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 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 […]
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 […]
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:
MIHAS Excellence Awards: Recognising outstanding achievements in Product Excellence, Service Excellence and Emerging Star categories.
MIHAS Innovation, Sustainability & Digitalisation Awards: Honouring exhibitors that have successfully leveraged advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and other digital solutions to drive innovation, operational excellence, sustainability and long-term business growth.
WiEX @ MIHAS (Anugerah Wira Ekonomi Wanita): Celebrating exceptional women-led businesses across Product, Service, and Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalisation categories.
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.
About Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2026
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.
CodeDev has launched The Performance Guys, a specialist division focused on resolving the frame-rate, memory and stability problems that can delay video games or undermine their performance at launch. The UK co-development company, also known as The Unreal Guys, has assembled a team made up entirely of performance engineers and technical artists. The unit will work across Unreal Engine, Unity and proprietary game technology, embedding its specialists […]
The round brings HiDream.ai’s total financing over the past three months to more than RMB 2.1 billion and marks its entry into unicorn status
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.
The screenshot of this leaderboard was taken on June 22, 2026.
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.
About HiDream.ai
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.
Nvidia is discussing a financing guarantee of as much as $250 billion to support OpenAI’s proposed lease of computing capacity from a vast data centre development in Ohio, potentially extending the chipmaker’s role from technology supplier to financial backer of the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom. The talks centre on a planned 10-gigawatt complex being developed by SB Energy, the renewable energy and infrastructure arm controlled by SoftBank […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai du has completed the deployment of its National Hypercloud platform for Dubai Taxi Company, establishing what the partners describe as the UAE’s first fully operational sovereign hyperscale cloud environment for the transport sector. The project moves Dubai Taxi Company’s core technology workloads onto infrastructure hosted and operated within the UAE, giving the mobility provider greater control over sensitive operational data while expanding its […]
Iran-affiliated hackers are exploiting internet-connected industrial controllers across US water, energy and government facilities, expanding their targets to equipment made by Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and Siemens. A July 22 update to a joint federal cybersecurity advisory confirmed that the campaign has moved beyond Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley controllers. The affected equipment now includes Schneider Electric BMX P34 and Modicon M340 programmable logic controllers, as well as Siemens […]
Cybersecurity researchers have renewed warnings over SparkKitty, a cross-platform mobile Trojan that steals photographs from compromised Android and iOS devices and transfers them to attacker-controlled command servers. The malware targets images that may expose cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases, passwords, identity documents, QR codes and financial information. Its ability to capture entire photo libraries also creates risks beyond digital-asset theft, including account takeover, identity fraud, surveillance and extortion. […]
Brent crude tumbled more than 6% on Monday as the United States and Iran halted military strikes, easing fears of an immediate disruption to energy supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The international benchmark fell as much as 7% during early trading before recovering part of its losses. Brent futures were down $6.20, or 6.4%, at $90.58 a barrel by 0620 GMT, after briefly slipping […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai Islamic Bank has launched its Jaywan Debit Card for current and savings account customers, widening access to the UAE’s national card scheme through the country’s largest Islamic bank. The rollout connects DIB’s broad retail banking base to a locally developed payments network intended to strengthen domestic transaction processing, improve infrastructure resilience and keep sensitive payment data within the UAE. Existing current and […]
SoftBank Group’s $40 billion bridge loan linked to its expanding investment in OpenAI has attracted 21 additional lenders, widening the financing’s risk distribution as banks increase their exposure to the capital-intensive artificial intelligence sector. The new participants joined during a broader syndication phase for the one-year facility, which was initially arranged by JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and MUFG Bank. The loan […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The UAE and Indonesia are moving to deepen financial cooperation through interconnected payment systems, local-currency transactions and digital innovation aimed at making cross-border transfers faster and less costly. Central Bank of the UAE Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama discussed the proposals with Indonesia’s Ambassador to the UAE, Judha Nugraha, during a meeting at the central bank’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Assistant governors and senior […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The mother of NEET aspirant Akanksha Chaturvedi has rejected Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as sufficient accountability for the examination paper leak, demanding stringent punishment for those responsible and the resignation of the government’s top leadership. Neelam Chaturvedi said the departure of the education minister did not deliver justice for her 18-year-old daughter, who died by suicide after the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test was cancelled and […]
By K Raveendran Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has finally resigned, owning responsibility for the NEET fiasco. There could not have been another honourable exit for the minister and the Modi government from the current situation. There is no persuasive basis for portraying the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as a campaign driven by personal hostility. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi Global Market has recognised Tether Gold as an Accepted Spot Commodity, opening the way for licensed financial firms in the centre to provide regulated services involving the gold-backed digital token. The designation covers XAU₮, issued by Tether through its commodities business. Each full token represents ownership of one fine troy ounce of physical gold allocated from a London Good Delivery bar […]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is prepared to challenge US President Donald Trump publicly when Britain’s national interest requires it, setting out a more assertive approach to the country’s most important defence and diplomatic partnership. Burnham made the commitment during his first major broadcast interview since succeeding Keir Starmer, while stressing that disagreement would not prevent close cooperation between London and Washington. He described his […]
Europe’s tougher digital-asset rules are creating conditions for a new wave of mergers and acquisitions as crypto companies seek licences, compliance expertise, customers and stronger links with established banks. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, known as MiCA, entered a decisive phase on July 1, when the final transitional arrangements expired across the bloc. Crypto exchanges, custodians and other service providers can no longer rely on […]
Youth protesters celebrated across New Delhi and other cities after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, delivering a major political victory to a movement demanding accountability for examination paper leaks and wider failures in the testing system.
Supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party danced, raised slogans and waved national flags at their protest site at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan announced his departure. The group declared that “democracy wins” and called off its agitation after the government accepted key demands, including reforms to examination administration.
Pradhan’s resignation marked the first major concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government during weeks of demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes. The protests began over allegations that papers for highly competitive entrance examinations had been leaked, affecting the prospects of millions of students seeking admission to colleges and professional courses.
The movement had insisted that administrative reforms alone would not be sufficient without ministerial responsibility. Protest organisers said Pradhan had to step down because the repeated breaches had damaged public trust and imposed financial and emotional costs on candidates and their families.
Modi announced on Sunday that a high-powered task force headed by technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani would overhaul the examination system. The panel will examine the use of technology, security procedures, logistics and administrative safeguards to make tests more transparent and resistant to manipulation.
The government also plans to introduce legislation in Parliament to strengthen penalties for those involved in leaking examination papers. The proposed measures are expected to target organised networks that obtain, distribute or sell question papers before examinations.
Nilekani, a co-founder of Infosys who played a central role in developing the Aadhaar digital identity programme, will lead a six-member group that includes specialists in technology, intelligence, space research, education and public administration. The selection signals an effort to combine digital safeguards with tighter physical security at printing centres, storage facilities and examination venues.
The concessions offered to protest leaders include the withdrawal of police cases filed against demonstrators and compensation for families of students who died by suicide following examination-related distress. Authorities also agreed to consider mechanisms for faster investigation and prosecution of paper-leak cases.
The agitation intensified after tens of thousands of young people marched towards Parliament in New Delhi. Police used batons and tear gas to stop protesters, leading to injuries and widespread criticism of the handling of the demonstration.
Security restrictions affected central parts of the capital, with several metro stations temporarily closed. Demonstrations spread to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad, turning a dispute over examination integrity into a national political challenge.
Opposition lawmakers joined the protesters’ demand for Pradhan’s resignation and repeatedly disrupted proceedings in Parliament. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition figures were detained during a demonstration near the prime minister’s residence and released later.
Pradhan, 57, had served in the Union government since Modi took office in 2014 and held several senior portfolios. His political standing within the Bharatiya Janata Party initially encouraged expectations that the government would defend him, even as pressure mounted from students, parents, activists and opposition parties.
The Cockroach Janta Party began as an online satire before developing into an organised protest platform. Its irreverent slogans, artwork and social-media campaigns attracted students, young professionals and families who felt established organisations had failed to articulate their concerns.
Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk strengthened the campaign by beginning a hunger strike on June 28. He was later moved to hospital after his health deteriorated and demanded guarantees that participants would not face retaliatory legal action.
The examination controversy expanded into a wider debate over unemployment, limited economic opportunities and the intense competition surrounding public-sector recruitment and professional education. Young candidates often spend several years and substantial family savings preparing for entrance tests, making cancellations or leaks especially damaging.
About two million candidates were affected by the medical entrance examination at the centre of the latest dispute. Protesters argued that recurring allegations of compromised papers showed that existing safeguards had failed to keep pace with organised criminal groups and digital methods of distribution.
Infostealer malware is giving ransomware operators a faster route into corporate networks by supplying stolen passwords, browser cookies and authentication tokens that can defeat conventional identity controls. The growing trade in “stealer logs” has turned infections on individual computers into a dependable source of access for organised cybercrime groups. Criminals can search the harvested data for corporate email addresses, virtual private network credentials, cloud accounts, remote desktop […]
Google has begun introducing a unified naming system for cyber threat actors, replacing overlapping labels used by its security teams with two-word cryptonyms designed to give defenders clearer context about attackers and their likely objectives. The Google Threat Intelligence Group, known as GTIG, said the taxonomy would standardise threat tracking across its platforms and public reporting. The change follows the integration of Mandiant and Google’s Threat Analysis […]
China has imposed penalties totalling 5.18 billion yuan on Trip. com Group after finding that the country’s largest online travel platform abused its market dominance and restricted competition among hotel-booking services. The State Administration for Market Regulation said Trip. com had used exclusive arrangements, preferential traffic allocation and price-control requirements to strengthen its position in the online accommodation market. The practices affected hotels operating on rival platforms […]
