Dubai’s metro and tram network will operate around the clock over the New Year period as authorities move to manage heavy holiday demand and ensure safe, continuous mobility across the city during one of its busiest travel windows. Services on the Red and Green Metro lines will begin at 5.00 a. m. on December 31 and continue without interruption until 11.59 p. m. on Thursday, January 1, […]
Price action across the two largest dog-themed memecoins has remained subdued as the market navigates a seasonal lull in participation, with traders pointing to thin liquidity and a largely technical backdrop rather than any shift in fundamentals. Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have moved within narrow ranges, reflecting a broader pause in risk-taking across crypto assets during the holiday period. Trading data from major exchanges show reduced volumes […]
A wave of AI-generated videos circulating on social platforms has drawn regulatory and public attention after Meta removed a cluster of manipulated clips tied to public discourse in India, underscoring the accelerating threat posed by deepfakes and the strain on existing cybersecurity defences. The action has reignited debate over platform accountability, election integrity, and the pace at which safeguards are keeping up with generative tools.
Meta said the videos breached its policies on manipulated media and deceptive practices, adding that enforcement teams had detected coordinated behaviour designed to amplify misleading narratives. The company did not detail the creators or precise reach, but independent analysts tracking social traffic reported that some clips had amassed hundreds of thousands of views before moderation. The removals came amid heightened scrutiny of AI-driven misinformation as synthetic video and audio tools become cheaper, faster and harder to spot.
Security specialists warn that the technical leap in realism has lowered the barrier for malicious actors. Diffusion models and voice-cloning systems can now produce convincing footage with minimal training data, enabling impersonation, fabricated statements and false evidence. The risk profile extends beyond politics to financial fraud, reputational attacks and social engineering. Banks and insurers have flagged a rise in scams that combine deepfake video calls with stolen personal data to bypass verification checks.
India’s digital ecosystem amplifies the challenge. With one of the world’s largest online populations and intense engagement on short-video platforms, manipulated content can travel rapidly across languages and regions. Fact-checking groups say the velocity of sharing often outpaces verification, while takedowns, even when swift, can struggle to contain copies and re-uploads. Researchers at leading institutes have documented how watermark removal, compression artefacts and cross-platform reposting degrade detection signals.
Government authorities have been pressing technology companies to strengthen guardrails. Draft rules under the Information Technology framework emphasise due diligence for intermediaries, traceability of originators in defined cases, and clearer disclosures for synthetic media. Officials have also signalled expectations for labelling AI-generated content and responding promptly to lawful takedown requests, while balancing free expression and privacy. Industry groups argue that clarity on standards and timelines is essential to avoid uneven enforcement.
Meta has highlighted investments in detection and transparency, including classifiers trained to identify AI artefacts, partnerships with academic labs, and labels applied when confidence thresholds are met. The company also points to cross-platform threat sharing through industry forums to flag emerging manipulation techniques. Critics counter that adversarial innovation is moving faster than defensive models and that labels can be stripped or ignored, especially when content is shared outside original platforms.
Election experts say the stakes are rising as campaigns increasingly rely on video to reach voters. Even short-lived false clips can shape perceptions, sow doubt or distract from substantive debate. Studies of prior electoral cycles show that corrections often fail to reach the same audiences as the initial misinformation, leaving residual effects. Civil society organisations have urged a layered response that combines platform enforcement, rapid response hotlines, and public education on media literacy.
Cybersecurity firms are adapting with multi-signal approaches that fuse video forensics, network analysis and behavioural cues. Techniques include analysing eye-blink patterns, head-pose consistency, acoustic fingerprints and temporal anomalies, alongside monitoring coordinated posting patterns. Yet experts caution that no single method is foolproof. As generative systems learn to mimic these signals, defenders must iterate continuously, increasing costs for both sides.
The economic dimension is also coming into focus. Advertising clients are wary of brand adjacency to manipulated content, prompting demands for stronger brand-safety assurances. Meanwhile, startups offering verification, provenance tracking and content authentication are attracting investment. Standards bodies are promoting cryptographic provenance frameworks that embed origin metadata at creation, though adoption remains uneven across devices and platforms.
