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. Saudi Arabia
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 Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund
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
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. Syria
Israeli firm NSO Group tied to high-level hacks A sweeping investigation found the names of world leaders, human rights defenders and journalists included on a leaked list of 50,000 alleged surveillance targets. Israel
Microsoft says Israeli company's malware used to hack dissidents, activists Microsoft said around half of the victims were located in the Palestinian territories, and many of the remaining targets were based in the Middle East. Israel
Facebook says Iranian hackers spied on US military personnel using fake accounts The social media company said the hackers baited targets into clicking on malicious links that would infect their devices with malware. Iran
Iran rolls out matchmaking app to curb declining birthrate The Hamdan app aims to create "healthy" families and pair "bachelors seeking permanent marriage” with a wife. Iran
US-made drones downed over Yemen weren't military's, CENTCOM says The Houthis said they wrecked two US drones over Yemen's contested Marib province. Yemen
Imagery suggests Iran failed to launch satellite, set to try again Iran appears to be planning to launch a Simorgh satellite that the Islamic Republic may have failed to get off the ground earlier this month. Iran
Israeli women lead food tech revolution Israeli women researchers are developing award-winning projects in the fields of food tech and smart agriculture. Israel
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
