Arabian Post Staff -Dubai SHIFT has entered a strategic partnership with Amber Connect to roll out an advanced telematics platform across its fleet operations in the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant push towards data-driven mobility management in the region. Under the agreement, SHIFT will integrate Amber Connect’s real-time vehicle tracking and analytics system into its operational infrastructure, enabling comprehensive monitoring of vehicle performance, driver behaviour and […]
YIWU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 February 2026 – As red lanterns light up the streets and alleys, Yiwu is welcoming spring in a unique way. For the international community living here, the city has transformed from a foreign commercial hub into a warm “hometown.”
This year, three expatriates shared their unique Chinese New Year experiences in Yiwu.
For Lina from Ukraine, the festival is a visual feast of “Chinese Red.” Having lived in Yiwu for five years, she immerses herself in local traditions, shopping for “Get-Rich Horse” dolls for the upcoming Year of the Horse and buying traditional red outfits to take back to her home country.
For He Lvsheng, the holiday offers a chance to find a comfortable rhythm. While he notes that the New Year isn’t celebrated with the same intensity in his home country, in Yiwu, he enjoys the festive atmosphere by buying food and toys for friends while maintaining his daily fitness routine.
For foreign businessman Weihua, the Spring Festival is about unity. He celebrates by pasting spring couplets with his Chinese employees and handing out “Hongbao” (red envelopes), turning business partners into family.
From the scent of ink on couplets to the shared joy of the holidays, Yiwu’s inclusive environment allows entrepreneurs and residents from around the world to strive, live, and turn a foreign land into home.
Hashtag: #Yiwu
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Microsoft has completed the global rollout of a new AI Workflows feature within the Teams Workflows app that uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to help users automate complex tasks and daily operations, marking a significant advance in intelligent productivity tools for organisations worldwide. Users with Microsoft 365 Copilot licences can now access preset workflow templates that harness scheduled Copilot prompts to handle repetitive actions like project summaries, data […]
Leading British boarding schools are set to deepen educational engagement with Nigerian parents and students this March through a series of exhibitions and interactive events in Abuja and Lagos, as part of UK Boarding Schools Week 2026. The initiative, driven by Mark Brooks Education, aims to provide a platform for direct dialogue between families and school leaders about admissions, academic pathways and boarding life. The programme is […]
Singapore’s drive to harness artificial intelligence as an engine of economic growth is entering a decisive phase marked by abundant ambition and clear signs of strain across company ranks. Government fiscal policy and private-sector deployment are converging on AI, but weak data infrastructure, skills gaps and uneven returns are tempering expectations even as enterprises escalate investments and policy support grows.
Last week, the nation’s Budget for the 2026 fiscal year unveiled a suite of measures aimed at elevating AI adoption across multiple industries. Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed the establishment of a National AI Council, to be chaired by himself, tasked with coordinating research, regulation and investment to align public and private interests in developing AI capability. The plan also includes National AI Missions focused on advanced manufacturing, connectivity and logistics, finance and healthcare, sectoral areas where government and business leaders see the most potential for productivity gains and value creation. The budget expands fiscal incentives with enhanced tax deductions for AI-related expenditures over the next two assessment years and widened grant schemes to support adoption, workforce training and enterprise transformation. Leaders of major consultancies said these measures signal a shift from experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption and give firms a clearer pathway to embed AI into core operations.
Despite this policy momentum, data from industry surveys and corporate research paint a more nuanced picture of utilisation and outcomes. Adoption of AI tools in Singapore is now near universal among larger firms, with about 96 per cent reporting some level of use. But a significant gap remains between deployment and measurable returns on investment. Only a minority of organisations consider themselves leaders in achieving strong, sustained ROI, indicating an emerging disconnect between AI deployment at scale and operational readiness to turn it into business value. Executives widely acknowledge that sprawling and complex data environments, coupled with cybersecurity concerns, are contributing to operational friction and risks that constrain potential gains.
Private forecasts and vendor research suggest that enterprises are committed to accelerating AI spending even as returns lag. Surveys of business leaders show average investments in AI of around SG$18.9 million, with expectations for investment growth of roughly 38 per cent over the next two years and ROI projections rising to an average of 29 per cent during the same period. Yet analysts note that these returns will depend significantly on firms’ ability to bridge gaps in data readiness and workforce capability. Many Singapore companies acknowledge limited internal training, fragmented data integration and widespread informal use of ungoverned AI tools, all of which undermine robust enterprise-level strategy and governance structures.
