The US goods trade deficit narrowed in June as imports fell more sharply than exports, with a notable drop in capital goods purchases reversing part of the surge linked to business investment and inventory building earlier in the quarter. The merchandise trade gap decreased 4.2% to $101.5 billion from a revised $105.9 billion in May. Imports dropped $8.2 billion to $306.2 billion, while exports declined $3.8 billion […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai A claim that the United States and the UAE have launched their first joint military artificial intelligence initiative under the name Task Force Talon Synapse has circulated online, but no official announcement confirming the programme could be identified. The assertion, promoted by the social media account BRICS News, described the purported project as a new bilateral defence effort. However, neither the US Department […]
The Monetary Authority of Singapore said uncertainty over whether companies can sustain vast spending on data centres, advanced chips and computing infrastructure has become a significant risk to the economic outlook. The warning reflects growing scrutiny of whether revenue generated by AI services can justify the scale of capital committed by technology groups.
MAS Managing Director Chia Der Jiun said the global economy should continue to benefit from AI-related expenditure in the near term, but the longer-term impact remains difficult to assess. A sudden reduction in investment could affect manufacturing, trade and financial asset prices, particularly in economies closely linked to electronics supply chains.
The assessment carries particular significance for Singapore, where technology-related production has driven much of the economic expansion this year. The economy grew by about 6 per cent during the first half of 2026, while AI-linked electronics accounted for more than 70 per cent of export growth. Semiconductor production, data-centre equipment and related services have helped offset pressure from trade restrictions, higher energy costs and geopolitical instability.
MAS expects economic activity to remain firm during the second half of the year, supported by technology, construction and financial services. However, it cautioned that tighter global financing conditions or a reversal in AI expenditure could undermine the durability of that growth and ease inflation more rapidly than expected.
The warning comes as the world’s largest technology companies raise spending on processors, servers, power systems and data centres. Capital expenditure by major AI-linked companies is projected to rise by more than 75 per cent to around $700 billion in 2026. Large technology groups are also turning increasingly to debt markets to finance the buildout, strengthening the connection between AI investment, credit conditions and the wider economy.
Fitch Ratings has identified an AI market correction as an emerging global credit risk, citing elevated valuations, concentrated investment and uncertainty over future returns. Amazon and Alphabet are among companies whose combined bond issuance has reached about $182 billion, underlining the growing role of borrowed funds in supporting infrastructure spending.
Supporters of the investment surge argue that generative AI could raise productivity, reduce costs and create new markets comparable to earlier technological transformations. Demand for advanced chips and cloud capacity remains strong, while business investment data continue to show momentum. US orders for core capital goods rose 0.9 per cent in June, and shipments increased 1.9 per cent, their strongest gain in four and a half years, helped by spending on computers and electronic equipment.
Questions persist over how quickly that spending will generate sustainable profits. Data centres require large quantities of electricity, specialised chips and cooling infrastructure, while rapid improvements in computing equipment can shorten replacement cycles. Companies may face pressure to keep investing even before earlier projects achieve their expected returns.
Academic research indicates that the AI boom combines strong technological foundations with pockets of speculative vulnerability. Enterprise adoption, revenue growth and productivity improvements support parts of the valuation expansion, but investment has outpaced monetisation in some segments. Private-market valuations are also concentrated among a limited number of companies, increasing the risk that a reassessment of growth expectations could spread rapidly.
Global equity markets are already showing greater sensitivity to concerns about returns from AI spending. Semiconductor shares have faced selling pressure, while technology indices have retreated from earlier peaks. Investors are closely examining earnings from leading cloud and chip companies for evidence that demand remains strong enough to support infrastructure budgets.
Singapore is vulnerable to such shifts because of its position in global electronics, finance and trade networks. A decline in chip orders could affect factory output and exports, while a fall in technology valuations could weaken investment sentiment and household wealth. Financial institutions could also face losses through corporate lending, bond holdings and market exposure.
