Frankfurt International Book Fair organisers are facing growing criticism after cancelling a Palestinian author's award over the Israel-Gaza war.
In a fiery speech during the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek labelled the cancellation of the pre-arranged LiBeraturpreis award for Palestinian author Adania Shibli as “scandalous".
Shibli, who was to be honoured for the novel Minor Detail on Friday, subsequently cancelled all her speaking engagements at the book fair.
“I was shocked when I learnt that the award ceremony for Adania Shibli was postponed, a decision I consider scandalous,” Zizek said.
“Here we are approaching the paradoxes of cancel culture. All that cancel culture does is exclude those who don't fit your notion of inclusion and diversity.”
Zizek’s speech, punctuated by heckles from sections of the audience, urged for more nuanced discussions and reactions when it comes to Israel and Palestine.
"There will be no peace in the Middle East without resolving the Palestinian question," he said. "One should defend Palestinian rights and fight anti-Semitism.”
Book fair director Juergen Boos then took to the stage for an impromptu response.
"It is the freedom of the word. And we have to leave that freedom as it is, this is important to me,” said Boos, who, according to trade publication Publishing Perspectives, is also board president of LiBeraturpreis award organisers Litprom.
“I think I can speak on this community’s behalf. We condemn terror. We are humans and we think in human terms on the Palestinian and Israeli side.”
The opening ceremony is traditionally a light-hearted affair featuring speeches by dignitaries and guest authors. Tuesday's events underscore the fraught atmosphere surrounding this year’s fair.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary and normally attended by more than 150,000, including international publishers and the public, this year’s iteration has been marred by controversy since the outbreak of war on October 7.
Last Wednesday, Boos released a statement on behalf of the book fair condemning Hamas's attack in Israel and said "special events" were planned to "make Jewish and Israeli voices particularly visible" at the event.
In response, a growing number of international bodies withdrew their participation.
On Monday, Malaysia's education ministry announced it will also pull out.
“The ministry will not compromise with Israel’s violence in Palestine, which clearly violates international laws and human rights,” read the statement reported by Reuters.
“The decision [to withdraw] is in line with the government’s stand to be in solidarity and offer full support for Palestine.”
This follows a similar move by the Indonesian Publishers Association, which also declared it would not attend.
"The decision by the organiser of the Frankfurt Book Fair to only take sides and give Israel a platform has undermined the ideals of dialogue and efforts to build mutual understanding," a statement read.
“Siding with Israel while forgetting the suffering of the Palestinian people is like reading only one book to feel like you understand the whole world.
“And, expanding Israeli stages at the book fair while cancelling awards for Palestinian writers seems to reflect the expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian land.”
The UAE's Sharjah Book Authority and the Emirates Publishers Association, in addition to Egypt’s Arab Publishers' Association, announced their withdrawal on Saturday.
The Frankfurt International Book Fair runs until Sunday.
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Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Film: In Syria
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Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
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AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
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MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
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
