• A commuter crosses London Bridge as snow falls and bitterly cold winds continue to grip much of the nation. AP Photo
    A commuter crosses London Bridge as snow falls and bitterly cold winds continue to grip much of the nation. AP Photo
  • Deer graze during snowfall, as Storm Darcy affects large parts of the country, in Sevenoaks, Kent. Reuters
    Deer graze during snowfall, as Storm Darcy affects large parts of the country, in Sevenoaks, Kent. Reuters
  • Icicles on the fountain in Trafalgar Square as temperatures dropped below freezing in London. AP Photo
    Icicles on the fountain in Trafalgar Square as temperatures dropped below freezing in London. AP Photo
  • A car drives on a road fringed by trees leaden with snow near Sevenoaks. AFP
    A car drives on a road fringed by trees leaden with snow near Sevenoaks. AFP
  • People sledge in the snow on Blythe Hill Fields in south London. AFP
    People sledge in the snow on Blythe Hill Fields in south London. AFP
  • A snow plough clears snow from the A57 'Snake Pass' road near Saddleworth, near Manchester. AFP
    A snow plough clears snow from the A57 'Snake Pass' road near Saddleworth, near Manchester. AFP
  • People play in the snow in Knole park in Sevenoaks. EPA
    People play in the snow in Knole park in Sevenoaks. EPA
  • A man pulls children on a sledge over a snow-covered road in Sheffield. AFP
    A man pulls children on a sledge over a snow-covered road in Sheffield. AFP
  • An aerial picture shows a car driving past All Saints Church in the snow covered village of Brenchley in the south east of England. AFP
    An aerial picture shows a car driving past All Saints Church in the snow covered village of Brenchley in the south east of England. AFP
  • A pedestrian walks past palm trees on the snow-covered seafront, in Southend-on-Sea. AP Photo
    A pedestrian walks past palm trees on the snow-covered seafront, in Southend-on-Sea. AP Photo
  • People walk past deer during snowfall in Sevenoaks. Reuters
    People walk past deer during snowfall in Sevenoaks. Reuters

Storm Darcy set to bring another 15cm of snow to parts of Britain


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Parts of the UK were blanketed with more snow on Tuesday as Storm Darcy brought the lowest temperatures of the winter with it.

Darcy has also caused floods in France and snow in Germany, where hundreds of drivers were trapped in their vehicles.

Yellow weather warnings were in place for much of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Some coronavirus vaccination centres and the few schools that remained open to teach the children of essential workers were forced to close.

Police told people not to travel and to expect long delays if they did venture out.

The Perth region of eastern Scotland was told to expect up to 10 centimetres of snow on Tuesday, while parts of eastern England prepared for up to 15cm to accumulate.

Yellow warnings were in place for eastern and central England and into Scotland as far north as the Shetland Islands.

A more severe amber warning for snow was in place between Glasgow and Edinburgh and north to Perth.

The Met Office warned people in the region to expect delays on the roads, as well as rail and air travel.

In Aboyne, Aberdeenshire on Monday, 29cm of snow fell, while up to 26cm landed in parts of eastern England.

Overnight, the temperature dropped to minus 15°C at Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands, close to the most northerly point of mainland Britain.

Storm Darcy has also devastated parts of France with flooding, including in Paris, where the River Seine burst its banks.

In Germany, there were severe traffic disruptions on Tuesday, including hundreds of drivers trapped in their vehicles overnight on the A2 in western Germany.
Heavy snowfall covered Berlin in a blanket of white, partly freezing water in canals and rivers and hampering traffic.

Thermometers plunged to minus 8°C in Berlin and Frankfurt on Monday.

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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

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

The UN General Assembly President in quotes:

YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”

PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”

OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”

REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”

British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)

2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)

3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)

4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)

5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault)  1:29.480 (14)

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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