BYD has unveiled a high-power “Flash Charging” system that it says can add up to 400 kilometres of driving range in around five minutes, a claim that—if replicated at scale—would narrow one of the biggest gaps between electric vehicles and petrol cars and intensify pressure on rivals led by Tesla. The announcement underscores how the Chinese manufacturer has moved from being a price-competitive disruptor to a technology […]
Bitcoin could set a fresh all-time high in the first half of 2026, according to forward-looking projections outlined by digital asset manager Grayscale, which argues that a maturing market structure, institutional demand and macroeconomic tailwinds are aligning for another leg higher after the current cycle plays out. The outlook, published as part of Grayscale’s industry expectations for 2026, places Bitcoin’s next peak within the opening six […]
A London-based stablecoin infrastructure startup is seeking to accelerate how banks and regulated fintechs move money across borders after securing $1.45 million in pre-seed funding, underscoring growing institutional interest in blockchain-based settlement that aligns with European compliance rules. Nodu said the round was led by Digital Space Ventures and will be used to expand operations across Europe, hire engineering and compliance specialists, and deepen partnerships with regulated […]
A sweeping federal decree-law has set out a unified legal framework aimed at protecting minors from online harm across the UAE’s fast-expanding digital ecosystem, placing clear duties on internet service providers and digital platforms that operate within the country or target users based there. The legislation signals a tougher regulatory posture as children’s screen time rises and online services become more embedded in everyday life. The decree-law […]
Infleqtion has secured a $2 million contract from the United States Army to develop artificial intelligence systems that can navigate and make decisions in environments where communications are degraded, denied or entirely unavailable, underscoring the military’s accelerating interest in edge-based AI for future operations. The award focuses on advancing autonomous navigation and sensing technologies that can function without constant access to cloud computing or satellite links. For […]
IonQ has confirmed plans to deliver a next-generation 100-qubit quantum computing system to South Korea, reinforcing the company’s push into Asia’s accelerating quantum ecosystem and extending a strategic partnership with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information. The deployment is positioned as a milestone for the country’s national research infrastructure, giving scientists and industrial users local access to higher-capacity trapped-ion quantum hardware designed for advanced simulations and algorithm development.
The system is scheduled to be installed at facilities operated by Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, which manages high-performance computing resources for universities, laboratories and government programmes. IonQ said the platform will integrate with existing supercomputing assets, enabling hybrid classical-quantum workflows that are increasingly seen as the most practical near-term use of quantum machines. Officials involved in the project describe the installation as part of a broader effort to ensure domestic capability in a field viewed as strategically significant for science, security and economic competitiveness.
For IonQ, the agreement deepens a relationship that began with earlier access to its systems through cloud services and collaborative research. The 100-qubit platform represents a step up from earlier machines made available to Asian partners, with IonQ highlighting gains in algorithmic performance driven by longer coherence times and high-fidelity gates inherent to its trapped-ion approach. The company argues that these characteristics allow useful problem sizes to be tackled with fewer physical qubits than some rival architectures.
The project comes as South Korea accelerates state-backed investment in quantum science. Government roadmaps call for expanded talent development, dedicated funding lines for hardware and software, and closer links between public laboratories and industry. KISTI’s role as a national computing hub makes it a focal point for these ambitions, with the new system expected to support work ranging from materials discovery and chemistry to optimisation and machine learning. Researchers anticipate that local access will shorten development cycles compared with reliance on overseas cloud resources.
IonQ executives frame the delivery as part of a long-term regional strategy rather than a one-off sale. Asia has become a key battleground for quantum providers as countries seek sovereign capabilities while remaining connected to global research networks. China, Japan and South Korea are all funding large-scale programmes, and regional universities are increasing output in quantum algorithms and error-mitigation techniques. By embedding hardware within national facilities, vendors aim to secure early loyalty among researchers who may later influence commercial adoption.
Competition in the sector is intensifying. Superconducting-qubit systems from established technology firms and photonic approaches backed by start-ups are all vying for attention, each claiming advantages in scalability or manufacturability. IonQ’s bet on trapped ions prioritises precision and stability, though critics note challenges in scaling to very large numbers of qubits. The company counters that its roadmap focuses on algorithmic qubits and error-corrected performance rather than raw counts, a metric increasingly favoured by parts of the research community.
