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Update: Bermuda-Based Reinsurer Conduit Holdings’ Stock Rises After $1.1B London IPO

Conduit Holdings Ltd. rose as the Bermuda-based reinsurer started trading in London after an 826 million-pound ($1.1 billion) initial public offering. The stock climbed as much as 7% to 534.9 pence from the offering price of 500 pence. The company …

Human Nature Thwarts Widespread Use of Apps Tracking Coronavirus Exposure

The app builders had planned for pranksters, ensuring that only people with verified COVID-19 cases could trigger an alert. They’d planned for heavy criticism about privacy, in many cases making the features as bare-bones as possible. But, as more states …

Shell Faces Climate Change Lawsuit in Dutch Court

AMSTERDAM – Environmental activists took Royal Dutch Shell to court on Tuesday, demanding the energy firm drastically reduce the production of oil and gas to limit its effects on climate change. Seven activist groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the …

Independent Film Productions Shut Down as Virus Insurance Is Hard to Find

For independent filmmakers, the Covid-19 pandemic has added a new hurdle to the already challenging task of lining up financing: finding insurance to cover virus-related interruptions. Lenders are demanding it, and it’s tough to get. So tough, in fact, that …

Ant Group’s Massive, Suspended IPO May Not Be Revived Until 2022

The chances that Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co. will be able to revive its massive stock listing next year are looking increasingly slim as China overhauls rules governing the fintech industry, according to regulatory officials familiar with the matter. Ant …

AXA Sells Persian Gulf Business for $269 Million to Kuwaiti-Based Group

AXA SA sold its Persian Gulf business for $269 million to a Kuwait-based group, as the French insurance giant shifts its focus and exits some overseas investments to shore up its finances amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Paris-based insurer said …

Insurers Winning Most, But Not All, COVID-19 Business Interruption Lawsuits

In the multibillion-dollar fight over insurance coverage for pandemic-related business losses, a Florida gynecologist succeeded where more than a dozen professional baseball teams and an iconic Hollywood restaurant failed. Since COVID-19 sparked government-ordered shutdowns in March, judges have dismissed more …

Meatpacking Plants Linked to Up to 8% of Early U.S. COVID Cases

As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings highlight …

Private Equity Investors Pelican Ventures, J.C. Flowers Complete Ariel Re Deal

Private equity investors Pelican Ventures and J.C. Flowers & Co. have completed their acquisition of Ariel Re from Argo Group. Ariel Re underwrites a global portfolio of reinsurance products in Bermuda, London and Hong Kong through its Lloyd’s platform. Under …

COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Sent to States Within 24 Hours of FDA’s OK: Official

The first Americans could receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Dec. 11, the chief scientific adviser for the U.S. government’s vaccine program said on Sunday. “Within 24 hours from the approval, the vaccine will be moving and located in …