Syrian authorities have arrested state security personnel who committed "violations" in July in a region largely inhabited by the minority Druze sect during some of the worst violence in the country since the fall of the Assad regime.
The head of a government committee investigating the fighting in Sweida province said videos on social media showing "transgressions" were used as the basis for detaining an unspecified number of people.
"The faces were clear [in the videos]. They were referred to the judiciary," said Hatem Naasan, the judge who heads the National Commission for Investigation of the Sweida Events. Formed in August, the committee "has not been subject to any pressures from the Syrian state", he added.
Under a US-brokered deal in September to reconcile the Syrian government with the Druze, authorities in Damascus committed to prosecuting those involved in violence against civilians during an attack by state forces aimed at subduing Hikmat Al Hijri, a spiritual leader of the sect who opposes Syria's central government.
Mr Naasan indicated that the committee's investigators had not been allowed into Druze-populated areas of Sweida controlled by a de facto Druze administration loyal to Mr Al Hijri, but had contacted many Syrians inside.
However, the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has been working in Sweida since last month after Mr Al Hijri allowed in some of its members.
Rayyan Maarouf, a researcher at Suwayda24, a network of citizen journalists, said the committee lacks credibility because it has no access to the "scene of the crimes" in Sweida. Many in the area, he said, regard it as a tool of the central government.
"It has shown no interest in investigating the chain of command that allowed the massacres," Mr Maarouf told The National from Sweida city, the provincial capital. "The killings were not traffic accidents."
He said body counts verified by Suwayda24 showed 1,510 Druze were killed in the government offensive. Among them were 50 children and 115 women, he added. Sixty-six civilian members of Bedouin tribes were killed in revenge attacks, including women and children.
Druze residents of Sweida expressed scepticism about the government's investigation into the attacks, which further alienated the community from the authorities in Damascus.
Mounir Mansour Al Chaar, a dentist, said he submitted his testimony, along with dozens of videos he filmed, to the UN commission in October. He said he did not trust the national committee and would refuse to talk to its investigators should they ask.
“A person cannot be both judge and executioner,” he said. Mr Al Chaar accused security forces of taking part in the killings in a systematic way, contrary to the government’s assertion that violations committed by Syrian forces were the result of individual misconduct. “They linked the issue to the arrest of individuals they say committed violations ‘individually’. This is a completely false description of what happened in Sweida,” he said.
He added there was no need for the national committee. “We already have an international committee – the UN-appointed one. We trust that committee. That’s all.”
Israeli military intervention forced the authorities to halt the offensive, although government troops are still surrounding Sweida, while the province's Druze areas have been largely cut off from the rest of Syria. Damascus said it sent forces to the region to halt violence between Druze and Bedouin in Sweida city.
Syria's central government has since last year been run by senior members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a former Al Qaeda affiliate, after they toppled former president Bashar Al Assad in December. The issue of protection for minorities has hindered the new administration's quest to have all US sanctions on Syria lifted. The national committee is the third formed by the government in response to international pressure to investigate violence against minorities.
The first probed the killing of hundreds from the minority Alawite community in coastal areas during a separate government offensive in March, which authorities said was launched to stop a nascent insurgency.
That inquiry found Syrian military commanders had given orders not to attack civilians. However, the committee compiled lists of hundreds of men it said were involved in killings on both sides. Trials for some are to begin on Tuesday. The trials will be public and are to take place in the Palace of Justice in Aleppo, Syria's Ministry of Justice said.
Another committee set up to investigate alleged abductions of Alawite women found all but one of 42 cases reported in recent months were unfounded.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
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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
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Persuasion
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