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 Facing a historic internet blackout, Iranians are locked in a struggle with authorities to find loopholes to get around this communications crackdown, leading to "shutdowns within a shutdown." 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
Iran to acquire Russian high-resolution recon satellite Russia is set to give Iran a satellite that could spy on Tehran's potential military targets. Russia
US air defenses shoot down drones near Iraq air base Drones were intercepted and brought down near the air base that hosts US forces. Iraq
Can modernization of Egypt’s railway network avert train accidents? Egypt signed an agreement worth 145 million euros ($177 million) with the African Development Bank as part of its recent plan to improve its railway system to prevent crashes. Egypt
Israel to get own cloud in deals with Amazon, Google In a bold move, Israel has signed a series of contracts with Amazon Web Services and Google to provide the government with cloud services. Israel
Is Muslim Brotherhood using Clubhouse app to mobilize Egyptian support? Many security sources and social media activists fear the Muslim Brotherhood could exploit the Clubhouse app to promote its ideas and recruit new operatives in Egypt. Egypt
NASA engineer from Gaza following escalation with concern Loay Elbasyouni, who grew up in the Gaza Strip and attended UNRWA schools, helped design the first NASA helicopter that hovered over Mars in March 2021. Culture
Saudi Arabia buys into e-commerce A crown prince bent on modernization, young and tech-savvy consumers, and a global pandemic are transforming commerce in the desert kingdom. DONT USE - Gulf Pulse
Idlib residents resort to virtual coins to make ends meet Residents of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria have resorted to digital currency to make some money by using only a cellphone connected to the internet. Syria
Dubai to import self-driving cars Dubai will be the first international market for the US self-driving vehicle company Cruise. United Arab Emirates
Egyptians react to new app bringing dead to life A new application that allows the animation of pictures of the deceased caused controversy among religious institutions in Egypt. Egypt
UAE probe reaches Mars' orbit Hope Probe launched in July and is the first Mars mission conducted by an Arab state. United Arab Emirates
Emirati investors highly interested in Israeli high-tech, agro-tech According to estimates, $1 billion in investments between Israel and the United Arab Emirates were made in the last two months of 2020. United Arab Emirates
