AGP Executive Report

BRICS Tech & Resilience: Egypt’s Sisi urged BRICS to build more resilient economies by investing in people and technology, strengthening supply chains, and expanding Global South cooperation on innovation, AI, and clean energy. Global South Health Tech: Modi warned that “weaponisation of technology and critical minerals” could slow development, while BRICS leaders backed an early warning system for infectious diseases. AI for Critical Infrastructure: Ukraine is testing drone-early-warning software for gas stations, aiming to alert fuel sites before strikes and then scale to other critical facilities. UAE Desert Agri Trials: Abu Dhabi’s ADIO and Bayer signed an MoU to explore desert crop field trials for food security, plus healthcare innovation and access to advanced therapies. UAE–China Business Push: Dubai plans a China business forum focused on AI at scale, autonomous mobility, fintech, and digital infrastructure to speed regional expansion. UK Lab Expansion: PureHealth is taking over a major UK lab network, integrating diagnostics with hospitals and leveraging automation and AI-enabled testing. Palestine-Relevant Security Tech: The “Great Sea Interconnector” debate highlights how major energy infrastructure can become a geopolitical flashpoint across the Levantine basin.

Gaza Tech & Media: The Venice Film Festival’s top prize went to “Woman Unknown,” but the big Palestine-linked moment was “NAZA,” a Gaza documentary that drew a record 25-minute standing ovation and is being hailed as critics’ highest-rated film—keeping Gaza’s civilian harm in the spotlight. Aviation & Industry: Acer is reviving the Packard Bell brand, aiming to turn a 100-year-old name into a modern tech player by leveraging manufacturing and distribution muscle. Satellite & Media Infrastructure: Media City Qatar and Es’hailSat launched a new satellite services package for licensed firms, bundling DTH, connectivity, teleport facilities, and media asset management—an infrastructure boost for regional media tech. Biotech & Health: Egypt is preparing Ebola vaccine clinical trials, backed by CEPI and led by Minapharm, positioning Cairo as a growing hub for vaccine development and clinical research. Policy & Justice: Kuwait is rolling out electronic written exams for legal admissions, aiming to standardize selection for public prosecutors. Global Governance Tech: BRICS adopted the New Delhi Declaration, emphasizing UN reform and digital transformation, while Iran urged a permanent BRICS secretariat and sanctions resistance. Palestine Legal/Global: Nicaragua’s ICJ case against Germany over alleged complicity in the genocide of Palestinians moved into deliberations after public hearings on Germany’s preliminary objections.

AI & Security: Anthropic says Iran used the Claude AI model to target US warships, while US officials link Chinese-sourced high-resolution satellite imagery to a July missile strike on a US base in Jordan—raising fresh fears about commercial space tech being repurposed for conflict. Space & Tech Diplomacy: Xi Jinping arrives in India for the BRICS summit, with wars, trade, and energy security expected to dominate, as India and China try to find an “early and substantial harvest” on their unresolved border dispute. Healthcare Innovation: Saudi KFSH reports it has shifted CAR-T therapy from imported manufacturing to on-site production, cutting turnaround time and costs while treating more than 200 patients. Biotech/Research Capacity: KFSH’s local cell-therapy push highlights a broader regional trend toward faster, cheaper advanced medical manufacturing. Media Infrastructure: Qatar’s Media City and Es’hailSat launch satellite service packages for licensed firms, including connectivity, teleport facilities, and media asset management—aimed at boosting the region’s broadcast and OTT ecosystem. Tech in Transit: WeRide, Uber, and AVOMO secure Spain’s first Level 4 robotaxi operation license, paving the way for Madrid deployments via the Uber app. Humanitarian Tech: UAE search-and-rescue teams in Nepal use drones and 3D mapping to locate flood missing people, with new aid aircraft delivering rescue and power equipment. Palestine Culture/Archives: NPR reports Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh helped digitize and preserve his diaries by moving archives to UK universities, protecting decades of documentation from wartime risk. Gaza Film Spotlight: Venice Film Festival awards season attention grows around “NAZA,” a Gaza-focused documentary built on Israeli whistleblower testimony and AI-powered targeting claims.

Counter-Drone Tech: The US tested Perseus Harpe interceptor systems in a homeland-defense field trial, aiming for lower-cost kinetic protection against small drone attacks under strict collateral-damage limits. Middle East Energy Shock: Oil pushed above $100 as US-Iran tensions and Red Sea disruptions raised shipping and supply fears, feeding inflation worries across markets. AI Influence & Security: Anthropic reported a UAE-linked operation that allegedly misused its Claude chatbot to run a coordinated campaign targeting the Muslim Brotherhood, highlighting new risks in AI governance. BRICS Digital & Payments Push: At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India is set to spotlight digital transformation and cross-border payments, including efforts to link payment systems and expand local-currency trade. Palestine-Relevant Tech & Health: Gaza’s rebuilding and healthcare strain continues to surface in coverage, while regional tech and medical cooperation stories underline how conflict reshapes research, logistics, and access to care. Nuclear for Industry: Malaysia’s nuclear policy push frames irradiation and nuclear tech as drivers for medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, and environmental safety—an example of how research can be commercialized.