Structural issues are as salient as technical ones. Industry leaders point to weaknesses in reliable data foundations and the need for stronger leadership alignment to embed AI into strategic operations rather than relegated to pilot projects or isolated business functions. Senior executives contend that competitive advantage over the coming decade will be determined less by technology choice and more by how effectively organisations build hybrid human-AI teams and integrate AI into everyday workflows.
Talent acquisition and retention also feature prominently in conversations around Singapore’s AI trajectory. Advanced AI, cloud and cybersecurity skills are in high demand globally and Singapore is no exception, with firms reporting difficulty scaling teams with the specialised expertise needed to support complex AI systems. This talent shortage both drives up costs and slows the pace at which organisations can absorb and leverage new technologies.
Cloud infrastructure and advanced digital foundations are another determinant of success. Financial services institutions in Singapore, for example, are among the most advanced globally in cloud adoption, with a majority running core workloads in cloud or hybrid environments that facilitate large-scale AI deployment. This infrastructure supports use cases ranging from compliance and risk management to fraud detection and transaction monitoring. However, budget constraints, talent gaps and integration challenges remain headwinds even in these relatively strong pockets of adoption.
Commentators outside the corporate sphere emphasize the importance of inclusive growth, noting that small- and medium-sized enterprises must not be left behind in the national AI push. Business federation and consultancy leaders warn that without targeted support for smaller firms to sustain, not just adopt, AI technologies, widening capability divides could undermine broader economic innovation and productivity goals.
Sega Sammy Holdings announced a substantial impairment charge against Finnish studio Rovio Entertainment as part of its financial results for the nine months ended 31 December 2025, underscoring challenges in its bid to expand mobile gaming revenue and prompting strategic shifts in its broader gaming portfolio. The company recorded an impairment loss close to US $200 million linked to Rovio’s performance, coinciding with a sharp fall in […]
The Al-Khayyat family, a Syrian-Qatari business dynasty that rose to prominence in Doha through ventures such as Baladna dairy and Power International Holding, is accelerating its involvement in rebuilding Syria’s economy as Damascus opens up to foreign investment after years of conflict. Brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, chairing sprawling conglomerates that span food, construction, energy and financial services, are spearheading a wave of deals that could shape […]
OpenAI’s chief executive Sam Altman has said that India now has 100 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, elevating the country to the position of the platform’s second-largest market globally after the United States and underscoring its growing influence in the artificial intelligence ecosystem. Altman disclosed the figure in an opinion piece published ahead of the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where government officials and global tech leaders are convening to discuss the future of AI and its integration into education, enterprise and public services.
This milestone reflects not just a vast user base but also a distinct pattern of adoption: students in India now represent the largest single demographic of ChatGPT users worldwide, according to Altman, who highlighted the role younger generations are playing in embedding generative AI into daily workflows for learning and productivity.
The 100 million figure forms a significant share of ChatGPT’s global weekly active user count, which stood at about 800 million as of October 2025 and is widely projected to edge closer to 900 million as platforms refine their offerings and expand reach. OpenAI’s decision to open an office in New Delhi in August 2025 and tailor pricing, including a lower-cost subscription tier later made free for a year, is seen as part of a strategy to deepen engagement in what many technology firms regard as a key growth market.
Altman underscored India’s demographic advantages, including a population exceeding one billion internet users and a large proportion of English speakers outside native English-speaking countries — factors that have made the country fertile ground for generative AI adoption. Many students have turned to ChatGPT for support with research, coding, examination preparation and language practice, reflecting a broader trend of digital tools being woven into educational routines.
Despite this surge, translating sheer user numbers into sustained economic returns poses challenges for AI firms. India’s price-sensitive market and uneven internet access complicate monetisation, causing some companies to adjust their strategies to balance affordability with revenue generation. OpenAI’s tailored pricing and promotional offers have helped lower entry barriers, but broader monetisation across emerging markets may require further innovation in business models.
The competitive landscape in India’s AI space is intensifying. Alphabet’s Google has made inroads with its Gemini AI suite, aggressively targeting younger users through free one-year subscriptions and partnerships with telecom firms to broaden adoption among students and professionals. These efforts are part of a broader contest among technology giants to capture share in a market that has vast potential due to its size and digital engagement.
The presence of global tech leaders and politicians at the New Delhi summit highlights the geopolitical and economic significance of India’s AI trajectory. Policy discussions span topics from responsible AI governance and equitable access to scaling infrastructure and boosting domestic innovation capacity. Indian policymakers, alongside industry executives, are advocating approaches that leverage technology to enhance education, public services and economic participation, while grappling with concerns over job displacement and digital divides.