The South Korean installation also reflects a broader trend toward hybrid computing. Rather than replacing classical supercomputers, quantum systems are being linked to them to tackle specific sub-problems where quantum effects offer potential speed-ups. KISTI engineers are working on software layers to manage job scheduling and data movement between systems, an area seen as critical to extracting value from early quantum machines.
Commercial implications are closely watched. South Korean conglomerates in electronics, chemicals and logistics have signalled interest in quantum applications, and access to domestic hardware could encourage pilot projects. Analysts caution that widespread industrial impact remains some distance away, but note that early experimentation helps firms build expertise ahead of future breakthroughs.
Thousands of users of Trust Wallet suffered losses estimated at about $7 million after a malicious browser extension masquerading as the official Trust Wallet add-on circulated on Google Chrome’s extension store, prompting renewed scrutiny of security gaps in decentralised finance tools and browser marketplaces. The attack centred on a fake extension designed to mimic Trust Wallet’s legitimate Chrome interface. Once installed, the malicious software harvested private keys […]
Trump Media and Technology Group has moved bitcoin valued at about $174 million following a fresh purchase, signalling a more active approach to managing its digital-asset exposure rather than holding the tokens passively in long-term storage. Blockchain data reviewed by market analysts shows transfers between wallets linked to the company, a pattern that points to internal reallocation rather than liquidation. The movement comes after disclosures that Trump […]
The report estimates that the UAE currently supports about 8.5 million jobs across its economy, of which roughly 169,000 are technology-focused roles. While this represents only a small fraction of total employment, the pace of change is expected to intensify as organisations automate processes, modernise legacy systems and respond to new regulatory and security requirements. Analysts tracking the Gulf labour market say the country’s ambition to position itself as a global hub for digital services, advanced manufacturing and knowledge industries is translating into long-term workforce demand rather than short hiring cycles.
Economic planners have prioritised sectors that combine high productivity with export potential, including financial technology, health technology, clean energy systems, logistics platforms and smart infrastructure. Programmes aligned with national digital strategies are encouraging public bodies and state-linked firms to move services online, adopt AI-enabled decision tools and integrate data across departments. Each of these shifts creates secondary demand for software developers, data engineers, cloud architects and IT service managers, while also reshaping non-technical roles that require digital fluency.
ServiceNow’s analysis suggests that technology roles are expanding faster than overall employment growth, even as traditional sectors such as retail, hospitality and construction continue to add jobs. Employers surveyed for the study reported difficulty filling specialised digital roles, particularly in cybersecurity operations, enterprise platform management and AI workflow design. These shortages are contributing to wage premiums for experienced professionals and increased investment in training pipelines.
Education providers and corporate academies have responded by scaling certification programmes, apprenticeships and mid-career conversion schemes. Universities in the UAE have expanded computer science and engineering intakes, while partnerships with global technology firms aim to align curricula with enterprise needs. Industry observers note that demand is not limited to coders; roles in product management, digital compliance, IT service delivery and change management are growing as organisations seek to embed technology into core operations.
Demographics and migration policy also shape the employment outlook. The UAE’s ability to attract skilled expatriates remains a central factor in meeting talent requirements, particularly for niche technical expertise that takes years to develop. Long-term residency options and sector-specific visas have helped stabilise the workforce, reducing turnover in high-demand roles. At the same time, localisation initiatives encourage employers to invest in training citizens for private-sector technology careers, broadening the domestic talent base.
Beyond pure technology positions, the report highlights a rise in hybrid jobs that combine domain knowledge with digital skills. In banking, compliance specialists increasingly work alongside data analytics teams; in healthcare, clinicians are expected to engage with digital records and AI-assisted diagnostics; in energy and utilities, engineers manage sensor-driven systems and predictive maintenance platforms. This blending of skills expands the effective footprint of the tech workforce beyond headline job titles.
Regional competition for talent is intensifying as neighbouring economies pursue similar diversification strategies. Salaries, quality of life and career progression prospects are key differentiators, according to recruitment firms operating in the Gulf. The UAE’s mature infrastructure, regulatory clarity and concentration of multinational headquarters continue to attract professionals, though employers face pressure to offer flexible working arrangements and clear upskilling pathways.
