Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
November 23, 2021
In good times as well as bad, few diplomatic events have as much geopolitical significance as state visits. But for countries with royal families, even ones that have limited political power, coverage and popular appeal of their official trips can easily rival the presence of a nation's most senior politician.
We saw this special kind of diplomacy throughout the recent visit by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla to the Middle East. It was not an occasion to discuss geopolitics, rather one to re-emphasise the longstanding friendship between the UK and the region. And while it was not technically a state visit, it was significant. Prince Charles has deep ties with the Middle East and is seen as one of Europe’s most respected royals.
The trip is a sign that Britain values its friends. Politicians change, reflecting the modern, political phases of a country; royal families have a deeper, symbolic association with tradition and identity. The British royals are particularly illustrative of this fact. Constitutionally, they are largely ceremonial. Culturally, however, they are one of the most influential brands around, and a major part of the UK's soft power.
Queen Rania, wearing a white V-neck Dior midi coat with a patterned white blouse, gold Dior belt and a matching Louis Vuitton handbag, poses for a photograph as she visits Queen Rania Family and Child Centre with Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in Amman, Jordan, on November 16, 2021. Reuters
Queen Rania wears a gold and cream abaya to attend a private dinner at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman. Reuters
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a blue flowery dress by Fiona Clare, arrive at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. EPA
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in a pale green Anna Valentine gown, arrives at a private dinner at Al Husseiniya Palace. Reuters
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a black and khaki Fiona Clare dress, take a walking tour of Umm Qais in Jordan. Getty Images
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a white Anna Valentine tunic and trousers, arrive for a centenary celebration of the founding of the Jordanian state, at the Jordan Museum in Amman. AFP
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a pale pink Anna Valentine tunic and trousers, meet Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the first lady Entissar Amer, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo on November 18, 2021. Reuters
The Egyptian first lady, Entissar Amer, in a red skirt and top, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, 2021. Reuters
To visit the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Camilla, Duchess of Sussex, added a white head scarf to her Anna Valentine look. EPA
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wore the same Anna Valentine tunic to tour the Great Sphinx of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, with Prince Charles. Reuters
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing blue Anna Valentine, talks with Magdi Yacoub, retired heart surgeon, during a UK-Egypt reception in Cairo on November 18. Reuters
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wears a pale green Anna Valentine dress, to visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt. Reuters
The current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, has been a friend to the Middle East all her reign. Her first visit to the region was to Libya in 1954. Her first to the UAE was in 1979, when the country was just eight years old. She returned in 2010.
On the advice of doctors, she is now gradually pulling back from her full schedule of state occasions at the age of 95, paving the way for Prince Charles, the monarch-in-waiting, to take on the most important international royal visits. Like his mother, he, too, is a friend of the Middle East, although he has been away for some time; his last trip to the region was in 2006.
He was happy to be back, this time visiting Jordan and Egypt. On the last leg of his trip, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in Cairo called him a "wise and responsible leader”, and the pair discussed issues such as the environment and interfaith dialogue. Charles, like many of the region's governments, has a longstanding interest in both. Charles's passion for the environment is so great – he is a leading global advocate of organic farming – that it has sometimes got him in trouble at home for overstepping the tight controls on the Royals' political neutrality.
But away from home, the mood this week has been one of friendship and optimism. Naturally, it is also one of responsibility. Camilla was clear that this visit was not a "holiday", but an important moment to affirm Britain's strong and enduring ties with the region. Nonetheless, after so many years away, the pair have said at the end of their tour that it was "absolutely brilliant", but also "too short".
Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
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
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
