The UAE Cybersecurity Council has urged the public to begin the new year by adopting smarter cybersecurity habits.

In an official post on its social media channels, the council highlighted the importance of following simple guidelines to stay safe online. These include securing home Wi-Fi networks, keeping devices and software up to date, verifying the safety of websites and applications before use, regularly reviewing app permissions, and deleting old or unused accounts.

The council also stressed the need to encrypt emails, use secure digital networks when connecting to public Wi-Fi, and back up important data.

It added that adopting these measures can help individuals better protect themselves and their information as the new year begins.

Story by Gulf News

The actor said privacy laws protecting children from paparazzi were a key factor in the family’s decision

George Clooney has been granted French citizenship, along with his wife Amal Clooney and their two children, according to an official decree in France’s government gazette.

The publication confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he praised French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi.

“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” the actor told RTL radio at the time – in English.

“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he said.

The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe that predates his 2014 marriage to his wife, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French.

Clooney owns an estate in Italy’s Lake Como region, purchased in 2002, and he and his wife also bought a historic manor in England.

Their property in southern France – a former wine estate called the Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles – was purchased in 2021.

They also own a New York apartment and a property in Kentucky, but reportedly sold homes in Los Angeles and Mexico over the past decade.

The couple are parents to eight-year-old twins.

Clooney told RTL that although the family travels frequently, their home in France “is where we’re happiest”.

Clooney is also a director and producer, and has won two Oscars: one for best supporting actor in 2006’s Syriana and another as a producer on 2012’s Argo.

Clooney is not the only Hollywood figure seeking French citizenship. The US director Jim Jarmusch told France Inter radio on Friday that he also plans to apply for French nationality.

“I would like a place that will allow me to escape from the United States,” he said, adding that he was also drawn to French culture.

Story by the Guardian

 Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has surprised social media followers with photos of a personal meeting with Elon Musk in Dubai, where the Crown Prince was seen driving the tech mogul and the world’s richest man in the city.

In images shared on his Instagram account @faz3 on Sunday, Sheikh Hamdan revealed glimpses of what he described as a “multifaceted discussion” with Musk covering space exploration, cutting-edge technology and the future of humanity.

“I very much enjoyed a multifaceted discussion with Elon Musk on space, technology and humanity. Excited to see what the future holds,” the Crown Prince wrote.

Personal touch

The photos showed Sheikh Hamdan and Musk seated on what appears to be a private jet cabin. The Crown Prince can also be seen shaking hands with Musk and driving him in a car. Both have also been captured from behind while walking into a majlis, holding the hands of their sons.

Those who received Musk also include Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

The significant rendezvous took place at a majlis that overlooks the beautiful skyline of Dubai.

It underscores the increasingly close relationship between Dubai’s leadership and Musk’s portfolio of companies, which span space exploration, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and revolutionary urban transportation solutions.

The photographs showing Sheikh Hamdan personally hosting and driving Musk in Dubai signal the importance the emirate places on its partnership with the entrepreneur’s ventures. Such personal engagement from the Crown Prince is typically reserved for relationships of strategic significance to Dubai’s future.

The timing of the meeting is particularly notable as it comes amid accelerating collaboration between Dubai and multiple Musk-led enterprises, including SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company.
Deepening ties with Musk

Dubai is advancing its landmark collaboration with Elon Musk’s ventures, notably The Boring Company, to develop the Dubai Loop, an underground transit system announced in February 2025 at the World Government Summit.

The 17km network will feature 11 stations and transport over 20,000 passengers per hour at speeds up to 160 km/h.

Beyond transport, Dubai has deep space collaborations with SpaceX. In 2025, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) launched the PHI-1 satellite on a Falcon 9, expanding access for technology testing in orbit. Earlier, SpaceX deployed Etihad-SAT, enhancing disaster monitoring and environmental observation.

In 2023, SpaceX also facilitated Emirati astronaut and current minister Dr Sultan Al Neyadi’s six-month mission, the longest Arab space mission, to the International Space Station.

Musk has participated in Dubai’s World Government Summit in 2017, 2023, and 2025, discussing urban infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and government efficiency.

This week, Musk’s net worth surged to $749 billion, and he became the first person to ever cross $700 billion in net worth.

Story by Gulf News