• Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool on Friday, June 26. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool on Friday, June 26. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Fireworks go off outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Fireworks go off outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Fireworks go off outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Fireworks go off outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. PA
  • Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
    Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
  • Liverpool fan Paul Davies poses with a cut out trophy outside Anfield stadium in Liverpool. AFP
    Liverpool fan Paul Davies poses with a cut out trophy outside Anfield stadium in Liverpool. AFP
  • Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. AP
    Liverpool fans let off flares outside the Liver Building in Liverpool. AP
  • Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
    Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
  • Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. AFP
    Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. AFP
  • Liverpool fans of various generations celebrate outside Anfield stadium. EPA
    Liverpool fans of various generations celebrate outside Anfield stadium. EPA
  • Liverpool fans from different generations pose next to the statue of legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly outside Anfield. EPA
    Liverpool fans from different generations pose next to the statue of legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly outside Anfield. EPA
  • Liverpool fans celebrating outside Anfield stadium. EPA
    Liverpool fans celebrating outside Anfield stadium. EPA
  • Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. EPA
    Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. EPA
  • Liverpool fan gather in celebration outside Anfield stadium. AFP
    Liverpool fan gather in celebration outside Anfield stadium. AFP
  • Liverpool fans pose with a trophy-shaped balloon outside Anfield stadium. AFP
    Liverpool fans pose with a trophy-shaped balloon outside Anfield stadium. AFP
  • Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
    Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield on Friday, the second day of partying. PA
  • Liverpool fans hold a flag with the No 19 for their 19th league title outside Anfield. AFP
    Liverpool fans hold a flag with the No 19 for their 19th league title outside Anfield. AFP
  • Banners and flags hung up by Liverpool ] fans flutter from a fence outside the Kop end of Anfield stadium. EPA
    Banners and flags hung up by Liverpool ] fans flutter from a fence outside the Kop end of Anfield stadium. EPA
  • Liverpool fans mingle next to the Kop end of Anfield. EPA
    Liverpool fans mingle next to the Kop end of Anfield. EPA
  • Liverpool fans hang up a celebratory banner on a fence outside Anfield stadium. EPA
    Liverpool fans hang up a celebratory banner on a fence outside Anfield stadium. EPA

Celebrating Liverpool fans spark police intervention and Covid-19 warnings - in pictures


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  • Arabic

Fans gathering at the Liverpool city centre for a second night in a row to celebrate their team's Premier League title win have been urged to return to their homes due to fears of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Liverpool's 30-year wait for their 19th English top-flight title ended on Thursday after second-placed Manchester City were beaten by Chelsea.

Thousands of fans turned up at Anfield stadium on Thursday to celebrate the win, and Merseyside Police issued a dispersal order on Friday after crowds gathered for a second consecutive night at the city centre near the Mersey Ferry terminal.

The police said on Twitter that the order would remain in force until Sunday.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson urged fans to return home after pictures of the crowd near the Mersey Ferry terminal emerged on social media.

"I am really concerned about scenes at Pier Head tonight. I appreciate LFC fans want to celebrate but please, for your own safety, and that of others, go home and celebrate at home," Anderson said on Twitter.

"Covid-19 is still a major risk and our city has already lost far too many people to the illness.

"People are asking why we are not moving the fans on, or taking action to prevent them gathering. Councils simply do not have the power to do this. If you know someone who is there, please message them and ask them to come home."

Britain has one of the world's highest death tolls from the novel coronavirus. The country has reported more than 309,000 infections and over 43,400 deaths.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Cofe

Year started: 2018

Based: UAE

Employees: 80-100

Amount raised: $13m

Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group 

Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
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