The UAE has sent more than 240 tonnes of aid to Sudan since the fighting began. Wam
The UAE has sent more than 240 tonnes of aid to Sudan since the fighting began. Wam
The UAE has sent more than 240 tonnes of aid to Sudan since the fighting began. Wam
The UAE has sent more than 240 tonnes of aid to Sudan since the fighting began. Wam

UAE sends further food and medical supplies to Sudan


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The UAE on Monday sent three aid planes carrying 115 tonnes of vital medical and food supplies to Sudan and neighbouring Chad.

Two of the planes landed at Port Sudan Airport, loaded with urgent medical goods to be used in the treatment of injuries and to conduct emergency surgery in Sudan, such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, wound dressings, surgical tape and endoscopy kits.

The third plane arrived in Chad, packed with 15 tonnes of food to support Sudanese refugees affected by the unfolding crisis that has displaced thousands of families and triggered a dire shortage of basic food supplies.

Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for International Development Affairs, said the aid campaign was on the directive of the UAE's leadership.

He said fighting in Sudan had severely disrupted vital services and exacerbated the challenges facing its population.

The UAE has delivered more than 240 tonnes of medical and food supplies to Sudan since the clashes between warring military factions begun.

Sudan crisis - in pictures

  • Khartoum burns amid fighting between the forces of two rival generals in Sudan. AFP
    Khartoum burns amid fighting between the forces of two rival generals in Sudan. AFP
  • A Sudanese girl at her family's makeshift shelter across the border in Koufroun, Chad. Reuters
    A Sudanese girl at her family's makeshift shelter across the border in Koufroun, Chad. Reuters
  • Sudanese refugee women build a makeshift shelter in Koufroun, Chad. Reuters
    Sudanese refugee women build a makeshift shelter in Koufroun, Chad. Reuters
  • Air strikes battered Khartoum as fighting entered a fourth week. AFP
    Air strikes battered Khartoum as fighting entered a fourth week. AFP
  • People dig holes to get pure water at the banks of the White Nile in Khartoum. Reuters
    People dig holes to get pure water at the banks of the White Nile in Khartoum. Reuters
  • Army sodliers and tanks on a street in Khartoum. AFP
    Army sodliers and tanks on a street in Khartoum. AFP
  • A looted petrol station in southern Khartoum. AFP
    A looted petrol station in southern Khartoum. AFP
  • Sudan's warring generals have repeatedly failed to honour multiple agreed ceasefires. AFP
    Sudan's warring generals have repeatedly failed to honour multiple agreed ceasefires. AFP
  • People board the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan to Saudi Arabia. AFP
    People board the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan to Saudi Arabia. AFP
  • Evacuees disembark at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. AP
    Evacuees disembark at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. AP

The country has also enabled the evacuation of 744 foreign citizens and diplomats and their families, and flown dozens more people in urgent need of assistance.

A plane carrying 178 people from seven countries landed in the UAE from Sudan on Sunday.

Among those on the flight was a Sudanese child wounded by a stray bullet in the continuing clashes.

The boy was admitted to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City hospital in Abu Dhabi.

The latest humanitarian mission came one day after 176 evacuees arrived in the country from the North African nation.

The UAE continues to prioritise the evacuation of the most vulnerable groups, including the sick, children, the elderly and women, the government said.

The evacuees will be hosted in the UAE and provided with all necessary support before their safe transfer to their home countries.

The UAE has welcomed hundreds of citizens from more than 20 countries in a series of flights since April 29.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation confirmed the success of the continuing evacuation operation.

Senior UN aid envoy Martin Griffiths arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to discuss the worsening crisis, which experts fear could leave 2.5 million people without enough food and trigger a wave of mass migration involving about a million people.

Saudi Arabia has been working with the US and allies to secure a ceasefire since fighting began in Sudan on April 15.

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FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

PETER%20PAN%20%26%20WENDY
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MATCH INFO

Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE

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

How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Updated: May 08, 2023, 4:14 PM