Monthly Archives: <span>July 2020</span>

‘G4’ Swine Flu Virus Is Not New, Does Not Easily Infect Humans: China

SHANGHAI/BEIJING – China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday that the so-called “G4” strain of swine flu virus is not new and does not infect or sicken humans and animals easily, rebuffing a study published earlier this …

Canopius Launches Cyber Property Product to Address Silent Cyber Gap

Canopius, the London-based specialty re/insurer, announced the launch of a set of cyber property products for medium-to-large corporations across all sectors across the globe. In light of the ever-evolving cyber threat, the Canopius Cyber Property Damage Product Range (PDPR) will …

UK’s Aviva Names Former Zurich Exec Blanc as CEO, Succeeding Tulloch

Aviva plc announced the appointment of Amanda Blanc as chief executive officer with immediate effect. She succeeds Maurice Tulloch, who has stepped down from the role for family health reasons. Blanc is currently an Independent non-executive director at Aviva plc. …

UK Accounting Watchdog Asks Big Four to Ring-Fence Audit Practices

The UK dominant accounting firms must separate their audit units from other businesses by June 2024 as the country’s accounting watchdog reacts to shortcomings that led to the collapse of several companies. The Financial Reporting Council is asking the so-called …

American Companies Facing Pressure to Reveal Data on Diversity of Employees

American companies are coming under increasing pressure from investors to publicly disclose information about diversity among employees in the wake of nationwide protests against racial discrimination. Many executives have pledged to champion equality in response to the Black Lives Matter …

Utility to Pay $56 Million to Resolve Deadly Massachusetts Gas Blasts Probe

NiSource Inc. will pay $56 million to resolve a probe into Massachusetts gas explosions in 2018 linked to a utility it owns that killed one person and destroyed multiple buildings, the state’s attorney general said last Thursday. Massachusetts Attorney General …

Climate Change Litigants Argue Human Rights, Consumer Harm in Suing Oil Firms

LONDON/WASHINGTON/GENEVA — Climate change may be having its day in court. With the slow pace of international climate negotiations, lawyers from Switzerland to San Francisco are increasingly filing lawsuits demanding action. And they are getting creative — using new legal …

California Workers’ Comp Direct Written Premium Continued to Fall Last Year, Report Shows

California workers’ compensation total direct written premium continued to decline in 2019, falling 7.0% to a five-year low of $11.42 billion, as nine out of the state’s 10 largest insurer groups wrote less premium in 2019 than in 2018, a …

Southern California Edison Sued Over Oktoberfest Explosions

A Southern California restaurant owner who was among five injured when an underground transformer exploded during an Oktoberfest celebration last year is suing Southern California Edison. Flames shot into the sky from the blasts that blew a vault door off …

California Insurance Department Says Premium Relief Has Saved Drivers $1.2B

California automobile insurance companies have agreed to provide $1.21 billion in savings to drivers, the state insurance department says. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in May issued an order requiring insurers to provide premium relief to policyholders affected by the COVID-19 …