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
Transparency-hungry Turkey eyes blockchain The Turkish Informatics Foundation has launched a platform to promote and support the development of blockchain technologies for use in everything from banking and law to public opinion polls and elections. Turkey
Electronic vote counting sparks controversy ahead of Iraqi polls Despite the advantages offered by electronic counting and sorting devices in the Iraqi elections, fears remain that the results will be falsified. Iraq
Is Iran ready to block Telegram? The popular messaging app Telegram may soon be replaced by Soroush, a domestic messaging service. Iran
Virtual zoo app brings animals to Gazans As Gaza's actual zoos struggle, a group of students have developed an app that creates a virtual version. Palestine
Turkish government readies to squeeze internet service providers Ankara is tightening its grip even further over the media in Turkey with a new law increasing its censorship powers over online content, threatening both independent news outlets and domestic access to international reporting. Turkey
Turkey mulls 'national' bitcoin A government-promoted push for the "native and national" in almost every realm has reached the sphere of cryptocurrency despite Turkey's lingering mistrust of bitcoin. Turkey
Palestinian wiretap scandal raises ire, but no action so far The Palestinian Preventive Security Service is under fire for allegedly wiretapping citizens. Palestine
The case for net neutrality in Iran The further undermining of net neutrality in Iran draws mixed responses among Iranians. Iran
How innovators aim to solve Gaza’s environmental problems The Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority held an exhibition in the Gaza Strip showcasing innovative ideas to cope with the environmental problems in the besieged enclave. Palestine
Young Palestinian engineers hope to race to victory in recycled car Twelve young Palestinian engineers built a racing car from scratch and will compete in the Formula Student Competition in the United Kingdom this summer. Palestine
Egypt grounds unlicensed drones Security concerns have led Egypt to regulate the use of drones, even as the country strives to become a leading manufacturer of the unmanned aerial vehicles. Egypt
Internet censorship a double-edged sword for Tehran As Iran is home to an increasing number of online businesses, the new internet restrictions imposed by the government in response to the recent unrest are hitting many entrepreneurs. Iran
