Parents across the country have begun to shop for protective equipment for their children before the return to school classes next week.
Face masks and pocket hand sanitisers appeared alongside uniforms, books and bags on the back-to-school shopping lists for many families.
Colourful, graphic masks - both washable and disposable - are a popular purchase for younger pupils.
“I bought different masks for different days because my daughter is young and I want to try and normalise things for her,” said Dorsai Khaghani, whose 5-year-old daughter Karla goes to Gems Wellington International School.
We are supplying an estimated 250,000 kids' masks to UAE retailers and pharmacies
“I will be sending her back to school five days a week for three hours in the morning, from 7.45am to 10.45am, so she will bring one mask to wear and a spare one in case the other gets dirty.
“I’ve also bought her a mix of hand sanitisers to hang on her bag which have cartoon characters on them.”
Ms Khaghani, from Iran, said she spent Dh60 for a five pack of washable masks and about Dh100 for a pack of 50 disposable masks in assorted prints.
Stocking up on back-to-school essentials at Mall of the Emirates on Sunday was father of two Hilario Ubaldo.
His sons, Jettliam Ubaldo, 5 and Geoff Ivan, 10, attend Gems Winchester School in Dubai and will return to class full-time on August 30.
“In total, we’ve paid out about Dh1,000 extra on face masks and sanitisers so they can return to school safely,” said Mr Ubaldo, from the Philippines.
“We paid more for masks that have kid-friendly designs on them because this is going to be a weird transition for them.
“With all these safety measures in place it will take some getting used to.
“I thought why not make the experience more enjoyable by giving them masks that are more playful.”
In Dubai, pupils aged six and above are required to wear face masks at all times.
In Abu Dhabi, the same rules apply and the education authority said children must bring at least two masks to school each day.
They were also requested to carry a 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based sanitiser, where possible.
Mother-of-two Farah Altaher said her five-year-old twin girls, Ghazal and Yara, will join KG2 at Emirates International School – Jumeirah at the end of the month.
“Although they are below six years old, we will be sending them to school in masks,“ she said.
“Yara has leukemia and has never been to school so we didn’t want her to miss out this year.
“The school has kept us up-to-date with all the precautionary measures in place so we’re confident with our decision.”
Because of Yara’s illness, Ms Altaher, from Jordan, said the family is used to wearing masks at home so the girls were well prepared for what to expect.
“We’ve kept it fun for them and bought masks with colourful designs and prints," she said.
“We spent a little extra buying additional protective items, maybe a few hundred dirhams, but we would rather be safe than sorry.”
In recent weeks, shops in the UAE stocked up on large quantities of masks for children in preparation for the back-to-school shopping rush.
Affordable disposable masks, priced at just Dh2 each, can be found in hypermarkets and pharmacies across the Emirates. More durable, washable alternatives are on sale at a number of high street shops, including Claire’s Accessories and Centrepoint, for anywhere between Dh25 to Dh70.
Even larger quantities of masks adorned with cartoons and animals, up to 50 in some cases, can be found online at Amazon and Noon, among others.
Over the past month, Fine Hygienic Holding, a manufacturer of hygiene products, has supplied hundreds of thousands of children’s face masks to stores in the UAE.
"We are supplying an estimated 250,000 kids' masks to UAE retailers and pharmacies," James Lafferty, chief executive at Fine, told The National.
“Our kids’ masks are catered to pre-teens, and come in fun and colourful designs, one for boys and one for girls.
“As back-to-school season has started, we have indeed seen a strong pick-up in our online sales, by an estimated 30 per cent.”
We make them with thick materials which are used by doctors, not the flimsy, thin ones which you often see on the market
Natasha Bajaj, founder of Nats and Jun, a maternity retailer in Dubai, started making child-friendly face shields when the pandemic hit.
She said sales of the Dh79 protective wear soared as younger children prepare to head back to class.
“I actually started making these because my son is very apprehensive about wearing a face mask," she said.
“I make them with thick materials which are used by doctors, not the flimsy, thin ones which you often see on the market.
“The demand has been crazy recently. I have sold more than 1,000 shields recently.”
Earlier this month, Dr Omar Al Hammadi, an official representative for the UAE Government, said children over the age of two should wear masks while out in public.
Although they are less likely to develop serious symptoms of Covid-19, he said they can carry the virus and pass it on, so precautions must be taken to protect them.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SupplyVan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2029%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MRO%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Barbie
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Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
Read more about the coronavirus
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
