Middle East Experience

Efforts to restore security in the border province have been hampered by the dominance of tribal traditions, which run deeper in Maysan than elsewhere..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Drugs, tribes, politics create deadly mix in Iraq border province

Cyberattacks have hit major government websites and infrastructure in Ukraine over the past couple of days but an expert told Al Arabiya English that he expects attacks could worsen amid armed conflict.When asked about some recent cyberattacks on Ukraine’s government and financial institutions, Senior Vice President of Intelligence at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Adam Myers said that the state-sponsored attacks by Russia on Ukraine have dissipated over the past week.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“It was a relatively brief attack but it had a pretty significant impact. I think it was at least three times larger in magnitude than usual traffic to those targets,” Myers told Al Arabiya English. “But in terms of the crisis I think if you roll back about nine years, you can start to see the continuing ease of which some of the threat actors have targeted Ukraine that we associate with Russia.”He anticipated that the cyberattacks would worsen in the event that there is armed conflict.“The Russians will incorporate cyber operations as part of their strategy. Their cyber capabilities will be used to deny or disrupt the infrastructure of Ukraine. You will also see misinformation and fake information that is delivered through information operations using various cyber means and also potential psychological warfare that leverage cyberattacks to potentially disrupt things in Ukraine and impact the willingness of people to resist.”He added, “There's been a continuing set of operations against Ukraine by Russian aligned for actors.”Data provided by CrowdStrike showed that Russia-affiliated cyber-attacks have been targeting Ukraine since 2014.In May 2014, Russia-associated threat actor Voodoo Bear targeted Ukrainian energy and transportation organizations. Following this, the threat actor targeted media outlets during local elections in October 2015, followed by an attack on an energy provider in western Ukraine just two months later.CrowdStrike observed that the volume of these attacks on Ukraine increased during 2016 and 2017. In December 2016 alone, Voodoo Bear targeted state-operated financial institutions, rail companies, and an energy provider which caused an energy outage in Kyiv.The 2022 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report, released in mid-February, found an 82 percent increase in ransomware-related data leaks, adding two new threat actors: WOLF and OCELOT, associated with Turkey and Colombia respectively, amounting to 21 tracked adversaries across the globe.Potential global impact of Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine could negatively impact several Fortune 500 companies, Forbes reported on Thursday.“Here’s the most sobering statistic I've seen about the threat to businesses all over the globe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses in terms of cybersecurity: According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1 in 5 Fortune 500 companies rely on Ukraine’s IT outsourcing sector,” CEO of cybersecurity firm Rank Secure, Baruch Labunski was quoted as saying by Forbes.“That means that even if your business isn’t directly targeted by Russian-based cyberattacks, you may still feel the impact,” he warned.Destructive software hits hundreds of computers in Ukraine A newly discovered piece of destructive software found circulating in Ukraine hit hundreds of computers, according to researchers at the cybersecurity firm ESET, part of what Ukrainian officials said was an intensifying wave of hacks aimed at the country, Reuters reported on Wednesday.In a series of statements posted to Twitter, the company said that the data wiping program had been “installed on hundreds of machines in the country,” an attack it said had likely been in the works for the past couple of months.Vikram Thakur of cybersecurity firm Symantec, which is also looking into the attacks, told Reuters that infections had spread widely, with apparent activity across Ukraine.Who is responsible for the wiper is unclear, although suspicion immediately fell on Russia, which has repeatedly been accused of launching data-scrambling hacks against Ukraine and other countries. Russia has denied the allegations.Ukraine has already been repeatedly hit by hackers in the past few weeks as Russia massed troops around its borders. Fears of a full-scale invasion rose after Moscow this week ordered troops to two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday.In a televised address, Putin said the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine. He added that Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy Ukraine. Putin said the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime.”Read more:Ukraine leader says Russia attacking ‘our military infrastructure’Cryptocurrencies fall amid Russian invasion of UkraineRussia halts vessel movement in Azov sea, but keeps ports in Black Sea open
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine could worsen amid armed conflict: Expert

NATO’s “provocative actions” are to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that Tehran does not see war as a solution.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The Ukraine crisis is rooted in NATO’s provocative actions. We do not see resorting to war as a solution,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, whose country has close ties with Russia, wrote on Twitter.“Establishing a ceasefire and focusing on a political and democratic solution is a necessity,” Amir-Abdollahian added. He made no mention of Russia in his tweet.Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has unleashed a war with Ukraine and the entire democratic world.”Putin “wants to destroy our state, everything that we have built,” Zelenskyy said.Read more:Explainer: What to know as Russia attacks UkraineUkraine’s Zelensky calls on citizens to fight, promises weaponsCentral European countries prepare for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian invasion
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran blames NATO’s ‘provocative actions’ for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

