Technology

People attend the international esports gamers Next World Forum in Riyadh, Sept. 7, 2022.

Culture

Iran war hits Saudi gaming drive as Esports Nations Cup pushed to 2027

The postponement is a blow for the kingdom, which has made growing its esports sector one of the main priorities under its Vision 2030.

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

This photo illustration taken in Damascus on May 20, 2026, shows the X account of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on a smartphone displaying his tweet to President Donald Trump.

Syria reports sabotage of undersea internet cable between Tartous and Alexandria: What to know

The affected cable connects Syria to Egypt and is one of four cables that link to the coastal city of Tartous.

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi investors could emerge as key winners from SpaceX’s historic IPO

The headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, with a Falcon 9 booster in March 2024.

Iran partially restores internet after 88-day blackout: What to know

An Iranian woman walks past a mobile phone shop at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Who is Handala, the hacktivist group US ties to Iranian intelligence?

Flag of Iran on a computer binary codes falling from the top and fading away.

Solar panels used to generate renewable energy at the Sustainability Pavilion during a media tour at the Dubai Expo 2020, a week ahead of its public opening, in the United Arab Emirates.

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

Huawei

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.

Nvidia 1

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.

Got Talent Papercup

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.

An Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system (L) and an US Patriot missile defense system (R) are exposed during a joint Israeli-US military exercise Juniper Cobra at the Hatzor Air Force Base, March 8, 2018.

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.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A man types on a keyboard next to the Intel products for sale in Beijing, on April 08, 2008.

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.

The head of the gynecology department of the in vitro fertilization unit at Aziza Othmana hospital, Fethi Zhiwa (L), speaks in the egg and sperm processing and freezing laboratory with the medical biologist and associate professor in reproductive biology of his service, Khadija Kacem Berejeb, on February 9, 2022 in Tunis. - Under Tunisian law, single women can only freeze their eggs if they are facing medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, "that could affect their ability to procreate". Under the country'

Culture

'Discrimination will not stop us!': How Arab women scientists are fighting to learn

The controversy surrounding diversity and gender-based discrimination in the sciences is continuing, but Arab female scientists persist in what they started.

Xi Jinping Abdulmajid Tebboune

Algeria, China sign 19 agreements during Tebboune's visit, including energy, technology

Xi Jinping received Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his delegation at Beijing's Great Hall of the People to discuss bilateral relations.

Twitter or Threads? Egypt's activists join but not sold on Meta's idea yet

Activists weigh concerns about misogyny and chaos on the pre-existing platform vs. censorship and data collection on Meta's new offering.

Dubai crypto authority suspends BitOasis

The cryptocurrency platform BitOasis' license was suspended by Dubai's VARA due to noncompliance of licensing requirements.

United Arab Emirates

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

UAE sees higher Chinese car sales as China faces decline at home

China relied on overseas markets to maintain 56% of its vehicle sales in June, and the Middle East is a hot spot.

United Arab Emirates

This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2023, shows an image of Elon Musk reflected in the opening page of Threads, an Instagram app. Twitter threatened to sue Meta just hours after the Instagram parent company launched Threads, an app it hopes will beat out the struggling site owned by Elon Musk. In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, published by online news outlet Semafor on July 6, 2023, Musk lawyer Alex Spiro accused the company of "unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade s

Arab users flock to Meta's Threads as it takes on Twitter

Threads has seen a variety of new users from the Middle East since its launch Wednesday including influencers and even heads of state.