The article “Richer, Faster—But for Whom? Vietnam’s rise and Thailand’s inequality problem” examines the divergent economic development paths of Vietnam and Thailand, focusing on the concept of “Pro-Poor Growth” from an institutional economics perspective. It highlights a noticeable shift in Thai public sentiment, from urgency to resignation or even encouragement, regarding Vietnam’s economic progress and its potential to surpass Thailand.

The core argument is that institutions—rules, norms, and governance structures—are crucial in determining who benefits from economic growth, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) alone is insufficient to measure improvements in quality of life for all segments of society. Pro-Poor Growth is defined as economic growth that disproportionately benefits the poor or significantly reduces poverty.

Vietnam’s Experience: Growth with Redistribution

Vietnam’s success in sustained poverty reduction post-1986 Doi Moi reforms, which transitioned it from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy, is attributed to its “Growth with Redistribution” strategy. Key factors include:

• Land Reform and Human Capital: Dismantling collective farming and restoring land-use rights to households, alongside significant investment in human capital through the “Education for All” program to prepare unskilled labor for foreign direct investment (FDI).
• Structural Economic Shift: A systematic move from agriculture to manufacturing and services, with a strong emphasis on generating employment for unskilled labor and gradual skill upgrading.
• Spatial Development: Heavy investment in infrastructure, such as achieving 99.9% rural electricity coverage by 2018, and fiscal/administrative decentralization to empower local governments. This approach resulted in average growth rates of 5–7% over decades and continuous poverty reduction, despite global crises, increasing per capita income eighteenfold. However, Vietnam still faces the risk of the middle-income trap, leading to the launch of Doi Moi 2.0 aimed at achieving high-income status by 2045.

Thailand’s Path: Growth without Redistribution

In contrast, Thailand, despite rapid economic expansion in the 1980s, followed a trickle-down economics model, believing wealth would eventually benefit the broader population. This approach has led to low growth and high inequality, explained by several institutional weaknesses:

• Disconnected Policies: Economic growth policies are often formulated separately from poverty reduction and redistribution measures, leaving structural problems unaddressed.
• Middle-Income State Characteristics: Reliance on foreign labor and capital, coupled with limited coordination for domestic technological and innovation development, indicating a lack of institutional upgrading.
• Concentrated State-Business Relations: Particularly after 2014, close cooperation with large conglomerates created a “big brother–small brother” dynamic, concentrating resources and disadvantaging smaller enterprises.
• Policy Inconsistency: Frequent government changes undermine policy continuity, resulting in short-term poverty relief measures (e.g., cash transfers) driven by immediate political demands rather than fundamental structural reforms.

Rethinking Development: Lessons and Recommendations

While Thailand should not merely emulate Vietnam, its experience offers crucial lessons. Escaping the middle-income trap and addressing inequality requires integrating redistribution into the growth strategy from the outset. The article’s central policy argument is that inclusive development must place those at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid at the core of economic policymaking, simultaneously pursuing economic expansion and income redistribution. Examples include designing digital economy and infrastructure investments to provide targeted social protection for the poor and using decentralization to spread prosperity and create local employment.

Vietnam’s success is attributed to policy continuity and institutional design that explicitly integrates the poor into its growth strategy, learning from China and East Asian “miracle” economies that demonstrated sustainable, equitable growth is possible in market economies with outward orientation, macroeconomic stability, and human capital investment. Thailand, therefore, needs to rethink its economic policy design—shifting from treating growth and poverty reduction as separate objectives to creating institutional rules that ensure the benefits of development are broadly and sustainably shared, especially with the poor, while upholding democratic principles.

Source : Richer, Faster—But for Whom? Vietnam’s rise and Thailand’s inequality problem

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GitHub on Feb. 4, 2026, launched public preview access to third-party coding agents from Anthropic and OpenAI, allowing developers with Copilot Pro+ or Copilot Enterprise subscriptions to run Claude and OpenAI Codex directly inside GitHub, GitHub Mobile, and Visual Studio Code — a major step toward a multi-agent ecosystem in the developer workflow.

The integration, announced via the GitHub Blog and changelog, introduces “Agent HQ,” a unified dashboard where users can assign tasks to GitHub’s native Copilot agent or switch to Claude by Anthropic or OpenAI Codex without leaving their repository, pull request, or editor environment. Copilot CLI support is expected soon, completing the cross-platform rollout.

“Context switching equals friction in software development,” the company wrote. “Today, we’re removing some of that friction with the latest updates to Agent HQ which lets you run coding agents from multiple providers directly inside GitHub and your editor, keeping context, history, and review attached to your work.”

