MOSCOW/WALLDORF, Germany (Reuters) - Most Western technology companies are losing ground in Russia under the weight of restrictive rules and mounting local competition. Germany's SAP is thriving.

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber security firm Avast shares were down 2.6 percent in early trade on Thursday in the London Stock Exchange's biggest debut in almost a year.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean regulators turned up the heat on Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] over its complex ownership structure, with the country's antitrust chief saying on Thursday the arrangement for control at the nation's top conglomerate was "not sustainable".

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it expects operating profit to increase 11.7 percent in the year through March 2018 as sales of automotive batteries expand.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Apple will not proceed with a planned data center in Athenry, Ireland, because of delays in the planning approval process, RTE reported on Thursday citing a company statement.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it expects operating profit to increase 11.7 percent in the year through March 2018 as sales of vehicle components and batteries expand.

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber security firm Avast was down almost 3 percent in its debut on Thursday compared to its offer price of 250 pence in the biggest initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange since July 2017.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT will cut 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and move to a smaller London base in the latest attempt by the boss of Britain's biggest telecoms group to rebuild from an accounting scandal and downturn in trading.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Uber is expanding further into Spain by launching a multi-city ride-hailing service across the Costa del Sol beach resort hotspot before the busy summer season.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT is cutting 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and leaving its London headquarters in the latest attempt by Britain's biggest telecoms group to rebuild after an accounting scandal and downturn in trading.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT is cutting 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and plugging its pension black hole, while placating shareholders by maintaining its dividend, in the latest restructuring by Britain's biggest telecoms group.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's biggest conglomerate, Samsung Group [SAGR.UL], came for fresh criticism about its ownership structure on Thursday, with the country's antitrust chief saying it was unsustainable.

(Reuters) - Xerox Corp's board said on Wednesday it intended to resume merger discussions with Fujifilm Holdings, seeking a superior deal to terms announced at the end of January that have spurred a proxy fight over the company.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust chief said on Thursday that South Korea's No. 1 conglomerate Samsung Group's [SAGR.UL] current ownership structure is not sustainable.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc soon will be capturing images of North Carolina by drone; a 1,500-pound, unmanned aircraft will look for mosquitoes in Florida; and startup Flirtey will fly medical equipment on drones to heart-attack victims in Nevada.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp shares jumped 16 percent on Wednesday after the company announced a tire service partnership with Amazon.com, part of Chief Executive Officer Edward Lampert's strategy to make the troubled retailer profitable again.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three companies have been awarded a $550.8 million blanket purchase agreement to supply McAfee hardware, software and related services to the U.S. Defense Department, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - ZTE Corp's main business operations have ceased due to a ban imposed by the U.S. government, but China's second biggest telecom equipment maker is trying to have the ban modified or reversed, it said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department's 10 winning drone pilot projects aimed at spurring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in a wide variety of fields do not include Amazon.com Inc and China's DJI, but do involve Alphabet Inc, Qualcomm Inc and Microsoft Corp.

(Reuters) - Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc said on Wednesday its board has approved a new $10 billion buyback program that replaces the previous $15 billion stock repurchase program announced in March 2015.