The best athletes on the planet will congregate in France this summer to take part in the biggest carnival of sports in the world – the Olympic Games.
And just like the previous Games, this year's Olympics, which take place in July-August, will feel the impact of elements beyond the sporting arena.
The Tokyo Olympics was held in the shadows of a global pandemic. This time, it is the unrest due to heightened terrorism threats and ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza that is having an impact on Europe and the Games in particular.
The hope is that it will be an incident-free Paris Olympics, remembered for the right reasons, especially when it comes to planning and efficiency.
The cost of hosting any Olympic Games is regularly questioned, given that it routinely spirals out of control. But this time, only two new permanent venues have been built for Paris 2024 to make the event cost-effective.
Almost all events are set to take place at existing venues or in front of temporary stands. For example, beach volleyball will be played in front of the Eiffel Tower, archery at the Invalides monument, skateboarding is set to place at Place de la Concorde, and the Chateau de Versailles will host the equestrian events.
In all, around 200,000 seats are being installed at the temporary venues.
There are other significant moves afoot. Athletics is set to become the first sport to offer prize money to Olympic champions. The 48 gold medallists in Paris this year will earn $50,000 each, ending a 128-year tradition.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said there had been no discussion with the International Olympic Committee, but stated that his organisation had informed the IOC about the $2.4 million prize pot.
As we count down to the start of the Paris Games – on July 24 with the opening ceremony two days later – here is what you can expect.
Paris Olympics 2024 venues
Aquatics Centre
Events: Water polo, diving, artistic swimming; Capacity: 5,000
Bercy Arena
Events: Artistic gymnastics, basketball, trampoline; Capacity: 15,000
Champ de Mars Arena
Events: Judo, wrestling; Capacity: 9,000
Chateau de Versailles
Events: Equestrian, pentathlon; Capacity: 80,000
Chateauroux Shooting Centre
Events: Shooting; Capacity: 3,000
Eiffel Tower Stadium
Events: Beach volleyball; Capacity: 12,000
Elancourt Hill
Events: Cycling mountain bike; Capacity: 25,000
Bordeaux Stadium
Events: Football; Capacity: 42,000
La Beaujoire Stadium (Nantes)
Events: Football; Capacity: 35,000
Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium (St Etienne)
Events: Football; Capacity: 42,000
Parc des Princes
Events: Football; Capacity: 50,000
Lyon Stadium
Events: Football; Capacity: 60,000
Marseille Stadium (Stade Velodrome)
Events: Football; Capacity: 68,000
Nice Stadium (Stade de Nice)
Events: Football; Capacity: 35,000
Grand Palais
Events: Fencing, taekwondo; Capacity: 8,000
Hotel de Ville
Events: Marathon
Invalides
Events: Archery, marathon, cycling; Capacity: 8,000
Parc Urbain La Concorde
Events: 3x3 basketball, breakdancing, BMX, skateboarding; Capacity: 30,000
Le Bourget
Events: Sport Climbing; Capacity: 5,000
Le Golf National
Events: Golf; Capacity: 35,000
Marseille Marina
Events: Sailing; Capacity: 5,000
North Paris Arena
Events: Boxing, pentathlon; Capacity: 6,000
Paris La Defense Arena
Events: Swimming, water polo; Capacity: 15,000
Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Events: Basketball, handball; Capacity: 26,000
Pont Alexandre III
Events: Cycling, marathon swimming, triathlon; Capacity: 1,000
Porte de la Chapelle Arena
Events: Badminton, rhythmic gymnastics; Capacity: 8,000
Roland Garros
Events: Tennis, boxing; Capacity: 36,000
Saint-Quentin Velodrome
Events: Cycling, BMX; Capacity: 5,000
South Paris Arena
Events: Handball, weightlifting, table tennis, volleyball; Capacity: 6,000
Stade de France
Events: Athletics, rugby sevens, closing ceremony; Capacity: 77,000
Tahiti
Events: Surfing; Capacity: 5,000
Trocadero
Events: Athletics, road cycling; Capacity: 13,000
Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
Events: Canoe, rowing; Capacity: 22,000
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium
Events: Hockey; Capacity: 15,000
Events
The 2024 Olympics will feature 329 events in 33 sports, including the 28 "core" Olympic events. Breakdancing is set to make its Olympic debut as an optional sport, while skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing return from the 2020 Tokyo roster.
How to watch Olympic Games in the UAE
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be shown on beIN Sports in the UAE and Mena region.
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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
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Jetour T1 specs
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The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
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Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