The move marks a notable shift for Microsoft-owned GitHub, which has long been synonymous with its Copilot product powered by OpenAI models. By embracing direct competitors, GitHub aims to give developers choice, flexibility, and best-in-class performance for different tasks — from code generation and debugging to architecture planning and documentation.

How Agent HQ Works

Users with eligible subscriptions can now:

• Create a task in GitHub Issues, Discussions, or directly in the Agent HQ tab.
• Select from available agents: Copilot (default), Claude (Anthropic), or Codex (OpenAI).
• Let the chosen agent work asynchronously — generating code, reviewing diffs, proposing pull requests, or commenting on existing PRs.
• Track progress, switch agents mid-task if needed, and maintain full context across interactions.

Claude leverages Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK, enabling it to commit code directly and participate in pull-request discussions. Codex, the successor to OpenAI’s original Codex model that powered early Copilot, brings strong reasoning and code-completion capabilities, now hosted natively in GitHub’s environment.

Both third-party agents consume GitHub Actions minutes and are subject to usage-based pricing on top of the Copilot subscription. GitHub Docs confirm support for Anthropic Claude and OpenAI Codex in preview, with clear instructions for setup and usage.

Why This Matters in 2026

The announcement arrives amid rapid evolution in AI-assisted coding. Nearly 50% of engineering teams already use multiple AI assistants, according to GitHub’s internal data and industry surveys. Developers often switch between tools — ChatGPT, Claude.dev, Cursor, Gemini Code Assist — losing context each time.

Agent HQ eliminates that friction by centralizing agents where code lives: repositories, pull requests, and VS Code. Teams can assign Claude for careful reasoning on security-sensitive code, Codex for rapid prototyping, and Copilot for everyday autocompletion — all without copying/pasting or context loss.

Anthropic and OpenAI both endorsed the integration. Anthropic stated: “We’re bringing Claude into GitHub to meet developers where they are. With Agent HQ, Claude can commit code and comment on pull requests, enabling teams to iterate and ship faster and with more confidence.” OpenAI echoed the sentiment, noting Codex’s legacy in inspiring modern AI coding tools and excitement about deeper GitHub collaboration.

Developer Reception and Early Feedback

Early reactions on Reddit (r/GithubCopilot, r/ClaudeAI) and X were largely positive. Users praised the ability to “pick the best agent for the job” without tool-switching. One developer tweeted: “Claude and Codex in GitHub? This is huge — no more context loss when I want Claude’s reasoning but stay in my workflow.”

Some expressed concerns about cost (third-party usage adds to billing) and preview stability. Others noted that while Copilot remains the default, the multi-agent approach could reduce vendor lock-in and encourage competition among providers.

GitHub emphasized that the feature targets Pro+ ($39/user/month) and Enterprise ($99/user/month) tiers, with plans to expand access to lower plans later. Free and individual Copilot users are not yet included.

Broader Industry Context

The integration reflects a maturing AI coding landscape. In 2026, developers routinely combine LLMs for specialized tasks: Claude for long-context reasoning, GPT models for creative generation, Gemini for multimodal code, and Copilot for IDE-native speed.

By hosting rivals natively, GitHub strengthens its platform moat. Rather than compete solely on model quality, it becomes the neutral hub for agent orchestration — similar to how VS Code became the de facto editor by embracing extensions.

The move also signals Microsoft’s pragmatic approach to AI partnerships. Despite heavy investment in OpenAI, Microsoft has integrated Anthropic models into Azure and now GitHub, hedging bets across the leading frontier labs.

Looking Ahead

GitHub hinted at more agents joining Agent HQ soon, including custom user-built agents via the Agent SDK. Copilot CLI integration is “coming soon,” potentially enabling terminal-based multi-agent workflows.

For developers, the update offers immediate value: faster iteration, better task specialization, and reduced context-switching overhead. For the industry, it sets a precedent for open, interoperable AI coding platforms rather than walled gardens.

As the public preview unfolds, real-world usage will determine adoption. Early signs suggest strong interest among enterprise teams and power users already juggling multiple AI tools.

In a year defined by agentic workflows, GitHub’s decision to embrace — rather than fight — rival models could prove one of the smartest strategic moves in developer tools.

Amazon’s Ring is rolling out an AI-powered feature designed to help locate missing dogs by scanning footage from neighborhood security cameras – and it’s now available nationwide, even to people who don’t own the company’s devices.

The expansion opens one of Ring’s core features to non-customers for the first time, effectively broadening the company’s ecosystem beyond hardware owners and positioning it as a wider neighborhood platform rather than just a doorbell and home-security business.