Middle East Tech & Energy Shock: Oil jumped to the highest level in months above $107–$109 a barrel as renewed Iran–US tensions and Red Sea disruption fears hit markets, while the ECB raised rates and investors watched US inflation data for the next Fed move. AI & Cybersecurity in the Gulf: S2W joined OpenAI-led Daybreak’s cybersecurity network, aiming to scale vulnerability discovery and remediation with AI agents, as UAE experts stress trusted data, oversight, and workforce skills for agentic AI. Agentic AI Governance: The UAE’s FedAI framework is pushing a national rollout of agentic AI across government, with cybersecurity and responsible adoption flagged as the main hurdles. Digital Finance Expansion: Samsung Wallet added Qatar’s national payment network, widening Middle East fintech reach. Local Data Modernization: Oman’s statistical bureau urged wider use of AI and modern data sources to strengthen official statistics during crises, including an “AI Muscat Team” for household surveys. STEM & Workforce: Bahraini female engineers completed UK naval training at Portsmouth with BAE Systems, marking a first for Arab women in that program. Healthcare Innovation: Qatar highlighted progress in precision oncology via population genomics and biobanking, aiming to reduce underrepresentation in global genomic datasets. Palestine-Relevant Human Impact: UN and reporting focus continues on Gaza’s education and infrastructure damage, while the broader region’s instability keeps squeezing humanitarian and research capacity.

GNSS Security & Positioning: Trimble unveiled next-gen GNSS receiver modules (BD1090/BD1092 series) using Maxwell 8 tech, adding stronger anti-jamming and anti-spoofing for precision in harsh environments—relevant for geospatial, marine, construction, and mining. AI-Native Finance: Mal, an AI-native Islamic finance platform backed by UAE regulators, opened a global waitlist to speed onboarding, payments, and financing decisions from days to minutes. Digital Payments in the Gulf: Samsung Wallet integrated Qatar’s Himyan national payment system, letting users pay with Galaxy phones or watches using local infrastructure. Telco Monetisation Shift: A new AI-Native Telco Index says many telecoms are moving beyond AI for cost cutting toward new revenue streams. Energy & Tech Crosswinds: UAE–Germany ties are deepening around energy, hydrogen, AI, and advanced technologies as major deals are expected during a UAE state visit. Regional Market Pressure: Oil pushed past $100 amid Middle East tensions, rattling equities from India’s Sensex/Nifty to broader risk sentiment. Palestine Health Cooperation: Jordan’s and Palestine’s medical councils discussed closer training and specialisation links in Amman. Gaza Targeting Tech Spotlight: A Venice documentary, “Naza,” claims Israeli targeting systems in Gaza use AI, phone surveillance, and scoring methods tied to civilian homes.

AI & Health Tech: A new study reports a dual-branch deep learning system that screens autism using facial geometry and texture while kids do attention tasks in a virtual classroom, aiming to speed up diagnosis. AI Costs & Governance: A report warns that “agent sprawl” in enterprise stacks can drive compounding overhead when ownership, exception handling, and integration are poorly designed. Space & Data: Kuwait Innovation Center and Lonestar ink a space-based data storage partnership, positioning Kuwait as a regional tech and space investment hub. Cyber & Defense Tech: Iran’s capture of a U.S. underwater drone could let Tehran study and potentially reverse-engineer it, a setback for U.S. drone makers. Energy, Markets & Tech Funding: Brent pushing past $100 and rising yields hit global stocks; separately, Israel’s tech funding slows in H1 as late-stage deals stay scarce. Palestine-Relevant Policy & Diplomacy: Slovenia protests Israel’s new embassy opening and highlights education, science, and tech cooperation—while broader European settlement-linked sanctions keep widening the diplomatic gap.

ICJ Case Update: South Africa’s submission to the International Court of Justice adds a new dossier on Gaza genocide provisional measures, citing large casualty figures and severe conflict-related injuries, as the court monitors Israel’s obligations. Energy & Security Tech: Brent crude pushed past $100 as US-Iran tanker strikes and Hormuz disruption fears return, underlining how maritime security and shipping tech (tracking, naval operations) can quickly spill into global inflation. AI & Clean Energy Partnerships: The UAE and Germany announced a new AI and clean energy alliance, pointing to cross-border investment in digital infrastructure and decarbonization. Smart Infrastructure Materials: New market reports highlight rapid growth for geotextiles and flexible packaging—signals of continued demand for construction and logistics materials that can improve durability, drainage, and supply-chain efficiency. Health Tech Access: A new women’s health “van” initiative in the Greater Toronto Area aims to bring products, education, and support directly to underserved communities, reflecting a wider push toward mobile, community-based care. Cybersecurity & Threats: Radware’s global threat reporting flags a sharp rise in web DDoS attacks, as AI expands the workload for security teams.

