• People salvage their belongings from a damaged house in the earthquake-affected Gayan village in the Paktika province, Afghanistan. EPA
    People salvage their belongings from a damaged house in the earthquake-affected Gayan village in the Paktika province, Afghanistan. EPA
  • The 5. 9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless. AFP
    The 5. 9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless. AFP
  • An Afghan man stands besides the ruins of a house damaged after an earthquake in Gayan. AFP
    An Afghan man stands besides the ruins of a house damaged after an earthquake in Gayan. AFP
  • Afghan men talk among themselves as they look for their belongings amid the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
    Afghan men talk among themselves as they look for their belongings amid the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
  • Afghan children play in the backdrop of houses damaged after the earthquake. AFP
    Afghan children play in the backdrop of houses damaged after the earthquake. AFP
  • World Food Programme trucks with aid material head out towards affected villages. AFP
    World Food Programme trucks with aid material head out towards affected villages. AFP
  • A Taliban helicopter carrying aid lands in Gayan. Reuters
    A Taliban helicopter carrying aid lands in Gayan. Reuters
  • An Afghan family carry their belongings following the earthquake. Reuters
    An Afghan family carry their belongings following the earthquake. Reuters
  • A man carries a sack in Gayan. Reuters
    A man carries a sack in Gayan. Reuters
  • Afghan men receive bread. Reuters
    Afghan men receive bread. Reuters
  • Afghan men stand on the debris of a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Gayan. Reuters
    Afghan men stand on the debris of a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Gayan. Reuters
  • An Afghan woman is treated by a doctor. Reuters
    An Afghan woman is treated by a doctor. Reuters
  • Afghan people wait to receive aid in Gayan. Reuters
    Afghan people wait to receive aid in Gayan. Reuters
  • Volunteers gather medicine and other items brought by Afghan Minister of Refugees Khalil Ahmad Haqqani (not pictured) during his visit to Gayan. EPA
    Volunteers gather medicine and other items brought by Afghan Minister of Refugees Khalil Ahmad Haqqani (not pictured) during his visit to Gayan. EPA
  • An Afghan youth sits besides the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
    An Afghan youth sits besides the ruins of damaged houses. AFP

Afghanistan earthquake: Taliban calls for release of frozen funds


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Afghanistan's Taliban administration has called on international governments to lift a freeze on central bank assets after the earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands homeless.

The 6.1-magnitude quake struck the east of the country early on Wednesday, killing more than 1,000 people and destroying or damaging 10,000 homes.

The disaster has created yet more strain on the country's fragile health system, posing a major test for the ruling Taliban.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, told Reuters that the country was "asking the world to give the Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life and that is through lifting the sanctions and unfreezing our assets and also giving assistance".

While humanitarian aid continues to flow to Afghanistan, funds needed for longer-term development were halted when the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.

The administration of the hard-line group is not formally recognised by international governments.

Billions of US dollars in Afghan central bank reserves remain frozen overseas and sanctions hamper the banking sector, with the West pushing for concessions on human rights.

Western governments are particularly concerned about the rights of women and girls to work and study under Taliban rule. In March, the group stopped high schools for girls from opening.

Mr Balkhi said Afghans' right to life-saving funds should be the priority and accused the international community of handling concerns over human rights differently depending on the country involved.

"Is this rule universal? Because the United States just passed an anti-abortion law," he said, referring to the Supreme Court's overturning on Friday of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling that recognised a woman's right to an abortion.

"Sixteen countries in the world have taken away the rights of religious minorities, especially Muslims ... are they also facing sanctions because they are violating rights?"

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the US government was working on "complicated questions about the use of these [frozen central bank] funds to ensure they benefit the people of Afghanistan and not the Taliban".

She said the US Agency for International Development was providing assistance with humanitarian organisations.

Thousands affected by the earthquake are in need of clean water and food and are prone to disease, an Afghan Health Ministry official said on Sunday, days after a UN agency gave a warning of a cholera outbreak in the region.

"The people are extremely needy for food and clean water," Sharafat Zaman told Reuters.

Volunteers prepare to distribute aid for earthquake victims in Gayan district, Paktika province. AFP
Volunteers prepare to distribute aid for earthquake victims in Gayan district, Paktika province. AFP

He said officials had managed medicine for now but handling those who had lost their homes would be a challenge.

"We ask the international community — humanitarian organisations — to help us for food and medicine, the survivor might catch diseases because they don’t have proper houses and shelters for living," he said.

The UN and several other countries have rushed aid to affected areas, with more due to arrive over the coming days.

In Kabul, hospitals more used to treating victims of war have opened their wards to earthquake victims but a majority of people remain in the areas destroyed by the earthquake.

The World Health Organisation on Sunday said nearly 10 tonnes of medicine and additional supplies had been shipped from Kabul to the affected areas.

The supplies are enough to provide medical treatment for 36,00 people for the next three months, the WHO said.

"An additional shipment of health supplies is due to arrive in the country from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai in the coming days," it said.

The UN agency said it was closely monitoring cases of acute diarrhoea, measles and Covid-19 and was offering mental and psychosocial support to people affected by the quake.

“The earthquake was yet another tragic reminder of the various risks facing the Afghan people and how critical that Afghanistan should not become another forgotten emergency by the global community,” said Dr Dapeng Luo, the WHO representative in the country.

Hazrat Ali, 18, told a Reuters team in Wor Kali, a village of the hardest-hit Barmal district: "Our houses were destroyed, we have no tent ... there are lots of children with us. We have nothing. Our food and clothes ... everything is under rubble.

"I have lost my brothers, my heart is broken. Now we are just two. I loved them a lot."

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

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The biog

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Company profile

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Started: January 2021 

Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani 

Based: UAE 

Number of employees: 140 

Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service) 

Investment: $5.2 million 

Funding stage: Seed round 

Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office  

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England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
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Results

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EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam:   21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

Updated: June 26, 2022, 12:48 PM