Business

WORLD’S largest synthetic glove manufacturer, Hartalega Holdings Bhd, has chalked up a 22.6% higher pretax profit of RM78.36 million for the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2012 as revenue rose to RM259.56 million. For the cumulative nine month period, pretax profit rose 15.7% to RM224.56 million on a RM762.26 million turnover.

Earnings per share for the third quarter was at 8.28 sen compared to 6.96 sen in the previous corresponding quarter, also higher to 23.58 sen from 20.82 sen for the nine month period.

UK-BASED technology development firm Asia Pacific Technology Ltd is looking to transform air conditioning in homes and industries within Asia in a big way — with leading-edge technology to deliver cost-effective solar-powered systems to be manufactured in Malaysia later this year.

TO kick-start its 50th anniversary celebrations, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd has launched the “Inspire Tomorrow Fund” aimed at encouraging young Malaysian children to pursue their dreams — in education, sports or creative arts.

From next month, parents can participate in a nationwide video submission contest to tell their story of how they inspire their child to achieve their full potentials.

THE fast-growing property market in Penang, with brow-raising take-up rates among purchasers, has attracted developers and banking institutions that finance such projects to explore the seemingly endless opportunities here.

Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) president Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman yesterday said they the agency has spent RM1.3 billion alone in the state in the past 12 months.

A US$4 billion (RM12.37 billion) mega-casino complex is set to open in the Philippines in mid-March when the first of four franchise-holders starts commercial operations, the parent firm said in a disclosure released Wednesday.

The US$1.2 billion Solaire Manila Resorts is one of four gaming operations licenced at Manila's bayside Entertainment City, a government project designed to compete with Macau, Las Vegas and Singapore as a gaming hub.

FACEBOOK-OWNED Instagram on Tuesday began letting a freshly launched website serve as a gallery for images taken by users of the smartphone photo-sharing service.

"Instagram, at its core, is about seeing and taking photos on-the-go," company co-founder Kevin Systrom said in a blog post.

"You can now browse your Instagram feed on the Web, just like you do on your mobile device."

DELL unveiled plans to go private Tuesday in a US$24.4 billion (RM75.52 billion) deal, giving founder Michael Dell a chance to reshape the former number one PC maker away from the spotlight of Wall Street.

AS it marks its 100th year anniversary, British luxury sports car maker Aston Martin yesterday launched its latest DB9 model in Malaysia at its new facility here.

With each unit priced at RM1.7 million, the sports car has always been associated with James Bond movies — the recent Bond movie Skyfall featured the Aston Martin DB5.

TWITTER announced Tuesday that it has bought Bluefin Labs to ride the trend of viewers using smartphones or tablet computers to chat at social networks about shows they are watching.