North Korea Tests ICBM For First Time Since 2017

North Korea allegedly launched an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, according to South Korean and Japanese officials, marking the first time the country has performed such a test since 2017.

According to Japanese Defense Minister Makoto Oniki, the missile was launched around 2:33 p.m. local time, flying 683 miles and reaching an altitude of 3,728 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan.

“This launch means Chairman Kim Jong-un has himself broken the moratorium on ICBMs he promised the international community, causing grave threat to the international community and clearly violating U.N. Security Council resolutions,” said South Korean president Moon Jae-in in a statement.

This is a developing story.

Playtech Turns To Profit In FY21; Says Confident Of FY22, Long Term – Quick Facts

Playtech Plc (PTEC), a gambling software development company, Thursday reported that its fiscal 2021 post-tax profit was 686.7 million euros, compared to last year’s loss of 73.1 million euros.

Earnings per share were 220 euro cents, compared to loss of 24.5 euro cents last year.

Adjusted post-tax profit was 127.6 million euros, compared to 27.3 million euros a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share were 40.9 euro cents, compared to 8.8 euro cents a year ago.

Adjusted EBITDA grew 25 percent to 317.1 million euros.

Revenue improved 12 percent to 1.21 billion euros from prior year’s 1.08 billion euros. Revenues grew 11 percent at constant currency rates, driven by B2B online, particularly Latin America, and Snaitech.

Looking ahead, the company said its excellent start to 2022 underpins the Board’s confidence for 2022 and long-term prospects.

International Public Partnerships FY21 Earnings Surge

International Public Partnerships (INPP), a British infrastructure investment company, on Thursday posted a surge in its earnings for the fiscal 2021, reflecting a sharp increase in total investment income. In addition, for the year 2022, the company reaffirmed its dividend target.

For the 12-month period to December 31, 2021, the company posted a pre-tax profit of 129.16 million pounds, compared with 60.75 million pounds, whereas it reported a profit of 129.21 million pounds as against 60.71 million pounds, reported a year ago.

The London-headquartered Group posted its earnings per share from continuing operations at 7.78 pence, versus 3.76 pence last year.

Other operating income of the investment company was registered at 3.56 million pounds, compared with an expense of 3.32 million pounds, reported for the fiscal 2020.

The total investment income of the Group moved up to 161.80 million pounds, from 96.29 million pounds, recorded for the previous year.

For the fiscal 2021, the investment company’s total income surged to 165.36 million pounds, from 92.96 million pounds, reported a year ago.

The company also announced an increased annual dividend of 7.55 pence per share.

Moving ahead, the company has reaffirmed its dividend projection at 7.74 pence per share for the fiscal 2022. For the fiscal 2023, it expects a dividend of 7.93 pence per share.

Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to shut 60 more branches across UK

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The closures will include 24 Lloyds Bank sites, 19 Bank of Scotland locations and 17 Halifax branches.

Vim Maru, group retail director of Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Just like many other high street businesses, fewer customers are choosing to visit our branches.

“We need to adapt to the significant growth in customers banking online.”

The branches are thought to employ 124 people, but Lloyds said it would try to find affected staff new roles.

Caren Evans, of the union Unite, said: “When a bank branch closes, the heart of the community is ripped out and the results are devastating. Simply leaving an ATM in place of a vibrant bank branch is wholly insufficient.”

Darden Restaurants Inc. Q3 Profit Advances, but misses estimates

Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) reported a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year but missed the Street estimates.

The company’s earnings totaled $247.0 million, or $1.93 per share. This compares with $128.7 million, or $0.98 per share, in last year’s third quarter.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $2.10 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

The company’s revenue for the quarter rose 41.6% to $2.45 billion from $1.73 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q3): $247.0 Mln. vs. $128.7 Mln. last year.
-EPS (Q3): $1.93 vs. $0.98 last year.
-Analyst Estimate: $2.10
-Revenue (Q3): $2.45 Bln vs. $1.73 Bln last year.

-Guidance:
Full year EPS guidance: $7.30 – $7.45
Full year revenue guidance: $9.55 – $9.62 Bln

States Where the Most People Are Vaccinated

The omicron variant pushed new daily cases of COVID-19 to all-time highs in the United States and underscored the urgency of the national vaccination effort. So far, an estimated 217,110,680 Americans have been fully vaccinated, or 66.4% of the population.

Some states are proving more effective than others in getting their residents vaccinated. Depending on the state, the share of the population that has been fully vaccinated ranges from as low as 50.7% all the way up to 81.5%.

Due in large part to vaccine hesitancy and resistance, millions of doses are currently sitting idle under the purview of state governments, yet to be administered. As of March 22, only about 80.0% of the 698,418,400 doses of the vaccine that have been distributed to the 50 states and Washington D.C. have been administered. In one state, only 65.7% of delivered doses have gone into the arms of residents.

Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread. In total, there have been 24,151 known infections for every 100,000 people nationwide.