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Moroccan intelligence insider reveals widespread use of Pegasus hacking software

Africa, ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Espionage, Hacking, malware, Middle East and north Africa, Morocco, Software, Technology, World news

Whistleblower suggests internal security services deployed spyware from 2017 against key domestic and foreign targetsA former member of Morocco’s domestic intelligence service has helped to provide an unprecedented insight into how the north African state used hacking software – including Pegasus spyware – to target journalists, human rights defenders, French politicians and Spanish cabinet ministers […]

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The bulging in-tray of challenges Andy Burnham faces upon entering No 10

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Andy Burnham, Artificial Intelligence, Defence policy, Devolution, Energy industry, European Union, Foreign policy, Immigration and asylum, Labour, Middle East and north Africa, Nationalisation, Oil and gas companies, Politics, Tax and spending, UK news, Utilities, Welfare

From welfare and defence spending to cost of living and geopolitics, we the look at issues leftover from Keir StarmerUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is expected to become prime minister in less than two weeks, and has promised to significantly change Labour’s agenda and deliver better for all parts of the UK.But he

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IMF upgrades UK growth forecast as fears over impact of Iran war diminish

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Andy Burnham, Artificial Intelligence, Bank of England, Business, Economic growth (GDP), Economics, G7, Inflation, Interest Rates, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Middle East and north Africa, Politics, UK news, US-Israel war on Iran

July update projects GDP growth of 1% this year, making UK the third fastest-growing economy in the G7The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its growth forecast for the UK, while leaving those for other G7 countries weaker or unchanged, amid hopes the economic impact of the Iran war may be less severe than feared.In

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Israeli command system identified 850,000 targets in Gaza and Lebanon wars, says supplier

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Gaza, Israel, Israel-Gaza war, Lebanon, Middle East and north Africa, Palestine, Technology, World news

Elbit Systems supplied Tzayad digital army programme to map people, vehicles and other objects in real timeIsrael identified about 1,000 potential targets a day during the first two years of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon with its command and control system, according to a presentation by the country’s largest arms supplier, Elbit Systems.A total

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‘The CGI would have cost millions. I spent $2,000.’ Is Dreams of Violets AI slop – or the future of film-making?

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Culture, Film, Iran, Middle East and north Africa, Technology, World news

It should have taken years, but Ash Koosha made a drama about Iran’s anti-government protests in weeks – and now it’s the first AI-made movie to screen at a major film festival. It could transform indie film-making, claims the directorNext week a breakthrough 75-minute drama about the brutal crackdown in Iran on anti-government protesters in

‘The CGI would have cost millions. I spent $2,000.’ Is Dreams of Violets AI slop – or the future of film-making? Read More »

‘This isn’t freedom’: anger, anxiety and tears as Iran’s internet flickers back

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Freedom of speech, Internet, Iran, Middle East and north Africa, Technology, World news

After 88 days of near-total blackout, first reactions to the return of partial connectivity were not celebratoryAfter 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life.The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many

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Instagram, X and others blocking Saudi dissidents’ accounts

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Digital media, Facebook, Instagram, Internet, Jamal Khashoggi, Meta, Middle East and north Africa, Saudi Arabia, Snapchat, Social media, World news, X

US social media firms acting on orders from Middle East kingdom accused of being ‘instruments of repression’Major US social media companies including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms have blocked the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders by Saudi authorities.Those affected include Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based

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‘It’s like stealing’: Palestinian family’s seized property listed on Booking.com

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Airbnb, Artificial Intelligence, Israel, Middle East and north Africa, Palestine, Technology, Travel, West Bank, World news

West Bank home described as ‘ideal for outdoor gatherings’ is among 41 listed rentals in illegal Israeli settlements Some of Mohammad al-Sbeih’s fondest childhood memories are of his small farm in the hills south of Bethlehem, where three generations of his family grew wheat and barley.“It was a hard plot to farm as it was

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Head of Microsoft’s Israel branch to step down after inquiry into dealings with Israeli military

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Gaza, Israel, Microsoft, Middle East and north Africa, Palestine, Surveillance, Technology, US news, West Bank, World news

The inquiry came after the Guardian revealed Israel used company technology to support mass surveillance of Palestinian phone callsThe head of Microsoft’s Israeli subsidiary will step down in the wake of an inquiry that has scrutinised its business dealings with the Israeli military.Microsoft ordered the inquiry last year in response to a Guardian investigation revealing

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‘If your wife asks you to change diapers, change your wife’: Lebanon’s hit show parodying the patriarchy

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Digital media, Feminism, Global development, Lebanon, Middle East and north Africa, Technology, Women's rights and gender equality, World news, YouTube

The female-created YouTube sketch series Smatouha Minni (You Heard It From Me) uses satire to confront misogynistic attitudes In Beirut’s Gemmayzeh neighbourhood a rented flat has been transformed into a film set: bright studio lights in a cosy living room. At its centre is Maria Elayan – though she is barely recognisable. Filming for the

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