Spotlight | China, Israel, UAE
Abu Dhabi's spymaster fashions local Palantir 2.0 with Chinese help

The Tech Times
Presight picks Anton Kharitonov, DCI's ISR drones, Falkor and Epieos

From SIGINT to GEOINT and OSINT, with a dose of cyber, each week we report on events both big and small that matter in the community of technical intelligence providers.

Abu Dhabi Russian OSINT expert heads Presight's intelligence teams

Paris DCI wants to supply ISR drones to MNJTF

Tel Aviv Falkor picks French firm Epieos's OSINT solutions

UAE
Ali Al Mannaei, from Darkmatter cyber business developer to security provider

The architect of Abu Dhabi's sovereign cyber sector, Ali Al Mannaei, continues to keep a low profile while doing business. Still very much involved in Emirati defence networks, he is now consolidating all his security operations within his Al Hamra Group.

Israel
IAI's dreams of profits fade away in Jamaica

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has lowered its profitability forcast for a cyber project it delivered recently, a development set to dampen the enthusiasm of other Israeli cyber firms doing business with the Caribbean nation.

Spotlight | China, UAE, United States
Abu Dhabi's AI champion at crux of Sino-US cross-interest

In joining forces with US research centre Petuum, Group 42's AI lab is reinforcing the growing cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Washington in this area, which is increasingly based on Chinese financial interests.

Turkey, UAE
Turkey's Abu Dhabi cyber charm offensive flops at GISEC

Ankara is trying to lay the foundations of a Turkish-Emirati partnership in cyber defence, but the plan is hampered by lingering mutual mistrust.

Serbia, UAE
Serbia not fussy in choice of partners to boost national digital programme

The Belgrade government is as happy to call on China and the US as it is on the Emirati firm G42 to develop its digital and technological arsenal, largely funded by its Chinese partner. The UAE cloud firm, itself traditionally close to Beijing, has also turned westward for new opportunities.

China, India
India joins battle against China's Tencent

The Chinese tech giant, which is at the heart of a major battle in Southeast Asia, is the main target of a fresh ban on some 54 new apps by the Indian government. The apps in question are all still available in Europe, Intelligence Online has discovered.

China, UAE, United States
Washington concerned about joint Chinese-Emirati push into Europe

China's part-public group Sinopharm and Group 42, which is dedicated to the special projects of the Emirati national security adviser, have jointly invested in a number of projects in Serbia, sparking growing concern in Washington about the cooperation between the two countries.

China, Europe
CCUI eyed Italy for years before buying Alpi Aviation

China Corporate United Investment Holding (CCUI) is one of the companies involved in the 2018 purchase of Italian drone maker Alpi Aviation. The acquisition is now being investigated by authorities, as Rome tightens oversight of foreign takeovers.

UAE
Abu Dhabi wants to take back control of strategic data centres

The United Arab Emirates, which has substantially developed its cloud services, particularly for sovereign applications, is gradually distancing itself from the firms that have operated its intelligence data centres, triggering a lawsuit.

Spotlight | Ukraine
Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv interested in Ukraine's plans to use nuclear facilities to mine Bitcoin

An innovative strategic competition is shaping up in Ukraine to build sovereign data and bitcoin extraction centres using the country's nuclear power stations. Several Israeli, Emirati and Chinese companies are interested.

UAE
Abu Dhabi tech companies Hub71 and G42 seek French expertise

The UAE's part-public tech holding companies are turning to Paris to find fresh talent for their programmes.

China, UAE
US wary as China and UAE lean into security cooperation

Tensions with Washington have deepened as news of the Chinese security minister's phone call with the UAE interior minister hits the headlines.

Australia
Canberra's new zero-day bounty hunter Duasynt

The Australian intelligence services are constantly on the lookout for the latest cyber tools and has a growing domestic pool of talent to dip into.