The new model is designed around practical engineering workflows, with a focus on long-running task execution, stable tool calling, and multi-step reasoning, capabilities that have become increasingly important as developers deploy large language models in complex, agent-based systems.
Compared with its predecessor, GLM-4.6, GLM-4.7 shows notable gains in code generation, complex reasoning, and agent execution. According to Z.ai, the model delivers more consistent and controllable performance over extended tasks, while producing cleaner and more concise language output, addressing a common weakness in many open-source models.
To evaluate performance in realistic settings, Z.ai tested GLM-4.7 on 100 practical programming tasks in production-like environments such as Claude Code, spanning front-end, back-end, and command-execution scenarios. The company said GLM-4.7 achieved higher task completion rates and greater stability than GLM-4.6, and has since been adopted as the default model for its GLM Coding Plan.
Benchmark results also place GLM-4.7 among the strongest open-source models currently available. It scored 67.5 on BrowseComp and 87.4 on τ²-Bench, the latter marking a new high for open-source systems. In coding-focused evaluations, including SWE-bench Verified and LiveCodeBench v6, its overall performance approaches that of Claude Sonnet 4.5. In Code Arena’s large-scale blind evaluation, which aggregates votes from more than one million comparisons, GLM-4.7 ranked first among open-source models.
The model is available through the BigModel.cn API and has been integrated into Z.ai’s full-stack development platform, according to the company. As open-source models take on a more prominent role in the global technology ecosystem, Z.ai’s progress offers a clear indication of how such systems may continue to evolve, and what they might enable next.
Default Model for Coding Plan: https://z.ai/subscribe
Try it now: https://chat.z.ai/
Weights: https://huggingface.co/zai-org/GLM-4.7
Technical blog: https://z.ai/blog/glm-4.7
Hashtag: #ZAI
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Dealmaking across the Middle East gathered pace through 2025, underscoring a shift from opportunistic transactions to targeted consolidation and long-term strategic bets. Mergers and acquisitions activity in the region posted a sharp rise in value, climbing 260 per cent to about $53 billion during the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 2024, reflecting renewed confidence among corporate buyers and state-linked investors […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi sovereign investor ADQ has closed a $5 billion five-year syndicated term financing deal in the Greater China region, strengthening its liquidity while broadening access to Asian capital markets at a time of shifting global funding dynamics. The transaction marks one of the largest offshore syndicated loans secured by a Middle East sovereign-backed investor this year and reflects sustained appetite among Asian […]
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 December 2025 – For millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Christmas carries a quiet longing: another year spent celebrating from thousands of miles away. This year, Coca-Cola set out to bring the warmth of home back to them through SoundOfHome.FM, a 24-hour Christmas broadcast that turned Australia’s airwaves into a powerful audio love letter from families in the Philippines, connecting people across thousands of miles.
The holiday season is meant to be joyful, yet for many OFWs, the weight of distance can dim the spirit they work so hard to sustain for others. Grounded in the global Christmas insight that “the pressures of the holidays steal the Christmas spirit from the true givers,” Coca-Cola sought to uplift these unsung heroes in a way that only Coca-Cola could: through the familiar, comforting Sounds of Home.
More than an airwave takeover, SoundOfHome.FM became an emotional conduit, a continuous stream of Caroloke (carol + karaoke), touching dedications, and heartfelt messages of gratitude recorded by families across the Philippines dedicated for the loved ones they miss every day. It allowed love to travel across oceans in the most human way possible.
“This initiative comes from a place of deep respect for the people who give so much of themselves from far away, a recognition of their immense, yet quiet sacrifices,” shared Francis Izon Reyes, Coca-Cola Marketing Director for ASEAN & South Pacific. “We know that during the holidays, the distance and not being with family can feel heavier than ever. With SoundOfHome.FM, we wanted to bring a moment of comfort, a small piece of home to Filipinos overseas – a familiar voice, a favourite carol, something to remind them that their sacrifice, love, and dedication are seen, valued, and deeply appreciated. That is the real spirit of Christmas, and we are honoured to help bring it to life.”
