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Robinhood’s platform is showing no signs of disruption after earlier reports emerged of a service breakdown affecting user access to its trading tools.

The company’s official status portal now declares “All Systems Operational,” even as its legacy status page has been retired. Meanwhile, independent monitors such as StatusGator and Uptime report no active outages.

Accounts of platform failure surfaced earlier today, with multiple users posting screenshots of login failures, trading delays and “app frozen” errors. Robinhood’s support centre responded with standard troubleshooting advice: update the app, check network connectivity, and switch to cellular data if needed.

Analysts and platform watchers say the timing of such incidents often elevates anxiety in retail trading communities, particularly when broader market volatility is feeding uncertainty. Past disruptions at Robinhood have been linked to temporary liquidity shifts and skewed price responses in thinly traded stocks. A study published in a financial markets journal suggests that outages on digital trading platforms tend to reduce order imbalances—but only until normal service resumes.

The brokerage has faced similar failures before, most notably during the meme-stock frenzy and other high-volume trading periods. In 2020, service breakdowns prompted class-action lawsuits, claiming users lost money because orders could not be processed. The company later agreed to settle those lawsuits and paid penalties to state regulators.

Regulators have continued to scrutinise Robinhood’s operations. In March, the company agreed to pay $29.75 million to settle a FINRA probe over inadequate supervision, lax anti-money laundering controls, and failures in handling order execution policies. Under that settlement, $26 million is assigned as a fine and $3.75 million as customer restitution. The firm did not admit wrongdoing.

Market observers say this backdrop intensifies scrutiny over any glitch at Robinhood. Trust in digital brokerages hinges on uninterrupted service, especially for retail investors who often enter or exit positions during sharp market moves.

Robinhood recently announced moves to expand in the UK, directly challenging legacy platforms like Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell. Its planned British entry includes proposals for a no-fee stocks and shares ISA and prediction market offerings, pending discussions with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

Internal sources suggest the company is investing heavily in backend resilience and redundancy to mitigate future downtime risks. Whether today’s incident will spur formal review or regulatory inquiry remains to be seen.

Teams at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai will put liquid-cooled AI laptops under extreme thermal stress, testing whether advanced cooling systems can uphold sustained performance in one of the world’s harshest climates. Omnix International’s HOT Systems division, in partnership with PNY, will unveil a lineup of AI workstations, liquid-cooled laptops and the new HOT Guard monitoring suite, aiming to prove that these machines can maintain stability in high ambient temperatures.

At the heart of the exhibit is the challenge posed by regional heat: daytime temperatures in Dubai frequently exceed 40 °C, while indoor exhibition halls still pose cooling constraints. For high-performance AI workloads—particularly those involving CAD, BIM and machine learning—thermal throttling can cripple throughput. HOT Systems claims its integrated cooling and hardware optimisation can circumvent that performance drop. The accompanying HOT Guard software will monitor temperatures, fan and pump behaviour and security in real time on site.

Liquid cooling is no novelty in high-density server enclosures, but applying it in portable form factors presents a tougher engineering problem. In data centres, the shift from air to liquid systems has accelerated because conventional cooling struggles to keep up with power densities above 10–15 kW per rack. Liquid systems offer reduced power use, higher thermal headroom and often reclaimed waste heat reuse. But translating that to mobile form demands compact and robust fluid paths, efficient pumps, and risk control against leakage.

Advances in chip cooling are reinforcing that liquid systems represent more than a marginal improvement. Microsoft engineers have developed a microfluidics cooling technique that embeds coolant channels within the silicon substrate itself, enhancing heat removal efficiency at the chip level. That suggests future AI hardware may increasingly rely on liquid solutions at a micro scale.

Regional data centre operators are already embracing the shift: Khazna Data Centres, active across the UAE, has rolled out the country’s first liquid-cooled AI data centre and is developing more AI-optimised campuses. The move reflects recognition that standard cooling infrastructure cannot scale profitably with AI workloads.

Technical design choices behind liquid cooling include direct-to-chip systems, which place cold plates atop CPUs or GPUs, and immersion cooling, where liquid envelops hardware. The former is more suited for modular, retrofit deployments; the latter can offer full heat removal but introduces maintenance and material challenges, especially for localised devices. A recent review in AI systems architecture emphasises single-phase direct cooling as a flexible compromise for power levels below extreme thresholds, though it demands high reliability in fluid delivery and sealing.

