ADEN // Yemeni pro-government forces made gains around the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha in heavy fighting as they rebuffed a Houthi counter-offensive, a military source said on Thursday.
Seven loyalist troops and 16 Houthi rebels were killed in the fighting which took place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, hospital sources said. Twelve soldiers and 28 rebels were wounded.
Pro-government forces captured Yakhtul, 14 kilometres north of Mokha, and Jabal Al Nar, 10 kilometres to the east, the military source added. This has consolidated their grip on Mokha, which they recaptured on February 10.
Twelve rebels were taken prisoner.
On Tuesday, loyalist forces suffered a major setback in the offensive they launched in January to try to recapture Yemen’s 450-kilometre-long Red Sea coastline, which had previously been almost entirely in rebel hands.
Houthi forces counter-attacked, killing a deputy army commander and 18 other troops.
The loyalists’ capture of Mokha on February 10 was their biggest success in months, but the rebels still hold most of the Red Sea coastline.
The government’s next goal is to recapture the main Red Sea port city of Hodeidah – a vital conduit for UN-supervised aid deliveries to rebel-held areas.
Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of the Yemeni government struck Hodeidah province late on Wednesday, killing seven rebels and wounding 15, military sources said.
The raids targeted an arms warehouse in Bayt Al Faqih and a missile launcher in Bail.
Elsewhere, Houthi rocket fire killed a policeman and wounded a civilian in Saudi Arabia, close to the Yemeni border, the Saudi civil defence department said late on Wednesday.
At least 128 people have died in southern Saudi Arabia since the coalition launched its intervention in Yemen in March 2015 – some in border skirmishes, others in rebel rocket fire.
Video footage circulating on social media showed shattered glass and a trail of blood at the entrance to a court building in Dhahran South. Those who posted the video said it showed the aftermath of the Wednesday rocket strike.
The building’s front wall was pockmarked from shrapnel. A guard house appeared to have taken the brunt of the strike, and a policeman sat slumped and bloodied in his chair, apparently dead.
* Agence France-Presse
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
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Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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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
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
