Austria entered a national lockdown on Monday to contain a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, becoming the first country in Western Europe to re-impose blanket restrictions since vaccines became widely available.
The country’s nine million people, including the fully vaccinated, will be banned from leaving their homes for 20 days except for essential purposes.
It is the strictest measure taken so far to stem a rising tide of Covid-19 infections across Europe, which German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Monday would leave almost everyone in the country "vaccinated, cured or dead" by the end of winter.
Austria's measures led to weekend protests that the government said were infiltrated by neo-Nazis and other extremists.
Some protesters wore a yellow star reading “not vaccinated” in a provocative echo of the Star of David which Jews were forced to wear by the Nazis.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said that although many protesters were peaceful, the mood among unvaccinated people and opponents of restrictions was becoming more radicalised.
“There are worried citizens who want to express their discontent. But there is also a group who tries to hijack these demonstrations and use it for their own purposes, and that is the extreme right,” he said.
“There were well-known neo-Nazis from days gone by, as well as representatives of the new extreme-right scene.”
Mr Nehammer said hooligans had clashed with police, and revealed that death threats had been made against Austria’s chancellor and health minister because of the restrictions.
About 66 per cent of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated, one of the lower rates in Western Europe. Compulsory shots will take effect from February.
David Nabarro, a special envoy for the World Health Organisation, said the UN agency was worried by polarised views on the virus.
“There’s only one way to deal with this, and that’s partnerships between governments and people,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Of course, if that’s going to be turned into polarisation, that gets to be extremely challenging.”
Asked about compulsory vaccinations, he said he wished they were not necessary but could become so if health systems came under strain.
The Austrian protests came amid sometimes violent rallies across Europe as the restrictions gradually lifted over the past year start to come back into play.
About 35,000 protested in Brussels on Sunday, with Belgian police firing tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators.
The rally descended into violence after many of the protesters had left, with some of the stragglers smashing cars and setting bins on fire.
Although Belgium has stopped short of locking down like Austria, it has ordered people to work from home where possible and extended mask requirements across the country.
In the Netherlands, where the government has ordered businesses to close early and limited social visits, more than 130 people were arrested during three nights of unrest.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday described the riots as "pure violence under the guise of protest".
"I will never accept that idiots use pure violence," he told Dutch media.
In Leeuwarden, police vans were pelted with rocks on Sunday and black-clad groups chanted and set off flares. Police used batons to disperse a crowd in Enschede.
In Denmark, about 1,000 people expressed their anger at the return of vaccine certificates for civil servants. There was further public anger in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
Meanwhile, France sent dozens of elite forces to its Caribbean island territory of Guadeloupe after arson and looting erupted despite an overnight curfew.
The WHO said last week that Europe was the only region in which Covid-19 deaths were rising. The autumn surge of infections is overwhelming hospitals in many Central and Eastern European nations.
In Germany, where infection levels are at a record high, state leaders agreed new rules in which tougher measures will be triggered if the pressure on hospitals becomes too severe.
After Mr Spahn's stark comments, Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that the situation was "highly dramatic" and that current measures were not enough, party sources told AFP.
In the UK, which lifted nearly all restrictions in July, ministers have resisted calls to switch to a Plan B in which masks and vaccine checks could become compulsory.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
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
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