Within the exhibition context, the HOT Systems demo will likely emphasise sustained throughput rather than peak benchmarks. The company plans real-world workflows—such as rendering, simulation and AI model inference—to demonstrate how the cooling system maintains clock speeds under load. PNY’s involvement underlines the reliance on qualified memory, GPUs and driver support, ensuring that thermal gains translate into usable computing stability.

End-users in architecture, media, engineering and AI fields are closely watching such developments. If heat throttling can be mitigated in this climate, portable AI rigs could expand in markets previously constrained to air-conditioned labs. But adoption depends on how well the solutions resist failure under harsh dust, vibration and heat cycles inherent to Gulf environments.

Prinker, a South Korea–based self-expression technology firm, is launching its full suite of personalization solutions in the Middle East and North Africa region at GITEX GLOBAL 2025, seeking to penetrate a market showing robust growth in beauty and personal care.

At its Dubai showcase, Prinker will debut Prinker POP, a smart beauty kiosk that enables users to mix and preview custom makeup palettes via a touchscreen interface and AI-driven simulation. It will also bring its handheld devices—Prinker S and Prinker M—capable of applying temporary, skin-safe tattoos within seconds, as well as a standalone Prinker Tattoo Kiosk allowing users to self-apply designs in malls or entertainment venues without staff assistance.

The company aims to tap into accelerating demand for experiential retail and personalisation in beauty, positioning itself at the intersection of tech and aesthetics as regional consumers and retailers seek interactive, low-risk forms of self-expression.

The MENA beauty and personal care market is projected to expand sharply, with estimates placing its value at around USD 95.2 billion by 2030 and an annual growth rate of 9.0 %. Rising digital penetration, social media influence, and youthful demographics are driving demand for personalised and immersive beauty experiences.

Prinker’s approach reflects broader industry trends in tech-infused beauty. Beauty firms worldwide are increasingly adopting AR mirrors, AI skin diagnostics, and custom formulation platforms. Yet few have ventured into on-demand, skin-printing devices in public retail spaces. Prinker positions its handheld and kiosk systems as a bridge between digital and physical engagement.

Retailers and salon operators in the region may see appeal in integrating Prinker’s solutions as a customer acquisition tool. By offering interactive touchpoints, brands can boost dwell time and cross-sell products. Prinker’s machines also reduce staff overhead and allow consistent brand experiences across locations.

Prinker’s global track record includes deployments for brand activations and content creation campaigns in Asia and the United States. However, scaling into MENA requires navigating regulatory regimes for cosmetic safety, cultural sensibilities around appearance, and localisation of designs to reflect regional tastes.

Prinker faces competition from AR/VR beauty apps that let users visualise makeup digitally, as well as legacy cosmetic brands developing custom blends in stores. But none currently replicate live, direct-to-skin printing in physical venues. Prinker’s advantage lies in marrying hardware and software with a frictionless user experience.

Executives leading Prinker’s expansion emphasise strategic partnerships. They plan to collaborate with regional beauty chains, department stores and mall operators, integrating kiosks into high-footfall environments. They also intend to localise design libraries—such as Arabic calligraphy motifs and regionally relevant patterns—to enhance appeal.

Analysts note that success will depend on commercial viability: cost per use, durability, and consumer uptake. Prinker will need to balance affordability with perceptible novelty so that users perceive value in transient tattoos or customised palettes.

Lagos welcomed commissioners for Innovation, Science and Technology from states across Nigeria to a high-level roundtable held under the aegis of the GITEX Africa tech gathering. The objective: align digital agendas, forge inter-state partnerships, and drive inclusive growth in a rapidly evolving ICT landscape.

The meeting convened key figures including Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, and Lagos Commissioner Olatunbosun Alake, together with commissioners from Enugu, Cross River, Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Yobe, Nasarawa, Ogun, Niger, Plateau, Borno, Zamfara and Ondo. Lagos State’s Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Science and Technology, Ibilola Kasunmu, also participated in framing the discussions. Observers noted that the roundtable sought to embed state-level digital initiatives into Nigeria’s broader national strategy.

Alake emphasised Lagos’s ambition to serve as a model for digital infrastructure, talent development and regulatory innovation. He proposed that states engage in exchange programmes, technical cooperation, and peer learning in domains ranging from broadband deployment to digital skills training. Salisu urged the participants to tie ICT plans to each state’s development priorities—education, healthcare, finance—to ensure sustained political will and funding. He flagged work underway in the National Assembly on bills to strengthen cybersecurity, data protection, and innovation regulation.

The roundtable in Lagos marks a shift toward greater coordination among sub-national actors in Nigeria’s digital transition. Until now, many states have pursued ICT policies in isolation, often duplicating efforts or confronting resource gaps. This initiative signals more strategic collaboration.

