NBA playoff games were cancelled for a second straight day on Thursday, but players pledged to return to the court as they sought support from team owners in tackling racial injustice.
A Milwaukee Bucks boycott inside the NBA's Orlando "bubble" on Wednesday sparked a wave of protest that ultimately saw dozens of games called off across an array of sports – basketball, football, baseball, ice hockey and tennis.
Black players, their teammates and supporters demanded action in the face of yet another police shooting of an African American after Jacob Blake was shot several times in the back in the Midwestern city of Kenosha on Sunday.
The Bucks boycott, which was joined by their scheduled opponents the Orlando Magic, prompted the NBA to postpone all three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday and three more slated for Thursday as players from all teams debated whether to continue the season already disrupted by coronavirus.
Players agreed on Thursday to continue the playoffs, with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers – who had been in favour Wednesday night of abandoning the season - reportedly "on board" with the decision.
"NBA playoff games for [Thursday] will not be played as scheduled," league executive vice president Mike Bass said after an NBA Board of Governors meeting Thursday.
"We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday."
ESPN and other US media reported late Thursday that games would most likely resume on Saturday.
Players from all 13 teams in Orlando, along with representatives from the National Basketball Players Association, the league office and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman and basketball legend Michael Jordan met Thursday to discuss player concerns.
Details of the meeting were not immediately available, but ESPN reported that players pushed for owners to join them in a "direct action plan" to promote voter turnout, police accountability and police reform legislation.
Meanwhile, the NBA's stoppage continued to ripple through the sports world.
The National Hockey League, which didn't postpone games on Wednesday, called off games in its quarantine bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton on Thursday and Friday.
"We understand that the tragedies involving Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others require us to recognize this moment," the league and its players association said in a statement.
"We pledge to work to use our sport to influence positive change in society."
Seven Major League Baseball games were called off on Thursday and nine NFL teams cancelled practice with the start of their season just two weeks away.
The courts were quiet at the National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, although two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka agreed to go ahead with her Western & Southern Open semi-final on Friday after initially saying she was pulling out of the event.
"I was [and am] ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent," Osaka said. "However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday."
"They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement."
The WNBA women's basketball league postponed its slate of games on Thursday for a second day running, but players said they intended to return to the court on Friday.
Since resuming their season in a quarantine bubble in Florida, WNBA players have demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was killed in her own apartment by police in Louisville, Kentucky, who burst into her home executing a "no knock" search warrant.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA players' union, said Thursday's pause in games was a "moment of reflection" for players and a chance for them to "recommit" to their fight for racial and social justice.
'Change happens with action'
Demands for racial equality have reverberated across basketball following the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May.
The NBA's coronavirus-halted season resumed last month against the backdrop of ongoing nationwide protests following Floyd's death.
While the league has embraced the Black Lives Matter movement, the shooting of Blake – which Blake's lawyer says left him paralyzed – galvanized players to further action.
Lakers superstar James, already backing a get-out-the vote initiative, said action was imperative.
"Change doesn't happen with just talk!! It happens with action and needs to happen NOW!" James wrote on Twitter.
There was a predictably cool response to the NBA activism from US President Donald Trump.
"They've become like a political organisation, and that's not a good thing," Trump said.
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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
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
How to get there
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