AI & Misinformation Defense: Iraq’s National Security Service launched “Distinguish the Fake,” an AI detection platform meant to help people spot misleading images, doctored videos, and dubbed audio. Education & Critical Thinking: A new global PISA update shows maths, reading, and science skills keep slipping post-Covid, with OECD warning that students are weaker at evaluating information in the AI age. Middle East Tech, Security & Data: The US Treasury imposed sweeping aviation sanctions on Iran, targeting all remaining Iranian airlines and networks tied to aircraft and sensitive technology; separately, reports say the Pentagon disabled mobile ad location identifiers on deployed devices to reduce targeting risks. Smart Infrastructure: Kuwait’s tender for 300,000 smart water meters was pushed to Sept. 22 as the country expands digital monitoring for leaks and tampering. Space Economy: UAE’s IHC is moving to buy an 80% stake in Marlan Holding to expand into space systems, autonomous operations, and advanced computing. Regional Tech Culture: Qatar’s media body signed an MoU to boost cooperation with a Gulf research unit on journalism, training, and studies. Heritage Meets Tech: Qatar’s S’hail 2026 falconry and hunting exhibition opened, running through Sept. 12 with 14 countries and outdoor tech among the highlights.

Autonomous Mobility in the Gulf: Abu Dhabi’s A2RL held Europe’s first multi-car autonomous race at Italy’s Imola Circuit, with UAE team Kinetiz winning using identical EAV-25 hardware—performance came down to software for perception, planning, and real-time control. Mental Health Tech: BrainsWay published peer-reviewed pilot results for Deep TMS in patients with depression plus early-stage Alzheimer’s, reporting strong response and remission rates alongside measurable brain activity changes. AI Funding in Europe: French AI startup Mistral raised €3bn, valuing it at over €21bn, aiming to expand research and let companies run models with their own data. Privacy & Military Tech: Reuters reports the US military disabled advertising identifiers on government devices to reduce location tracking risks from commercial data brokers. Education Metrics: Israel’s PISA 2025 results fell sharply in science, reading, and math, while Jordan recorded major improvements across all three areas. Energy & Regional Risk: Oil pushed toward $100 as Houthi attacks hit Saudi energy sites, with markets also reacting to yen moves and Middle East supply worries.

Autonomous Delivery in Qatar: Snoonu says it’s targeting commercial deployment of fully autonomous delivery robots in Qatar by late 2026–early 2027, with plans to add physical AI over the next three years to adapt to local weather and infrastructure. Gaza Evidence Risk: A UN expert warns that Israel’s rubble-clearing in Gaza could destroy evidence tied to war crimes, calling it a potential international criminal responsibility. Mobile Broadband Costs (UK): A new UK ranking study finds the UK at 46th globally for average mobile broadband price per 1GB, at about $0.27, highlighting how data affordability varies by market. AI + Business Productivity: Sembly AI launches “Sembly 3.0,” an agentic platform that turns documents and meeting/CRM content into branded sales and proposal materials in 45+ languages. Energy Tech R&D (Korea): South Korea boosts 2027 energy technology R&D by 48%, with nuclear and fusion funding rising as AI data centers drive power demand. Palestinian Culture: Ramallah’s tatreez embroidery continues to gain attention as living heritage, with artisans stressing that the craft preserves memory when land is lost.

Medtech in the region: Cyrix Healthcare (backed by Somerset Indus Capital Partners) has acquired Blue Star Engineering & Electronics’ medtech solutions business, expanding CT/MRI imaging services and lifecycle support across India, the Middle East and Africa. Defense tech with local links: Israeli drone maker SpearUAV says it has nearly 1,000 Viper 300 AI loitering munitions ready for global delivery, with troops able to launch on foot or from platforms. Air defense manufacturing in Europe: Germany’s Lower Saxony, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Aurelius Capital signed an LOI to buy Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant to produce Iron Dome components, after Qatar blocked an earlier Rafael-Volkswagen plan. Policy + finance: UK Chancellor John Healey pledged fiscal discipline and a growth push, while refusing to rule out tax rises ahead of next month’s Budget. Digital skills push in the Gulf: Dubai Chambers launched agentic AI training for 14,000 private companies. Energy + markets: Uganda unveiled its “Sweet Pearl” crude oil in Singapore ahead of APPEC, while oil price risks tied to Middle East tensions kept investors cautious.

