In today’s Bulldog roundup of technology and science news:

  • Amazon buys Mideast’s Souq.com after $800M counteroffer
  • Uber resumes self-driving car program after brief suspension
  • Uber pulls out of Denmark citing toughening cab standards
  • Waze gets into the order-ahead business with Dunkin’ Donuts

The details:

  • Amazon buys Mideast’s Souq.com after $800M counteroffer

Amazon purchased the Middle East’s biggest online retailer Souq.com on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, a day after a state-backed firm disclosed an $800 million counteroffer.

A joint statement described the purchase as expanding Amazon’s influence into the Mideast as the chairman of the state-supported firm Emaar prepares to launch his own retail website in a country known more for its luxury malls than online shopping.

That could put Seattle-based Amazon in a head-to-head competition with a firm helmed by one of the sheikhdom’s favored business magnates.

“This is a milestone for the online shopping space in the region,” Souq.com co-founder and CEO Ronaldo Mouchawar said in a statement.

The announcement said the two companies expect the sale to close this year.

“Together, we’ll work hard to provide the best possible service for millions of customers in the Middle East,” Russ Grandinetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a statement.

In buying Souq.com, Amazon will leapfrog into the crucial Mideast markets of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where the Dubai-based retailer already has local operations.

  • Uber resumes self-driving car program after brief suspension

Uber says it is resuming its self-driving car program in Arizona and Pittsburgh after it was suspended following a crash over the weekend.

The company had also grounded self-driving cars in San Francisco over the weekend but they resumed operating earlier on Monday. The difference between the California program versus the ones in Arizona and Pennsylvania is that California does not allow passengers to ride in the vehicles.

The company said Monday that it paused the operations over the weekend to better understand what happened in Arizona, but feels confident in returning the cars to the road.

There were no serious injuries reported in the incident in Tempe, Arizona on Friday night. Police said the self-driving Uber SUV was obeying the law while the human driver of the other car was cited for a moving violation.

Uber says it is investigating the incident and that there were no passengers in the back seat of the self-driving car.

Multiple automakers and technology companies are testing fleets of self-driving vehicles. In nearly all cases, the cars have backup drivers who can take the wheel in an emergency.

  • Uber pulls out of Denmark citing toughening cab standards

The Danish branch of the ride-sharing service Uber is shutting down its activities in Denmark over a law proposal that toughens standards for cabs.

Uber’s spokesman in Denmark, Kristian Agerbo, said Tuesday “we must take the consequence,” adding the proposal, demanding cabs and cars for hire must have seat occupancy sensors and meters was “going in the wrong direction.”

When the proposal was presented in February, Agerbo said Uber would stay in Denmark and “fight.”

Danish prosecutors have said Uber — banned in several cities in Europe — is akin to an illegal taxi service and a court ruling is pending on the company’s services. Uber has said some 2,000 people are “active drivers” in Denmark and some 300,000 people have downloaded the app.

  • Waze gets into the order-ahead business with Dunkin’ Donuts

Waze’s traffic navigation app already shows ads prodding drivers to swing by fast-food joints like Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell. Now it’s adding a new item to its menu — the ability to place orders at some shops.

On Tuesday, the Google-owned app will start letting drivers purchase coffee and other items from Dunkin’ Donuts for pickup along their way. It’s the first time that Waze has offered this kind of “order ahead” option, but unlikely to be the last.

If all goes well with the Dunkin’ Donuts test, Waze plans to team up with other merchants so its millions of users can order pizza, reserve parking spaces, fill prescriptions and even buy groceries without having to open another app on their phones.

“It could be almost anything that a driver could order ahead and have ready for pick up,” said Jordan Grossman, head of Waze’s business partnerships in North America.