News

  AFP Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced plans to spin off its non-core software assets, to be merged with British software group Micro Focus. The deal creates an entity valued at $8.8 billion which will be “one of the world’s largest pure-play enterprise software companies,” according to HPE. “With today’s announcement, we are taking another important step in achieving the vision ...

  AFP New Zealand’s two largest media companies signed a merger agreement, although the planned deal still needs approval from the country’s competition watchdog to proceed. NZME and Fairfax Media NZ said they would reach a combined audience of 3.7 million, more than 80 percent of New Zealand’s 4.5 million population. “The merger will present opportunities for NZME to significantly ...

  AFP US computer maker Dell said it completed the acquisition of data storage firm EMC, creating the largest privately held technology group with a range of computing services. The completion creates a new firm called Dell Technologies and finalizes a record $67 billion deal for EMC, which will help the struggling PC maker accelerate its efforts in cloud and ...

  AFP The Washington Post announced it was rolling out a “lightning-fast” mobile news site that would provide near-instant load times for both articles and advertising. The Post, purchased in 2013 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, said in a statement was combining its own technology with Progressive Web Apps and the Google-led Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technologies “to create a ...

  AFP ITT Educational Services Inc said it would shut its flagship ITT Technical Institutes, following a U.S. Department of Education order, affecting thousands of students and employees. ITT’s move is the latest blow to the over $20 billion U.S. for-profit education industry, which has come under fire from the government in the past couple of years for its poor ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Design Week’s popular exhibition Abwab will return to this year’s program, festival organizers have announced. A showcase of emerging and established creative talent from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, Abwab (‘doors’ in Arabic) will showcase entirely new work from designers and studios from Algeria, Bahrain, India, Iraq, Palestine and ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business Twenty orphan children got their wishes fulfilled after Knowledge without Boarders’ (KwB) response to ‘Sidreh of Wishes’ initiative that was launched by the Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation. ‘Sidreh of Wishes’ saw KwB distribute personal items designed to help the youngsters in their learning endeavours, as well as be of practical assistance in other areas of ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business Students from the Middle East and North Africa will, for the first time, took part in the second edition of the cross-cultural SAWA Summer School initiative, held recently at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. A joint collaboration between Sharjah Museums Department, Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, Staatliche Museen Berlin – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and University of ...

Reuters Algeria’s government plans to slash spending by 14 percent in 2017, after a 9 percent cut this year, seeking to adjust to lower energy revenues, according to a government official. It is also considering increasing subsidised gasoline and diesel prices for a second straight year to rein in rising domestic consumption and lower the import bill, the official said. ...

  Bloomberg Egypt’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 15.5% in August, driven to its highest level in at least seven years by the weakening of the currency and an increase in electricity prices. Consumer prices rose 1.9 percent in the month, according to data published by the state-run CAPMAS statistics agency. Food and beverage prices, which account for the largest ...