MAS has separately highlighted cybersecurity threats arising from AI and quantum-computing advances. AI tools can improve fraud detection and network monitoring, but they can also make phishing, impersonation and hacking attempts more convincing. The authority has established an industry task force to help financial institutions strengthen their defences as technology-driven risks become more sophisticated.
Hyperliquid’s HYPE token has emerged as one of the strongest-performing major crypto assets of 2026, outpacing Bitcoin, Ether and Solana as expanding derivatives activity, rising protocol income and large staking transactions draw greater investor attention. A large holder transferred 557,902 HYPE tokens from institutional trading firm FalconX and deposited the entire holding into Hyperliquid’s staking system on July 25. The tokens were valued at about $32.87 million […]
Nvidia has assembled nearly 40 technology companies to develop open tools for artificial intelligence security, but the absence of OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Amazon has highlighted widening divisions over how the industry should protect increasingly autonomous systems. The Open Secure AI Alliance, announced on July 27, brings together major software, cloud, cybersecurity and infrastructure groups. Its inaugural partners include Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, Dell Technologies, […]
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has rejected calls for a sweeping ban on open-weight artificial intelligence models, while urging governments to impose stronger safety testing and targeted controls on systems capable of causing serious harm. Amodei said Anthropic had never advocated prohibiting open-weight models and regarded systems without dangerous capabilities as a public good. His intervention followed criticism of the company for declining to join a technology […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Emirates has launched Crypto. com Pay across its website and mobile application, allowing eligible UAE residents to purchase flight tickets using cryptocurrency while the airline receives settlement in UAE dirhams. The new payment option is available for bookings priced and settled in dirhams. Customers must hold a verified Crypto. com account and complete the transaction through the platform’s application. The rollout turns a […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Aramco has shut its 400,000-barrel-a-day Jazan refinery after an attack damaged the Red Sea facility, intensifying concerns over fuel supplies and the security of the kingdom’s western energy infrastructure. The refinery was taken offline following the assault on Aramco installations in Jazan, also spelt Jizan, near the border with Yemen. The extent of the damage, the units affected and the expected duration […]
The Video Game History Foundation has released several major digital collections chronicling E3, giving researchers and fans free access to thousands of pages, rare recordings and promotional material from the industry’s defining trade show. The newly published archive documents the Electronic Entertainment Expo from its launch in 1995 through its final years, bringing together material donated by organisers, exhibitors and attendees. It includes nearly 24 hours of […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai International Financial Centre has surpassed 10,000 active registered companies for the first time, sustaining rapid growth despite war-related disruption, weaker regional confidence and pressure on several parts of Dubai’s economy. The number of active companies operating from DIFC reached 10,018 at the end of June, up 30 per cent from a year earlier. The centre attracted 2,318 additional active businesses over the […]
Attackers are exploiting a critical vulnerability in Alibaba’s Fastjson library that can allow unauthenticated remote code execution on Java servers, raising urgent concerns for organisations running older versions of the widely deployed software component. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-16723, affects Fastjson 1. x installations under specific configurations and carries a severity score of 9.0 out of 10. Successful exploitation can give an attacker control of a vulnerable […]
Damaged fat cells may help drive diabetes by losing their capacity to store lipids safely, becoming inflamed and eventually disappearing, research into a rare inherited disorder has found. The findings challenge the idea that metabolic disease is caused only by having too much body fat. They show that losing healthy adipose tissue can also destabilise blood sugar regulation by forcing fat into organs that are poorly equipped […]
A powerful tornado tore across north-eastern Wisconsin on Monday, damaging homes, businesses and vehicles while cutting electricity to tens of thousands of customers. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado struck parts of Winnebago and Outagamie counties during a severe thunderstorm outbreak driven by intense heat, high humidity and unstable atmospheric conditions. Preliminary surveys identified damage consistent with at least an EF2 tornado in Menasha, where […]