France
French cyber soldiers are more interested in Apple's smartphone vulnerabilities than Huawei's

DGA-MI, which is responsible for cyber defence at the French armed forces ministry, has issued a new shopping list as it pursues its investigations into smartphones and tablet security weaknesses. Its list is not based on the phone manufacturers' market shares, however, and gives an idea of the lines of research the French military are pursuing.

Australia, UAE
EDGE brings in Australian cyber experts to boost its hybrid warfare capacity

Australia's offensive stance on cyber warfare has enabled it to become a leading member of the Five Eyes alliance but has also attracted interest from the United Arab Emirates. Emirati state defence group EDGE has been recruiting Australian cyber specialists in large numbers.

UAE
Al Nahyans' Royal Diamond shifts attentions from Western defence companies to Chinese oil interests

Concern is rising in Washington that a rapprochement between the UAE and China in strategic areas is increasingly being reflected in direct alliances with members of the UAE's ruling Al Nahyan family.

Israel
Prelysis, symbol of advertisers love for surveillance tech

SmartMedia Marketing, an online game content publisher, invested in the Israeli integration company Prelysis, further blurring the line between marketing and intelligence.

Bahrain
S3Tel touts technical intelligence in developing world

Bahrain's S3Tel, a broker of telecommunications and interceptions solutions, has started to land contracts in Asia and Africa.

Spotlight | UAE
Al Nahyan battle plays out behind Edge turbulence

Detentions, investigations and forced resignations from the Abu Dhabi defence conglomerate EDGE and the national oil company ADNOC are at the heart of a power struggle rocking the emirate's ruling dynasty.

France, UAE
Despite its exposure in Libya, IGG still a favourite among French firms Atos and co

Last week's Idex fair gave International Golden Group (IGG), both the UAE partner of foreign defence groups and tool to Mohammed bin Zayed's regional diplomacy, an opportunity to showcase its latest industrial alliances, including a partnership with Atos, Chinese group Norinco and the Israeli Elbit.

China, Hong Kong
Hong Kong security organ adds big data-focused Gonganbu official

Zheng Zehui, a police chief who has called for greater police cooperation between Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland, has joined the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong.

United States
Ex-spies' work for foreign entities under scrutiny

Republican Jim Banks tabled a bill in the House of [...]

Israel, UAE
Honeymoon period hits commercial rough patch

Israel's 11th hour decision to pull out of this week's Idex military trade fair, the UAE's annual soft power military [...]

Israel, UAE
Mubadala strengthens Abu Dhabi linkswith Tel Aviv's cyber industry

Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund senior Hani Barhoush has carved himself the role of gatekeeper for cyber companies seeking investment from Mohammed bin Zayed.

Spotlight | UAE
EDGE takes up baton of Mohammed bin Zayed's defence ambitions

Abu Dhabi is hoping that EDGE Group will help the UAE establish itself as a defence industry powerhouse. However the fledgling group has some way to go.

UAE
Abu Dhabi's Protect takes over DarkMatter's cyber-offensive role

Abu Dhabi's cyber-attack firm Protect is likely to be a talking point at the upcoming ISS, which opens in Prague on May 28.

Spotlight | UAE
Tahnoon bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi spymaster, fashions security and investment empire

Tahnoon bin Zayed, the UAE's national security advisor, is a wealthy businessman who values his privacy.

UAE
DarkMatter's Pegasus takes flight as UAE's answer to Palantir

Star of ISS Pegasus LLC, the recently launched subidiary of the UAE cyber-security firm DarkMatter, made a splash at the ISS [...]

UAE
CyberPoint exports know-how

The small Baltimore-based firm has been helping Abu Dhabi establish a cyber-defence centre.

India's Limco, future landlord of the Ghanaian army

The Indian defence, construction, and engineering conglomerate Limco is to carry out its first operation on the African continent. It has been appointed site manager for the construction of more than a thousand civilian housing units for the Ghanaian army, and it also intends to sell its security services in the region.