News

Helsinki – September 23, 2026 -- Helsinki has ranked first on the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index for the third consecutive year, with results published Wednesday, September 23, 2026, scoring 93% across more than 70 sustainability indicators.

Helsinki scores 93% while over 100 global cities compete on sustainability metrics

The GDS Index evaluates tourist destinations across four categories: environmental performance, supply chains, destination management and social sustainability. More than 100 cities committed to sustainability were assessed in this year's comparison, and Helsinki again topped the ranking.

"Securing the top position for the third consecutive year demonstrates that sustainability is not a one-off achievement but a long-term strategic commitment," said Nina Vesterinen, Director of Tourism, City of Helsinki.

Vero Beach, Fla. – September 23, 2026 -- Riverside Theatre, Florida's largest independent nonprofit professional theatre, has appointed Robert (Bob) Gibilterra as Chief Financial Officer, effective October 2026, placing a nearly three-decade Viacom finance veteran in charge of the organization's next growth phase.

Gibilterra will oversee accounting, budgeting and long-range financial planning as Riverside expands its campus

The CFO role will manage financial operations, risk management, and strategic planning as the Vero Beach-based theatre advances plans for a more flexible, expanded campus. Gibilterra relocates to Vero Beach to take up the position.

Dallas – September 23, 2026 -- TGI Fridays has signed a development agreement with Meerab Hospitality to scale to 15 restaurants across Pakistan, marking the brand's second market signing this month as it pursues a global target of 1,000+ restaurants and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030.

First flagship restaurant targets Lahore's Hyatt Regency within 12 months

Meerab Hospitality, the franchise and development arm of Meerab Properties, plans to open its first TGI Fridays location at the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex in Lahore within the next 12 months. The company will develop restaurants across Pakistan over the next decade through a mix of company-owned and approved sub-franchised units, according to Pervaiz Iqbal Shahid, Founder and Group CEO of Meerab Properties.

Chicago – September 23, 2026 -- Fifty-six Taiwanese manufacturers closed out the Taiwan Flagship Showcase at IMTS 2026 with a metal processing exhibitor securing direct alignment with a U.S. manufacturer needing local service capabilities for overseas operations, opening a long-term entry point into the semiconductor supply chain.

TAITRA draws 250-plus attendees to Chicago networking events

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) ran the showcase September 14–19 at McCormick Place, drawing more than 250 combined attendees to its opening ceremony and Taiwan Night event. Representatives from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the Association for Manufacturing Technology, Siemens and HEIDENHAIN attended alongside trade press including Machine Design and Cutting Tool Engineering.

North America – September 23, 2026 -- EZ Texting has launched Rich Communication Services (RCS) Business Messaging across its platform, giving its base of more than 230,000 small and mid-sized business customers access to branded sender identities, verified badges and interactive chat tools previously limited to large enterprises.

RCS replaces anonymous numbers with verified brand identities

The upgrade allows businesses to swap generic phone numbers for branded sender profiles carrying verification badges, a shift aimed at increasing customer trust and message deliverability compared with standard SMS.

Interactive carousels let customers browse products inside the chat window

The platform supports up to 10 high-definition cards per carousel, enabling in-chat product browsing designed to cut friction in the sales process. HD media support extends to images and video files up to 100MB, exceeding the size limits of traditional MMS.

Montréal – September 23, 2026 -- CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has entered a strategic go-to-market partnership with D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ: QBTS) to embed quantum computing into enterprise operations across logistics, transportation and retail.

CGI to integrate D-Wave's Advantage2 quantum computer into its technology services portfolio

Under the agreement, CGI will add D-Wave's Advantage2 quantum computer and hybrid solvers to its advanced technology services, giving clients direct access to quantum-enhanced tools for industrial production planning, energy grid optimization and asset maintenance scheduling. The partnership builds on more than a year of prior collaboration between the two companies to develop enterprise quantum use cases.

Delray Beach – September 23, 2026 -- The global wire & cable market is projected to grow from USD 224.8 billion in 2026 to USD 296.3 billion by 2031, a 5.7% CAGR, according to MarketsandMarkets. Demand is pivoting from construction-led consumption toward grid reinforcement, renewable power evacuation, electric mobility, and AI-driven data-center build-out.

Asia Pacific outpaces global growth at 6.5% CAGR

Rapid data-center and 5G rollout across China, India, and Southeast Asia, combined with semiconductor manufacturing investment, railway electrification, and smart-city development, is driving Asia Pacific's outsized expansion. Regional cable manufacturers are scaling domestic production capacity to capture this demand.

Schaffhausen, Switzerland – – September 23, 2026 -- Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN) will hold its third quarter 2026 earnings conference call on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. EDT, the company confirmed.

Garmin to release Q3 2026 results before market open on October 28

The earnings release will be distributed prior to the opening bell on the same day, ahead of the scheduled call with company executives.

Investors must register online to access dial-in details

Shareholders and investors seeking to join the call are required to register via the GRMN Q3 2026 Earnings Call Webcast page, after which they will receive dial-in information and a conference ID.

Live webcast will remain archived for one year

A live webcast of the call will be available through Garmin's investor relations website on the News & Events page, with an archived version accessible for twelve months following the event.

El Mirage, Arizona – September 23, 2026 -- Compass Datacenters is funding a 98-foot-by-60-foot permanent shade structure over the outdoor basketball court at the Northwest Valley Family YMCA, addressing the top-ranked amenity request in the City of El Mirage's 2025 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Community Survey.

City council approved the contract with vendor Shade N' Net on June 16, with construction set for completion by year-end

The structure covers a hard-surface court that Arizona summer heat renders unusable for months at a time, forcing coaches to push youth practices into evening hours and keeping preschool programs indoors. Shade N' Net has already completed six other shade structures across El Mirage's park system, and the City will maintain the new unit as part of its management of the YMCA facility.

Los Angeles – September 23, 2026 -- Armata Pharmaceuticals has received an additional $3.7 million in non-dilutive funding from the U.S. Department of War, pushing cumulative government support for its lead bacteriophage candidate AP-SA02 to approximately $32.4 million.

New funds mark first Phase 3-specific allocation under existing DoW award

The $3.7 million tranche represents the first capital earmarked specifically for Phase 3 execution under a previously announced award, following $28.7 million already disbursed. The funding flows through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium and is managed by the Naval Medical Research Command's Naval Advanced Medical Development unit, with backing from the Defense Health Agency and Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program.