Beyond the roundtable, Lagos reiterated its commitment to leading the digital transformation. The state has pledged to sustain investment in fibre networks, smart city systems, regulatory reform and innovation hubs. Officials announced that Lagos will increase support for start-ups through grants, incubators and mentorship programmes. The state also seeks to broker partnerships between academic institutions, the private sector and state governments to expand capacity in AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity.

Voices from attending states expressed cautious optimism. Cross River’s commissioner described the roundtable as “the first step toward removing silos” and noted plans to adopt digital identity and analytics platforms in her jurisdiction. Enugu’s commissioner underscored the need for shared platforms rather than bespoke solutions in each state, to reduce costs and foster interoperability.

Atelic today unveiled Atelic Studio, a new toolkit designed to help companies deploy enterprise-grade AI solutions with enhanced security, streamlined integration and measurable business returns. The Dubai-based firm says Studio represents a shift toward more accessible, modular and trustworthy AI for sectors such as industry, healthcare and energy markets.

Atelic presents Studio as a vendor-agnostic, multi-tenant platform that supports organisations in managing AI model deployment, data pipelines and governance from a unified interface. The company emphasises that the goal is to deliver “trusted AI” at scale — giving enterprises control over security and compliance while achieving return on investment.

According to Atelic, Studio’s architecture layers include model management, access control, explainability tools and deployment orchestration. It supports hybrid and cloud environments and allows users to plug in models from existing AI providers or open-source frameworks. In promotional documentation, the company describes Studio as both “secure” and “strategic” — stressing that enterprises should not just build models but build them for business impact.

Atelic’s background lies in AI software, chatbots, predictive analytics and data engineering across markets. Earlier projects focused on custom AI solutions, but the push with Studio marks a move toward a standardised platform offering. The firm’s public profile positions it as a tech partner aiming to help organisations “automate, innovate, and grow.”

Industry analysts note that the challenge Atelic is trying to solve is not trivial: many enterprises struggle with integrating AI into legacy infrastructure, managing security risks, and proving business value. Such obstacles have prevented AI pilots from crossing into production in many firms. If Studio lives up to its claims, it could attract customers looking for a balanced bridge between agility and control.

In the Middle East, the push for digital transformation has seen strong governmental and corporate backing. Atelic anticipates demand from local energy, healthcare and industrial firms that are under pressure to adopt AI responsibly. The company says it will offer pilot engagements through regional partnerships to demonstrate local compliance, security and use-case feasibility.

Atelic has not publicly disclosed pricing or commercial terms for Studio. Observers believe the platform market is crowded—competitors include major cloud AI platforms, AI ops tools, and niche MLOps startups. The success of Studio will hinge on differentiation: the promise of enterprise trust, modular integration, and clear business metrics.

Technical job listings from Atelic suggest the company is building out the platform’s infrastructure: a Full Stack Software Developer role cites work on an “AI industrial platform” using a multi-tenant architecture. Meanwhile, a short video presentation of Studio describes it as a secure, vendor-agnostic AI user interface that aims to future-proof enterprises as requirements evolve.

iFLYTEK is stepping up its engagement in the Middle East, unveiling two flagship AI products at GITEX 2025 in Dubai as part of a broader strategy to localise its offerings and anchor its presence in the region.

The company’s showcase spans three core portfolios—AI Translation, AI Infrastructure and AI Solutions—tailored for Gulf markets, with particular emphasis on Arabic dialect support and secure deployment. Among the new offerings is the AI Translation Earbuds, designed to enable seamless multilingual communication, and the e-ink AINote 2 work device, both making their global debut at the event. The debut underscores iFLYTEK’s intent to go beyond product marketing, emphasising solutions that address regional business needs.

Vincent Zhan, Vice President of iFLYTEK, asserted that the company is focused “to deliver intelligent solutions that address real business challenges” rather than merely present tech demonstrations. The firm has already placed a local team in Dubai to oversee deployment, maintenance, and customer support. It also customised algorithms to handle multiple Arabic dialects, expecting that linguistic responsiveness will differentiate it from global rivals.

iFLYTEK’s portfolio for the event includes the Spark WallEX system, designed for intelligent space management, along with Spark Smart Blackboard and Spark GuideX. The firm says these are engineered to support a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, enterprise operations and government. Its “All-in-One AI Solution” is positioned as a secure infrastructure package for organisations seeking turnkey AI adoption.