“Before Search Party, the best you could do was drive up and down the neighborhood, shouting your dog’s name in hopes of finding them,” Ring chief inventor Jamie Siminoff said in a statement. He added that the feature allows pet owners to enlist nearby neighbors and cameras to help locate lost animals more quickly.

A golden retriever runs around a park.  (Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Ring is also committing $1 million to help equip animal shelters across the U.S. with its camera systems, a move the company says is aimed at helping shelters identify and reunite lost dogs with their owners more efficiently. 

The effort is expected to reach thousands of shelters nationwide, with Ring partnering with organizations including Petco Love and Best Friends Animal Society.

A doorbell device with a built-in camera made by home security company Ring is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When a dog is reported missing through the Ring app, participating outdoor cameras in the area use AI-powered computer vision to look for animals that resemble the missing pet. If a potential match is detected, the camera owner receives an alert and can choose whether to share the footage with the person searching for their dog.

Ring’s security app experienced major outages on Wednesday. (Ring.com)

Ring says video sharing remains optional and is handled on a case-by-case basis, allowing camera owners to decide whether to participate while maintaining control over their footage.

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Lost pets are among the most common posts on Ring’s Neighbors app. The company says more than 1 million lost or found pet reports were made on the platform last year alone, highlighting the scale of the problem the feature is designed to address.

Any agreement would be linked to South Crofty providing a supply of tin to the US

The company behind a major project to revive a historic Cornish tin mine says it could potentially receive financing support from the US government. Cornish Metals, which floated on AIM in December, announced on Thursday it had received a non-binding letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) – the country’s official export credit agency.

Cornish Metals is looking to reopen South Crofty – a tin and copper mine near the village of Pool. The mine operated for more than 400 years but was shut in 1998 due to lack of investment and falling metal prices. Cornish Metals acquired the mine in 2016 and said last year it was optimistic that commercial extraction could begin by mid-2028.

It is understood the letter of interest outlines EXIM’s capacity to consider up to US$225m in financing. South Crofty may also qualify for special consideration under the agency’s China and Transformational Exports Program, Cornish Metals said.

Potential financing support is linked to South Crofty providing a “responsible supply” of tin concentrate to the US, to build more resilient supply chains.

Don Turvey, chief executive of Cornish Metals, said: “This Letter of Interest from EXIM is a testament to the quality and strategic importance of South Crofty and its potential to become the first new tin producer in the western world.

“This indicative support also demonstrates the ramping up of our discussions with potential project financing sources as we progress towards a final investment decision.

“Against a backdrop of strong tin prices supported by attractive market dynamics and the substantial progress being made on site, we are encouraged by the momentum building across the business as we work towards bringing South Crofty back into production.”

Business Live understands the letter of interest does not constitute a financing commitment.

In December, Cornish Metals said “significant progress” was being made at South Crofty, which is expected to make yearly earnings of £70m once up and running.

The project received the backing of the UK government in 2025 with Chancellor Rachel Reeves committing to invest £29m in the scheme.

A breakthrough personalized mRNA cancer vaccine that trains the immune system to target patients’ unique tumor mutations is showing promising results. 

Five-year trial data show the risk of recurrence or death in melanoma patients was cut by about half when combined with Merck’s Keytruda, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told FOX Business Wednesday.

“The results are really exciting,” Bancel told FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria.”

“We saw a recurrence-free survival, meaning people [are] not dying from the disease or getting the disease coming back. At five years, we saw 50% improvement versus people getting Keytruda [alone], Merck’s blockbuster medicine, which has saved so many lives.

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An assistant conducts cancer vaccine research in the lab at the Moderna Inc. headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., on Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2024.  (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“As you see, this is very meaningful for patients, and we are very excited because this year we should get the Phase 3 study result for that medicine and, hopefully, if it’s positive, we should be able to file very quickly with the FDA to get this to the American people to save them from their disease.”

Melanoma is considered the deadliest form of skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates about 8,500 Americans will die from the disease in 2026.

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Keytruda is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of skin cancer called melanoma. (Merck )

Bancel said the individualized approach of intismeran autogene (formerly known as mRNA-4157) allows Moderna to design a custom treatment for each patient based on their specific tumor mutations, enabling the immune system to more precisely target cancer cells.

“If you and I were diagnosed the same day by the same doctor with skin cancer, Moderna would make a different medicine for your cancer and a different medicine for mine,” he told anchor Maria Bartiromo, adding the personalized vaccine can be manufactured in roughly 30 days.

