Companies
Amazon hits manage UK spy organizations to have highly confidential material
Published
3 years agoon
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.
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Announcements
UAE fuel prices announced for September 2024
Published
1 week agoon
August 31, 2024By
SudhashreeThe UAE fuel price committee on Saturday announced petrol and diesel prices for the month of September 2024.
Super 98 petrol will cost Dh2.90 a litre, compared to Dh3.05 a litre in August, while Special 95 will cost Dh2.78 a litre, compared to Dh2.93 a litre the previous month. E-Plus category petrol will be available for Dh2.71 a litre, compared to Dh2.86 a litre in August, while diesel will now cost Dh2.78 a litre, compared to Dh2.95 a litre the previous month.
UAE Fuel Price Committee announces prices for September#WamNewshttps://t.co/Jwis5fd2Ah pic.twitter.com/qOspYYVge4
— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) August 31, 2024
he UAE has been revising retail petrol prices on the last day of the month ever since the government deregulated oil prices in August 2015 to bring them at par with the global rates.
The approved fuel prices by the Ministry of Energy, according to the average global price of oil, whether up or down, after adding the operating costs of distribution companies.
Announcements
Secure Connection Brings Honeywell-Licensed Solutions to Saudi Market in Landmark Move
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeSecure Connection, the Hong Kong-based electronic products manufacturer, announced its strategic expansion into the Saudi Arabian market with its complete range of Honeywell-licensed products. Secure Connection is an authorized trademark licensee for Honeywell International Inc. and has exclusive rights to manufacture, market, sell, and support a wide range of Honeywell-licensed products in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East Asia & Africa, covering a wide array of product categories such as Air Purifiers, Home and Personal Audio products, Mobile and IT accessories, and Structured Cabling Systems.
Mr. Mohit Anand, CEO, Secure Connection Limited, shared insights on the significance of this market expansion, stating, “Saudi Arabia presents an exciting opportunity for us. Saudi Arabia is known for its vibrant economy and dynamic consumer landscape and presents tremendous opportunities for our Honeywell-licensed product range. We are confident and excited about our launch in the Kingdom and look forward to delighting the consumers with our comprehensive product offerings. We are extremely happy to have partnered with SAMIR Trading & Marketing Company as our distribution partner in Saudi Arabia”.
Samir Trading & Marketing company a leading technology product distributor in Saudi Arabia who aligns with Secure Connection’s long-term vision and shares the commitment to deliver exceptional consumer experiences. Mr. Saed Al-Hindi, CEO, SAMIR Trading & Marketing Company “We are excited to embark on this partnership with Secure Connection. Our shared commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences aligns perfectly. Together, we will introduce innovative Honeywell-licensed products that cater to the evolving needs of Saudi consumers.”
This move represents a noteworthy step for Secure Connection’s global growth plans by exemplifying its dedication to pursuing new prospects and business opportunities. Secure Connection is committed to the Saudi Arabian market and is demonstrating this by investing resources to help create a robust business and footprint across the country.
Announcements
Burjuman or Union ? RTA reveals Dubai’s busiest metro station
Published
4 weeks agoon
August 12, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Dubai Metro was the top choice of public transport in the emirate, accounting for 37 per cent of all commuters in the first half of 2024. Overall public transport ridership clocked 361.2 million in the first six months of the year — a 6 per cent increase over the same period in 2023. BurJuman and Union stations saw the highest number of passengers, with BurJuman recording 7.8 million users and Union station 6.3 million users.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) counts Metro, Tram, public buses, marine transport, taxis, e-hail vehicles, smart rental vehicles, and on-demand buses while computing public transport ridership numbers. BurJuman and Union stations saw the highest number of passengers, with BurJuman recording 7.8 million users and Union station 6.3 million users.
#RTA announced that the number of users of public transport and shared mobility in Dubai—including Metro, Tram, public buses, marine transport, Taxis, e-hail vehicles, smart rental vehicles, and on-demand buses—reached about 361.2 million in the first half of 2024. This… pic.twitter.com/nirGThtXOT
— RTA (@rta_dubai) August 11, 2024
Announcing these figures on Sunday, theDubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the number of users of public transport and shared mobility means in Dubai, including Metro, Tram, public buses, marine transport, taxis, e-hail vehicles, smart rental vehicles, and on-demand buses—reached saw a six per cent increase compared to around 340.5 million users in the first half of 2023. The daily average number of riders in the first half of this year reached 1.98 million, compared to 1.88 million in the same period in 2023.
His excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director general, chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA said the authority plans to improve public transport even further. He said: “RTA’s strategic and operational plans are based on achieving multi-modal integration of all public transport and shared mobility means to ensure smooth mobility across Dubai. This included developing and expanding road networks and all elements of public transport — metro, tram, buses, marine transport, first and last-mile solutions, and shared mobility— along with an enhanced and integrated pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
“The RTA also focuses on traffic management systems to maximise the efficiency of roads and public transport and implements policies to encourage the public to reduce reliance on private vehicles and increase the use of public and shared transport,” the RTA chief added.