Ukrainian officials have revealed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was involved in a car accident in the country's capital but was not seriously hurt.
The news broke hours after the Ukrainian leader toured newly recaptured territory in the east of the country and declared that Russian forces had been driven out of almost all of the province of Kharkiv.
Mr Zelenskyy said: “I’ve returned from the Kharkiv region — from our Kharkiv region, from the districts that were liberated. As of today, almost the entire region is deoccupied. It was an unprecedented movement of our warriors. Ukrainians once again managed to do what many considered impossible."
He was scheduled to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday as she was in Kyiv for meetings with officials to discuss closer co-operation between Ukraine and the EU.
Mr Zelenskyy's spokesman Serhii Nykyforov did not specify when the accident took place but said the president's vehicle had collided with a private car.
“The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were found,” Mr Nykyforov said in a Facebook post.
The accident will be investigated, he said. The president's medics provided emergency assistance to the driver of the other vehicle for whom an ambulance was then called, the Facebook post said.
Mr Zelenskyy's office released the president's routine nightly video message minutes after the spokesman revealed the incident.
On Wednesday, Mr Zelenskyy said towns and villages recaptured from Russian forces had been left devastated, while a major city struggled to contain damage to its water system from Russian missile attacks.
Kryvyi Rih, the largest city in central Ukraine with an estimated prewar population of 650,000, was struck by eight cruise missiles on Wednesday, officials said.
“The water pumping station was destroyed,” Ukrainian legislator Inna Sovsun said on Twitter. "The river broke through the dam and overflowed its banks. Residential buildings are just a few metres away from the river."
The missiles hit the Karachunov reservoir dam, Mr Zelenskyy said in a video address released early on Thursday. The water system had “no military value” and hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on it daily, he said.
Russian forces suffered a stunning reversal this month after Ukrainian troops made a rapid armoured thrust in Kharkiv, forcing a hasty withdrawal.
Mr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the city of Izium on Wednesday.
Until four days ago, Izium was Russia's main bastion and logistics centre in the region. The Ukrainian president watched as the blue and yellow national flag was raised in front of the charred city council building.
“Our law enforcers are already receiving evidence of murder, torture and abductions of people by the occupiers,” Mr Zelenskyy told the nation in his address.
“They only destroyed, only seized, only deported. They left devastated villages and, in some of them, there is not a single surviving house.”
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
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%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Letswork%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Almheiri%2C%20Hamza%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20co-working%20spaces%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.1%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20with%20investors%20including%20500%20Global%2C%20The%20Space%2C%20DTEC%20Ventures%20and%20other%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
