• A pilgrim prays after throwing pebbles as part of the symbolic stoning of the devil during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A pilgrim prays after throwing pebbles as part of the symbolic stoning of the devil during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • Saggaf Alhashmi paints 3D artwork at City Walk in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Saggaf Alhashmi paints 3D artwork at City Walk in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Palestinian youths react as they ride a swing boat in the village of Tarqumia, north the West Bank town of Hebron. AFP
    Palestinian youths react as they ride a swing boat in the village of Tarqumia, north the West Bank town of Hebron. AFP
  • Iraqis visit the Geli Ali Beg Waterfall resort near the city of Rawanduz, about 100km north of Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. AFP
    Iraqis visit the Geli Ali Beg Waterfall resort near the city of Rawanduz, about 100km north of Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. AFP
  • Palestinian youths play in a pool in Gaza city. AFP
    Palestinian youths play in a pool in Gaza city. AFP
  • Guests gather to attend a traditional wedding celebration in the village of Shamma in Egypt's northern Nile delta province of Menoufia. AFP
    Guests gather to attend a traditional wedding celebration in the village of Shamma in Egypt's northern Nile delta province of Menoufia. AFP
  • Workers clean around the Kaaba, traced with lines for physical distancing, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. AFP
    Workers clean around the Kaaba, traced with lines for physical distancing, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. AFP

The Middle East framed - regional photography for August 2, 2020


  • English
  • Arabic

More galleries from The National:

'The desert is my office': The global appeal of living off the grid

Over and out: Mitsubishi Pajero to cease production in 2021

Loftus Hall: Ireland’s most haunted mansion is up for sale

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Australia squads

ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.

T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.

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

Specs

Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

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