Companies

Amazon hits manage UK spy organizations to have highly confidential material

Published

4 years ago

October 27, 2021

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Cloud contract for GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 with US tech bunch plans to speed investigation yet liable to touch off power fears.

The UK’s three government agent offices have contracted AWS, Amazon’s distributed computing arm, to have characterized material in an arrangement pointed toward helping the utilization of information investigation and computerized reasoning for undercover work. The acquisition of a high-security cloud framework has been advocated by GCHQ, the UK’s signs knowledge body, and will be utilized by sister administrations MI5 and MI6, just as other government offices like the Ministry of Defense during joint tasks. The agreement is probably going to light worries over power given that a huge measure of the UK’s most restricted information will be facilitated by a solitary US tech organization. The arrangement, assessed by industry specialists to be worth £500m to £1bn throughout the following decade, was marked for this present year, as per four individuals acquainted with the conversations. Notwithstanding, the subtleties are carefully hidden and were not planned to be disclosed. In spite of the fact that AWS is a US organization, every one of the offices’ information will be held in Britain, as per those with information on the arrangement. Amazon won’t have any admittance to data hung on the cloud stage, those individuals said. Jeremy Fleming, GCHQ chief, has recently said that utilizing AI will be “at the heart” of his office’s change to guard the nation as spying moves into an advanced age. The new cloud administration — intended to have highly confidential data safely — will empower spies to share information all the more effectively from field areas abroad and power expert applications, for example, discourse acknowledgment which can “spot” and decipher specific voices from hours of catch accounts. It will likewise permit GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 to lead quicker look on one another’s data sets. GCHQ told the Financial Times it would not talk about its business associations with innovation providers. AWS declined to remark.

Ciaran Martin, who ventured down last year as top of the UK’s National Cyber Security Center, a part of GCHQ, said the cloud arrangement would permit the security administrations “to get data from enormous measures of information in minutes, as opposed to in many months”. Nonetheless, he excused ideas that the framework would influence the measure of data held by knowledge organizations. “This isn’t tied in with gathering or accumulating more information,” he said. “The undeniable business case is to utilize existing a lot of information all the more viably.”

Gus Hosein, leader overseer of Privacy International and a specialist in innovation and common freedoms, said there were “numerous things” that parliament, controllers and general society had to think about the arrangement. “This is one more stressing public-private organization, concurred stealthily,” he said. “On the off chance that this agreement goes through, Amazon will be situated as the go-to cloud supplier for the world’s knowledge organizations. Amazon needs to deal with serious consequences regarding itself which nations’ security administrations it is ready to work for.” While the arrangement is a first of its sort for the UK, Britain’s security device is lingering behind its US peers being used of business cloud administrations. The CIA marked its first $600m cloud contract with AWS in 2013, for the benefit of all the US knowledge organizations. This cloud arrangement was overhauled last year under another arrangement with a consortium containing AWS, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and IBM.

Chief of naval operations Mike Rogers, previous top of the US National Security Agency, said the transition to distributed storage had helped insight officials focus in on likely suspects. “It gives us speed, it gives us adaptability, and by having the option to total more information, it builds the likelihood that you will recognize that needle in the bundle,” he said. The UK’s transition to get a US organization shocked a few specialists. “Sway matters and there’s a motivation behind why, all things considered, security innovation has consistently been constructed and kept up with in-house,” one security veteran said. GCHQ at first needed to discover a UK cloud supplier yet it turned out to be clear as of late that homegrown organizations would not be able to offer either the scale or abilities required, said two individuals acquainted with the arrangement.

Martin recognized that getting an abroad merchant implied that “controlling and confining seller admittance to information is critical”. “Yet, as long as the organization is from a dependable country, with innovation you comprehend, there are methods of doing this which will empower the offices to deal with the danger,” he said.

The French government this year upheld the making of a new “sovereign cloud” which will be utilized by the country’s public area to deal with touchy information utilizing government-supported security strategies. Named Bleu, it is relied upon to join the Gaia-X venture, which expects to encourage an European cloud industry fit for rivaling US organizations like Google and AWS.

Announcements

Royaloak launches in UAE bringing Indian design excellence to gulf

Published

6 days ago

June 29, 2025

Staff Reporter

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Royaloak Furniture, one of India’s largest organised furniture retail chains, has announced its entry into the UAE market as part of a broader international expansion strategy. With an operational history spanning over 15 years and a customer base exceeding 5 million, the brand has opened three stores in the UAE—located in RAK Mall (Ras Al Khaimah), Lulu Mall (Fujairah), and Silicon Central Mall (Dubai)—each spanning nearly 20,000 square feet.

The move comes at a time when the UAE’s furniture and home décor industry is witnessing steady growth, driven by a combination of increased real estate development, rising urbanisation, and a growing population of design-conscious consumers. According to industry estimates, the UAE furniture market was valued at approximately USD 5.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 5.4 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 4.18%.

Royaloak’s entry adds momentum to the region’s expanding mid-to-premium furniture segment. The brand is known for its “Country Collection” that showcases curated pieces inspired by American, Italian, and Malaysian designs. The company sources products from manufacturing hubs across Asia and Europe, aiming to balance aesthetic appeal with functional quality.

“Our UAE expansion is aligned with market demand and retail opportunity,” said Mathan Subramaniam, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Royaloak. “What sets us apart is a vertically integrated model—from sourcing to distribution—which ensures both product consistency and affordability. With our dedicated warehouse in the UAE, we are equipped to provide fast, reliable delivery and a localised shopping experience.”

The stores are designed to cater to a wide demographic—offering furniture for living rooms, bedrooms, offices, dining areas, and outdoor spaces, in addition to home décor and mattresses. Each outlet is supported by Arabic-speaking staff to ensure culturally attuned customer service.

In tandem with its retail footprint, Royaloak has launched a dedicated UAE e-commerce platform, while also partnering with Amazon UAE and Noon to strengthen its omnichannel presence. The brand’s UAE entry is not just an expansion strategy but also a commitment to job creation and customer-centric innovation in one of the Middle East’s most competitive retail landscapes. The company plans further expansion across the Emirates in the coming year

Announcements

UAE announces fuel prices for June 2025

Published

1 month ago

May 31, 2025

Staff Reporter

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The UAE fuel price committee on Saturday announced petrol and diesel prices for the month of June 2025.The Fuel Prices Monitoring Committee has kept the prices unchanged from the month of May.

Super 98 petrol will cost Dh2.58 a litre, compared to Dh2.58 a litre in May, while Special 95 will cost Dh2.47 a litre, compared to Dh2.47 a litre the previous month.

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E-Plus category petrol will be available for Dh2.39 a litre, compared to Dh2.39 a litre in May, while diesel will now cost Dh2.45 a litre, compared to Dh2.52 a litre the previous month.

The UAE deregulated fuel prices in 2015, aligning them with market fluctuations.

Fuel prices in the UAE are tied to movements in the global oil market, which has experienced significant volatility since the beginning of the year.

Business

BEYOND Expo 2025 kicks off in Macau with over 800 tech companies, investors and global innovators

Published

1 month ago

May 22, 2025

Michael Gomes

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Asia’s biggest technology gathering, BEYOND Expo 2025, opened its doors on Wednesday, May 21, at The Venetian Macau’s Cotai Expo, marking its fifth anniversary with the theme “Empowering Asia, Bridging the World.” Running from May 22 to 24, the event brings together over 800 companies, 25,000 visitors, and more than 800 investors from around the world.

Covering everything from AI and HealthTech to Clean Energy, Robotics, FinTech, and SportsTech, the expo offers a glimpse into the future of innovation and how it’s shaping Asia’s global tech footprint.

The expo also offers unique opportunities for UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other GCC countries to explore cutting-edge solutions in AI, HealthTech, Clean Energy, FinTech, and Robotics, all aligning closely with national visions like “We the UAE 2031” and Saudi Vision 2030.

The opening day drew a crowd of top tech minds who took part in a high-profile panel titled “What’s Next?” Speakers included Alibaba Cloud founder Dr. Jian Wang, Carl Pei, CEO of smartphone brand Nothing, Dr. Burt Guo of Sichuan Aerofugia, Zhaopeng Chen of Agile Robots, and Jingkang Liu, founder of Insta360.

The event also marked the launch of the BEYOND Founders Club (BFC), a new community that aims to connect Asia’s rising tech entrepreneurs and help shape the future of innovation. BEYOND Expo Co-Founder Dr. Lu Gang said the expo was created in 2021 to highlight Asia’s tech progress on a global stage. “We are thrilled to celebrate our fifth year with our largest lineup yet,” he said.

Co-Founder Jason Ho added, “Launching the Founders Club is a powerful step. We believe technology should serve humanity, and this community will help guide the next generation of tech leaders.”

Alongside the expo, a packed schedule of over 300 speakers will lead summits and forums on major trends and topics. These include the Global Investment Summit, AI Summit, Wealth Summit, Fashion Tech Forum, Gen-Z Founder Forum, and SHETECH Summit, among others.

Investment plays a major role at BEYOND Expo, with live funding events like Fund at First Pitch, where 150 companies are competing in front of more than 100 investors for the chance to secure funding. The Wealth Summit, held in partnership with the Asian Family Legacy Foundation and Greenwich Economic Forum, highlights the growing role of family offices and regional investors in shaping the global innovation ecosystem.

For innovators and investors across the Gulf region, BEYOND Expo presents a valuable opportunity to connect with global tech leaders and explore partnerships, as Gulf countries continue to diversify their economies through investments in AI, clean tech, and smart industries, events like BEYOND offer access to cutting-edge trends, emerging markets, and cross-border collaboration with Asia’s fastest-growing tech hubs.

Held at The Venetian Macau’s Cotai Expo, one of Asia’s largest MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) venues, the event is supported by Sands Resorts Macau, known for its luxury hotels, shopping, dining and entertainment experiences.

For more information, visit: www.beyondexpo.com