Lapses Gave Louvre Thieves Crucial 30-Second Advantage Against Police, Inquiry Finds
The burglars who robbed Paris’s Louvre museum benefited from 30 seconds of security lapses that helped ensure their getaway with France’s still-missing crown jewels, an inquiry from France’s culture ministry into the spectacular heist showed on Wednesday. Four burglars made …
Floods, Falling Rocks Force Closure of Major Highways to Vancouver
Most major Canadian highways to the Pacific port city of Vancouver have been shut due to floods, falling rocks and the risk of avalanches, local authorities said on Thursday. “This situation is evolving and very dynamic,” said the transport ministry …
US Preparing to Seize More Tankers off Venezuela’s Coast After First Ship, Sources Say
The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The seizure was …
Climate Change Supercharged Deadly Asia Floods, Study Finds
Climate change supercharged devastating floods that killed more than 1,600 people across parts of South and Southeast Asia, according to new research. A trio of tropical cyclones battered the region from Sri Lanka to Indonesia in November, causing at least …
Applied Underwriters Golf Invitational Nets Record-Breaking $15.2 Million for Charities
The Applied Underwriters Invitational said its annual golf competition raised a record-breaking $15.2 million for charities across the nation. The record exceeds last year’s $14 million, and boosts Applied Invitational’s 38-year total to over $316 million in charitable contributions. There …
Big ‘I’ CEO Symington Named Among Top Lobbyists for 2025
The Hill, a prominent Washington, D.C.-based political newspaper, named Charles Symington, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”), among the top trade association lobbyists in the nation’s capital this year. The Big “I” …
Suit Against OpenAI and Microsoft Blames ChatGPT for Murder-Suicide
OpenAI and its investor Microsoft Corp. were sued over a Connecticut murder-suicide in the latest case to blame the popular ChatGPT chatbot for dangerous psychological manipulation of users. The lawsuit turns on the actions of a 56-year-old man who lived …
Probe Finds Officers Violated Policies in Pursuit That Killed Recruit
An internal affairs investigation into the actions of Rutland, Vermont police in a motor-vehicle pursuit that resulted in the death of a young officer was “preventable” if police had followed proper procedures, recent court documents show. A Salisbury man driving …
People Moves: Penn National Insurance Announces Leadership Changes for 2026
Penn National Insurance, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is making changes to its leadership team effective in early 2026. After over 30 years with the company, including more than five as president and CEO, Robert Brandon will transition to CEO on …
Toxic Water From Texas Oil Production Is Set to Be Treated and Pumped Into Rivers
Texas is about to deploy a potential solution to the oil industry’s toxic wastewater problem — but it’s a move that carries environmental risks of its own. State regulators are working to issue permits that would let four companies, including …
Judge Orders Trump to End National Guard Troop Deployment in LA
The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ordered Wednesday in an emphatic ruling. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted …
The Fidelis Partnership Transfers European Headquarters to Dublin From Brussels
The Fidelis Partnership (TFP), the Bermuda-headquartered managing general underwriter, announced it has transferred its primary European entity from Brussels to Dublin, effective December 1, 2025. The move establishes Dublin as the hub through which TFP will access the EU market, …
UConn, Georgia Tech Students Win ACORD Challenge Using AI Tools in Pet Insurance
The insurance industry data standards organization ACORD announced today that University of Connecticut graduate student Manasa Ramaka has won the ACORD Student Challenge 2025, a national competition that asks university students to leverage cutting-edge technology to optimize real-world insurance processes. …
People Moves: Salem Five Insurance Names Leadership of New Private Client Practice
Salem Five Insurance, a division of Salem Five Bancorp headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, launched its private client practice, naming Kelly Ewart as senior vice president and private client practice leader and appointing Beth Needham to the newly created role of …
Higginbotham Enters Indiana with Synergy Insurance Acquisition
Higginbotham has acquired Mishawaka, Indiana-based Synergy Insurance, giving the firm its first footprint in the state. Synergy Insurance Group is an independent insurance agency providing services to businesses and individuals across northern Indiana and southern Michigan. Higginbotham provides insurance, financial …
Court Clerk in Murdaugh Trial Pleads Guilty to Showing Sealed Exhibits
The former court clerk in South Carolina who helped out with the murder trial of attorney Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty Monday to criminal charges for showing sealed court exhibits to a photographer and lying about it in court. Former Colleton …
Is a Mass. Auto Insurer Allowed to Refuse to Offer Coverage Due to Flood Warning?
Can an auto insurer in Massachusetts refuse to offer collision and comprehensive coverages during a flood warning despite a state law that makes it mandatory to offer such coverages? The industry and public are on the road to finding out. …
People Moves: Howden Taps Former Gallagher Exec Strickland to Launch Space Insurance Practice; Liberty Promotes Groenen to Head of Portfolio Solutions, Europe
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Howden and Liberty Speciality Markets. A summary of these new hires follows here. Howden Taps Former Gallagher Exec Strickland to Launch Space Insurance Practice Howden, the London-based insurance intermediary group, has …
Trump Giving Farmers Hit by China Trade War $12B in Aid
President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package Dec. 8 — a boost to farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China as part of …
Settlement Approved for New Orleans Archdiocese to Pay Hundreds of Abuse Victims
he New Orleans Archdiocese will pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement approved Monday by a federal judge that follows years of negotiations. Richard Trahant, an attorney representing victims in the …