Altman has outlined priorities for fostering inclusive AI growth in India, emphasising the need for practical digital literacy, robust computing infrastructure and frameworks that ensure ethical deployment. Such an approach, he argues, will empower users to harness AI’s potential effectively rather than just expanding access to tools.
The prominence of India’s student base on ChatGPT has broader implications for how AI products are developed and tailored. Feedback from a large and diverse user community helps shape feature enhancements and localisation efforts, influencing global development roadmaps. For companies like OpenAI, this dynamic underscores a strategic shift from traditional markets in Europe and North America toward regions where usage patterns reflect unique demographic and cultural needs.
Nigeria has launched a sweeping industrial policy aimed at restarting idle factories, boosting domestic manufacturing and positioning Africa’s largest economy as a competitive production hub in global supply chains. Federal authorities say the framework is designed to tackle long-standing structural weaknesses that have undermined output, including erratic power supply, limited access to long-term finance, foreign exchange volatility and infrastructure gaps. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10 per […]
African Development Bank Group has approved a $200 million loan to support Nigeria’s efforts to expand agricultural production and curb reliance on food imports, reinforcing Abuja’s push to tackle food inflation and strengthen rural incomes. Board members of the AfDB cleared the financing to scale up priority investments across key value chains, targeting improved productivity, better access to inputs and enhanced storage and processing capacity. The funding […]
Metaplanet has reported a dramatic acceleration in earnings, posting a 738 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue and a 1,700 per cent jump in operating profit, underscoring the impact of its aggressive digital asset strategy and restructuring drive. The Tokyo-listed company, which has repositioned itself as a corporate holder of bitcoin, disclosed the figures in its latest financial update, signalling a sharp turnaround from its earlier years […]
Zilliz has launched a new Zilliz Cloud region in Amazon Web Services’ eu-west-1 data centre in Ireland, expanding its European infrastructure as demand for localised artificial intelligence systems accelerates across Western Europe and the United Kingdom. The move positions the vector database specialist closer to enterprise customers that require data residency, lower latency and regulatory compliance within the European Union. By deploying in AWS’s Ireland region, Zilliz […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai flydubai will operate double-daily services between Dubai and Bangkok from 15 September 2026, raising its total weekly flights on the route to 28 and strengthening Thailand’s position within the carrier’s expanding Asian network. The Dubai-based airline said the additional frequency will link Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport with Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, enhancing connectivity for leisure and business travellers. The […]
Galaxy Digital’s head of asset management, Steve Kurz, is projecting a structural shift in the cryptocurrency market as the industry grapples with price volatility and evolving investor behaviour. Speaking publicly this week, Kurz said the downturn in digital-asset prices is better understood as healthy deleveraging rather than evidence of systemic failure, and described a deepening integration between traditional financial systems and digital-asset infrastructure that he believes underpins […]
Strategy has said it could withstand a collapse in bitcoin’s price to $8,000 and still service its roughly $6 billion in net debt, outlining contingency plans that include converting portions of its borrowings into equity if market conditions deteriorate sharply. The Virginia-based software company, formerly known as MicroStrategy, has become one of the largest corporate holders of bitcoin under executive chairman Michael Saylor. Its balance sheet is […]
Wynn Resorts has posted a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profit despite edging up revenues, underscoring mounting pressure from softer gaming volumes on the Las Vegas Strip and uneven recovery in Macau as the company presses ahead with a multibillion-dollar expansion in the United Arab Emirates. The US-listed casino operator reported that net income for the final quarter fell markedly from a year earlier, even as overall revenue […]
International Holding Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment conglomerate known as IHC, has posted full-year 2025 revenue of AED111.4 billion, a rise of 29.1 per cent from a year earlier, while profit after tax climbed 35.1 per cent to AED34.7 billion, reflecting what the group described as disciplined execution and tighter cost management across its expanding portfolio. The audited results mark another year of strong expansion for […]
Emirates has signed an interline agreement with China’s Loong Air, widening its access to 22 additional destinations across the mainland and strengthening its competitive position in one of the world’s most strategically important aviation markets. The arrangement, effective immediately, enables Emirates passengers to connect beyond its existing gateways in Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong onto Loong Air-operated domestic services. The added cities span eastern, northeastern, southern, central […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Supy, the Dubai-based provider of AI-driven inventory management, procurement and business intelligence software for multi-branch restaurant operators, has reported that its revenue more than tripled in 2025 as demand for data-powered back-of-house technology accelerates across the Middle East and beyond. The company, founded in 2021 and now operating in over 30 countries, described the performance as reflecting strong uptake of cloud-based restaurant systems […]
Bringing Festive Flavours and Delicious Moments to the Community
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 February 2026 – Lee Kum Kee Sauce (“Lee Kum Kee”), the global leader of Asian sauces and condiments, marked a successful debut as the Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day in Auckland. Co-hosted by the Auckland Chinese Community Centre (ACCC) and Channel 33, this festival was held on 14 February 2026, in celebration of the upcoming Year of the Horse, bringing together families, community groups, and cultural performers.
