criminals.
“It’s fun. It's crazy for the first two hours when you have done it, then you start to run because you don’t want the police to see you,” he told The National.
He is one of hundreds of teenagers in Sweden involved in the violence. Gangsters such as those in the Foxtrot network, run by Majid, recruit children to attack rivals – in the knowledge that, under Swedish law, anyone under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted.
Rawa Majid, left, known as the Kurdish Fox, and a teenager who spoke to The National as part of an investigation into the Foxtrot Kurdish criminal network operating in Sweden. Nick Donaldson / The National
A mother whose son was shot dead in his car outside the family home warned a culture of fear is gripping Sweden as rival gangs run riot.
Tulun Tas found Emirhan slumped in his car just metres from their home in Norsborg, near Stockholm. With the engine still running, she realised he had been shot. He died in hospital shortly afterwards.
To his mother, Emirhan was a “funny” child who wanted to turn a love for Lego into a career in engineering. Not a day goes by that she does not miss his presence. “[My son] helped me from the day he was eight years old to the day he died,” she said.
Ms Tas has broken her silence to speak out on her fears the 18 year old had been caught up in gang violence that has exploded across Sweden – and her determination to find his killer.
And it is Majid, an internationally wanted gangster, who is directing the gangland warfare.
Dark days
Swedish police said this week that a suspect linked to the Foxtrot network was arrested after the seizure of cocaine in the south-west of the country, weighing at least 200kg. It is one of a series of busts the authorities have made in recent years.
Sweden must abandon its policy of “silent diplomacy” with Iran as it faces a wave of gangland warfare orchestrated by Majid, a leading politician told The National.
Stockholm should publicly call for Iran to hand over Majid, who is hiding there to avoid facing justice for a string of offences, said Alireza Akhondi, who was born in Iran and is a prominent critic of the regime.
Majid’s feud with Ismail Abdo, a one-time close associate nicknamed “Strawberry”, who runs the rival Rumba network, led to a series of tit-for-tat killings.
The Foxtrot boss has also been accused of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets on behalf of Iran, for which he has been placed under sanctions by the US.
Two men found guilty of planning a mass attack in Manchester were plotting for ISIS. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a “visceral dislike” of Jewish people and wanted to cause “untold harm”, Preston Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
As is patently clear from the deadly attacks in Manchester and Sydney this year, ISIS-inspired gunmen have formed a new archetype.
In January 2024, the group’s propaganda channels used the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks inside Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent outbreak of war in Gaza to instruct loyalists to kill Jews wherever they could find them. Investigators reportedly believe this was instrumental in both deadly attacks. In Africa, where ISIS loyalists are besieging important capitals, there is little doubt of the resurgence of its influence as a major local power.
It has been clear for 15 years that ISIS works along existing fault lines to boost its pulling power. It wants to attract people to pledge their loyalty to it and carry out its goals.
Cities in France and Belgium bore the brunt of one phase of the ISIS era that has hallmarks of what is happening today. The faultline that ISIS sought out was centred on laying down differences in lifestyles that could become divisive issues. Last year, the Taylor Swift tour became a target for a plot that had the same objectives.
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
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
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6 Gearbox: 10-speed automatic Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential) On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
Key facilities
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
