Qantas Airways Fined $59M for Illegal Pandemic Layoffs
A judge on Monday fined Qantas Airways 90 million Australian dollars ($59 million) for illegally firing more than 1,800 ground staff at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The penalty is in addition to the A$120 million ($78 million) in …
Markel Insurance Completes Sale of Reinsurance Renewal Rights to Nationwide
Global specialty insurer Markel Insurance reported that it has completed the sale of the renewal rights for its $1.2 billion global reinsurance business to Nationwide. This transaction was previously announced on July 30 and is part of what Markel cites …
Markets/Coverages: Inigo Provides Excess DIC/DIL Cover on Financial Fraud Policies
Inigo Ltd., the Lloyd’s specialty insurer, has launched a product that provides top-up cover on financial fraud policies. The product, called Inigo Crime Excess, is an excess DIC/DIL (difference in conditions and difference in limits) policy designed to sit excess …
Mumbai Drenched by More Rain as Highest Alert Issued for City
Mumbai is facing more heavy rain after a deluge that’s delayed flights, disrupted train services and closed schools, with India’s weather agency issuing its highest warning for the financial hub. Intense rain spells and wind gusts as high as 65 …
North Carolina Man Charged With More Than $1M in Travel Insurance Fraud
Investigators with the North Carolina Department of Insurance last week charged a man with swindling almost $1 million and attempting to gain another $887,500 from travel insurance companies from 2020 to 2024. Michael Gerard Renna, 50, of Clayton, near Raleigh, …
Newsmax Settles Dominion Defamation Case for $67M; Says It Couldn’t Get Fair Trial
Newsmax Media has agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit over false claims that the voting machine company rigged the 2020 election against U.S. President Donald Trump, it said on Monday. …
Insurance Agent Earned Town’s Trust. But Officials Say He Ran a $95M Ponzi Scheme.
For decades, Miles “Burt” Marshall was the man you went to see in a stretch of upstate New York if you had some money to invest but wanted to keep it local. Working from an office in the charming village …
$3.75M to Estate of Unarmed Man Fatally Shot by Oregon Police
The city of Portland, Oregon, is set to pay $3.75 million to the estate of an unarmed man who was shot and killed by police in 2022 after being mistaken for an armed robbery suspect. The city settled with Immanueal …
Judge Strikes Down Trump Guidance Against DEI at Schools and Colleges
A federal judge last Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland found that the Education Department …
Coastal Communities Restoring Natural Defenses Against Storm Surges, Rising Seas
In San Francisco Bay, salt ponds created more than a century ago are reverting to marshland. Along the New York and New Jersey coasts, beaches ravaged by Superstorm Sandy underwent extensive restoration. In Alabama, a rebuilt spit of land is …
Studies Tie Unrecognized Deaths, Health Problems to Hawaii And LA Wildfires
The toll of wildfires is usually counted in acres burnt, property destroyed and lives lost to smoke and flames. But three new studies suggest the cost to human health from the Maui and Los Angeles wildfires was substantially higher. Two …
Rockford Mutual Launches Commercial Insurance Offerings in Michigan
Rockford Mutual announced the official launch of their suite of commercial insurance products in the state of Michigan, effective August 18, 2025 This strategic expansion includes Businessowners Policies (BOP), Commercial Package Policies (CPP), and Commercial Umbrella coverage, designed to meet …
Swiss Re Tops List of Largest Reinsurers on Its Shift to IFRS-17 Accounting: AM Best
Swiss Re tops the list of the world’s 50 largest reinsurers as a result of its adoption of the IFRS-17 accounting standards, which also led to a shuffle among the top-tier reinsurers, according to AM Best. Swiss Re had previously …
Temporary Barriers Spared Alaska’s Capital From Severe Flooding, Long-Term Fix Elusive
The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska’s capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. This year, a giant wall of reinforced …
Gas Valve Failure May Have Led to Fatal US Steel Plant Explosion
Preparations for a routine maintenance task may have led to an explosion at a U.S. Steel coal-processing plant near Pittsburgh that left two dead and sent 10 to hospitals, the company said Friday. U.S. Steel said it developed the information, …
Mercury Seeks 6.9% Rate Increase in Filing Based on New Cat Modeling Regulation
Mercury Insurance said it has submitted a filing based on California’s new regulation enabling catastrophe modeling to be included as a factor in ratemaking. The filing is reportedly the first to use the Verisk Wildfire catastrophe model, which is designed …
DOJ Sues California to End Enforcement of Emissions Standards for Trucks
The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it has sued California in a bid to end the state’s enforcement of emissions standards for trucks. The DOJ said it filed two complaints this week in federal courts against the California Air …
Banking’s Ailing Climate Coalition Loses Ground in Europe
Inside the world’s largest climate coalition for banks, there’s speculation that an exodus led by Wall Street could be about to spread to the European Union. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance, an organization dedicated to decarbonizing global finance, may be facing …
Ohio’s Roehr Insurance Partners With Higginbotham
Higginbotham announced it has partnered with Roehr Insurance, one of the largest property and casualty insurance agencies in Cincinnati, Ohio. The partnership grows Higginbotham’s presence in the Midwest and provides Roehr with expanded resources to support both clients and employees. …
OpenAI’s Sam Altman Expects to Spend ‘Trillions’ on Infrastructure
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman wants to spend trillions of dollars over time on the infrastructure required to develop and run artificial intelligence services. He just needs to figure out a way to raise that kind of money. “You …