Author: Akin Naphtal

The Dutch government is set to impose restrictions on the country’s most advanced microchip technology exports, including products by chip equipment maker ASML, in a bid to protect national security. The move comes after the US made a similar decision as semiconductors, which power everything from mobile phones to military hardware, become central to the US-China trade dispute. China has now launched a formal complaint against the Netherlands, stating it hoped the country would not “follow the abuse of export control measures by certain countries”. “The Netherlands considers it necessary on national and international security grounds that this technology is…

TikTok has launched Project Clover, a series of security measures designed to allay concerns about user data being shared with China. The measures include the appointment of a separate security company to monitor data flows and increased difficulty in identifying individual users. The platform will also introduce “security gateways” to control employee access to European user information and data transfers outside of Europe. The European Commission has already banned the ByteDance-owned app from staff devices. In an effort to store European user data locally, TikTok has revealed plans to build two new data centres, costing a total of €1.2bn (£1.1bn)…

A new vehicle has been showcased at the Dubai World Police Summit that looks like an ordinary car but is actually fitted with advanced technology designed to monitor and enforce road safety. The car has been developed by Tatweer, a technology company based in Abu Dhabi and features special lenses and modules that can detect violations of traffic laws. According to Anas Al Zghoul, head of research and development at Tatweer MEA, the vehicle is equipped with “an integrated solution customised to assist and enhance surveillance, road security, law enforcement and crime prevention”. The device can be molded to fit…

Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has announced plans to develop drone delivery-network technology that can handle millions of orders within the next 12 months. The technology is being tested in Logan, Australia, where Wing delivers up to 1,000 packages a day and the Dublin suburb of Lusk. Wing believes that operating drones as a network will improve efficiency, making it look “more like an efficient data network than a traditional transportation system”, according to Chief Executive Adam Woodworth. READ ALSO:Nasser Vocational Training Centre to Train 10,000 Bahrainis in Coding by 2027 Snapchat’s shares surge as…

The Nasser Vocational Training Centre (NVTC) in Bahrain has announced plans to train 10,000 Bahrainis in computer programming over the next five years. The initiative, called Smart Coders, is open to men and women over 18 regardless of their professional or educational backgrounds. The programme will have four levels of training: beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. The classes will cover a range of programming languages, including HyperText Markup Language (HTML), JavaScript, Python and .NET. The NVTC is partnering with ThinkSmart Development and Training to carry out the project, with 2,000 individuals set to be trained each year until 2027. Participants…

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., saw a nearly 15% surge in its shares last week. This followed news that US senators are planning to introduce legislation that could make it easier to ban rival app TikTok, potentially benefitting Snapchat and other large US tech platforms. Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner is expected to unveil bipartisan legislation on Tuesday that expands President Joe Biden’s authority to ban TikTok and other suspected information technology risks from the United States. The bill is expected to have nearly a dozen co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. READ ALSO:DEWA launches updated smart app with…

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has unveiled an updated version of its smart app that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and an improved search to provide innovative and accessible services to its customers, project builders, suppliers and students. The user-friendly app is available on iOS, Android and Huawei platforms and is designed according to the best international standards of digital design for easy accessibility. DEWA’s smart app, supported by AI, enables customers to monitor their consumption and obtain annual, monthly and daily consumption reports through the “Smart Living” dashboard. They can also compare their consumption with that of similar homes…

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) held the “ICT Indicators Forum 2023” in Saudi Arabia under the patronage of Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CST. During the forum, the CST announced that the value of the ICT market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached SAR154 billion in 2022, making it the largest and fastest-growing digital economy in the MENA region. Dr. Mohammed Al-Tamimi, Governor of the CST, revealed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s total capital investment in digital infrastructure exceeded SAR93 billion over the…

Vodafone Group Plc has announced that it has completed the sale of 50% of its German Fibre-to-the-Home company to Altice. The creation of the JV received European Commission approval last month. FibreCo will deploy fibre-to-the-home to up to 7 million homes in Germany over a 6-year period. Over the roll-out period, FibreCo intends to invest up to c.€7 billion, which will be partly financed by debt that will be non-recourse to Vodafone and Altice. Total debt facilities of up to €4.6 billion have been arranged with a group of leading financial institutions to support the network deployment. READ ALSO:Taly Launches…

Taly, a digital payment and collection solutions provider, has launched its ecosystem in the Egyptian market with a total investment of more than EGP 500 million. The company will provide seamless solutions to banks, corporates, merchants, fintechs and consumers through a large on-soil infrastructure in the MENA region. Taly aims to be the strategic catalyst for digital transformation in the Egyptian market and to export its innovative solutions to the region. Magdy Hassan, the CEO of Taly, expressed his commitment to empowering stakeholders by providing state-of-the-art digital payment solutions, tailored to the specific needs of each stakeholder. He also emphasized…