Technology

Bellieud

Interview

Al-Futtaim targets 2026 UAE rollout for game-changer ultrafast EV charging

The technology, which has only been deployed in China, will enable up to 400 kilometers of car recharging in five minutes, roughly the same time as filling a petrol tank.

Lucas Bellieud

Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Managing Director

EA office building in Austin, Texas, USA.

Gaming giant Electronic Arts taken private in $55B Saudi-backed buyout

The transaction represents a significant deal involving entities close to the Saudi Arabian and US governments.

Analysis

Gulf investors emerge as key players in US social media giants TikTok, Snap, X

With UAE tech investor MGX set to take a stake in TikTok's US operations, investors from the Middle East could cement their role in America's social media landscape.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

PayPal headquarters pictured in San Jose, California, on Oct. 15, 2015.

PayPal bets $100M as Middle East’s Gulf fintech giants amplify competition

The move from the US payments giant comes amid a flurry of activity that has further cemented the Gulf’s fintech sector on the map for global investors — including Saudi Arabia's Tamara, which recently secured a $2.4 billion financing deal.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Google Pay, China’s Alipay+ launch in Saudi Arabia amid cashless push

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

China-made flying car makes first test flight in UAE: What to know

An Xpeng AeroHT X2 Flying Car is seen on display in Hong Kong on May 17, 2024

United Arab Emirates

Lebanon grants license to Musk's Starlink in bid to address sluggish telecomms

Ray of sun over the box and antenna during Unbox reliable data transmission and connection with SpaceXs Starlink.

Iran eyes launch of 4 satellites, open Chabahar space port by spring 2026

A picture obtained on Dec. 14, 2013 from Iran's ISNA news agency allegedly shows the launch of the Pajohesh (research) rocket containing a live space monkey named Fargam (Auspicious) at an undisclosed location in Iran.

An Israeli woman uses her iPhone in front of the building housing the Israeli NSO group, on August 28, 2016, in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.
Apple iPhone owners, earlier in the week, were urged to install a quickly released security update after a sophisticated attack on an Emirati dissident exposed vulnerabilities targeted by cyber arms dealers.
Lookout and Citizen Lab worked with Apple on an iOS patch to defend against what was called "Trident" because of its triad of attack methods, the researchers said in a

Amnesty loses battle against Israeli spy-technology company

The Tel Aviv court ruled that Amnesty International failed to present sufficient evidence in its claim against spy-technology company NSO.

A man wearing protective gloves checks the app "Be Aware", launched by Bahrain's health authorities to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by spreading awareness and sharing updates on the situation, at a hotel in Manama, Bahrain, April 19, 2020. Picture taken April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC278G9BMSM2

Amnesty blasts Bahrain, Kuwait for 'highly invasive' COVID-19 tracing apps

Amnesty International has warned apps used to trace the movements of possible COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway put the privacy of citizens at risk.

China apparently left out of Israel's 5G network tender

The first phase of the tender for building the 5G wireless network in Israel has passed its deadline, with Chinese bidders apparently left out.

Services emerge to help Middle Eastern men beat high costs of marriage

In Gaza and Egypt, men are seeking help from religious authorities and matchmaking services to persuade their prospective brides' families to lower financial demands.

Artists reflect on age of anxiety in Sharjah

A group of contemporary artists explore the ways everyday technologies have altered our collective consciousness and created the age of anxiety, but the exhibit in Sharjah has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

United Arab Emirates

Egyptian program aims to send first Egyptian into space

Egypt's young but ambitious space agency is accepting applications from cititzens who would receive training to go into space as the first Egyptian by 2026.

3,000-year-old talking mummy creates dispute in Egypt

Egyptians are arguing among themselves on a new study that has recreated the voice of a 3,000-year-old mummified Egyptian priest.

Death on the Nile takes a digital turn

Two online platforms help families organize funerals in Egypt.

What, no connection? Internet outage further darkens life in Yemen

Yemenis have long suffered a humanitarian crisis, but a severed wire makes it even worse when they can no longer connect.

Can Egypt's newest search engine root out extremism?

Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta has launched a search engine to track extremist content in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia, but critics believe much more is needed.

Is US redesigning southern flank?

Amid Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia, the United States has stepped up military cooperation with Greece, Turkey’s traditional regional rival, heralding shifts in geostrategic balances in the Balkans, the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.

Interview

UAE minister draws on the past to seize possibilities of AI future

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s minister of artificial intelligence, laid out his country's approach to AI, stating, “We do not believe that we need to wait and be followers in the AI revolution. We need to take the lead.”