• A statue of Queen Elizabeth II is unveiled at York Minster in York, northern England. AFP
    A statue of Queen Elizabeth II is unveiled at York Minster in York, northern England. AFP
  • King Charles III unveils the statue. PA
    King Charles III unveils the statue. PA
  • The statue of Queen Elizabeth is one of a number of projects emerging from the York Minster Neighbourhood Plan and funded by the York Minster Fund. AFP
    The statue of Queen Elizabeth is one of a number of projects emerging from the York Minster Neighbourhood Plan and funded by the York Minster Fund. AFP
  • King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla are shown a scaled replica of the statue inside York Minster. Getty Images
    King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla are shown a scaled replica of the statue inside York Minster. Getty Images
  • King Charles views the statue, which was designed and carved by York Minster stonemason Richard Bossons. PA
    King Charles views the statue, which was designed and carved by York Minster stonemason Richard Bossons. PA
  • King Charles is presented with a maquette of the statue. Getty Images
    King Charles is presented with a maquette of the statue. Getty Images
  • King Charles makes a speech after the unveiling. PA
    King Charles makes a speech after the unveiling. PA

King Charles unveils statue of his 'beloved' mother Queen Elizabeth


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

The first statue of Queen Elizabeth II since her death has been unveiled.

King Charles, accompanied by Queen Consort Camilla, unveiled the statue of his “beloved” mother.

Speaking at the ceremony at York Minster cathedral, the king said: “The late queen was always vigilant for the welfare of her people during her life.

“Now her image will watch over what will become Queen Elizabeth Square for centuries to come.”

The two-metre-tall sculpture weighing 1.1 tonnes and made from lepine limestone from France was designed to celebrate the late queen's platinum jubilee and was completed in August. Its unveiling, originally scheduled for September, was delayed due to her death.

There are statues of the queen riding a horse in Great Windsor Park which was dedicated in 2003, while a statue of her on one of her favourite horses, Burmese, was unveiled at the Royal Military Academy in Berkshire earlier this year. There are also statues of her in Lagos, Nigeria, and Winnipeg, Canada.

A man threw eggs in the direction of the royal party before the king unveiled the new statue, during a walkabout outside the York Minster.

  • Police officers remove a man arrested for throwing an egg at King Charles III during his visit to York. Reuters
    Police officers remove a man arrested for throwing an egg at King Charles III during his visit to York. Reuters
  • King Charles after an egg was thrown his direction. PA
    King Charles after an egg was thrown his direction. PA
  • A egg is thrown by a member of the public. Getty Images
    A egg is thrown by a member of the public. Getty Images
  • A protester, top left, throws eggs towards King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla as they arrive. PA
    A protester, top left, throws eggs towards King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla as they arrive. PA
  • King Charles is met by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell. PA
    King Charles is met by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell. PA
  • A broken egg on the street after it was thrown at King Charles. PA
    A broken egg on the street after it was thrown at King Charles. PA
  • Police detain the man. PA
    Police detain the man. PA
  • Police officers restrain the egg-thrower amid the crowd gathered to see King Charles. Reuters
    Police officers restrain the egg-thrower amid the crowd gathered to see King Charles. Reuters

None of the three eggs hit the royal couple and the man was quickly detained by police.

The incident did not knock King Charles and he went inside the York Minster.

The new statue sits in a niche at the front of the cathedral.

It shows the queen wearing garter robes and holding the orb and sceptre, symbols of authority.

King Charles was presented with a model of the statue after the service.

The stonemason who sculpted the statue said it was his first portrait piece.

Statue designer Richard Bossons. Reuters
Statue designer Richard Bossons. Reuters

Richard Bossons, 52, who has done caricatures or grotesques for cathedral gargoyles before, said there were some nerve-wracking moments during the sculpting.

"I hope everybody likes it," he said.

"It is the best I could pull out of myself. Hopefully I have done justice to the queen and the king likes it and I have done justice to the front of the building.

"I am hugely relieved and it will be nice now to go back to my bread-and-butter work."

The limestone was cut by machines to his design and then he spent six months refining it with his chisel.

Hundreds of people were outside the cathedral for the royal visit, including Emily Pickard.

“It's an amazing occasion,” she said. “It's not every day you get the king visiting your city. It's great to see such an amazing crowd.”

The queen, the longest reigning British monarch, died in September during her platinum year.

King Charles ascended to the throne the same day and will have a coronation ceremony next year.

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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Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Champions parade (UAE timings)

7pm Gates open

8pm Deansgate stage showing starts

9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral

9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street

10pm City players on stage

11pm event ends

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

if you go

The flights

Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.

The hotel

Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850

 Events and tours

There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com

For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art. 

More information

For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

Company%20Profile
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SPEC%20SHEET
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Updated: November 09, 2022, 5:36 PM