The Middle East expansion is part of a larger international push. Outside Asia, iFLYTEK is targeting Europe, as trade tensions and regulatory pressures create incentives to diversify markets. It is reportedly planning offices in France and Hungary, with growth ambitions in Spain and Italy. In March 2025, Zhan cited tariffs in the US as influencing iFLYTEK’s decision to look more aggressively into Europe and the Gulf.

China’s AI giant also faces headwinds. It was placed on a US trade blacklist in 2019, making procurement of certain high-end components dependent on US approvals. To mitigate vulnerability, iFLYTEK has shifted many of its models to Huawei’s chip platforms. It developed its Xinghuo X1 large language model in partnership with Huawei, reportedly running entirely on domestic chips. The firm claims to have pushed chip efficiency from 20 per cent to nearly 80 per cent of equivalent U. S. hardware, though Huawei leadership acknowledges that domestic chips still lag behind by a generation.

Market observers note that iFLYTEK’s shift toward the Gulf aligns with governments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia pushing AI-first national strategies. However, the company must navigate regulatory, data residency and market competition risks. In the Gulf, local AI and language processing firms are emerging, and global players like Amazon and Microsoft are pressing deeper into the region.

iFLYTEK’s presence at major global events is integral to its positioning. In July 2025, at MWC Shanghai, it launched the Spark All-in-One AI Machine and Dual-Screen Translator 2.0—capable of handling translation across dozens of languages—to reinforce its push into enterprise AI. The company has also rolled out smart products such as the AINOTE Air 2 across Asia and Gulf markets, with strong uptake in multilingual productivity segments.

Grayscale Investments has enabled staking on its Grayscale Ethereum Trust and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust, making them the first U. S.-listed spot exchange-traded products to support native staking functions. In tandem, its Solana trust has also activated staking, pending regulatory approval for an exchange listing.

The introduction means investors in ETHE and ETH can now earn staking rewards while retaining exposure to Ether’s spot price. Grayscale says staking operations will be managed via institutional custodians and a distributed network of validator providers. The firm emphasises that staking is passive, intending to support protocol security while offering additional yield.

ETHE and ETH are not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, placing them outside the conventional ETF regulatory regime. That structure allows flexibility but also exposes investors to different oversight and risk frameworks. GSOL, currently quoted over the counter, must undergo a formal uplisting process to align with exchange-traded product standards.

The regulatory environment has posed ongoing challenges for staking-enabled products. Earlier in 2025, the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission delayed decisions on staking features in ether ETFs proposed by major issuers. The SEC has articulated concerns that staking may constitute an offer of securities, complicating how such products can be structured under existing law. Grayscale’s new move comes amid evolving guidance around liquid staking receipts and the broader regulatory calibration of crypto ETPs.

Grayscale currently controls approximately half of U. S. ETP-held Ethereum, and as of the end of September 2025, the firm reported around $35 billion in assets under management. The firm has already staked tens of thousands of ETH, deploying mechanisms to balance liquidity demands with staking commitments. It uses what it calls a “liquidity sleeve”—a pool of unstaked tokens and short-term financing—to meet redemption requests without forcing premature withdrawals from staking pools.

Analysts note that Ethereum staking yields in the market range around 2 per cent annually, while Solana’s higher inflation and protocol incentives can push staking returns to double digits. For yield-seeking investors, a staking-enabled ETP structure promises a more seamless way to tap into rewards without managing validator nodes or staking accounts directly.

Yet the innovation also carries risks: validator slashing penalties, network downtime, and the volatility of token prices remain material. Because Grayscale’s staking is passive, investors’ rewards reflect aggregated validator performance. The firm has committed to transparency through regular reports disclosing validator partnerships, staking activity, and operational metrics.

By Nitya Chakraborty Indian foreign policy makers have at last showing some mature understanding of the geopolitics of the post-Trump.2 months if the external affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar’s observations at the concluding session of Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on Sunday, are any indication. The minister was quite candid in explaining the complexity […]

The article EAM Jaishankar Is Right: Trump Has To Respect India’s Red Lines appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

Dubai has issued Law No. of 2025 to regulate the professional practice of engineering consultancy firms, forbidding unlicensed operations and introducing a tiered classification system.

Under the law, no individual or office may conduct consultancy across fields such as architectural, civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, geological or coastal engineering in the emirate without proper authorisation. Firms must hold a valid trade licence, register with Dubai Municipality, and submit detailed disclosures regarding their licensed scope, classification, and technical staff credentials.

A unified electronic platform, to be integrated with “Invest in Dubai,” will centralise firm registration, classification, issuance of competency certificates, and updates to consultancy qualifications.