The groundwork started weeks before Christmas Day, where Coca-Cola brought the Philippines together through a nationwide Caroloke Caravan —visiting key cities and major Pasko (Christmas) Festivals to help families record personalised messages and carols. From children singing their parents’ favourite Christmas songs to spouses whispering the ‘thank you’ they’ve held onto all year, each message carried profound emotional weight.
Families also had access to a digital platform where they could upload dedications remotely. A unique notification system ensured OFWs received personalised alerts inviting them to tune in once their family’s message was scheduled to air, guaranteeing the moment would reach its intended recipient.
The 24-hour broadcast went on air from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6pm on Christmas Day, bringing festive cheer to listeners throughout the broadcast. It was a day of celebration and nostalgia, a reminder that even when ocean separate families, the sound of home can still find a way.
Coca-Cola also released a powerful Christmas film titled, ‘Sound of Home’. Filmed across Australia, it captures real, authentic reactions from OFWs as they hear their families’ voices mid-shift: a mechanic wiping away tears inside a garage, a convenience store clerk stunned into silence, a kitchen hand breaking into a smile that says everything. These moments reveal a simple truth — sometimes, hearing someone you love is enough to feel home again.
Reyes added, “Our simple wish is that with this project, we hope we were able to bring even a moment of warmth to those spending Christmas far from home. If the Sound of Home helped one person feel remembered even for a few seconds, then we’ve done something meaningful this season.”
Nikhil Panjwani, Executive Creative Director Ogilvy @WPP OpenX, the creative agency supporting the campaign, commented, “Christmas is about togetherness, but for millions of OFWs, it’s defined by distance. SoundOfHome.FM was our way of using something as simple as radio to bring families closer — if only for a moment — on a day when it matters most. We couldn’t shorten the distance — but we did close the silence with a 24-hour love letter, in audio form.”
The Sound of Home initiative reinforces the Coca-ColaTM brand’s longstanding belief in the power of human connection. By uplifting those who give so much of themselves during the holidays, Coca-Cola celebrates the real magic of Christmas — the simple yet profound moments that bring us back to one another.
Even when families are oceans apart, the feeling of home can still find its way through.
Watch the Sound of Home film on YouTube or visit SoundOfHome.FM to learn more. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest news about the brand.
Hashtag: #Coca-Cola
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. The Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific (ASP) operating unit serves 25 diverse countries across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. We offer a diverse portfolio of great-tasting beverages including sparkling beverages, water, juices, dairy, nutrition, sports, and tea. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities, and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices, and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain.
Together with our bottling partners, we help bring economic opportunity to local communities across the region.
Learn more at 
www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
WPP Open X is a bespoke global agency model created in November 2021 for The Coca-Cola Company that’s integrated at its core and unprecedented in its scale. Our work spans across over 200 brands in 195 countries and provides access to the entire agency network and the best talent, capabilities and resources in and outside of WPP. Combining scale and agility, WPP Open X supercharges creativity and is a multiplier for growth and innovation.
Recently, the cryptocurrency trading platform BGEANX, known for its compliance, launched a high-performance matching engine that achieves millisecond-level trade execution, optimizing market liquidity and ensuring stable operation even under extreme market conditions. This technological advancement enhances user experience and positions BGEANX with core competitiveness in the fiercely competitive crypto market.
Due to high volatility in the crypto market, investors often face issues like long order placement times and increased slippage, leading to higher trading costs and missed opportunities. Leading exchanges are accelerating infrastructure development to optimize trade execution capabilities and improve liquidity. BGEANX launching the high-performance matching engine precisely responds to market demands, providing investors with a more stable market environment and optimal transaction prices.
In the competitive landscape of the industry, trading matching capability is one of the core competencies of exchanges. Through this technological update, BGEANX attracts professional traders and institutional users with faster order execution speed and stronger market depth. This upgrade ensures smoother execution of large trades, offering a more stable investment environment.
For different types of users, the technology upgrade brings tangible improvements in user experience. Ordinary users can enjoy faster order matching, avoiding missed trading opportunities due to matching delays. Professional traders and institutional investors focus more on low latency and high throughput, and the new generation matching engine of BGEANX ensures trading stability under extreme market conditions, providing reliable support for complex high-frequency quantitative strategies.