The Lee Kum Kee booth draws strong crowds at the 2026 Auckland Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day.
Set against the backdrop of the Auckland Showgrounds, the festival featured over 200 specialist stalls offering traditional Chinese hot delicacies, festive foodstuffs and traditional arts and crafts, attracting over 20,000 visitors. The extensive entertainment programme included lion dances, traditional Chinese songs and performances that brought the spirit of the celebrations to life.
Lee Kum Kee set up a captivating booth experience for festivalgoers of all ages, allowing them to explore an extensive range of sauces through delectable tastings, exclusive promotional sales, and the exciting “Chopstick Lucky Dip” prize-giving game, which drew enthusiastic participation throughout the event.
A visitor tries his luck by drawing chopsticks from the luck dip game.
Gary Hui (left), Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, presents a cheque to the ACCC as a Platinum Sponsor of the event.
In serving the local community, Lee Kum Kee aims to bring traditional festive moments to life. Gary Hui, Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, remarked, “Spring Festival represents family, togetherness, and the joy of sharing meals. We are proud to support an event that reflects these values. Whether you are discovering new tastes or enjoying familiar favourites, we hope this festival brings joy and connection to all.”
(Fourth from left) Vincent Wong, President – APAC of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, pictured with the New Zealand market team at the booth.
A trusted household name for generations, Lee Kum Kee is renowned for its authentic Asian sauces that inspire home cooking and festive dining. Through on-going community partnerships and cultural celebrations, Lee Kum Kee remains committed to supporting local communities while promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide through the joy of food.Hashtag: #LeeKumKee #LKK
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee is the global gateway to Asian culinary culture, dedicated to promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide. Since 1888, it has brought people together over joyful reunions, shared traditions, and memorable meals. Beloved by consumers and chefs alike, Lee Kum Kee’s range of more than 300 sauces and condiments sparks creativity in kitchens everywhere, inspiring professional and home chefs to experiment, create, and delight. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China and serving over 100 countries and regions, Lee Kum Kee’s rich heritage, unwavering commitment to quality, sustainable practices, and “Constant Entrepreneurship” combine to enable superior experiences through Asian cuisine for people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.LKK.com.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai AD Ports Group has reported a sharp rise in revenue and profit for the year ended 31 December 2025, underlining the resilience of Abu Dhabi’s maritime and logistics sector amid shifting global trade patterns. Preliminary unaudited results released on Friday show revenue climbed 20 per cent year on year to AED20.8 billion, while net profit rose 17 per cent to AED2.1 billion. Earnings […]
Siemens has completed the purchase of Canopus AI, a Grenoble-based specialist in artificial intelligence-driven metrology and inspection software, signalling an intensified push into semiconductor manufacturing software as device geometries shrink and production volumes grow. The acquisition, announced on 4 February and finalised on 12 January, brings AI-enhanced wafer and mask measurement capabilities into Siemens’ electronic design automation portfolio, aimed at helping chipmakers achieve higher precision and manufacturing […]
Solana’s blockchain has recorded a dramatic expansion in payment activity, with on-chain volumes rising 755 per cent year on year even as the token’s market price struggles to mirror that growth. Data compiled by blockchain analytics firms show total payments processed on the network exceeding $1.8 billion, while business-to-business transactions have climbed ninefold over a 16-month period to about $3.84 billion. The figures place Solana among the […]
XRP is back at the centre of market attention as Ripple’s chief executive takes on an advisory role in Washington, fuelling speculation that a clearer regulatory path for digital assets could reshape the token’s prospects even as exchange-traded products tracking it post their first net outflows in weeks. The digital token, closely associated with Ripple Labs, has seen volatile trading through February, hovering below its late-2024 highs […]
https://www.LKK.com
