Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Palestine's Omar Ismail was defeated in the -58kg taekwondo Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday – but not before pushing his experienced opponent close.
UAE-based Ismail, who lives in Sharjah, was up against second seed Adrian Vicente of Spain and was seconds away from taking the match into a deciding round.
After losing the first round 8-3, Ismail led the second 6-3 with 10 seconds remaining, but a head kick from Vicente in the final exchanges turned the contest back in the Spaniard's favour.
Considering the pedigree of his opponent – Vicente won bronze at last year's World Championships – Ismail, 18, proved he can challenge the best in the sport.
Earlier in the day, Ismail had made a winning start to his campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hadi Tiranvalipour of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Ismail won the first round 4-3 to take an early lead and followed it up with a 5-0 second-round victory to book his place in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Qatar's reigning Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim made it through the high jump qualifying round at Paris 2024 but not without a slight fitness niggle.
Barshim was one of four athletes in his group to clear the 2.27 metre benchmark to qualify joint-second behind the USA's Shelby McEwen, who flawlessly completed all his jumps. Barshim had missed his first attempt at 2.27m.
Barshim, 33, and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi, who famously agreed to share the gold medal in Tokyo rather than contest a jump-off, once again showed their friendship during a difficult qualifying session.
Both advanced despite physical issues. At one point, with Barshim writhing in pain with what looked like a cramp in his calf, Tamberi came over and massaged his leg. Later, the medical staff took over.
“Nothing is good right now,” Tamberi said after joining his friend in Saturday's final (9pm UAE). Tamberi, 32, has already had an eventful Olympics, losing his wedding ring in the Seine while taking care of flag bearer duties for Italy during the opening ceremony. He then had to return home and was hospitalised for what he described on Instagram as a "probable" kidney stone issue.
Meanwhile, Djamel Sedjati breezed through his 800m heat, saluting as he crossed the finish line in first place.
The Algerian has designs on David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91secs but eased up as he approached the finish line ahead of Great Britain's Giles Elliott and Hobbs Kessler in a time of 1:46.15.
Morocco's Ines Laklalech was six shots over par after the opening round of the women’s individual stroke play. Only 12 players in the 60-strong field shot below par on a day when scoring proved difficult for most.
Egypt were eliminated from the men's handball in the quarter-finals after a heartbreaking overtime defeat to Spain.
Egypt led 25-24 with 31 seconds remaining of normal time when Spain scored the crucial equaliser to force the additional 10 minutes.
In a match of fine margins, Spain got the winner at the death to win 29-28 and move into the semi-finals.
In football, Soufiane Rahimi gets the chance to add to his tournament-leading six goals when Morocco face Egypt in the men's football bronze medal match on Thursday.
Morocco missed out on a final place after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Spain in their semi-final on Monday.
The Atlas Lions had led courtesy of a penalty from Al Ain forward Rahimi but were pegged back by Fermin Lopez's 65th-minute equaliser before substitute Juanlu Sanchez grabbed a late winner.
Egypt missed out on the chance to contest the gold medal match when they lost 3-1 to hosts France in extra time despite taking the lead through Mahmoud Saber.
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
Naga
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