Bancel said the treatment showed no added safety risks or side effects compared with Keytruda alone.

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“You see a huge benefit for the patients and the families with no downside of side effects, so that’s why it’s also so exciting,” he said.

Beyond melanoma, Moderna’s collaboration with Merck is expanding, with nine ongoing studies examining the personalized mRNA therapy in cancers such as kidney, bladder and gastric cancer, among others.

Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, reported blockbuster fourth-quarter results on Feb. 4, 2026, surpassing Wall Street expectations and pushing full-year 2025 revenue above $400 billion for the first time in its history, fueled by surging demand for AI-powered products across Search, YouTube and Google Cloud.

The company posted consolidated revenue of $113.8 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, up 18% from $96.5 billion a year earlier (or 17% in constant currency). Earnings per share reached $2.82, a 31% increase, beating analyst estimates of $2.63 EPS and $111.3 billion in revenue, according to FactSet consensus.

For the full year, Alphabet generated $402.8 billion in revenue — up 15% from 2024 — marking the milestone first crossing of the $400 billion threshold. Net income rose 30% to approximately $34.5 billion for the quarter, with full-year figures reflecting strong profitability amid heavy AI investments.

CEO Sundar Pichai called it “a tremendous quarter for Alphabet,” highlighting the launch of Gemini 3 as a major milestone. “Annual revenues exceeded $400 billion for the first time,” he said on the earnings call. “We have great momentum. Our first-party models like Gemini now process over 10 billion tokens per minute via direct API use by customers, and the Gemini App has grown to over 750 million monthly active users.”

Search & other revenue accelerated with 17% growth, driven by AI enhancements expanding usage. YouTube crossed $60 billion in annual revenue across ads and subscriptions, with paid subscriptions across consumer services topping 325 million, led by Google One and YouTube Premium. Google Cloud revenue surged 48% to $17.7 billion in Q4, ending 2025 at an annual run rate over $70 billion, propelled by enterprise AI infrastructure, solutions and core GCP products.

The results underscore Alphabet’s dominance in the AI race. Operating income rose 16% to reflect a 31.6% margin, despite a $2.1 billion employee compensation charge for Waymo. Operating cash flow hit a record $52.4 billion in Q4.

Investors reacted mixed to the report. Shares initially rose on the beat but whipsawed after-hours as Alphabet guided to massive 2026 capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion — nearly double 2025’s $91.4 billion — to scale AI compute and infrastructure. CFO Anat Ashkenazi noted supply constraints ahead, with Pichai acknowledging the year would be “supply constrained” to meet demand.

The hefty CapEx guidance — far above analyst expectations of around $115 billion — signals aggressive bets on data centers, TPUs, GPUs and other AI hardware. It follows similar moves by rivals like Meta, which projected $115-135 billion for 2026.

Analysts praised the acceleration but flagged risks from elevated spending. “They passed $400 billion of total revenues for the first time, and announced plans to spend around $180 billion in 2026 to increase their chances to continue these colossal totals,” said one analyst.
Google Services revenue climbed 14% to $95.9 billion, led by Search (17%), subscriptions/devices (17%) and YouTube ads (9%). The cloud segment’s 30.1% operating margin (up from 17.5%) reflected efficiency gains amid explosive growth.

The earnings come as Alphabet navigates antitrust scrutiny, AI competition and regulatory pressures. Yet the results affirm its AI strategy: Gemini adoption (over 8 million paid enterprise seats at 2,800+ companies), a $240 billion cloud backlog, and AI driving “expansionary” Search moments.

Pichai emphasized broad impact: “We’re seeing our AI investments and infrastructure drive revenue and growth across the board.” He highlighted YouTube’s $60 billion milestone and consumer subscriptions’ strength.

Wall Street had anticipated solid growth but the scale of cloud acceleration and AI momentum exceeded forecasts. The $400 billion annual mark — up from $350 billion in 2024 — cements Alphabet’s position among the world’s most valuable companies, with market cap hovering near $4 trillion.

The report also reflects broader tech trends: AI fueling ad dollars (via better targeting and performance), cloud as a high-margin growth engine, and subscriptions providing stable revenue.

Looking ahead, 2026 CapEx plans underscore commitment to AI leadership despite costs. Pichai noted challenges in supply but confidence in opportunities.

For investors, the beat reinforces Alphabet’s resilience. Shares traded volatile post-earnings, but long-term bulls point to AI tailwinds outweighing near-term spending pressures.
Alphabet’s 2025 performance — first $400 billion year — caps a transformative period, positioning the company to capitalize on AI’s next wave while defending core businesses.