BGEANX spokesperson Seraphina stated: “BGEANX continues to invest in technological innovation, dedicated to providing users with excellent investment tools and a superior user experience. The launch of the millisecond matching engine marks another breakthrough in technology application for BGEANX. In the future, we will continue to optimize platform performance, combining AI trading tools and intelligent risk control systems to create a more intelligent crypto investment ecosystem for global investors.”
Hashtag: #BGEANX
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
As Web Summit Qatar approaches, we spoke with Marina Levina, CEO of WISH, an international communications agency, about several persistent myths around PR. “During this marathon season of startup and investor events from Web Summit and Slush to GITEX Global, we at WISH keep hearing the same assumptions about PR repeated over and over again. Many of them sound reasonable at first, but in practice, they hold […]
OSAKA, JAPAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 December 2025 – ALAKI Inc., celebrating its 15th anniversary, has officially launched the English edition of MONJI+, an evolution of its 2018-born feedback tool MONJI β, now reimagined as a comprehensive WebOps Enablement Platform.
Alongside its free plan, available indefinitely, MONJI+ begins its full-scale expansion into the ASEAN market, helping teams elevate their website operations. In addition, a free Academic Edition is now offered to educational institutions to foster the next generation of web and IT talent.
Since its launch in Japan in 2018, MONJI β has been adopted by web agencies, corporations, and advertising firms worldwide—across 77 countries and regions—streamlining feedback workflows for website management and development.
In everyday website operations, teams often face:
MONJI+ connects creation, publishing, maintenance, and optimization into a single workflow—eliminating silos and enabling all members to move forward toward shared goals.
▶️ See how MONJI+ transforms your workflow
Since its official launch in Japan in January 2025, MONJI+ has rapidly spread among enterprises and educational institutions. It is increasingly adopted as a practical standard among agencies and in-house teams, improving productivity and measurable outcomes.
During forums and seminars held alongside the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, ALAKI engaged with government representatives and industry leaders from around the world.
The feedback was clear: inefficiencies in website operations, lack of improvement cycles, and a shortage of web marketing expertise are universal challenges. But one issue stood out above all—the shortage of skilled web and IT professionals.
Some governments even requested that MONJI+ contribute to national web/IT talent development, not just productivity gains. Following the Expo, inquiries from multiple countries confirmed the demand, prompting the official release of the English edition of MONJI+.
As part of its ASEAN expansion, ALAKI visited SWITCH 2025 (Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology), held from October 29–31. Through dialogues with government agencies, corporations, startups, and academic institutions, the importance of website operations productivity and digital talent development was reaffirmed.
Insights from leading ASEAN web and IT innovators will continue to shape the evolution of MONJI+.
Eliminate inefficiencies and dependency on individuals—enhancing both productivity and performance in website operations.
MONJI+ evolves beyond a simple management tool—it becomes an AI-driven partner that learns from operational data to support human decision-making and creativity.
Our vision: a human-in-the-loop “Agentic WebOps” environment that helps teams achieve outcomes with AI-assisted decision support.
Available AI Features:
Upcoming AI Features (Examples):
Discover how MONJI+ envisions the future of website operations.
“Website operations shouldn’t be about chasing scattered messages—it should be about generating results that matter. With MONJI+, we unify feedback, workflow, and analytics, while AI suggests the next strategic move. Our mission is to help ASEAN teams reach outcomes faster and more reliably.”
— Yuji Yamauchi, Founder & CEO, ALAKI Inc.
Getting started is easy, with no credit card required. MONJI+ aims to be the shared foundation for website operations, accessible to everyone.
▶️ Start your free 30-day trial now
To empower the next generation of web and IT professionals, MONJI+ offers an Academic Edition free of charge to universities, vocational schools, and online programs. Students and educators can experience real-world website operations, gain practical skills, and collaborate through shared projects.
