Some of the conspiracy theories Hosam Shibly comes across make him laugh – like the one aired by an Iraqi TV channel that claimed Covid-19 is unable to spread in Iraq – “as if the virus differentiates between people or lands!”
Others, including a newspaper article claiming the United States took responsibility for creating the virus, fill him with fear. “False news… is no less dangerous than the virus itself and puts everyone we love in big danger, so the team worked to refute this non science-based information and replace it with credible scientific facts,” the 23-year-old medical student says.
He is one of 15 student translators across the Middle East taking part in a campaign run by the Iraqi-led nonprofit Ideas Beyond Borders to make accurate information on Covid-19 available in Arabic.
The organisation challenges authoritarian and extremist narratives by facilitating access to knowledge in the Arab world through translation projects. So far, they have translated more than 11 million words from books and Wikipedia articles on subjects including science, civil rights, religious diversity and conspiracy theories into Arabic.
The new coronavirus has presented IBB with a fresh challenge, as controversial cures and blame theories hurtle round social media space faster than fact-checkers can refute them.
Conditions fuelling the spread of misinformation
Founder Faisal Saeed Al Mutar believes common difficulties faced by many countries across the Middle East give the rumour mill traction. “In general, conspiracy theories flourish in the Arab world because so many Arab countries are facing conditions that spur feelings of uncertainty and a lack of control.”
A writer and activist, Mr Al Mutar, 28, grew up in the culture of misinformation that permeated Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the 1990s. He left in 2009 after his work made him a target for Al Qaeda attacks and was admitted to the US as a refugee four years later, where he launched IBB in 2017.
“MENA-region youth are already facing crippling levels of unemployment, humanitarian disaster and education systems created by authoritarian regimes to limit critical thinking; when you pair this with forecasted macroeconomic collapse and dilapidated healthcare systems unable to cope with Covid-19’s fallout, you get a vulnerable general public eager for answers wherever they find them,” Mr Al Mutar adds.
Despite being the fourth most-common language among internet users, only 0.6 per cent of online content is available in Arabic, an imbalance Mr Al Mutar aims to redress. Videos created by the team on the new coronavirus have drawn 5.5 million views, among them 'Top 10 myths and conspiracies about Covid-19', 'How to protect yourself from Covid-19' and 'There is no bio warfare'.
The students, who work for IBB on a volunteer basis, have also translated 29 public health articles from sources including the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention as part of its new Covid-19 anti-disinformation campaign.
Raghad Al Katlabi, a medical student at the University of Damascus and an IBB translator, noted the panic spreading among friends as conspiracy theories circulated. “I try to keep an open mind and encourage people to develop their own mindset with regards to the virus. Freedom of speech is important,” the 24-year-old says.
But she worries that misinformation can have more influence than expert advice, which could pose a serious risk for people seeking medical expertise. “They believe this kind of stuff more than anything the doctors might say.”
In times of crisis, people can become more susceptible to fake news messaging, says Irene Pasquetto, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Shorenstein Centre on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. "First they were scared, now they are angry. People share misinformation to channel fragilities and anger," she told The National.
Recent weeks have brought an intensification of partisan false news. "While at the beginning of the pandemic we observed mostly science-related false news (due to the confusing messaging from institutions, among other things), now misinformation is clearly turning into disinformation," Ms Pasquetto added.
Catastrophic consequences in countries ill-equipped to cope
Working in the ER at Tishreen University Hospital in Latakia, Syria, Bashar Ghalyouni says the "ridiculous rumours and false information" he hears every day from patients and family members pose a particular threat in countries affected by conflict.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of awareness in a region with a fragile medical system that’s barely holding on after years of war and devastation," says Mr Ghalyouni, who works as an IBB translator between hospital shifts.
Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of the catastrophic consequences the pandemic could have in countries with weakened health infrastructure, such as Syria, Libya and Yemen.
One rumour that caused Mr Ghalyouni particular concern has “spread like wildfire” and refers to a Chinese delegation that recently visited Syria. “It says they transmitted the virus to the country so now the peak is behind us and we’re fine. I think it’s the most dangerous rumour because it gives people false hope and a reason to ignore the lockdown instructions and medical advice at this sensitive moment.”
The past week has seen pushback against lockdowns in several countries, including Lebanon and the US, where disinformation and conspiracy theories are fanning protests against restrictions needed to protect public health.
Photos from a rally in Washington, US showed one man carrying a sign saying “No to 5G!” in a likely reference to the conspiracy theory that the 5G wireless network is linked to the pandemic.
In some Middle East countries, including Iraq and Lebanon, rumours rooted in religious and political views are encouraging people to resist social distancing measures as the economic impact of the lockdowns deepens.
“Some people think a global pandemic wouldn’t affect them because they are religious enough or they are protected for following the right faith. Others think it is a sign of the rage of God and contradictory theories (say) it is a punishment for people for not being religious enough,” says Abdullah Arafa, 25, a senior-year medical student at Tanta University in Egypt and a chief editor on the IBB team.
Others are also working to refute fake news and highlight the facts. In Iraq, videos and photos purporting to show people out in cities under curfew have been shared on social media. But a closer examination of the footage shows that it predates the lockdown, says Bahar Jasim, spokesperson at Tech 4 Peace.
Pushing back against the flood of fake news
The organisation, which was set up in 2016 to expose false narratives and propaganda circulated by ISIS, says disinformation is rife in Iraq. Among other things, it has been used to falsely accuse people of being members of the extremist group and to undermine demonstrations.
Now, the team of more than 200 volunteers across Iraq is focusing on the fake news buzzing around Covid-19. “Sometimes it’s in order to encourage people to go out so authorities can’t control them… other times it’s just people bored at home, but these pages have thousands of likes and with a single video post they can reach a lot of people,” Mr Jasim said.
The pandemic has also prompted a surge in state-sponsored disinformation and a simultaneous spike in censorship as governments cite fake news as a reason to clamp down on free expression.
Last month, Russia was accused by the EU of pursuing a “significant disinformation campaign” to subvert the coronavirus response in the West, including amplifying Iranian accusations that the virus was a US biological weapon.
A briefing paper on Covid-19 disinformation by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) examines some of the conspiracy narratives that are “proliferating on social media platforms bolstered by the state-sponsored blame game playing out between propaganda machineries.”
It points to the scope for exploitation by extremist movements and hate groups, which are using online platforms to spread messages that blame migrants, refugees, Jews, Muslims and other groups. This includes efforts to “mobilise violence and harm against them as targets.”
Anti-Chinese rhetoric has also been rife, with a spike in racist incidents around the world. Mr Arafa has seen this play out on campus in Egypt. “Some people in my university started to shy away from Malaysian students (mistaking them for being Chinese) and a Malaysian friend told me it’s been very hard for him to take a taxi because the drivers won’t stop for him.”
The anger stirred up by this messaging makes the job of sharing accurate information more challenging for IBB. “Fear makes people vulnerable to all sorts of misinformation and conspiracy theories, making it hard to think rationally,” Mr Arafa says.
“It is easier to deceive people than to tell them they have been deceived.”
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
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
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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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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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
More from Armen Sarkissian
Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
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
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
