The 7th edition of the longest running digital conference in the Middle East promises yet again another exclusive event, with new initiatives and upgraded experiences that follow a rise in Beirut’s digital industry.

With an increased interest from regional and international players in the digital capabilities of the Levant’s and Lebanon’s markets, ArabNet Beirut will witness various high-level announcements linked to this positive trend. “ ArabNet Beirut will have a major regional French initiative that is set to be launched in Beirut, and will be announced during the conference”, says Omar Habib, Marketing Director at ArabNet.

The MENA Games Conference, MEGA, is the leading digital games-conference for the Middle East and North Africa, where international and regional gaming professionals can share information and build partnerships. For local companies it is a platform to establish and grow the gaming ecosystem of the region, and benefit from the international participants’ knowledge and expertise to globally expand and develop. International companies on the other hand will be able to localize their products by meeting the local industry players from games developers and publishers to media and communication partners, and by gathering insights about the MENA market.

MEGA 2016’s schedule is packed, and on its agenda is a series of game development workshops, keynote addresses by industry leaders on MENA’s gaming ecosystem, Q&A sessions, and pre-arranged B2B matchmaking meetings for business development. For its 2nd edition, MEGA will welcome more than 40 speakers who will explore and discuss a broad range of subjects, including the development of games for local Arabic audiences, the expansion and investment opportunities for international companies, and the value of strong, collaborative relationships between the MENA companies and global firms.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes to the stage Monday at the world's biggest mobile fair in Barcelona just as U.S. tech giants clash with authorities in the latest debate pitting privacy against security.

The controversy emerged earlier this month when Apple refused to help the FBI break into an iPhone belonging to the late Syed Farook, who along with his wife went on a deadly shooting rampage in California's San Bernardino in December.

South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG unveiled Sunday new smartphones with better cameras and turned to virtual reality to boost interest in their headsets at a time of slowing sales.

Samsung launched two versions of its flagship phone, the flat screen Galaxy S7 and the curved screen Galaxy S7 edge, with cameras that can take better pictures under low-light conditions.

A court order the U.S. government requested to force Apple to unlock an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino shooting rampage is about "the victims and justice," FBI Director James Comey said.

In his first public remarks since Apple CEO Tim Cook said he would fight the federal magistrate's order, Comey said the Justice Department's request is simply about gaining access to the locked phone.

South Korea's handset maker LG on Sunday unveiled its first modular smartphone, the G5, in Barcelona in a bid to counter competition from its major rival Samsung.

The new premium model -- made using different components that can be independently upgraded or replaced -- comes with a removable battery and accessories such as virtual reality headset and a sound system developed by Danish firm Bang & Olufsen.

Here's another use for the smartphone as it invades daily life: in place of your debit card at your bank cash machine.

The "cardless" automatic teller machine (ATM) is gaining ground in the U.S. and around the world, with smartphone technology allowing for speedier and more secure transactions.

Yahoo said Friday it had named a committee to study the company's "strategic alternatives," moving a step closer toward a breakup or sale of the troubled Internet pioneer.

The California tech group had already said it was reviewing other options even as it carries out a major restructuring, but the formation of an independent panel moves that process forward.

The tech industry is starting to line up with Apple in its fight against the federal government over the encryption it uses to keep iPhones secure.

Earlier this week, a U.S. magistrate ordered Apple to help investigators break into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. Apple has until next Tuesday to challenge that ruling, setting the stage for a legal clash that could determine whether tech companies or government authorities get the final say on just how secure devices like smartphones can be.

A Google balloon, part of the company's high-speed Internet service known as "Project Loon", crashed in a Sri Lankan tea plantation during its maiden test flight, local police said Thursday.

Villages found the deflated balloon with its electronic equipment in the island's central tea-growing region of Gampola on Wednesday night, an officer told Agence France Presse.