Automation, AI, and robotics are the real forces behind the disruption to the global job market, and they will accelerate in 2017. Image: iStockphoto/Matriyoshka As we do each week, the editors of ZDNet will continue to put our heads together in 2017 and give you our weekly Monday Morning Opener–an editorial that zooms in on the most important topic in tech for the week. Now that we’re […]
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced that it will launch five new initiatives in 2017 to boost start-ups and entrepreneurs. No details about the new schemes were revealed but a senior Chamber official said in comments published by news agency WAM that efforts to foster innovation and develop Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem will remain a major priority. “With the UAE’s focus on instilling a spirit of […]
2016 was jampacked with so many discoveries and technological advancements, and it looks like the tech world has no plans of slowing down in 2017. From augmented and virtual realities to artificial intelligence and new versions of wearable devices, 2017 has it all in store for you. Augmented, Virtual And Mixed Reality The year 2016 saw the intregration of this technology into the market. The boom of the […]
It was certainly a year of ups and downs for Apple, which took steps to shore up many of its products outside the core iOS portable offerings. The Apple Watch got a new user interface, but the smartwatch category drags. Apple TV got a new content navigation app (but not an integrated Apple television service). The redesigned MacBook, of course, got a wee strip of touchy goodness. […]
Facebook, one of the world’s most popular social networks, has more than 2 billion users and it knows more about them than they realize. It’s not much of a surprise that Facebook wants to know as much about its users as possible, as any bit of extra info can help it serve better targeted ads. For a good while now, Facebook has been as much a social […]
Globalization, the path that the world economy has largely followed for decades, took some hefty blows in 2016. The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union have raised questions over the future of tariff-free trade and companies’ freedom to move production to lower-cost countries. Borders are back in vogue. Economic nationalism is paying political dividends. “We […]
Newly formed alliance to play key role in enhancing innovative leadership and provide essential support for emirate’s efforts to maintain global competitiveness December 29, 2016 Sharjah Tatweer Forum and Sharjah eGovernment have recently signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signalling the start of a strategic new partnership aimed towards further promoting the Sharjah Leadership Program (SLP), an initiative aimed towards developing leaders who are well informed […]
Market intelligence and networking platform builds momentum as it gathers senior industry decision-makers in third outing. Dubai 29 December,2016 MAZ Chartered Accountants, the region’s leading audit, taxation, financial and management consultancy has held its 3rd MAZ Annual Seminar. The Seminar’s third iteration built on previous years’ success to curate a powerful platform where professionals accessed industry intelligence, developed contacts, improved professional networks and kept pace with a […]
From Day One of eBay’s cloud journey, the e-commerce company has focused on keeping its developers happy, according to Suneet Nandwani, eBay’s senior director of cloud infrastructure and platforms. That’s led to several challenges and innovations at the company, the latest of which is the development of TessMaster — a management framework to deploy Kubernetes on OpenStack. With the emergence of Docker, it became clear that containers […]
BERLIN Islamist terrorism is the biggest test facing Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday in a New Year’s address to the nation, and she vowed to introduce laws that improve security after a deadly attack before Christmas in Berlin. Describing 2016 as a year that gave many the impression that the world had “turned upside down,” Merkel urged Germans to forsake populism and said Germany had […]
The world was shocked this past week when mother and daughter Hollywood icons Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passed away within just one day of each other. That shock turned to outrage when tasteless tweets by Cinnabon and comedian D.L. Hughley emerged via the online platform. Two Hollywood Icons Pass As we recently reported, famous Hollywood actress Carrie Fisher, who most famously appeared as Princess Leia in […]
Dubai, UAE, 30 December 2016 Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) won the Best Business Award 2016, which is one of the most prestigious business awards in the UK in the field of health and safety. This reflects DEWA’s international position in leadership and excellence, and its efforts, commitment and achievements in the field of health and safety over the last 15 years. HE Saeed Mohammed Al […]
Tesla Transport underpins and supports both urban and rural living worldwide. Whether this is just a runaround to get from A to B, a flight to get to a conference or distribution networks for parcels and supplies, companies and the general public require a strong transport infrastructure for cities and businesses to thrive. However, as transport is so ingrained, new and innovative solutions are required to lessen […]
Italy’s antitrust chief has called for EU member states to set up a network of public agencies to combat fake news. Giovanni Pitruzzella said the regulation of false information on the internet was best done by the state rather than by social media companies such as Facebook. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Pitruzzella, head of the Italian competition body since 2011, said EU countries […]
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; December 30, 2017 As the 10th anniversary year of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, draws to a close, industry watchers can reflect on 12 months that have marked a historic milestone for the company and a pivotal moment for the renewable energy sector as a whole. During the decade since Masdar was established, the UAE has cemented a global reputation for […]
Chinese netizens are mourning the demise of a popular online talk show that dared to tackle social and political topics in a media landscape dominated by vapid soap operas, staid costume dramas and webcam girls. The final episode of “Xiaosong-pedia“, hosted by songwriter, music producer and film director Gao Xiaosong, was aired on Friday on iQiyi, the online video platform owned by internet search group Baidu. The show received […]
The Singapore government has invested significant resources and efforts in building up a thriving startup environment, but its inhabitants must now take risks and look beyond local shores. Jeffrey Paine, general partner at Golden Gate Ventures, believed Singapore’s startup scene had progressed well over the last six to eight years. He said a number of successful startups had grown and executed well in the region, as well […]
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently asked what users would want to see or improve on the social media platform for 2017, and responses to the question have flooded in. Some of the top requests include a bookmark button that would allow users to revisit their favorite accounts and tweets, as well as an improved system for reporting harassment. One of the most requested features for Twitter, however, is […]
How do big data people go about making end-of-year reviews and predictions? Using data is the obvious answer, but there’s a few issues with that approach: there is no synthesis in data alone — you have to find the story behind data, pick an angle and seek meaning. In addition, that approach does not account for subtle hints, industry knowledge, and big ideas. To paraphrase Carl Sagan, […]
M&A: back with a bang Deal activity was vigorous with much of it concentrated just below the level of the industry’s biggest companies. Nasdaq bought International Securities Exchange for $1.1bn, while CBOE Holdings announced a $3.2bn deal for Bats Global Markets in September. Of most significance, the pending €24bn tie-up between London’s LSE Group and Deutsche Börse, which will create Europe’s largest exchange. As the chart above […]
Chinese technology giant Tencent, along with Beijing-based mapping company NavInfo and Singapore state-owned investment firm GIC, announced this week the trio intended to jointly take up a 10 percent share of mapping company Here, with current owners Audi, BMW, and Daimler reducing their indirect holding by the same amount. As well as the share purchase, the companies announced the creation of a 50/50 joint venture between Here […]
By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel’s building of settlements in occupied territory was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the longtime American ally. In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of showing bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign […]
Arguably the biggest newspaper business story of 2016 was Gannett’s failed (for now) bid to take over Tronc. What the broken deal says about the industry, however, is more than a little ambiguous. For starters, consider that 2016 was a particularly hard year financially, with advertising revenue losses that started bad and got even worse in the fall. Both Gannett and Tronc are profitable on a cash […]
When Jack Ma criticised Hong Kong last month for having outdated stock market listing practices, the Alibaba founder hit the city where it hurts. Hong Kong’s rivalry with New York has only heightened since the billionaire chose the US for his ecommerce group’s initial public offering two years ago. And next year, the battle between the world’s two largest listing centres will only become more heated, as three […]
