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As E-Bikes Proliferate, So Do Deadly Fires Blamed on Exploding Batteries

The explosion early on a June morning ignited a blaze that engulfed a New York City shop filled with motorized bicycles and their volatile lithium-ion batteries. Billowing smoke quickly killed four people asleep in apartments above the burning store. As …

Update: Typhoon Doksuri Roars Into China, Destroying Power Lines, Closing Factories

Typhoon Doksuri swept into southern China on Friday, unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines and sparked fires, uprooted trees, and ripped off part of a stadium roof. The typhoon is the most powerful to …

NAIC Releases Highly Anticipated Draft Model Bulletin on Insurers’ AI Use

On July 17, 2023, the Innovation, Cybersecurity and Technology (H) Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released for comment a highly anticipated model bulletin (Model Bulletin) on regulatory expectations for the use of artificial intelligence systems (AI …

Ship Carrying BMWs and Mercedes Ablaze Off Dutch Coast Could Burn for Days

A cargo ship carrying almost 3,800 cars and construction vehicles is likely to continue burning for days, according to the Dutch coast guard, which is leading efforts to contain the blaze. BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz Group AG each have several …

Barclays Banker Fired Over Sexual Harassment Loses $770,000 Employment Suit

A former Barclays director who was fired for sexual harassment has lost an employment lawsuit against the British bank in which he sought nearly 600,000 pounds ($770,000) in compensation, a London tribunal announced on Thursday. Robert Record, once a senior …

Study: Motor Vehicle Thefts Soar in First Half of 2023

During the first half of 2023, vehicle thefts soared while most other crimes declined, according to a new study of crime trends in 37 cities released this week by the Council on Criminal Justice. Continuing an upward trajectory, motor vehicle …

Inside EU, No Clear Financial Options Exist to Reduce Ukraine Grain Transport Costs

The European Commission has no immediate money in the budget and no clear way to help finance the extra transport costs Ukrainian grain exports will face with the end of the Black Sea deal, sources told Reuters, leaving an opportunity …

Ocean Temperatures Hit 90 Degrees, Fueling Weather Disasters

Heat searing enough to knock out mobile phones. Wildfire smoke that turns the skies an apocalyptic orange. Flash floods submerging towns in upstate New York and Vermont. This grim procession of recent disasters is being driven in part by climate …

Judge Affirms Letting Coach Flores’ Racial Bias Claims Against NFL Proceed to Trial

A federal judge said Tuesday that she’s not changing her decision to let NFL coach Brian Flores put the league and three of its teams on trial over his claims that he and other Black coaches face discrimination. Judge Valerie …

Alfa Insurance Agent in Alabama Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Elderly Victims

A former Alfa insurance agent in Alabama has pleaded guilty to defrauding people, most of them elderly, of more than $862,286 in life insurance. The plea agreement for Bret Chappell, 44, of Warrior, comes six months after the agent was …

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