Not so long ago, life was packed with solitary activities - or, at least, the potential for them: watching television, reading, going for a long walk with no one to talk to. Just you and your thoughts.
Today, we've become used to the idea that we're never truly alone. For most of us, mobile connective technologies mean that wherever we are, we carry in our pocket the distant whisper of a billion voices, just a touch screen tap away.
Hasn't this changed the way we think about what it means to be alone? That beautiful countryside vista that we might once have simply have noticed and remembered now presents a whole matrix of options to be negotiated. Should we Facebook the moment? Tweet it, Instagram it, turn it into yet another piece of content to feed the digital/social machine? Even the choice to not do those things is, in the end, a social decision. We've enabled always-on connectivity and there's no going back.
Not that going back is, for many, the preferred option. Now, increasing numbers of services aim to ensure that whatever we're doing, we have instant access to others around the globe doing the same. Those technologies are bringing into being a whole new kind of social connection, one that transcends geography and instead arranges social connection around real-time shared activity.
Television is at the forefront; the US talk show Conan now makes available an app that allows viewers to connect with one another and chat while they're watching the show. Meanwhile, last year's US presidential debate in Denver was the most tweeted event of all time, racking up 10.3 million tweets in 90 minutes as the vast television audience discussed what they were seeing with one another while it unfolded.
Activity-based social connection is also being fuelled by mobile internet. Here on Biz (available in the Apple Store), for example, is an app that allows business professionals to connect in real-time with others in their LinkedIn network. At a business conference or stuck at the airport waiting for that flight? Why not strike up a conversation with another executive in the same position? Meanwhile in Brazil, the Spotwish Go! app (spotwish.com/go) lets users broadcast their current activity and connect with others nearby who are doing the same.
Human beings are social animals. When we talk about the digital technologies that are transforming our lives, we often observe that they allow us to watch endless Justin Bieber videos, buy Louboutins from our smartphone, negotiate group discounts or a million other things. But all of those are really just a way of saying that these technologies allow us to connect with one another in new ways. How long will it be before even the definitive solitary activity - reading a book, ideally a long, dense novel - becomes social, so that iPad readers of page 457 of War and Peace across the globe are chatting in real time about the plot turn they've just encountered?
These technologies have reconfigured the boundaries between alone and together, private and public. Soon enough, we'll find out what that really means. And we'll tweet about it.
David Mattin is lead strategist at trendwatching.com
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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RESULT
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Spider-Man%202
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
