• Watering vegetables in Taguig City, Philippines. Authorities say about 40 million Filipinos still lack access to a formal water supply while 74 million of the population have access to piped and potable water. World Water Day is observed annually on March 22, to highlight the global need for access to safe and clean water. EPA
    Watering vegetables in Taguig City, Philippines. Authorities say about 40 million Filipinos still lack access to a formal water supply while 74 million of the population have access to piped and potable water. World Water Day is observed annually on March 22, to highlight the global need for access to safe and clean water. EPA
  • Fetching water in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Middlemen exploit shortages to sell water at exorbitant prices. PA
    Fetching water in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Middlemen exploit shortages to sell water at exorbitant prices. PA
  • Drawing water from a hole in a sandy riverbed in Makueni County, Kenya. There have been fatal clashes between clans in the country who dispute each other’s access to water and pasturelands. AP
    Drawing water from a hole in a sandy riverbed in Makueni County, Kenya. There have been fatal clashes between clans in the country who dispute each other’s access to water and pasturelands. AP
  • Residents bathe in a dam of the Unda river in Klungkung, Indonesia. AP
    Residents bathe in a dam of the Unda river in Klungkung, Indonesia. AP
  • The polluted waters of the Tawi river in Jammu, India. AP
    The polluted waters of the Tawi river in Jammu, India. AP
  • A water lorry worker fills tanks at houses in the Pamplona Alta area in Lima, Peru. Residents buy water for drinking, cooking and cleaning from private suppliers. AP
    A water lorry worker fills tanks at houses in the Pamplona Alta area in Lima, Peru. Residents buy water for drinking, cooking and cleaning from private suppliers. AP
  • The dried Bheeman Lake bed on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India. EPA
    The dried Bheeman Lake bed on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India. EPA
  • An internally displaced Palestinian girl carrying containers on the way to fetch water, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. EPA
    An internally displaced Palestinian girl carrying containers on the way to fetch water, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. EPA
  • Workers remove waste from West Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. EPA
    Workers remove waste from West Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. EPA
  • A communal well in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA
    A communal well in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA
  • Mimoun Nadori tastes the water of the Moulouya River to check its salinity, in Nador, north of Morocco. Where the river once flowed from the mountains into the Mediterranean, it now sits stagnant, allowing seawater to creep inland and turning water from a source of life to a deadly poison. AP
    Mimoun Nadori tastes the water of the Moulouya River to check its salinity, in Nador, north of Morocco. Where the river once flowed from the mountains into the Mediterranean, it now sits stagnant, allowing seawater to creep inland and turning water from a source of life to a deadly poison. AP
  • Residents collect clean drinking water from a free distribution water tanker in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru. EPA
    Residents collect clean drinking water from a free distribution water tanker in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru. EPA
  • Fred Imfeld dumps water into a bowl for his chickens, in Corning, California. The US state is notorious for droughts and water shortages. AP
    Fred Imfeld dumps water into a bowl for his chickens, in Corning, California. The US state is notorious for droughts and water shortages. AP
  • Thousands of South Africans are lining up for water as the country's largest city, Johannesburg, confronts an unprecedented collapse of its water system affecting millions of people. AP
    Thousands of South Africans are lining up for water as the country's largest city, Johannesburg, confronts an unprecedented collapse of its water system affecting millions of people. AP
  • Mexico's pools of Poza de la Becerra. The 170 cactus-ringed pools contain important species of fish, snails, turtles, bacteria and unique living rock structures that offer important clues to life on Earth millions of years ago. Reuters
    Mexico's pools of Poza de la Becerra. The 170 cactus-ringed pools contain important species of fish, snails, turtles, bacteria and unique living rock structures that offer important clues to life on Earth millions of years ago. Reuters
  • A vessel cruises over the river Main in Frankfurt, Germany. AP
    A vessel cruises over the river Main in Frankfurt, Germany. AP
  • Boats at Cardo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters
    Boats at Cardo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters
  • The polluted Dahisar River, passing through a residential district in Mumbai, India. EPA
    The polluted Dahisar River, passing through a residential district in Mumbai, India. EPA
  • A dried-up pond in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province. A blazing month-long heatwave has brought drought, parching the land in the region. AFP
    A dried-up pond in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province. A blazing month-long heatwave has brought drought, parching the land in the region. AFP

World

World Water Day 2024 - in pictures

World Water Day is celebrated March 22 every year to raise awareness on water issues

The National

March 22, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

World Water Day 2024: Not every day has to be laundry day

HIV cure must offer big step forward to replace drugs, experts say

Is the tide turning on the Gaza war?

Yusra Mardini's remarkable life: Refugee to Olympian, philanthropist and film student

More from Firas Maksad
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

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649

iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
match info

Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')

Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
While you're here
While you're here
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Read

UAE squad

Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:

2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

While you're here
Updated: March 22, 2024, 6:48 AM
Water securityPhotography