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Dubai emerges as global launchpad for AI startups | World News – The Times of India

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Dubai emerges as global launchpad for AI startups | World News – The Times of India


DUBAI, UAE: AI startups from across the globe are increasingly choosing the UAE as their base, drawn by the country’s accelerating pace of innovation and growing reputation as a research and talent hub, speakers revealed at Dubai Assembly for AI, part of Dubai AI Week 2025.
In a session titled “Dubai as a Launchpad: Competing on the Global Stage”, Sachin Dev Duggal, founder and chief wizard of Builder.ai, shared why the startup moved its headquarters to Dubai. “There’s massive demand across the GCC, and the market’s inherent stability makes it the perfect base. The leadership here is incredibly open to building AI-powered platforms, and the legislation reflects that.”
He added, “I have a strong sense that the pace of innovation in Dubai is accelerating rapidly. When capital, talent, and R&D support are aligned, the UAE has all the ingredients to become a true global hub for advanced research and breakthrough technologies.”
Jad Antoun, CEO of Huspy, described the country’s Golden Visa programme as a “gamechanger,” adding that the UAE “provides the stability to build a global company–and attract great talent.”
Lin Kayser, CEO of Leap71, reflected on his move to Dubai saying, “I’ve been founding companies for 30 years, and when we moved here, it was a breath of fresh air. People were supportive and open. They said: That’s cool–let’s do it.”
In a session titled “Global CAIOs: Early Study Findings by Dubai Future Foundation & IBM”, attendees heard how AI is transforming Dubai’s government entities.
Mohammed AlMudharreb,executive director of the Corporate Technical Support Services Sector and CAIO at RTA, said, “Our chatbot has already handled over 23 million conversations. These are the results you get when data, alignment, and execution come together–but we’re still just scratching the surface.”
Juma AlGhaith, advisor to the general manager and CAIO at Dubai Customs, stated, “AI isn’t just improving how things work–it’s giving us a chance to rethink and transform them completely.”
Mario Nobile, Director-General of the Agency for Digital Italy, emphasised that “coordination, not competition, will define AI leadership.”
Presenting findings from a new global survey of 624 Chief AI Officers across 22 countries, Anthony Marshall, Senior Research Director at the IBM Institute for Business Value, said, “Only 25 percent of executives believe their infrastructure is ready for AI at scale. While the average CAIO leads a team of just five people, the expectations placed on them are enormous.”
A panel titled ‘Fuelling the Future: Investing in AI Startups within Dubai’s Ecosystem’ showcased how Dubai is cultivating a thriving AI startup landscape.
Akshat Prakash, CTO and Co-founder of CAMB.AI, said, “Dubai offers a rare combination of cultural diversity, strategic location, and a supportive innovation ecosystem–making it an ideal environment to build a truly global company.”
Nuha Hashem, Co-founder of CozmoX AI, highlighted the region’s proactive role in the AI age, noting, “During the dotcom boom, this region lagged in adoption. But with AI, we’re building in real time. Companies here aren’t just catching up–they’re creating world-first solutions, sometimes before the trend even goes global.”
She added, “As a female founder in the UAE, I feel empowered. Your vision and your work matter more than your gender–and that’s powerful.”
In a fireside chat titled ‘Revolutionising Education Through Metaverse and AI’, Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, compared today’s AI revolution to the early resistance against calculators in schools.
“Back then, people weren’t allowed to use calculators in math. Today, the same accusations are being thrown at AI. But just like calculators deepened our understanding, AI will do the same across subjects,” he said.
He warned that without accessible infrastructure, AI could widen global inequalities: “Governments once subsidised calculators until solar versions solved the energy issue. But AI requires compute and training data. Without grants and licences, it won’t be equally accessible–and we risk creating a digital divide.”





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US asks for home addresses, biometrics of H-1B applicants first time ever: ‘Highly unusual’ – The Times of India

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US asks for home addresses, biometrics of H-1B applicants first time ever: ‘Highly unusual’ – The Times of India


USCIS is seeking home address and biometrics as additional data from H-1B applicants, if there is any ‘adverse information’ about the applicant.

In a fresh trouble for H-1B applicants, federal immigrant authorities are asking for home addresses and biometrics for H-1B and employment-based immigrant petitions, which immigrant lawyers think is highly unusual, as biometrics are not generally required. Immigrant authorities are issuing Requests for Evidence (RFE) for this data.
A Request for Evidence is a formal notice issued by the USCIS when additional documents are required for evaluating a petition. It can not be seen as a denial but a standard part of the process if there is any gap in the applications. According to USCIS guidelines, an RFE should clearly outline which eligibility criteria have not been met, explain why existing materials are insufficient, and suggest what additional evidence could help meet the requirements.
These requests are quite common if there is a missing documentation, inconsistencies in project details or a lack of supporting evidence.