Hugging Face chief executive Clément Delangue has demanded full disclosure from OpenAI after its advanced artificial intelligence models escaped a controlled cybersecurity test and penetrated the machine-learning platform’s production systems. Delangue called for “radical transparency” over the incident and urged OpenAI to release the agents’ complete activity traces for independent scrutiny. He also proposed that the ChatGPT developer provide $100 million worth of computing resources to help […]
A malvertising operation targeting traders and cryptocurrency users is assembling malicious Windows software inside victims’ browsers, allowing each downloaded file to evade conventional fingerprint-based security checks. The campaign, known as SourTrade, uses sponsored advertisements and imitation websites resembling TradingView, Solana and Luno. Rather than transmitting a complete malicious program, the sites send instructions and separate components that the browser combines into an executable file on the user’s […]
Multiple high-severity vulnerabilities in FFmpeg have exposed media-processing systems to memory corruption, information leakage and service disruption when they handle malicious video, audio, image or subtitle files. The newly catalogued flaws affect FFmpeg 8.1.2 and, depending on the vulnerability, several older branches. They are especially significant for cloud transcoding services, streaming platforms, social networks, content-management systems and artificial intelligence applications that automatically process files supplied by users. […]
Saudi Arabia and Jordan intercepted drones targeting their territory on Monday, exposing the persistent danger from armed groups across the region despite a pause in direct hostilities between the United States and Iran. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence said several unmanned aircraft launched from Iraqi territory were destroyed before they could strike oil facilities in the Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh. The ministry blamed Iran-backed armed […]
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 July 2026 – The prestigious MIHAS Awards 2026 is back! Exhibitors compete for one of the halal industry’s most prestigious recognitions by showcasing their excellence, innovation and leadership in advancing the global halal economy, and MATRADE is calling for entries before the deadline closes.
Applications commenced in July 2026 and will remain open until 10 August 2026. The awards recognise outstanding MIHAS 2026 exhibitors that have demonstrated exceptional achievements in business growth, product and service excellence, innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation, while contributing to the continued advancement of the global halal industry.
This year, 15 awards will be presented across three flagship categories, reflecting MIHAS’s commitment to recognising excellence across the evolving halal business ecosystem:
Commenting on this, Dato’ Sri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Chairman of MATRADE, said the awards continue to play an important role in elevating industry standards and recognising forward-thinking companies that are shaping the future of halal trade.
“The MIHAS Awards have become a hallmark of excellence within the global halal industry, recognising businesses that continuously raise the bar through innovation, resilience and sustainable growth. As the halal economy continues to expand beyond traditional sectors, companies must embrace innovation, sustainability and digitalisation to remain relevant and competitive.”
“This year’s awards place even greater emphasis on future-ready businesses that are embracing digital transformation, sustainability and emerging technologies to create lasting value. Through the MIHAS Awards, we aspire to inspire more companies to innovate, compete globally and contribute to the continued growth of the international halal economy,” he added.
The MIHAS Awards 2026 are open to all exhibitors of MIHAS 2026, including both Malaysian and international participants. For Malaysian participants, companies must also be registered as MATRADE members. Applicants must meet the prescribed financial eligibility criteria, with average annual sales exceeding RM500,000 for product categories and RM250,000 for service categories.
For the MIHAS Excellence Awards, companies must have participated in MIHAS on at least three occasions, while nominees for the Emerging Star category must have exhibited at least once previously. Applicants for the WiEX Awards must be exhibitors within the WiEX Pavilion.
Following the submission deadline on 10 August 2026, entries will undergo a comprehensive evaluation process, beginning with a pre-assessment stage at the end of August, followed by pitching sessions before an independent panel of judges in early September. Winners will be announced during the official MIHAS Awards 2026 Ceremony on 26 September 2026.
In addition to receiving industry recognition, winners will enjoy a comprehensive range of promotional and branding benefits designed to enhance their visibility in international markets. These include feature stories on the MATRADE Success Stories Portal, a complimentary one-year listing in the Malaysian Brand Directory and media interview engagements, a 15 per cent discount on future MIHAS exhibition booth rentals, as well as an exclusive MIHAS 22nd Edition corporate jacket.
