• Blessy Jinu, school nurse at Al Shola American School in Ajman, has been tasked with explaining the importance of vaccination and putting the pupils’ minds at ease. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National
    Blessy Jinu, school nurse at Al Shola American School in Ajman, has been tasked with explaining the importance of vaccination and putting the pupils’ minds at ease. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National
  • Mohammed Salah, head of Covid-19 committee at the private school, says hundreds of pupils are eligible to be vaccinated and believes more will sign up in the coming weeks.
    Mohammed Salah, head of Covid-19 committee at the private school, says hundreds of pupils are eligible to be vaccinated and believes more will sign up in the coming weeks.
  • Abdullah Firas is a pupil at Al Shola American School in Ajman.
    Abdullah Firas is a pupil at Al Shola American School in Ajman.
  • Staff nurse Blessy Jinu explaining the importance of vaccination.
    Staff nurse Blessy Jinu explaining the importance of vaccination.
  • Fifty pupils at Al Shola American School in Al Muwaihat area signed up to get the Pfizer vaccine and 20 of them received their first dose at Ajman University’s vaccine centre last week.
    Fifty pupils at Al Shola American School in Al Muwaihat area signed up to get the Pfizer vaccine and 20 of them received their first dose at Ajman University’s vaccine centre last week.
  • Pupil Mazen Mahmoud poses for the camera.
    Pupil Mazen Mahmoud poses for the camera.
  • Pupil Bana Singer smiles for the camera.
    Pupil Bana Singer smiles for the camera.
  • Mira Tannira is a pupil at the school. Most children want to be inoculated after their exams to avoid any side-effects.
    Mira Tannira is a pupil at the school. Most children want to be inoculated after their exams to avoid any side-effects.

UAE records 775 new Covid-19 cases


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The UAE recorded 775 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, raising its overall tally to 1,006,318.

Another 656 people recovered from the virus, taking this total to 984,798.

No coronavirus-related deaths were reported, with the toll remaining at 2,339.

The latest cases were detected as a result of an additional 197,168 PCR tests.

More than 180.7 million tests have been conducted to date under a robust mass screening strategy aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Daily infections have remained below 1,000 since August 5.

Case numbers surged earlier in the summer, topping 1,800 on July 3.

Daily figures have dropped by more than 50 per cent since then.

The country's infection rates regularly exceeded 3,000 per day in January and February of last year.

Authorities continue to remind the public of the need to follow Covid-19 safety measures - such as wearing masks when mandated and maintaining good hygiene practices - to keep case numbers down.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY

Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Centre Court

Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)

Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)

Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)

Court 1

Garbine Muguruza (14) v

Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)

Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24) 

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%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

Updated: August 16, 2022, 11:16 AM