• Colourful houses make up the Kampung Pelangi village in Semarang, Indonesia. Antara Foto / Aditya Pradana Putra via Reuters
    Colourful houses make up the Kampung Pelangi village in Semarang, Indonesia. Antara Foto / Aditya Pradana Putra via Reuters
  • Britain’s Prince George, centre, and other children lead out the bride and groom after the wedding of his aunt, Pippa Middleton, to James Matthews, at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, southern England. Justin Tallis / Pool Photo via AP
    Britain’s Prince George, centre, and other children lead out the bride and groom after the wedding of his aunt, Pippa Middleton, to James Matthews, at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, southern England. Justin Tallis / Pool Photo via AP
  • A visitor uses a UV light to paint on the installation ‘Glowing Wall’ by Greek artist Vassilis Kambouris at the 13th Digital Arts Festival in Athens. Simela Pantzartzi / EPA
    A visitor uses a UV light to paint on the installation ‘Glowing Wall’ by Greek artist Vassilis Kambouris at the 13th Digital Arts Festival in Athens. Simela Pantzartzi / EPA
  • A deer rests in a rapeseed field in the Belarussian countryside. Sergei Grits / AP Photo
    A deer rests in a rapeseed field in the Belarussian countryside. Sergei Grits / AP Photo
  • A photographer rests on the Boulevard de la Croisette during the Cannes Film Festival. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
    A photographer rests on the Boulevard de la Croisette during the Cannes Film Festival. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
  • Afghan balloon vendors ride their bicycles in Kabul Rahmat Gul / AP Photo
    Afghan balloon vendors ride their bicycles in Kabul Rahmat Gul / AP Photo
  • Teofimo Lopez celebrates knocking out Ronald Rivas in the second round of their lightweight boxing bout in New York. Frank Franklin II / AP Photo
    Teofimo Lopez celebrates knocking out Ronald Rivas in the second round of their lightweight boxing bout in New York. Frank Franklin II / AP Photo
  • Universidad de Chile’s Felipe Mora, right, falls down after a tackle from San Luis’ Daniel Vicencio during a Chilean Clausura football match in Santiago. Elvis Gonzalez / EPA
    Universidad de Chile’s Felipe Mora, right, falls down after a tackle from San Luis’ Daniel Vicencio during a Chilean Clausura football match in Santiago. Elvis Gonzalez / EPA
  • Belarussian army special forces demonstrate their skills during the 8th International Exhibition of Arms and Military Machinery in Minsk, Belarus. Tatyana Zenkovich / EPA
    Belarussian army special forces demonstrate their skills during the 8th International Exhibition of Arms and Military Machinery in Minsk, Belarus. Tatyana Zenkovich / EPA

World in focus — best photos for May 21, 2017


  • English
  • Arabic

Take a look at some of the best photos from around the world today.

SAUDI RESULTS

Team Team Pederson (-40), Team Kyriacou (-39), Team De Roey (-39), Team Mehmet (-37), Team Pace (-36), Team Dimmock (-33)

Individual E. Pederson (-14), S. Kyriacou (-12), A van Dam (-12), L. Galmes (-12), C. Hull (-9), E. Givens (-8),

G. Hall (-8), Ursula Wikstrom (-7), Johanna Gustavsson (-7)

Bharatanatyam

A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.

MATCH INFO

Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."

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Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 

Women & Power: A Manifesto

Mary Beard

Profile Books and London Review of Books