A permanent “Committee for the Regulation and Development of Engineering Consultancy Activities” will be established under the law, chaired by a Dubai Municipality representative and comprising stakeholders from relevant authorities, tasked with overseeing implementation and resolving sectoral disputes.

The legislation classifies eligible firms into several categories: local Dubai-based companies; branches of UAE-based consultancies with at least three consecutive years of experience; branches of foreign consultancies with at least ten years of global experience; joint ventures between local and foreign players with at least a decade of consultancy track record; advisory offices led by registered engineers with a decade of experience; and engineering audit offices providing third-party evaluations.

Firms are barred from operating beyond their licence scope, hiring unregistered engineers or subcontracting to unlicensed entities. Violations can attract fines up to AED 100,000, stricter penalties for repeat breaches, suspension, downgrading classification, removal from the registry, licence cancellation, or revocation of professional certificates. Affected parties may file appeals within 30 days and decisions must be issued within 30 days, communicated within five working days.

Existing regulations under Local Order No. 89 of 1994 and its amendments will remain effective until new implementing regulations are issued, provided they do not conflict with the new law.

Consultancy firms and staff will have one year from the law’s effective date to regularise their status; extensions may be granted, and expired registrations can be renewed by committing to full compliance.

Dubai’s move mirrors the emirate’s broader legal recalibration of the infrastructure sector. In July 2025, Law No. 7 of 2025 was enacted to regulate contracting activities, consolidating prior laws and mandating registration, classification, subcontracting oversight and ethics codes across construction and engineering services. The new consultancy law can be seen as a complementary measure to ensure that consultancy services feeding into contracting projects meet defined quality and governance standards.

Industry stakeholders have expressed cautious optimism about the changes. Some consultancy firms believe the law will reduce unfair competition by eliminating unlicensed operators, thus raising standards overall. Others warn of compliance costs, especially for smaller local consultancies that may struggle to meet classification thresholds or hire adequately certified staff.

Regional and international firms see opportunity in the rule clarity and the potential to compete more transparently. Observers expect the new digital registry and classification framework to influence government procurement and tenders by favouring higher-ranked consultancies.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman is leading a high-stakes campaign across East Asia and the Middle East to secure investment and bolster chip supply for the company’s AI infrastructure push. He has held talks since late September in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan with leading hardware suppliers to prioritise OpenAI’s orders and expand capacity.

Altman has met with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Foxconn, as well as Samsung and SK Hynix, pressing them to accelerate production and give OpenAI preferential access. In South Korea, Samsung and SK Hynix have signed letters of intent to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s data centres. Meanwhile, OpenAI plans further fundraising discussions in the United Arab Emirates.

The urgency of Altman’s mission reflects the intensifying global competition for advanced computing resources. OpenAI projects it will spend around US$16 billion this year on renting computing servers, with long-term forecasts stretching to US$400 billion by 2029 as AI models grow ever more complex.

Industry analysts note that the semiconductor supply chain remains highly constrained. TSMC dominates GPU chip production, and memory manufacturing is largely concentrated in East Asia, creating significant strategic leverage for the manufacturers approached by Altman.

As part of his tour, Altman is also pressing Japanese firms to contribute to infrastructure support. Hitachi has entered discussions to provide power transmission and distribution systems for OpenAI’s data centres, while sharing technical resources under joint development agreements.

Sources familiar with the process say Altman pushed for direct prioritisation in chip delivery schedules, asking that OpenAI receive top-tier production slots. In some cases, he proposed co-investment or co-development of next-generation AI hardware to bind partner incentives more closely.

In South Korea, early architecture proposals include planned data centres of 20 megawatts in collaboration with Samsung and SK Hynix. Altman is reportedly exploring “floating” data centre designs to manage land constraints and cooling demands.

The UAE leg of his mission is expected to involve negotiations with sovereign investment firms such as MGX and Mubadala, with the aim of funding both OpenAI’s expansion and joint infrastructure ventures in the region. In past rounds, UAE investors have already taken part in funding OpenAI operations.

Challenges remain significant. The sheer scale of chips and memory required for stacked AI model training is pushing the boundaries of global wafer fabrication capacity. Market watchers point to the high capital expenditure and long lead times in the semiconductor industry as obstacles to rapid scaling. Some of Altman’s proposals—for example, co-development of bespoke ASICs—are still in preliminary stages and face technical risk.

OpenAI’s valuation and investor backing give the company leverage. Earlier this year, it closed deals that valued it at about US$500 billion, with new capital injections from investors including SoftBank and UAE entities. Those moves have fortified its position in negotiating upstream deals with manufacturers.