Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat Oman will create an AI-focused special economic zone in Muscat governorate. Oman
Who is Handala, the hacktivist group US ties to Iranian intelligence? Handala Hack Team portrays itself as a pro-Palestinian group but is widely believed to be linked to Iranian intelligence. Iran
Iran names US tech, finance firms in new Middle East threat list Firms listed as potential targets included Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Palantir and Nvidia, while banking giant JPMorgan and UAE-based AI firm G42 were also listed. Iran
Gulf AI deals continues to lure investors despite US-Iran war Blackstone committed $250 million to a payment infrastructure platform in Abu Dhabi as the US investment firm's president lauded the UAE's strong investment credentials despite the conflict. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout leaves 99% offline: What to know By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis India's Modi arrives in Israel as fears grow of US-Iran conflict By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Interview Fear shouldn’t overtake rationality in approach to artificial intelligence, says UAE AI minister In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, UAE AI Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discusses how states should govern the technology and whether fears about machine intelligence are founded. Omar Sultan Al Olama UAE Minister of State
Drones can help fight climate change, says Abu Dhabi environment agency The government department is looking to plant 10 mangroves in Abu Dhabi for every visitor to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai in November. United Arab Emirates
Twitter/X erases thousands of Israel-Hamas posts after EU disinfo warning The 27-nation bloc has also issued similar ultimatums to Meta and TikTok, imploring the companies to take fake posts about the conflict off their social media platforms. Israel
Israel, Azerbaijan announce landmark deal for sale of two satellites Israel Aerospace Industries and Azeri space agency Azercosmos announced the signing of an agreement for the sale of two Israeli-developed satellites. Israel
Israel, Germany sign $3.5B Arrow 3 deal Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed a letter of commitment in Berlin for the sale of the advanced Arrow 3 air defense system, signaling a strengthening of ties between Israel and Germany. Israel
China's Huawei to invest $430M in North African cloud center, developer training The Chinese tech firm has been increasing its footprint in the Middle East and North Africa. North Africa
UAE places technology at top of COP28 agenda in Dubai The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Space Agency and COP28 signed an agreement in July to coordinate on technology-focused sustainable solutions ahead of the major climate change conference in Dubai later this year. United Arab Emirates
China’s Huawei opens cloud data center in Riyadh to grow MENA footprint The Chinese telecoms giant said in February it would invest $400 million in Saudi Arabia's cloud region over the next five years. Saudi Arabia
US denies it had 'blocked' AI chip sales to some Middle Eastern countries The US Commerce Department was quick to distance itself from the reports — but it did not directly address imposing license restrictions on certain types of chips. Legacy: Gulf
Middle East offers strong market for AI content dubbing The region is ripe for translated content as Arabic is widely spoken and there is a strong appetite for digital media due to a young population. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Israel sells Arrow 3 to Germany as Ukraine war fuels demand Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased worldwide demand for Israeli-made high-tech defense systems. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
US-China tech rivalry hits Israel as Intel cancels Tower Semiconductor deal The companies canceled the deal after failing to obtain regulatory approval from China. Israel