A huge traffic jam blocked a major road out of Kyiv on Thursday as people tried to flee the capital after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, while others stood in long lines hoping to draw money and stock up on supplies.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Signs of nervousness were growing as planes flew overhead, explosions were heard and an emergency siren sounded early in the morning.Even after weeks of warnings by Ukrainian and Western politicians that a Russian attack was imminent, some people were caught off guard in the city of around three million people.“I didn’t expect this. Until this morning I believed nothing would happen,” said Nikita, a 34-year-old marketing specialist, as he waited in a long line at a supermarket with bottles of water piled high in his shopping cart.“I was woken up. I’m an adult healthy man. I packed, bought food and will stay at home with my family.”Other supermarkets and grocery stores were also packed with shoppers preparing to stay in Kyiv. Credit and debt cards ware still working and long lines formed in front of ATMs.Other residents were determined to leave for what they believed to be the relative safety of western Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east.Some people carried bags and suitcases as they looked for a way out of the city - by bus, car or plane. HUGE TRAFFIC JAMTraffic was at a standstill on the four-lane main road to the western city of Lviv, far from the areas most likely to be attacked. Cars stretched back for dozens of kilometres, Reuters witnesses said.“I’m going away because a war has started, Putin attacked us,” said Oxana, the driver of one of the cars who was stuck in the traffic jam with her three-year-old daughter on the back seat. “We’re afraid of bombardments.”She said her immediate aim was just to get out of Kyiv, the centre of power in Ukraine and home to the government, presidency and parliament. Once out, she would decide where to go, she said.“Tell them (Russia) ‘You cannot do that. This is so scary’,” she said.Others headed to the airport and a bus station, but were unsure whether they would be able to leave.“We planned to fly from Kyiv to Baku today. But we were told that the flight had been cancelled because of the escalation of war in Ukraine,” said a traveller at the airport who gave her name only as Gulnara.“No one is telling us what happened, what will happen to our flight, what should we do, where to go. We have no place to go to. No one is responding to us,” she said.Read more: Ukraine FM says Russia carrying out ‘full-scale attack’Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine institutions could worsen amid armed conflict: ExpertRussian ground forces cross into Ukraine as death toll climbs
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Some Kyiv residents try to flee, others stock up after Russia attacks

The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Thursday it has opened three new subsidiary companies’ offices in London, New York and Hong Kong, as the $500 billion fund looks overseas for growth.“The moves are in line with PIF’s continued expansion and will assist in the Fund’s future international growth,” it said in a statement.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The PIF is at the center of Saudi Arabia’s plans to transform the economy by creating new sectors and diversifying revenues away from oil.Since becoming a more active investor in 2015, PIF has taken steps to raise its global profile. It took a $3.5 billion stake in Uber Technologies before its public listing and invested $45 billion in Softbank’s inaugural technology fund.It plans to grow its assets under management to $1.07 trillion by the end of 2025, while continuing to create new sectors, companies and jobs, it said.Read more:Aramco closes $15.5 billion BlackRock-led gas pipeline dealSaudi Arabia’s ‘Founding Day’ celebrations mix tradition with the futureSaudi Arabian miner AMAK set to raise up to 1.25 billion riyals in IPO
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi sovereign fund PIF opens London, NY and Hong Kong offices

Saudi Arabia urged its citizens in Ukraine to reach out to the embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, as tensions escalated following the Russian invasion.“Considering the developments in Ukraine, the Kingdom’s embassy in Ukraine calls on all citizens who are present in Ukraine and who have not gotten in touch with the embassy during the past evacuation phase to communicate with the embassy as soon as possible,” the ministry said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Russian forces on Thursday fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its coast after President Vladimir Putin authorized what he called a special military operation in the east.Russia’s move against Ukraine drew international condemnations as well as threats of more sanctions.Earlier on Thursday, the NATO activated its “defense plans” for allied countries.Read more:Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky urges Russians: Stop Putin’s Ukraine invasionFactbox: How Ukraine’s armed forces shape up against Russia’s mightIsrael’s Lapid condemns Russian attack on Ukraine
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia urges its citizens in Ukraine to contact embassy as soon as possible

Signs of an agreement coming together emerged over the past week, with France warning that Iran has only days left to accept a deal..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran nuclear talks reach 'critical' stage but some issues need to be resolved

Houthi militias detained another official of the US embassy, bringing the number of local embassy staffers in custody to at least 11..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: New terrorist designations as UAE ups pressure on Yemen Houthi militias

“We’re feeding 13 million people out of a nation of 30 million people, and we are running out of money,” UN food agency said..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UN food agency warns 13 million Yemenis may face starvation

DBU, which does not manage its assets directly, sold Qatar bonds as soon as it became aware of their existence..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Danish Football Association abandons controversial Qatar investments