The current oil and gas crisis triggered by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “more serious than the ones in 1973, 1979 and 2002 together,” Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Le Figaro …

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight” as Iran showed no sign of accepting his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening. Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. in Washington – …

A federal judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing the maker of Stanley tumblers of concealing that the popular water bottles contained lead. In a decision on April 3, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle said consumers did not …

No, a municipality is not always immune from negligence claims, and yes, a motorist can sue the city government for injuries caused by an unrepaired pothole if the city was aware of the hazard, the Mississippi Supreme Court concluded last …

Connecticut lawmakers are considering placing a 5% surcharge on commercial property/casualty insurance policies for fossil fuels-related companies at a time when rising insurance premiums and utility bills are concerns. The surcharge is intended help fund local communities’ efforts to fortify …

Hydrologist Maureen Gutsch trudged through the mud and slush to confirm a grim picture: Colorado just had its worst snowpack since statewide recordkeeping began in 1941. Even more troubling, mountain snow accumulations peaked a month early and contained just half …

An Iowa contractor has been charged with acting as a public adjuster without a license and insurance fraud. Joseph Starr, 39, of Rockwell, was charged with two counts of acting as a public adjuster without a license and one count …

San Francisco’s median house price jumped to a record $2.15 million in March, up 18% from a year earlier as wealth generated by artificial intelligence startups flooded the city, according to brokerage Compass Inc. Condo prices also surged, rising 27% …

For four years, since Larry Lewis moved to Cranberry Village in Massachusetts he’s heard the rumble of trucks and excavators from a sand excavation site owned by cranberry grower A.D. Makepeace. The noise is a nuisance, but his real concern …

Hackers have breached Jones Day and accessed the files of 10 clients, the law firm said on Monday. A prolific cybercriminal group known as Silent took credit for the attack, listing Jones Day among its victims on an extortion website. …

Reinsurance rates continued to soften during the April 1 renewals despite the unstable geopolitical landscape and uncertain economic outlook, according to major reinsurance brokers. “The orderly completion of the renewal, with no structural disruption, disciplined capacity and cedent-friendly pricing outcomes, …

Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based toymaker Hasbro, Inc. reported it is investigating a cybersecurity incident after identifying unauthorized access to its network on March 28. The company said it has taken certain systems offline and launched an investigation with the assistance of …

Mississippi will soon become the latest state to provide wind-mitigation grants for homeowners if the governor signs bills approved by lawmakers this week. Senate Bill 2049 revives a 20-year-old retrofit plan and creates the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program, providing grants …

The state of Georgia must pay some 5,000 military service members and their spouses a total of $3 million to settle charges that state boards failed to recognize out-of-state professional licenses. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that …

A committee of senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration voted on Tuesday to exempt the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry from a federal law meant to protect endangered species including whales, birds and sea turtles. The decision, …

Kroger Texas L.P. – Houston Division, operator of Kroger grocery store #300 in Houston’s Clear Lake/NASA area, violated federal employment law when it failed to accommodate and then fired an employee because of her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity …

A Trump-appointed federal judge in South Texas this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by a woman in the Rio Grande Valley who alleged that her rights were violated after prosecutors charged her with murder in a controversial case that made …

A tugboat captain has been charged in a deadly Miami collision in July that killed three girls from a sailing camp, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, faces a charge of seaman’s manslaughter in the crash, …

A commercial fleet lender is paying $1.64 million to settle allegations it made false claims to take advantage of a loan loss insurance program. California Attorney General Rob Bonta settled with Crossroads Equipment Lease and Finance over alleged false claims …

Federal law enforcement officials report they arrested Zhan Petrosyants, charging him with operating an extensive no-fault automobile insurance fraud scheme that involved submitting tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent medical claims and laundering the proceeds. Petrosyants, 44, also known …