The Al Ain Vipers, in black, came back from 4-1 down to defeat the Dubai Mighty Camels 8-5 and force a deciding play-off match tonight.
The Al Ain Vipers, in black, came back from 4-1 down to defeat the Dubai Mighty Camels 8-5 and force a deciding play-off match tonight.
The Al Ain Vipers, in black, came back from 4-1 down to defeat the Dubai Mighty Camels 8-5 and force a deciding play-off match tonight.
The Al Ain Vipers, in black, came back from 4-1 down to defeat the Dubai Mighty Camels 8-5 and force a deciding play-off match tonight.

Sport

Ice hockey play-offs taken to the wire as Vipers and Storms record wins

Both semi-finals in the Emirates Hockey League will be decided in final match after the best-of-three games were levelled.

Amith Passela
Amith Passela

February 29, 2012

  • English
  • Arabic

The Al Ain Vipers and the Abu Dhabi Storms have taken the semi-final play-offs of the Emirates Hockey League to the full distance.

The Vipers came from 4-1 down to defeat the Dubai Mighty Camels 8-5 on the latter’s home ice and the Storms edged out the Al Ain Theebs 3-2 away to level the best-of-three-game series. The finalists will be decided after the last round of games.

“Once again the team showed real character when pushed to the corner,” said Kevin Emore, the Vipers defender.

“It was another win or bust game for us, and the guys came out really well from what was potentially the end for us. We were 4-1 down in the middle of the second period and that’s when we picked ourselves up again to fight to the end.

“Oh boy, didn’t we fight. It was fantastic win. We had some of our players back and hopefully take this momentum to the next game.”

It was the second time the Vipers bounced back. They returned from the brink to qualify for the play-off after a stunning victory over the Storms, ending all hopes for the latter team to finish first at the end of the regular season.

“I don’t think we could afford to go over that again,” added Emore. “The pressure is in both teams and it would be the best team on the night. Hopefully it would be us.”

The Vipers were the winners of the inaugural EHL crown in 2009/2010 and the Storms are the defending champions. The Dubai Mighty Camels were the runners up on both occasions.

apassela@thenational.ae

The specs

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Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates

October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)

October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)

November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)

November 28-30: Dubai International Rally

January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)

March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)

April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

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TCL INFO

Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

While you're here
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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

Fourth-round clashes for British players

- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)

- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)

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UK’s AI plan
  • AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
  • £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
  • £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
  • £250m to train new AI models
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