▶️ Learn more about the Academic Edition
Hashtag: #MONJI+
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Qatar Investment Authority has joined a consortium of global investors backing a move to take Janus Henderson Group private, marking one of the largest asset-management buyouts announced this year and underlining sovereign interest in long-term financial services platforms. The all-cash transaction values the New York-listed firm at about USD 7.4 billion and is being led by Trian Fund Management alongside General Catalyst. Qatar’s […]
By Umesh Sangaralingam The influx of private capital into Middle East markets is securing the region’s place as an evolving global investment hub. With sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, family offices, and fund managers all increasing allocations, capital commitments are increasing at scale—but it’s not an equal field of opportunity for private investment firms in the region. Capital isn’t the sole defining factor that’s separating private […]
Thailand is moving quickly to reshape the digital map of Southeast Asia, with a surge in data centre construction and artificial intelligence investment shifting the country from a long-standing data transit role to a regional convergence point. New facilities clustered around Bangkok, Chonburi and the Eastern Economic Corridor are altering traffic flows, shortening latency across borders and drawing cloud, AI and content providers seeking scale outside established hubs.
The expansion reflects a change in how data moves across the region. Historically, much east-west traffic between South Asia, Greater China and the Pacific routed through Singapore before fanning out. With hyperscale campuses multiplying in Thailand, workloads are increasingly being processed and stored closer to end users, easing congestion and improving resilience. Network operators say the shift is visible in peering arrangements and cross-border fibre utilisation, with Bangkok emerging as a preferred interconnection point.
Policy has been a key driver. Authorities have offered investment incentives, fast-tracked permits and clarified power and land-use rules to attract large campuses. Grid upgrades and new renewable capacity have been prioritised to address the energy intensity of AI-ready facilities. The strategy aligns with a broader push to anchor higher-value digital services domestically, from cloud platforms and analytics to language models and industry-specific AI tools.
Global technology firms are responding. Cloud providers including Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services have expanded or announced investments to serve regional customers from Thai infrastructure, while chipmakers and systems integrators are working with local partners to deploy accelerated computing suited to AI training and inference. Industry executives cite Thailand’s central geography, improving power availability and maturing regulatory environment as decisive factors.
Domestic players are also scaling up. Telecom operators and property developers have formed joint ventures to build carrier-neutral sites, while energy companies are pairing data centres with solar and gas assets to stabilise supply. Universities and research institutes are increasing AI programmes to address talent gaps, with a focus on data engineering, cybersecurity and model governance. The goal is to ensure that infrastructure growth translates into local capability rather than pass-through capacity.
Competition across the region remains intense. Singapore retains strengths in finance, regulation and dense interconnection, but land and power constraints have pushed expansion elsewhere. Malaysia and Indonesia are adding capacity to serve fast-growing domestic markets, while Vietnam is drawing manufacturing-linked digital workloads. Against that backdrop, Thailand is positioning itself as a neutral aggregation point serving multiple neighbours within ASEAN, balancing scale with proximity.
Connectivity improvements underpin the shift. New submarine cable routes landing on both coasts, alongside terrestrial links to neighbouring countries, are diversifying paths and reducing dependence on a single choke point. Operators say this redundancy matters as enterprises distribute AI workloads across regions for cost, performance and regulatory reasons. Financial services, e-commerce and media firms are increasingly adopting multi-cloud strategies that favour locations offering reliable interconnection.
AI demand is shaping design choices. Facilities are being built with higher power densities, advanced cooling and space for accelerated hardware to support model training, while edge nodes closer to population centres handle inference and latency-sensitive tasks. This layered approach is changing how content delivery, language services and real-time analytics are deployed across Southeast Asia.
Under the leadership of Dr. Nalikatibhag Sangsnit, President of DAD, the multi-year redevelopment program reimagines state-owned land, one that treats public land not as a bureaucratic perimeter, but as shared civic infrastructure that prioritizes people, health, and nature.
“For decades, government districts in Thailand were designed to manage paperwork, not people,” Nalikatibhag said. “We wanted to reverse that logic. A city, especially a city owned by the state, must first work for human life: how people walk, how they rest, how they breathe, and how they coexist with nature in their daily routines.”
From Bureaucratic Grey to Green Living
The centrepiece of the initiative is the newly opened 5.1-rai landscaped connector between Buildings B and C, a site that once functioned primarily as a traffic corridor and noise buffer. The area has been transformed into a pedestrian-friendly green passage linking offices, transit access points and communal spaces within the Government Complex.
