• Traditional 'Fanous' lanterns are displayed in a market in Cairo, Egypt, 04 March 2024. People put up decorations and ornaments as part of the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start in Egypt on 11 March. Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in the Koran was during its last 10 nights. EPA / KHALED ELFIQI
    Traditional 'Fanous' lanterns are displayed in a market in Cairo, Egypt, 04 March 2024. People put up decorations and ornaments as part of the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start in Egypt on 11 March. Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in the Koran was during its last 10 nights. EPA / KHALED ELFIQI
  • The Mustansiriya School, opened in 1233, in Iraq's capital Baghdad, is the oldest Arabian-Islamic university for theology, astronomy, philosophy and maths. AFP
    The Mustansiriya School, opened in 1233, in Iraq's capital Baghdad, is the oldest Arabian-Islamic university for theology, astronomy, philosophy and maths. AFP
  • Displaced Palestinians try to get internet service on their phones in Rafah, southern Gaza. Reuters
    Displaced Palestinians try to get internet service on their phones in Rafah, southern Gaza. Reuters
  • The Northern Lights illuminate the sky above F-35B Lightning jets on the flight deck of the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales, off the coast of Norway. AP
    The Northern Lights illuminate the sky above F-35B Lightning jets on the flight deck of the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales, off the coast of Norway. AP
  • Chinese ethnic minority delegates leave the Great Hall of the People after the opening ceremony of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress of China in Beijing. EPA
    Chinese ethnic minority delegates leave the Great Hall of the People after the opening ceremony of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress of China in Beijing. EPA
  • A security officer stands guard near the venue where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to speak at a public rally on March 7 in Srinagar. AFP
    A security officer stands guard near the venue where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to speak at a public rally on March 7 in Srinagar. AFP
  • A child runs across the shot as national leaders sit for a photo at the Asean-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne. Reuters
    A child runs across the shot as national leaders sit for a photo at the Asean-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne. Reuters
  • A lone walker at the shuttered Boreal Mountain Resort, in Soda Springs, California, US, after a four-day storm dumped three metres of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. AFP
    A lone walker at the shuttered Boreal Mountain Resort, in Soda Springs, California, US, after a four-day storm dumped three metres of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. AFP
  • Counter-protesters fix a ripped banner of Indonesia's President Joko Widodo as a demonstrators demanded his impeachment, the rejection of the general election results and the removal of members of the General Election Commission, at the entrance to parliament in Jakarta. AFP
    Counter-protesters fix a ripped banner of Indonesia's President Joko Widodo as a demonstrators demanded his impeachment, the rejection of the general election results and the removal of members of the General Election Commission, at the entrance to parliament in Jakarta. AFP
  • Soledad Ruiz holds an image of her son Apolinar Silgado Ruiz, a victim of paramilitaries in Colombia. After searching for him for 24 years ago, she received his remains in a small coffin at her home in San Onofre. AFP
    Soledad Ruiz holds an image of her son Apolinar Silgado Ruiz, a victim of paramilitaries in Colombia. After searching for him for 24 years ago, she received his remains in a small coffin at her home in San Onofre. AFP
  • A man carries firewood along a snow-laden road in Kalam, Pakistan. AFP
    A man carries firewood along a snow-laden road in Kalam, Pakistan. AFP
  • Models present creations at Chanel's ready-to-wear, autumn-winter 2024/2025 show at Paris Fashion Week. AFP
    Models present creations at Chanel's ready-to-wear, autumn-winter 2024/2025 show at Paris Fashion Week. AFP

Today's best photos: From Ramadan preparations to Chanel's ready-to-wear show


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More from The National:

Monday's best photos: From Kamala Harris in Selma to Buzkashi in Kyrgyzstan

Sunday's best photos: From Tokyo Marathon runners' headgear to Kylie at the Brit Awards

Saturday's best photos: From teddy bear fashion in Paris to big surf in Puerto Rico

Friday's best photos: From a building fire in Dhaka to Nato exercises

Thursday's best photos: From Popocatepetl spewing ash to release of Arctic foxes

Wednesday's best photos: From the completion of a UK tunnel to a taxi protest in Bucharest

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 

Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt

Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure

Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers

Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised

Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 390bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579

'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

Updated: March 05, 2024, 1:53 PM