AI Infrastructure & IPO Watch: OpenAI’s Stargate Korea remains stuck nearly a year after launch, with OpenAI, Samsung and SK still deadlocked on sites, power and funding—while Stargate projects elsewhere face downsizing. Cyber & Privacy: The US military has disabled ad trackers on troops’ devices after concerns that location data could expose personnel. Water & Nuclear Tech: KISR and the IAEA are teaming up to strengthen groundwater protection across Arab states using nuclear techniques, including vulnerability mapping. Health Tech Rollout: A survey of diabetes educators across Africa and the region highlights gaps in structured training for onboarding patients to MiniMed 780G automated insulin delivery. Education Systems: Teachers and admin staff began the 2026/27 school year using fingerprint attendance systems. Humanitarian Access: Belgium blocked 13 Gaza students despite visas and scholarships, citing fears of wider asylum and family reunification. Defense Modernization: France plans to receive 47 Rafale F5 fighters by 2035, with upgrades aimed at nuclear deterrence and new drone support. Palestine Tech & Society: Israel’s missing state comptroller has left whistleblower protections and parts of campaign-finance oversight in limbo.

Gaza Recovery & Humanitarian Tech: Al Jazeera reports Palestinians in northern Gaza holding funerals for about 100 people recovered from rubble in Zeitoun, including 60 children—another reminder of how civil defense work and disaster forensics are becoming a daily, life-or-death “infrastructure” under bombardment. Brain Drain in Healthcare: A Tel Aviv University study says about 1,370 doctors left Israel for at least 12 months between 2023-2025, a 94% jump vs 2013-2015, with net losses of 509 even after returns—raising alarms for regional medical capacity. Battlefield AI & Connectivity: Analysis warns that modern battlefield AI needs compute and connectivity, and argues the future is decentralized, local capability rather than fragile centralized data centers. Climate Policy for Youth & Green Tech: A Jordan-focused report urges reviewing taxes on green technologies like EVs, improving household energy efficiency, and giving youth and communities a real role in climate implementation. Middle East Energy Security: OPEC’s chief says member states are using alternative routes to keep oil flowing amid Strait of Hormuz shipping risks, framing the situation as temporary and manageable. Digital Finance Ecosystems: Kuwait Finance House–Bahrain joins Fintech Forward 2026 as a diamond sponsor, pushing “intelligent infrastructure” themes for regional digital banking.

Gaza Health & Recovery: Al-Shifa’s respiratory endoscopy unit in Gaza is back in operation after a three-year shutdown, while Civil Defense teams recover bodies from the rubble of the destroyed Nuseirat “Engineers Tower,” underscoring how fragile medical and rescue capacity remains. Medical Research & Training: Kuwait’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Forum highlights rapid progress across diagnostics, stem cell transplantation, immunotherapies, cellular and gene therapies, and calls for national registries and stronger Gulf cooperation. AI Infrastructure in the Region: Magna AI and Saudi ICT integrator MBUZZ plan to deliver AI infrastructure and transformation services across the Middle East and Africa, aiming to move AI from pilots to production with added security and skills programs. Tech for Learning/Work: Qatar’s push to connect universities, research parks, investors and accelerators is framed as the missing ingredient behind startup hubs—physical proximity and shared support systems. Consumer Tech: Acer’s Predator Atlas 7 gaming handheld targets “small PC” portability with a 7-inch 120Hz 1080p display, Intel Arc G-series graphics, up to 24GB RAM, and Windows 11. Policy & Governance: UNCTAD says WIF 2026 will add a dedicated “space economy” track for Qatar and the wider Middle East, linking frontier investment to governance and partnerships.

AI in Government Comms: Jordan is rolling out “Farah,” an AI spokesperson meant to explain public decisions more clearly and close the trust gap between institutions and people. Cybersecurity & Defense: The US military disabled ad trackers and location identifiers on phones and computers after reports that commercial location data was used to target troops. Energy & Industry: Middle East Energy 2026 wrapped in Dubai, spotlighting energy security, resilience, demand growth, and cleaner power, including nuclear and large solar-plus-storage plans. Data Centers & Power Rules: Spain’s data-center push faces new renewable-power requirements; industry warns the 80% per-hour rule needs workable execution. Palestine Tech Sector: A report highlights a resilient Palestinian tech sector “open for business,” as regional digital cooperation expands. Tech Hardware: Acer unveiled the Predator Atlas 7 handheld PC with a 7-inch 120Hz 1080p screen, Intel Arc G-series graphics, up to 24GB RAM, and up to 1TB Gen4 storage. Regional Security: Israel’s “operational control” claim over Lebanon’s Ali al-Taher hill is disputed, with reports of no visible Israeli presence.