Middle East

BIO-key (BKYI) spikes on major Middle East defense biometric deployment — stock reacts as company expands EMEA footprint [Nov. 7, 2025]

BIO‑key International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BKYI) said today it has secured a “significant” new identity and biometric security deployment with a major defense‑sector security organization in the Middle East, a win the company calls one of its largest security‑sector deployments in the region to date. The unnamed customer selected BIO‑key to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive access environments using the company’s biometric‑centric, multi‑factor authentication stack; financial terms were not disclosed. The project is being delivered with Cloud Distribution, a Saudi‑based value‑added distributor that BIO‑key partnered with this year. GlobeNewswire Market reaction: Before the opening bell, BKYI shares jumped roughly 47–55% in

7 November 2025

Trump’s High‑Wire Act: NATO Shockwaves, Middle‑East Firestorm, and a Congress on Edge—What the June 24, 2025 Frenzy Really Means for America and the World

On June 24, 2025, President Donald Trump arrived in The Hague demanding all 32 NATO allies commit 5% of their GDP to defense. Spain and Slovakia sought carve-outs, exposing cracks despite a one-page summit communiqué praised by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. From Air Force One, Trump phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian intermediaries via Qatar to secure a cease-fire pledge minutes before landing. Trump ordered U.S. B-2 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Within hours, Iran and Israel fired new missiles, prompting Trump to lash out at Israel for unloading right after agreeing. U.S. refueling tankers and the carrier

24 June 2025

Geopolitica · NATO · Orientul Μέσος · Politica externă · SUA

Strait of Hormuz Crisis: World’s Critical Oil Chokepoint at the Center of a Geopolitical Storm

On June 22, 2025, the United States launched Operation Midnight Hammer, bombing Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, after which Iran’s parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas flows, amounting to about 20 million barrels per day. Brent crude rose about 10% in a few days, climbing to roughly $77 per barrel. The strait stretches about 90 nautical miles in length, narrows to about 21 nautical miles, and the navigable channel for tanker traffic is effectively only two miles wide in each direction. The strait accounts for around

22 June 2025

Crisis · Energy Security · Geopolitics · Oil · Strait of Hormuz

Internet Access in Syria

History of Internet Development in Syria Syria was relatively late in opening internet access to the public. An internet connection was established in the country by 1997, but for years Syria was the only connected Middle Eastern country that did not allow general public access hrw.org. In the late 1990s, only government institutions and a few individuals (often via proxy connections through Lebanon) could get online hrw.org. This cautious rollout reflected official policy: the regime under President Hafez al-Assad took a “go-slow” approach, fearing the free flow of information. All media in Syria were tightly controlled, and officials were wary that the

7 February 2025

Access · Internet · Middle East · Syria · Technology