Live Updates Turkey seizes opposition Halk TV as crackdown widens: What to know Halk TV is a pro-opposition broadcaster and one of Turkey’s most-watched news channels. Turkey
Culture How Argentina-Spain World Cup final became debate over Israel, Palestine Governments and fans alike have turned teams and players into symbols of political division. Palestine
What we know about UAE blocking X accounts accused of misinformation A number of X accounts including Al Arabiya Breaking are now not accessible in the Gulf state as Abu Dhabi navigates regional turmoil. United Arab Emirates
UAE AI investor MGX moves closer to strategic stake in TikTok US The state-linked Emirati investment firm is set to acquire a 15% stake in the social media platform's new US business as part of a plan that would avert a nationwide ban starting in 2026. United Arab Emirates
Analysis Gulf investors emerge as key players in US social media giants TikTok, Snap, X By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Turkey’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law threatens press freedom, critics say The bill is seen as a major blow to the already weak independent civil society organizations in Turkey. Turkey
Popular steakhouse accused of pork fraud divides Turkey While official tests revealed traces of pork, the company’s owner suggests a “dark plot.” Turkey
Analysis Telegram CEO's arrest spotlights UAE’s investment-based citizenship laws The United Arab Emirates is showing that it takes its citizenship laws seriously and has vowed to fight for Telegram founder Pavel Durov. By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
Turkey blocks multiple X accounts, cites 'terrorist crackdown' Turkey has mounted repeated attacks on the Kurdish-led region on the grounds that it is governed by terrorists. Turkey
Turkey: Meta temporarily shuts down Threads following government order It remains unclear whether the platform will become available again in Turkey. Turkey
Turkey hands Meta $148K daily fine over antitrust violation Turkey’s competition watchdog also imposed an interim measure to suspend data-sharing between Instagram and Threads. Turkey
Twitter/X removes verified status of Iranian state media accounts The move followed a report suggesting X may be violating US sanctions by offering paid services to sanctioned Iranian organizations. Iran
Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei banned from Facebook and Instagram Khamenei remains active on X and has praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel on the platform. Iran
How France is targeting Hamas financing Representatives of 20 countries gathered in Paris to formulate a plan against the financing of Hamas and expand sanctions against its members. Israel
What's behind Elon Musk's visit to Israel, meeting with Netanyahu? On a visit to Israel, American billionaire Elon Musk called for a halt to the hate propaganda that he said enabled the Oct. 7 attack and also expressed willingness to help reconstruct Gaza. Israel
Saudi campaign to boycott TikTok spreads to private sector Many Saudis are calling for a boycott of the popular social media platform over it allegedly removing pro-Saudi content. Saudi Arabia
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
