Saudi Arabia suspended international Umrah, cancelling all international flights and stopping entry through its land and sea ports for at least a week.
The move is an attempt to fend off a fast-spreading Covid-19 mutant strain discovered in Britain.
Umrah is a short pilgrimage that can be performed by Muslims any time during the year. Millions of people come to the Gulf country each year to perform the Umrah to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. But because of the coronavirus outbreak, the kingdom suspended Umrah in March and significantly downsized its Hajj pilgrimage.
The kingdom is "temporarily suspending all international flights – except in exceptional cases – for a period of one week, which can be extended by another week", the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) announced on Sunday.
"Entry to the kingdom through land and sea ports will also be suspended for a week, which can be extended by another week," SPA reported.
The suspension does not apply to international aircraft currently in the kingdom, which will be allowed to leave, the agency said.
The suspensions, it said, would continue until "medical information about the nature of this [mutated] virus becomes clear".
Anyone from a country where the new strain of the virus appeared after December 8 who has arrived in Saudi Arabia must isolate at home for two weeks, the interior ministry said. Those people also have to take a Covid-19 test during the isolation period and retake the test every five days.
Anyone who has returned from or passed through a European country, or any country where the new strain has appeared, during the past three months, must take a Covid-19 test too.
The movement of goods, commodities and supply chains from countries where the new strain has not appeared are excluded from the above-mentioned measures, the Ministry of the Interior said.
Several European countries banned travel from Britain on Sunday as the UK government issued a warning that the new strain of the virus was "out of control".
Kuwait also announced a ban on Sunday on passenger flights from Britain over the mutant strain, which has rapidly spread throughout the country.
Alarm bells are ringing in Europeafter the continent last week became the first region in the world to pass 500,000 deaths from Covid-19.
Last week, Saudi Arabia began its three-phase Covid-19 vaccination programme, after the first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 361,000 Covid-19 cases, including more than 6,000 deaths – the highest among the Gulf states.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
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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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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