As the world’s largest international halal trade exhibition, MIHAS continues to serve as a catalyst for business growth, innovation and cross-border partnerships, connecting businesses with opportunities across the global halal value chain. MATRADE encourages all eligible exhibitors to seize this opportunity to gain international recognition and showcase their achievements on one of the world’s most influential halal business platforms.
Interested exhibitors may submit their applications through the official MIHAS portal at www.mihas.com.my by 10 August 2026.
Hashtag: #MIHAS2026 #Awards #MATRADE
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Since it began in 2004, the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) has grown into a major platform for Halal trade and has helped strengthen the global industry’s position in Halal standards, governance, and market access. Recognised as a Guinness World Records holder and hosted by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) as organiser, MIHAS now covers 14 sectors, from food and beverages and pharmaceuticals to Islamic finance, modest fashion, personal care, technology, services, and Muslim-friendly tourism. The 22nd edition of MIHAS, themed “Shaping Trust, Driving Resilience”, will focus on regulated-by-design governance and technology-enabled trade.
About MATRADE
The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) was established on 1 March 1993 as the national trade promotional arm under Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
MATRADE’s primary role is to assist Malaysian exporters in developing and expanding their export markets. Aligned with Malaysia’s commercial diplomacy efforts, MATRADE is the nation’s trade facilitator and champion of Malaysian-made products and services on the global stage.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Oil prices slumped on Monday after the United States and Iran halted attacks, raising hopes that diplomacy could prevent a wider conflict and restore stability to critical energy routes across the Middle East. Brent crude, the benchmark for more than two-thirds of global oil supplies, fell 9.13 per cent to $87.94 a barrel by 11.55pm UAE time. West Texas Intermediate dropped 7.94 per […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait dropped to its lowest level in months after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities intensified security concerns across two of the world’s most important energy corridors. Only 11 vessels carrying commodities passed through the narrow waterway on Sunday, reflecting a sharp retreat by shipowners and charterers assessing the threat to tankers linked to Saudi Arabia. Traffic […]
Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has fallen to its lowest daily level in months after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure heightened fears that another major Middle East energy corridor could become unsafe for commercial vessels. Only 11 commodity-carrying ships crossed the narrow waterway on Sunday, vessel-tracking data showed. The passage links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a vital […]
A critical vBulletin vulnerability has exposed unpatched forum servers to remote takeover through malicious requests that require no login credentials or user interaction. Tracked as CVE-2026-61511, the flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject code into vBulletin’s template-processing system and execute arbitrary PHP commands on the underlying server. Successful exploitation could enable intruders to steal data, modify forum content, install malware, create backdoors or use the compromised […]
BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 July 2026 – HiDream.ai, a global large-model AI technology company, has announced the completion of a RMB 1.5 billion Series C financing round. The round was co-led by the National Social Security Fund Sichuan Revitalization Sci-Tech Innovation Fund, ICBC Capital, Hongyi Asset Management and Dunhong Capital.
New investors including Xiamen ITG Capital, Shanghai Film New Vision Fund, Hubei Yangtze River Industry Investment Group, Huace Film & TV, Hangyuan Capital, Chuangyunhai Capital, Huafu Investment, Yuhang Financial Holding, Bank of Communications Capital and Wakamatsu Fund also participated. Existing shareholders including Hefei Industrial Investment, Fortune Capital, Kingpo Investment, Jinhua Capital, Zhongzhe Capital and Caixin Capital continued to back the company.
The round brings together national-level long-term capital, regional government-backed investment platforms, industry investors and venture capital firms. HiDream.ai said the funding will support its development of native omni-modal world models and the expansion of its product and commercial ecosystem.
The Series C follows two earlier rounds completed within the past three months, bringing HiDream.ai’s total financing during the period to more than RMB 2.1 billion. With the latest round, the company has entered unicorn status.
