France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hack, seeks EU sanctions French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday blamed Iran for the October cyberattack that disabled refrigeration at supermarkets across France. Iran
Turkey probes Google’s AI search tools, orders protections for news websites Turkey’s competition watchdog said it is assessing whether AI-generated answers appearing on Google Search divert traffic from news sites and impose unfair content-use terms. Turkey
OpenAI's Altman signs UAE energy, government deals amid Gulf funding push The deals deepen the company’s ties to the UAE as the ChatGPT creator pursues a massive new funding round with help from Middle East investors. United Arab Emirates
Explainer What Iran’s threats to Hormuz internet cables mean for Gulf Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to cut crucial internet and communications routes in the region if US aggression escalates. Iran
The Takeaway: Khamenei warns neighboring Azerbaijan over Israel ties Egypt’s Nile encroachers; Morocco and Ethiopia; Turkey and Syria; Israel’s looming budget showdown; Lebanon’s zoo animals; Egyptian mummy faces revealed; Gilles Kepel talks with Alaa Alaswany — all in about 1,400 words! Iran
UAE announces mission to explore asteroids The Emirates is the first Arab state to have a Mars mission and already has a probe circling the planet. News Brief
'Futuristic' Dubai Expo to open one year late Delayed by the pandemic, Dubai is ready to take its turn on the world stage with its $6.8 billion showcase expo. Legacy: Gulf
Ex-US intelligence operatives admit to hacking for UAE The Justice Department said Tuesday three former intelligence and military operatives had admitted to helping the UAE government surveil targets worldwide, including US citizens. United Arab Emirates
International observers prepare for Iraq's elections Hundreds of international observers are gearing up for the legislative elections in Iraq on Oct. 10 in an attempt to help Iraqis conduct transparent and fair elections. Iraq
UN panel calls for cybersurveillance sale freeze amid Pegasus scandal The independent panel said it was concerned by reports that highly sophisticated surveillance tools are being used to monitor journalists, activists and political opponents. Israel
Bedouins excluded from Israel’s high-tech industry Israelis who are employed by high-tech companies live a comfortable life, which Bedouin youths can only dream of. Israel
Pegasus intel project brings Israel more trouble With the NSO affair continuing to develop, Israel — the world champion of cyber technologies — might get into significant diplomatic trouble precisely because of that. Israel
Israel 'looks into' NSO cyber-espionage affair Reports in Israel say the government has set up an interministerial team to 'look into' the export of Israeli-made Pegasus software and allegation over its abuse against politicians and journalists worldwide. Israel
UAE likely partner in Israel's moon mission The funding sources for Israel's ambitious Beresheet 2 have not been divulged, but there are hints that the United Arab Emirates may well be teaming up with Israel on a moon landing. Israel
Israeli firm NSO Group tied to high-level hacks A sweeping investigation found the names of world leaders, human rights defenders and journalists included on a leaked list of 50,000 alleged surveillance targets. Israel
Microsoft says Israeli company's malware used to hack dissidents, activists Microsoft said around half of the victims were located in the Palestinian territories, and many of the remaining targets were based in the Middle East. Israel