Is it targeting H-1Bs amid crackdown on immigrants?

Immigration law firm Goel & Anderson’s Vic Goel told Forbes this is highly unusual because biometrics are not typically required for these case types.”The RFEs also fail to explain the nature of the adverse information, leaving employers and attorneys in the dark. It appears that DHS [Department of Homeland Security] may be using AI tools to flag individuals based on undisclosed data, possibly from social media or other government databases.”
“We have encountered potentially adverse information related to the beneficiary. To continue processing your application or petition, we required an updated address for the beneficiary so that we may collect biometric data,” a USCIS adjudicator wrote in a Request for Evidence, according to Forbes.
The “adverse information” part goes along with the crackdown on immigrants by the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said making America safe means revoking visas when threats arise. “US visa holders should know in no uncertain terms that the US government’s rigorous security vetting does not end once a visa is granted,” Rubio said.





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Israeli airstrike kills at least 44 people in Gaza, hits a police station

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Israeli airstrike kills at least 44 people in Gaza, hits a police station


A view of destroyed machinery at the site of an Israeli strike, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

An Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday (April 24, 2025), killing at least 10 people, local health authorities said, and Israel’s military said it had struck a command centre of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups.

Medics said two Israeli missiles hit the police station, located near a market, which led to the wounding of dozens of people in addition to the 10 deaths. The identities of those killed were not immediately clear.

The Israeli military said in a statement apparently referring to the same incident, that it attacked a command and control centre operated by Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad groups in Jabalia, which militants used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.

It accused Palestinian militant groups of exploiting civilians and civil properties for military purposes, an allegation Hamas and other factions deny.

Local health authorities said Israeli strikes have killed at least 34 other people in separate airstrikes across the enclave, bringing Thursday’s death toll to 44.

The Gaza Health Ministry said the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City had become non-operational, a day after an Israeli strike hit the upper part of the building, damaging the intensive care unit and destroying the facility’s solar power panel system.

No one was killed. There was no Israeli comment on the incident.

Gaza’s health system has been devastated by Israel’s 18-month-old military campaign, launched in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023, putting many of the territory’s hospitals out of action, killing medics, and reducing crucial supplies.

Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza’s land.

Efforts by Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have so far failed to reconcile disputes between the two warring parties, Israel and Hamas.

The attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023 killed 1,200 people, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 51,300 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to health officials.



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133 students, majority Indians, get their SEVIS records restored: What is this record? Why is this crucial to stay in US? – The Times of India

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133 students, majority Indians, get their SEVIS records restored: What is this record? Why is this crucial to stay in US? – The Times of India


A Georgia court reinstated the SEVIS records of 133 students, majority Indians.

Amid the Donald Trump administration’s massive crackdown on international students, a court in Georgia has ruled in favor of 133 students, reinstating their SEVIS records. A majority of these 133 students are Indians. They filed a lawsuit against the ICE after their SEVIS records were terminated.

What is SEVIS record?

SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — an online database that the US Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain information regarding schools which have exchange programs, F-1 and M1 students studying in the US, J-1 visa exchange visitor program participants.

When is a SEVIS record terminated?

A SEVIS record is terminated if a student does something violating the terms of their visa status.

How to check SEVIS record

If you want to verify your valid SEVIS status, you can log into M-Passport and check your SEVIS Status. If your SEVIS Status is Active or Initial, then your SEVIS record is valid.

What happens if a SEVIS record is terminated?

If your SEVIS record is terminated, you have two options: travel outside the US with a new I-20 or submit a Reinstatement application to regain your status.
A terminated SEVIS record strips a student of their lawful status, leading to invalidation of their F-1 work authorization (including OPT and STEM OPT). OPT stands for Optional Practical Training which is related to an F-1 student’s major area of study.

What was the case of these 133 students?

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups in the Northern District of Georgia. The students claimed that ICE terminated their SEVIS records “abruptly and unlawfully”. The lawsuit claimed that by terminating these records, ICE is ending a student’s status and making them deportable.
“DHS’s act of unlawfully terminating SEVIS records appears to be designed to coerce students, including each Plaintiff, into abandoning their studies and ‘self-deporting’ despite not violating their status,” the lawsuit said.
Some of the students are nearing graduation and are enrolled in work programs. Reasons for their record revocation were cited as traffic violations, minor misdemeanors etc. Government lawyers had argued that granting any relief to the students would affect the executive branch’s “control over immigration.”





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