Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
A jet linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich arrived in Istanbul from Israel on Monday, shortly after he was seen in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International airport.
Mr Abramovich was among seven Russian billionaires added to a British sanctions list last week to try to isolate President Vladimir Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. EU diplomats have embraced a similar move.
The Russian oligarch, who also holds Israeli and Portuguese citizenship, has denied having close ties to Mr Putin.
A photograph obtained by Reuters showed Mr Abramovich, the owner of Britain's Chelsea soccer club, sitting in Tel Aviv airport's VIP lounge with a face mask pulled down over his chin.
Reuters could not verify whether he boarded the flight.
A source said the plane used by Mr Abramovich flew into Ben Gurion late on Sunday from Moscow.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said the aircraft, which has the tail number LX-RAY and is a large Gulfstream business jet, landed in Istanbul on Monday after leaving Israel.
It was not scheduled to fly on from Istanbul after landing and remained there, flight plans show. The plane had also been in Turkey last week, according to tracking data.
Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is home to the head office of AB Grup Holding, a company run by Muhsin Bayrak, who has publicly expressed interest in buying Premier League club Chelsea from Mr Abramovich.
Mr Bayrak has interests in building, energy and real estate, and has said he was talking to Mr Abramovich about the sale process.
Mr Abramovich said last week he was selling the London club, but that sale is now on hold with Chelsea operating under a special government licence, and the Premier League board has disqualified him as a club director.
A British Transport ministry source said on Friday that Britain was searching for helicopters and jets belonging to the sanctioned oligarchs.
Property including opulent yachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been seized by authorities in Europe in recent days.
Tracking sites Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder say Mr Abramovich's $600 million yacht Solaris had been off Montenegro heading to Istanbul.
But later the vessel's status changed to "awaiting orders" and its destination was removed
Nato member Turkey has close ties with Kyiv and Moscow and has balanced its criticism of the invasion of Ukraine with its opposition to western sanctions on Moscow.
Russia calls its movement of troops into Ukraine a "special military operation".
Victoria Nuland, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, told Israel's Channel 12 on Friday that Washington was asking Israel to join in financial and export sanctions against Russia.
Speaking in Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel "will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other western countries".
Mr Lapid did not say directly whether Israel was considering its own sanctions.
But he said the Foreign Ministry was "co-ordinating the issue together with partners including the Bank of Israel, the Finance Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Airports Authority, the Energy Ministry and others".
Asked for further details, the Bank of Israel said that it was "constantly monitoring developments in the payments systems, the markets, and the financial system".
Any Israeli sanctions could complicate efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to mediate the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
Mr Bennett held talks in Moscow with Mr Putin on March 5 and has spoken several times by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A senior Israeli official said Mr Abramovich was not involved in the mediation.
Sympathy for Ukraine is strong in Israel.
The country's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem said on Thursday that it had suspended a strategic partnership with Mr Abramovich after Britain's move against him.
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
More on Quran memorisation:
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
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
SCHEDULE
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
