Author: completebodyneeds

Winds that drove a fast-moving brush fire across Southern California’s Simi Valley eased overnight, slowing the blaze’s spread, but dangerous conditions persist as hundreds of firefighters tackle the flames. Fire activity decreased significantly overnight due to calmer winds along with higher humidities, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. There are 750 firefighters working to build containment lines around the blaze, while helicopters drop water on hotspots, it added. Related: 34,000 PG&E Customers Without Power on California Fire Risk Lighter winds are expected on Tuesday, but critical fire conditions are still…

The Tampa Bay Rays and local officials announced a tentative $2.3 billion agreement on Thursday for a new ballpark funded by public and private money. The nonbinding memorandum of understanding among the Rays, Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa outlines the costs of a stadium, which would include $967 million of tax dollars. Elected officials for the city and county are expected to vote on the deal at separate meetings next week. “The Rays respectfully but resolutely encourage Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa to approve the MOU and make possible a Forever Home for our community’s Tampa…

It appears as though auto and home insurers have caught up, appropriately matching premium to risk in their portfolios. According to a new report from insurance industry rating agency AM Best, rate increases for homeowners and private passenger auto insurance dropped in 2025 following several years of significant rate increases as insurers’ underwriting profits wound up in the red. In 2025 the average approved rate increase for homeowners insurance was 8.3% compared with 13.5% in 2024. For auto, rates went up 3.7% in 2025 versus up 9.7% in 2024. For five of the six years from 2018 to 2023, homeowners…

A federal jury has awarded $49.5 million to the family of a 24-year-old global nonprofit worker killed in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 Max jet in Ethiopia while traveling to her first major assignment. The verdict, reached last Wednesday after a trial in federal court in Chicago, resolves one of the last remaining wrongful death lawsuits filed in connection with the disaster that killed all 157 people aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Samya Stumo, who grew up in Sheffield, Massachusetts, had recently joined a nonprofit focused on strengthening health systems in developing countries. A 2015 graduate of the…

The World Bank has priced a new catastrophe bond designed to help Jamaica cope with the threat of hurricanes. The $200 million bond was oversubscribed by investors, the World Bank said in a statement. The deal comes less than a year after a $150 million Jamaica catastrophe bond, also arranged by the World Bank, paid out in full following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Melissa. Read More: Jamaica Cat Bond Headed for Full Payout, World Bank Says Cat bonds are designed as the ultimate backstop to help provide funds to pay for only the most extreme weather events. The Atlantic…

Starr, the New York City based insurance group, announced the opening of a new office in Hamburg, marking the further expansion of Starr’s presence in Germany and representing an important milestone in the company’s European growth strategy. The new office is located at Neuer Wall 10, right at the heart of Hamburg’s business district. The new location strengthens Starr’s proximity to clients and broker partners across Northern Germany. “The opening of our Hamburg office marks a significant milestone for Starr in Germany,” said Tobias Braun, country manager Germany. “Hamburg is one of the most important business hubs in Germany and…

Pollution from coal-fired power plants that can block sunlight is significantly cutting global solar output, and potentially causing an overestimation of climate progress, according to a new study. Aerosols — tiny particles released from the burning of fossil fuels as well as natural sources like volcanoes — reduced global solar generation by 5.8% in 2023, researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London said in a study published in Nature Sustainability Friday. That’s equivalent to about 111 terawatt-hours of electricity, which is on par with the annual power generation of 18 medium-sized coal plants. The effect is most…

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping, with maritime traffic reduced to a trickle and dominated by Iranian-linked vessels. There were few notable foreign-affiliated movements amid reports of Iran’s Bitcoin-backed insurance program for shipping companies willing to transit the waterway. Shipping traffic dipped over the weekend as daily transits fell from about 11 on Saturday to eight on Sunday, tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. Among those vessels, the only non-Iranian transits were an empty inbound South Korean-linked supertanker Aram, also known as Cameroon Prosperity, and an outbound liquefied petroleum gas carrier Al Barrah, managed by Saudi…

LoriAnn V. Lowery-Biggers LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2026) – The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, today announces the appointment of LoriAnn V. Lowery-Biggers as CEO. Lowery-Biggers brings more than 30 years of experience to the role, having previously served as President of Lloyd’s North America along with executive leadership positions at The Navigators Group, Inc., Wells Fargo Insurance, Inc. and Marsh McLennan Companies, Inc. As CEO, Lowery-Biggers will be responsible for overseeing IICF’s overall operations and strategic direction and she will report to the IICF Board of Governors. Lowery-Biggers…

Standard Chartered will eliminate more than 7,000 jobs over the next four years as it seeks to replace “lower-value human capital” with technology, becoming one of the top names in finance to target headcount cuts using artificial intelligence. The London-headquartered lender on Tuesday cited AI as a driver to make its operations slimmer in its goal to increase profitability and tackle competition. StanChart said it would cut 15% of its corporate function roles by 2030, which, according to a Reuters calculation, would result in more than 7,000 redundancies out of its more than 52,000 staff in such roles. “It’s not…