Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg agree to hold cage fight

The battle of the Tech Titans has taken a surreal twist: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have agreed to fight each other in a cage match.

Tension has been simmering between the two billionaires since news leaked that Mr Zuckerberg's Meta is working on a competitor to Musk-owned Twitter.

Mr Musk seemingly started the tough talk when he posted on Twitter that he would be “up for a cage match” against his rival.

The Meta chief executive replied on Instagram, telling Mr Musk to “send me location”.

“Vegas Octagon,” replied Mr Musk, who turns 52 this month.

The Octagon in Las Vegas is used for Ultimate Fighting Championship events.

“I have this great move that I call 'The Walrus', where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing,” Mr Musk tweeted later.

Mr Zuckerberg is a prize-winning jiu-jitsu enthusiast but Mr Musk, who is 6 feet, 1.5 inches tall (about 1.87 metres) would have the size advantage over Mr Zuckerberg in the ring, with the Facebook co-founder measuring 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 metres).

Mr Musk has also talked about being in “real hardcore street fights” when he was growing up in South Africa, The Verge reported.

After completing his $44 billion takeover of Twitter in October, Mr Musk made a series of changes that led to a turbulent time for the company.

Within the first two weeks, he laid off half of the staff and fired the company's former chief executive as well as other senior leaders.

His ownership of the social media platform has been criticised over changes including paid subscriptions for verification status, a “For You” newsfeed and the reinstatement of controversial accounts such as that of former US president Donald Trump.

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

My son and I were lucky to access the best of US health care

US election: the roots of a dirty 2020 campaign stretch deep into American political history

This is America, a dystopian city on a hill