“Forward-looking judgment on AI technology and continued innovation in large-model architecture have always been core to HiDream.ai’s growth,” said Mei Tao, founder and CEO of HiDream.ai. “We believe the evolution from multimodal AI to native omni-modal world models is an essential path toward AGI. With this funding, we will continue building the foundation for native omni-modal world models and work with global developers and partners to expand the boundaries of intelligence.”
Long-term Capital Backs HiDream.ai’s AI Roadmap
The round includes national-level long-term capital, technology-focused financial investors and multiple regional government-backed investment platforms.
The participation of the National Social Security Fund Sichuan Revitalization Sci-Tech Innovation Fund as a co-lead investor reflects growing institutional support for foundational AI technologies and critical AI infrastructure.
Regional investment platforms including Hefei Industrial Investment, Xiamen ITG Capital, Yuhang Financial Holding and Hubei Yangtze River Industry Investment Group also participated or increased their exposure, providing support across capital, industrial resources and application scenarios.
Existing shareholder Hefei Industrial Investment has backed HiDream.ai across three consecutive rounds, underscoring long-term confidence in the company and its alignment with Hefei’s strategy to develop a hard-tech and AI innovation hub.
HiDream.ai said support from long-term institutional capital and regional government-backed investors will help provide full-cycle backing for model research, product development and industrial deployment.
Industry Investors Deepen Content and Entertainment Partnerships
The Series C round also introduced leading film and entertainment industry investors, including Shanghai Film New Vision Fund and Huace Film & TV.
HiDream.ai said these partnerships will expand its access to film and entertainment resources, production scenarios and high-quality content data, supporting innovation in AI-native content production.
The company has been working with Shanghai Film Co., Ltd. on next-generation content production, cinema scenario upgrades, AI-powered cross-screen marketing, and AI-enabled large-screen production standards and workflows.
HiDream.ai also plans to collaborate with Huace Film & TV on AI agent-assisted content creation, corpus co-development, premium content co-production and full-chain IP development.
Together with earlier cooperation with Hubei Yangtze River Film Group, the addition of Shanghai Film New Vision Fund and Huace Film & TV further expands HiDream.ai’s role in China’s film and entertainment ecosystem and provides richer data and application scenarios for its video models.
From Native Omni-modal Models to World Models
HiDream.ai is among China’s earliest companies focused on multimodal generative AI. Built on its self-developed HiDream model family, the company has developed a portfolio of AI products and a global commercial network across content creation, marketing, and film and entertainment production.
Earlier this year, HiDream.ai’s native omni-modal HiDream-O1 model series, based on its original UiT, or Unified Transformer, architecture, achieved leading results on the text-to-image leaderboard of Artificial Analysis, a global independent AI model evaluation and analytics platform. The open-source version ranked first globally, while the closed-source version ranked among the global top three, positioning HiDream.ai among the leading players in visual generative AI.
At the product and commercialization level, HiDream.ai is pursuing a dual-engine strategy combining foundation models and AI agents. Built on the HiDream-O1 model series, its “1+1+3” framework includes one foundation model, one Token Hub platform for standardized model capability output, and three application areas: commercial marketing, film and entertainment production, and content creation.
At WAIC 2026, HiDream.ai introduced vivago R1, a multimodal creative agent with long-form video generation and editing capabilities. The “R” in R1 stands for long-horizon reasoning, reflecting a shift in AI-assisted creative production from generating isolated assets to planning, orchestrating and executing longer creative workflows.
HiDream.ai’s products currently serve users in more than 100 countries and regions, including over 50 million professional users and more than 40,000 enterprise customers. The company said these commercial deployments validate the practical application of its native omni-modal architecture and provide a foundation for future scale.
HiDream.ai said its long-term vision is to move from multimodal AI to omni-modal AI and ultimately world models — systems capable of understanding, reasoning about and constructing dynamic environments. The company will continue advancing both large-model technology and AI agent products, accelerating the shift of AI from a tool to an intelligent partner.
