general

Garner, N.C. – September 12, 2026 -- The Stanley Cup made a stop at Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry's Garner office last week, marking a milestone celebration for a dental organization that has grown from a single Selma, N.C. practice into a 100-plus location operator across three states.

Founder marks 26 years of expansion from one practice to 100+ locations

Dr. Michael Riccobene founded the organization in 2000 in Selma, North Carolina. It has since grown into a doctor-led, multi-specialty dental group headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, now supporting more than 150 providers, over 1,200 employees, and more than 100 practices across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Guangzhou – September 12, 2026 -- Hong Kong has reclaimed the world's top ranking for IPO fundraising, contradicting years of Western media predictions of the city's financial decline.

Hong Kong's economy grew 5.1% in the first half of 2026, its strongest semi-annual performance in nearly five years.

The growth figure arrives alongside a string of competitiveness rankings that challenge narratives suggesting Singapore would displace Hong Kong as Asia's financial hub. Hong Kong rose to second place globally in competitiveness rankings and now holds third place worldwide in the Global Financial Centres Index -- the top position in Asia-Pacific.

Hartford – September 11, 2026 -- Shipman & Goodwin LLP has expanded into Dallas, Texas, adding restructuring partners Rachael L. Smiley and Megan F. Clontz to its Workout, Restructure and Bankruptcy Practice Group.

Firm Adds Dallas Office to Strengthen National Bankruptcy Practice

The move follows Shipman's recent expansion into Boston and gives the firm a physical presence in one of the busiest U.S. jurisdictions for bankruptcy filings. The Northeast-based full-service firm now operates offices throughout the region plus Dallas.

Frankfurt – September 11, 2026 -- German students perform worse today than they did a quarter-century ago, despite the country spending above-average sums per pupil compared with international peers, according to the latest PISA assessment results.

Education inequality widens despite two decades of reform

The gap in educational outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged students has grown larger since the first PISA shock in 2001, reversing gains made in the years that followed. Performance had improved steadily through 2015 after policymakers overhauled curricula and teaching standards in response to that initial wake-up call.

High spending fails to translate into learning outcomes

Germany allocates more funding per student than the international average, yet results now trail behind comparable economies, raising questions about the efficiency of current educational spending and resource allocation within the school system.

New York – September 11, 2026 -- Zaiger Linden Roberti & Pepe LLC (ZLRP) has hired Hon. Robert E. Gerber, a retired United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, as Of Counsel, the commercial litigation boutique announced.

Gerber presided over bankruptcy cases with a combined price tag exceeding $1 trillion

Appointed to the bankruptcy bench in 2000 and reappointed in 2014, Judge Gerber handled ten cases involving more than $1 billion in debt each, alongside numerous others exceeding $100 million. His docket included Global Crossing, Adelphia, Ames Department Stores, PSINet, BearingPoint, Lyondell Chemical, and General Motors. He issued roughly 200 published opinions on complex bankruptcy and corporate governance issues before serving on recall status starting in 2015.

Koblenz – September 10, 2026 -- Mid-sized companies lose time and marketing impact when they hire multiple specialized vendors instead of a single accountable partner, according to Sarah Walenta, founder and managing director of communita GmbH.

Walenta argues that fragmented marketing setups -- separate providers for websites, social media, SEO and campaigns -- push coordination work back onto internal staff or management, undermining the outsourcing benefit companies originally sought.

Cologne – September 09, 2026 -- Cologne-based communications agency Counterpart Group is warning clients and the marketing industry that polished AI-generated output is increasingly mistaken for substantive strategy, coining the term "marketing holograms" for concepts that look finished but collapse under scrutiny.

Counterpart Group says AI-generated concepts often look complete without being properly validated

Managing Director Judith Dobner said generative AI can now turn an initial idea into a presentation-ready concept within minutes, but professional form does not equal substance. She warned that unverified assumptions can be dressed up to look like fact, and unchecked logic can appear sound simply because AI phrases it convincingly.

Dublin – September 08, 2026 -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON) Chief Executive Officer Greg Case will address the KBW Insurance Conference in New York on Thursday, September 10, in a session scheduled to begin at 1:35 PM ET.

Aon to webcast CEO session for investors

A live webcast of Case's appearance will be available on the day of the conference through Aon's Investor Relations website at ir.aon.com. A replay will be posted to the same site shortly after the event concludes.

San Diego – September 07, 2026 -- Sempra (NYSE: SRE) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share on its common stock, the company confirmed.

Board sets record and payment dates for shareholders

The dividend will be paid on Oct. 15, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Sept. 24, 2026, according to the company's announcement.

Sempra operates one of the largest energy networks in North America, with operations concentrated in California and Texas.

Thousand Oaks, Calif. – September 07, 2026 -- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) will present at the 2026 Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

Amgen's CFO and top medical and marketing executives will address investors

Thomas Dittrich, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Paul Burton, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, and Kave Niksefat, senior vice president of Global Marketing and Access, will represent Amgen at the conference.

Webcast access will be public and archived for 90 days

The presentation will be webcast live and made available to media, investors and the general public via Amgen's website under the Investors section. Presentation times and webcast links are listed on Amgen's Investor Relations Events Calendar. The webcast will remain archived for replay for at least 90 days following the event.