La Liga leaders Barcelona have the chance to move nine points clear of Real Madrid this weekend when they take on city rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
Hansi Flick's side enter the derby with confidence sky high after thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 last week to open up a six-point lead over their arch rivals.
Madrid's game at Valencia has been postponed after deadly flooding in the region, along with nearby Villarreal's game against Rayo Vallecano.
The derby offers Barcelona a chance to flex their muscles in front of their home fans after romping past the champions at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.
Barca thrashed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Uefa Champions League before that and Flick, who arrived this summer to replace Xavi at the helm, said the key to his team's form is the good atmosphere at the club.
Clasico player ratings
"When I started with my team, and all the experts, and [sporting director] Deco and the president [Joan Laporta], we said we have to build an atmosphere where the players can show their best performance," explained the coach after thrashing Madrid.
"The atmosphere is really good and the mentality in the team is really outstanding."
Barcelona have won 10 matches in La Liga and lost just once in their first 11 games, as well as inflicting Madrid's first defeat in the Spanish top flight in over a year.
Flick's players are thriving under the German, with veteran striker Robert Lewandowski in sensational form up front, flanked by teenage star Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the form of his career.
Only two teams have conceded more than Espanyol in La Liga and their visit to the Olympic stadium offers Barcelona a chance to keep adding to their table-topping tally of 37 goals scored.
Lewandowski, 36, struck twice in the Clasico and has 14 league goals. The forward looks back to his best after struggling to make an impact last season.
Flick operates with a high defensive line which appears risky at times but helped them defeat both Bayern and Spanish and European champions Madrid.
"We keep going with our idea, we have a flow at the moment and we have to keep going," said Flick.
"[The strategy] looks dangerous, but it's not dangerous."
Espanyol, 17th, usually relish the chance to cause trouble for their city rivals but Barcelona's ruthless form makes this derby an especially daunting challenge.
Former Espanyol president Joan Collet, who led the club between 2012 and 2016, was especially pessimistic.
"Unfortunately I see very little chance of winning, I will not think about or watch the match," he told Radio Despi.
"I will disappear off the map, I will turn off my phone and when it's over I will see what happened.
"It's not that I have no hope, it's that they've taken all my hope away."
Elsewhere Atletico Madrid, fourth, will look to arrest their recent slump at home against lowly Las Palmas, who are 18th.
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The specs
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
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Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
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Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
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500 People from Gaza enter France
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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.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
