The FBI and other US intelligence agencies this week officially blamed Iran for a recent hack on Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which prompted fears of attempts by foreign actors to influence the November elections.
“Iran has … demonstrated a long-standing interest in exploiting societal tensions through various means, including through the use of cyber operations to attempt to gain access to sensitive information related to US elections,” the agencies said in a statement.
Tehran has denied involvement.
When it comes to foreign interference, the US has historically been the one to tamper rather than be tampered with: from assassinations to covert advertising campaigns, the US has frequently tried to influence political outcomes in countries around the world.
But foreign actors have become increasingly involved in trying to influence US elections – and this year is no different.
An Iranian hack job?
“Iran has always been a significant actor on the stage,” Philip Lieberman, founder and president of Analog Informatics and a noted cybersecurity expert, told The National.
“There have been public examples of them exerting their capabilities worldwide on anybody that displeases them. They're competent at this.
"The thing is that the tools themselves for doing these attacks are available on the dark net and are readily available to anybody with money.”
Under Mr Trump's administration in January 2020, the US carried out a strike in Baghdad that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani. Iran has vowed revenge, but insisted it will pursue justice through legal action.
After the hack of his campaign, Mr Trump blamed Iran but claimed that the hackers had stolen only “publicly available information” from “one of our many websites”. It is still unclear what documents were taken.
Although the FBI has declared Iran responsible for the hack, there is not much that can be done in terms of punishing the attackers.
“Even if they investigate it and the criminal is offshore, they don't have the ability to reach out and deal with it, and so it begins to drop into the State Department's purview, depending on the size of it, of the incursion and its political implications,” Mr Lieberman told The National.
“There's a certain fundamental under US law: a citizen cannot take action against their attacker, because that would be a declaration of war – and in fact, warfare against another country.
"So the FBI becomes the spokesperson for the nature of the attack and its implications, and briefs the president as to what action they believe should be taken.”
US intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned of Iranian attempts to influence elections.
“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in prior election cycles,” Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence, told a Senate hearing this year.
“They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms, issuing threats and disseminating disinformation. It is likely they will continue to rely on their intelligence services in these efforts and Iran-based online influencers to promote their narratives.”
The lies that blind
But high-stakes hacks of political campaigns is only part of a much bigger picture.
Foreign actors looking to influence US elections aim to “pollute the environment” so Americans can be confused about matters ranging from how to submit mail-in ballots to politicians' connections with shadowy organisations intent on world domination.
While everyone is susceptible to disinformation, people on the extreme ends of the political spectrum are more likely to buy into false information, be it intentionally false (disinformation) or unintentionally (misinformation).
And the issues of 2024 are much more significant that those of previous elections.
Sarah Oates, a professor at the University of Maryland whose current research focuses on Russian political influence in the US, told The National that many voters have come to feel “unmoored” when it comes to getting reliable information.
“Politicians lie all the time,” Ms Oates said. "Trump was quite extraordinary in that he deliberately uses disinformation as part of his political process and he was sort of the first US president to do that.”
She said Mr Trump's essential undermining of several US institutions, including the media, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention during the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently the Justice Department, has affected how Americans view the validity of information.
And foreign actors looking to influence elections are taking advantage of this atmosphere of uncertainty.
Marek Posard, as sociologist at the Rand Corporation, a Washington-based think tank, told The National that because the “cost of entry” is so low, many countries and actors engage in election influence operations.
“There are certain issues surrounding contentious topics that they can amplify and twist, and the issue is, it's hard to figure out who's doing it,” Mr Posard said.
Ms Oates, author of the book Seeing Red: Russian Propaganda and American News, said: “We're not really dealing with electoral disinformation or propaganda in the normal way in 2024.
“We're actually dealing with an existential crisis about democracy … 2024 is not about who wins or loses, it's about whether the system holds together.”
Democratising the undermining of democracy
Disinformation can be spread in a variety of ways – through videos, news articles and social media posts.
“Social media is essentially the cheap pipeline to do this, in any way,” Mr Posard said. “We've democratised the undermining of democracy with social media, so you can pump out targeted content and lots of different ways on lots of different mediums simultaneously.”
Foreign actors aim to exploit existing fault lines in American society – such as race and foreign policy – to cause greater division.
The aim, Mr Posard said, is to increase divisions and “muddy the waters” to drive people to extremes.
Mr Posard was part of a team analysing the threat of foreign election interference in the 2020 race to become California's governor.
“We found pretty convincing evidence, for example, that Russia was targeting both the right and the left simultaneously, and so they would try to get on both sides of the aisle,” he said.
But it is hard to ignore highly influential people who are either intentionally using disinformation or have been duped into spreading it.
Ms Oates says that some politicians – especially Trump-supporting Republicans – are repeating and amplifying Russian talking points, especially with regard to Ukraine.
“Russia has these grand narratives … that they want to push out in the world,” she said– one of them being that Nato is “out to destroy Russia”.
“I think [President Vladimir] Putin and the Russians are just gleeful at the way in which Trump has become a conduit for their propaganda right into the heart of American politics.”
Mr Lieberman said that “it is war all the time” in the cyber world – and all governments are involved.
“All governments influence all elections in all other countries in the cyber realm, that's just reality,” he said.
“All countries use their cyber tools in order to promote their agendas. And that's always been the case. The issue is to what degree and how effective they are.”
He said they are generally not all that effective – “but generally speaking, it's ubiquitous”.
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Brief scores:
Toss: India, opted to field
Australia 158-4 (17 ov)
Maxwell 46, Lynn 37; Kuldeep 2-24
India 169-7 (17 ov)
Dhawan 76, Karthik 30; Zampa 2-22
Result: Australia won by 4 runs by D/L method
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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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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Canada
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Singapore
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SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
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Several girls started playing football at age four
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The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars