Dubai Rolls Out AI Training for 50,000 Government Staff
Dubai has unveiled the AI Workforce Transformation Program (AI+), a large‑scale initiative to train 50,000 government employees in artificial intelligence. The program, run by Digital Dubai, the Human Resources Department and the Dubai Centre for AI, offers role‑based tracks for leaders, chief AI officers, product owners, managers and staff. It aims to embed AI capabilities across all levels of public service, shifting workers from mere users to co‑designers of digital services. The effort aligns with the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031 and the emirate’s D33 economic agenda to diversify growth beyond hydrocarbons.
One Year on From the M&S Cyber Attack: What Did We Learn?
One year after the Easter‑week 2025 Marks & Spencer cyber breach, analysts confirm the attack originated from a simple social‑engineering phone call that compromised a third‑party help‑desk and cascaded into ransomware across VMware hosts. The incident sparked a wave of...
UAE Education Builds Digital Resilience as Regional Tensions Accelerate Shift to Remote Learning
UAE’s education sector is accelerating digital resilience amid regional tensions, led by edtech enabler Ankabut. The company provided free access to interactive tools like WeVideo during recent disruptions, ensuring continuity for schools and universities. Ankabut’s 2026 roadmap focuses on a...
Sustaining Education in the Middle East: Innovation and Adaptation Amid Regional Disruption
Regional tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States are prompting Gulf nations, especially the UAE, to fast‑track digital education initiatives. The UAE’s national research and education network, Ankabut, is deploying cloud‑based platforms, secure hybrid learning environments, and advanced learning‑management...
AI-Driven Identity Must Exist in a Robust Compliance Framework
Enterprises are rapidly adopting AI‑driven identity and verification tools, but UK regulators are demanding that governance, risk and compliance (GRC) precede deployment. New legislation such as the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the Online Safety Act 2025, and updated ICO guidance...
AI Driving Changes in Nordic Financial Services
Nordic banks and insurers are accelerating AI adoption as digital‑only challengers like Lunar capture market share. Lunar has raised €540 m (≈ $594 m) to turbo‑charge its AI‑driven expansion, while incumbents such as Tryg, Danske Bank and If Forsikring launch AI hubs and digitisation...
HMRC Is Watching You…
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has purchased advanced phone‑scanning hardware and analysis software to extract data from seized mobile devices, bolstering its electronic intelligence capabilities. The move signals a shift toward digital surveillance in tax enforcement, aligning the agency with...
Stop Scams Steps up to Online Fraud Challenge
Stop Scams UK, a not‑for‑profit founded in 2020, is scaling its data‑sharing platform to combat online fraud across banks, telecoms and tech firms. In the first half of 2025, UK scams cost roughly $800 million, with two‑thirds originating online. The organisation...
Designing Water‐smart AI Datacentres in GCC and MENA
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the world’s most water‑stressed region, yet it aims to become a global AI hub. Analysts forecast GCC hyperscale datacenters could consume 426 billion litres of water annually by 2030, dwarfing the already limited...
Oracle Endows Fusion Applications with More AI Autonomy
Oracle unveiled a new generation of Fusion Agentic Applications, adding over 20 AI‑autonomous modules across ERP, HCM, SCM and CX. The agents can reason, decide and act on business goals by leveraging existing transactional data, policies and approval hierarchies, while...
Bucks Landfill Datacentre First to Get Nationally Significant Status
A 300 MW datacentre planned on the Veolia‑run Wapseys Wood landfill in Buckinghamshire has been granted Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status, allowing it to bypass local planning controls and move toward a Development Consent Order. The scheme includes three data‑hall buildings...
Lloyds Banking App ‘Glitch’ Shows Transactions of Strangers
Lloyds Banking Group’s mobile apps briefly displayed other customers’ transaction histories on the morning of 12 March 2026. The glitch affected users of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland apps before being resolved within minutes. The incident has reignited parliamentary...
UK Government Announces Package to Get More Women in Tech
The UK Home Office and Ministry of Justice have launched a returnship scheme that offers senior software developer positions to women who have been out of the workforce for 18 months or more. The scheme is part of a wider...
Child Rapist Could Have Profiled Victims Through Unaudited Access to NHS Databases
A former NHS analyst and convicted child rapist, Paul Lipscombe, is alleged to have used unaudited SQL queries to extract personal details of his victims from hospital databases. The whistleblower highlighted that while patient administration systems are logged, analysts can...
CISOs on Alert: Strengthening Cyber Resilience Amid Geopolitical Tensions in the Middle East
Rising geopolitical tensions between Israel, the US and Iran are prompting CISOs across the Gulf to tighten cyber resilience. Leaders emphasize readiness over panic, focusing on nation‑state threat monitoring, rapid incident response, and robust data protection. Immediate measures include enhanced...
