NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 13 January
13-01-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Doubts over e-learning firm HMH | Digiweb acquires Internet Ireland
Reports are circulating that e-learning group Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, formerly Riverdeep, is on the verge of collapse. Fine Gael TD George Lee says the company has failed and that a number of Irish equity investors have lost significant sums of money as a result. "Many of these investors were funded through large loans from Anglo Irish Bank, which is now wholly owned by Irish taxpayers," he said. Last year HMH said it would invest EUR350 million, with assistance from the Irish government, in a research and development operation in Dublin that could create 450 jobs. EMPG, the owner of HMH, confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that it is in discussions concerning a "comprehensive" financial restructuring of its business.
Digiweb has announced it has acquired telecoms firm Internet Ireland for an undisclosed sum. Internet Ireland employees will transfer to Digiweb's Dublin offices and data centre over the coming weeks. Internet Ireland was formed in 1994 and provides IT and business network solutions. This announcement follows the news late last year that Digiweb had acquired Smart Telecom.
Denis O'Brien's Caribbean mobile operator Digicel is donating USD5 million to support relief efforts following an earthquake in Haiti. The donation will be made to the NGOs that are spearheading the relief efforts. The earthquake has led to thousands of casualties and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. Digicel's nine-storey office block in Port au Prince in Haiti was unharmed by the quake.
The Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at NUI Galway has announced a three-year technology project called 'Enterprise of the Future'. The EUR400,000 project, which is supported by Cisco, aims to develop new ways for companies to integrate information -- in varying formats such as documents, e-mails, instant messaging and wiki pages -- and make it easily accessible for employees. "Cisco believes that DERI, as a world leader in semantic web research, can now link enterprise social networking, social connectivity and unified communications for the benefit of companies of the future," said Keith Griffin, lead architect, Cisco.
Dublin-based Hostelworld.com, a provider of budget accommodation services online, has signed new partnership deals with two airlines: Ukraine Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas. Customers of the two airlines will have access to Hostelworld.com's inventory of accommodation: some 23,000 budget accommodation choices in over 6,000 destinations. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Interxion, a European operator of carrier-neutral data centres with a presence in Ireland since 2001, has signed an agreement with Fortis Bank Global Clearing to house its market access platforms. Under the agreement, Interxion's City of London data centre will also provide client hosting services and co-location for specific markets. Financial details were not disclosed. Interxion Ireland plans to open a new EUR12 million data centre in Dublin early this year.
A February conference to be held in Tullamore, County Offaly, will examine the theme of how educators can inspire students to engage with science, technology, engineering and maths. The Atlantic Conference on Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths Education will focus on issues surrounding the development and promotion of these subjects in education. Speakers will include Dr John Mighton, University of Toronto; Dr Chris Horn, president of Engineers Ireland; Jeff Evans of Georgia Tech Research Institute; and Dr Michael John Gorman of the Science Gallery. The conference takes place on 25 February.
Amnesty International has come out in support of Google's challenge to internet censorship in China. It was reported on Wednesday that Google plans to end censorship of its search service in China, a move that could see the internet giant forced out of the lucrative market by authorities. "Amnesty has consistently called on companies operating in China to stop collaborating with the Chinese authorities' censorship requirements, and to respect the right to freedom of expression for web users in China," said Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen. "We've repeatedly urged Google and other companies to abide by their own stated business principles and provide unbiased, accurate and free access to information. It's very welcome news that Google appears to be moving back towards these principles."
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 