Terms of use

Eligibility and acceptance

You represent that you are legally permitted to enter a binding agreement in your jurisdiction. If you use the Site on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation. We may modify these Terms by posting updated language on this page with a revised date; continued use after changes constitutes acceptance unless applicable law requires a different process.

Licence to use content

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and display the Site for personal, non-commercial reading, and to share links to articles. You may quote short excerpts with attribution and a link to the original article. You may not reproduce full articles, scrape the Site systematically, frame pages to mislead readers about origin, or use content to train machine-learning models without written permission, except as allowed by mandatory law. You may not remove copyright or proprietary notices. Any rights not expressly granted are reserved.

Acceptable use

You agree not to: (a) attempt unauthorised access to our systems, accounts, or data; (b) introduce malware or disrupt the Site’s operation; (c) use automated means to access the Site in a manner that imposes unreasonable load; (d) harvest personal data of others from the Site for unsolicited marketing; (e) impersonate Column & Margin staff or misrepresent affiliation; or (f) use the Site for unlawful purposes. We may suspend or terminate access for violations.

User submissions

If you submit comments, tips, or other materials, you grant us a non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, edit, and publish them in connection with our journalism, worldwide, unless we agree otherwise in writing. You warrant that your submission does not infringe third-party rights or violate law. We are under no obligation to publish or retain submissions.

Disclaimers

The Site is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Editorial content is general information only; see the site footer for the educational disclaimer.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Column & Margin and its contributors shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Site. Our aggregate liability for any claim relating to the Site shall not exceed one hundred US dollars (USD 100) or the maximum permitted by applicable law, whichever is greater. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum permitted.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Column & Margin from claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your misuse of the Site, your submissions, or your violation of these Terms, except to the extent caused by our gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates, excluding conflict-of-law rules that would apply another jurisdiction’s laws, except where mandatory consumer protections apply. Courts in the UAE shall have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to non-waivable rights you may have elsewhere.

Miscellaneous

If any provision is invalid, the remainder remains enforceable. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a reorganisation or sale. Contact: support@factstream.info, City Walk, Al Safa St, Al Wasl, Dubai, UAE.

Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy and Cookies pages where incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and Column & Margin concerning the Site and supersede prior oral or written understandings on the same subject. If you downloaded or printed a copy of earlier terms, the version dated on factstream.info controls unless we have executed a separate written contract with you.

Electronic communications and notices

You consent to receive communications from us electronically, including email responses to inquiries sent to support@factstream.info. You agree that electronic notices satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing, to the extent permitted by law. Formal legal notices to Column & Margin should be sent to City Walk, Al Safa St, Al Wasl, Dubai, UAE with a copy by email for coordination; time-sensitive matters should specify delivery requirements in the subject line.

Force majeure

We are not liable for delay or failure to perform due to events beyond our reasonable control, including internet outages, hosting failures, natural disasters, war, terrorism, labour disputes, or governmental acts. If such events persist, we may suspend or terminate access to the Site without prior notice, provided we restore service when practicable.

Survival

Sections relating to intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, governing law, and any provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive the end of your use of the Site.