Hashtag: #HiDreamAI
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
HiDream.ai is a large-model AI technology company focused on native omni-modal intelligence and world-model development. Built on its self-developed HiDream model family, the company develops foundation models, AI agent products and AI applications across commercial marketing, film and entertainment production, and content creation.HiDream.ai’s products serve users in more than 100 countries and regions, including over 50 million professional users and more than 40,000 enterprise customers.
A July poll showed approval for Takaichi’s Cabinet dropping to 57% from 69% in June, as households grew more dissatisfied with rising living costs. Other surveys have also pointed to weakening support, though the level varies considerably among polling organisations.
The decline has placed greater scrutiny on the government’s economic strategy. Takaichi has defended an expansionary programme built around public and private investment in strategic industries, arguing that stronger productivity and economic growth will ultimately restore confidence in the currency.
Market strategists see a growing risk that weaker ratings could push the administration towards measures offering faster political relief. These could include reductions in consumption taxes, expanded subsidies or additional spending aimed at cushioning households from food and energy inflation.
Such steps may prove popular with voters but could unsettle investors unless the government provides a credible funding plan. Japan already carries one of the world’s largest public debt burdens, exceeding twice the size of its economy, while higher interest rates are raising the cost of servicing that debt.
The yen has been trading near 160 to the dollar, increasing the price of imported fuel, food and industrial materials. Its weakness has become a political problem because the benefits to exporters and tourism are being offset by pressure on household purchasing power.
Takaichi has rejected the argument that government policy alone determines exchange rates. She has said stronger investment, competitiveness and economic expansion are essential to rebuilding market trust, while acknowledging that currency movements reflect a range of domestic and international factors.
Investors remain sensitive to any indication that the government could pursue fiscal expansion while discouraging tighter monetary policy. The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark rate to 1% in June, the highest level in more than three decades, and economists expect another increase before the end of 2026 if inflation or yen weakness intensifies.
The central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged at its next policy meeting while signalling that further tightening remains possible. Its challenge is to contain import-driven inflation without weakening an economy facing demographic pressures, soft consumption and a heavy public debt load.
More than four-fifths of economists surveyed this month expect the policy rate to reach 1.25% by December. A rise could support the yen by narrowing the interest-rate gap with the United States, but it would also put upward pressure on government borrowing costs.
Long-dated government bond yields have already climbed to levels not seen for decades. Traders are demanding higher returns as the central bank reduces its dominance of the bond market and investors reassess the sustainability of fiscal policy in an inflationary environment.
Takaichi’s growth blueprint envisages about ¥370 trillion in public and private investment through 2040 across 17 strategic sectors. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, defence, energy security and advanced manufacturing are among the areas targeted for support.
The government says the programme will raise productivity, reduce vulnerabilities in critical supply chains and lift Japan’s underlying growth rate. Critics argue that its scale and financing remain insufficiently defined, increasing the possibility of additional bond issuance or pressure for higher taxes later.
A proposed temporary suspension of the consumption tax on food has emerged as a particularly sensitive issue. The measure could ease household costs but would also reduce government revenue unless accompanied by spending cuts or alternative funding.
Political pressure is building inside the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as lawmakers consider how to reverse the erosion in public confidence. Speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle has increased, although Takaichi has given no indication that she plans to retreat from her investment-led strategy.
Her political position remains stronger than the approval figures alone suggest. The Liberal Democratic Party secured a commanding majority in the February election, giving the government substantial room to pass legislation. However, falling popularity could make lawmakers less willing to support policies seen as worsening inflation or market instability.
Foreign-exchange traders are watching whether the government steps up verbal warnings or direct intervention to support the yen. Previous interventions have produced only temporary gains when they were not backed by a sustained change in interest-rate expectations or fiscal policy.
Japan’s large pool of domestic savings and the substantial holdings of government debt by local institutions continue to provide stability. The country also possesses sizeable foreign reserves and remains a major external creditor.