Designed as urban infrastructure, a climate buffer reduces heat, improves water absorption and supports daily movement across the site. It also opens previously restricted government land to wider public use, blurring the boundary between administrative space and the city around it.
The project aligns with Thailand’s broader sustainability frameworks, including environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and the government’s bio-circular-green (BCG) economic model. Design features focus on expanding tree canopy, increasing permeable surfaces and creating flexible areas that can support exercise, informal gatherings and community activity.
A Scalable Blueprint for State-Led Urban Transformation
Over the past six years, DAD has increased green spaces within the Government Complex by more than 47 rai, and when combined with adjacent landscaped zones, the total reaches over 138 rai, creating one of northern Bangkok’s largest continuous public green areas.
Nalikatibhag describes the City of Green Lifestyles concept not as a one-off redevelopment, but as a template for future public-sector land use, particularly in rapidly urbanising Asian cities where governments remain among the largest landowners.
“This is about proving that sustainability is not an added cost or a branding exercise,” he said. “When green infrastructure is designed as part of the system, when it improves health, reduces stress, lowers energy demand and invites public use, it becomes economically rational and socially inevitable. The role of the state is not only to regulate cities, but to set an example of how cities should be lived in.”
Global Recognition for Innovation
DAD’s sustainability efforts have earned international acclaim. In 2025, the company became the only public-sector organisation to win the Asia-level International Innovation Awards for two consecutive years, recognising its Government Complex Smart City initiative and the GCC Super Application, a digital platform integrating transport, navigation, and public services within the complex.
The awards, selected from more than 160 entries across 30 countries, underscore Thailand’s growing leadership in sustainable and technology-driven public sector transformation.
Redefining the Role of the State in City-Making
Unlike large-scale urban megaprojects, the Government Complex Bangkok initiative relies on system-based, incremental transformation, repurposing existing assets instead of acquiring new land. Urban policy analysts note that this approach provides a scalable blueprint for other governments managing extensive real estate portfolios.
“A government city should not feel separate from everyday life,” Dr. Nalikatibhag said. “If public space eases the intensity of daily life, improves health and restores a sense of balance between people and nature, then governance itself becomes more humane.”
Hashtag: #CityofGreenLifestyles #GovernmentComplexBangkok #Nalikatibhag #Thailand
https://www.dad.co.th
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Dhanarak Asset Development Co., Ltd. is a state-owned enterprise under Thailand’s Ministry of Finance, responsible for managing and developing the Government Complex and related assets. DAD is committed to advancing sustainable, human-centered urban development and creating models for environmentally and socially responsible government infrastructure.
Aligned with the travel peak season at the end of the year, the campaign covers key destinations including Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Offline promotions extend to 30 major international airports, 65 premium shopping districts, 40 leading department stores, 15 outlet villages, as well as duty-free shops and luxury boutiques within 30 major global airports. The initiatives also encompass daily consumption, such as supermarkets, cosmeceutical retailers, dining spots, tourist attractions, entertainment, accommodation, local transportation and telecommunication services.
UnionPay has also customized activities for mobile payment methods, including UnionPay mobile QuickPass and UnionPay QR code payment, which are accepted in more than 100 countries and regions. For instance, in Australia and New Zealand, UnionPay cardholders can enjoy instant discounts when using UnionPay mobile QuickPass at participating merchants nationwide.
The year-end incentives have been further expanded to online scenarios. UnionPay has collaborated with digital entertainment platforms to accommodate the high-frequency online spending during the holiday, such as Hoyoverse Honkai: Star Rail top-up promotion, Apple Services promotion. In Australia, UnionPay has launched an online tuition payment promotion for students.
In select markets, UnionPay has partnered with local issuing banks to provide exclusive privileges for cardholders. For example, DBS Bank in Singapore offers UnionPay Platinum debit cardholders value-added benefits, such as cashback, fee waivers, airport lounge access and other travel-related perks.
UnionPay has built up a global payment network covering 183 countries and regions, providing stable and convenient payment support for cross-border travel and holiday consumption. Through in-depth cooperation with issuing banks, financial institutions and merchants, UnionPay has provided diverse holiday discounts and supporting services to optimize the consumption experience for cardholders.
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
