Author: completebodyneeds

Disruptions for college students are set to drag into the weekend after hackers briefly took down an online platform used by thousands of schools around the world, from Princeton University in the US to the University of Manchester in the UK and the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile. Instructure Inc., which runs the Canvas service used by students to take tests and get grades, said it was forced to suspend the portal Thursday after breaches by a “criminal threat actor.” The perpetrators exploited a vulnerability in a specific account for teachers, the company said, gaining access to some of its…

Banking groups are floating last-minute changes to a compromise on stablecoin yield as a key Senate panel begins considering a landmark digital asset bill. The proposed changes would tweak the compromise brokered by Senators Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, on stablecoin rewards earlier this month in the hopes of moving forward legislation long sought by the crypto industry to create clear rules for the digital asset space. A set of banking advocacy groups, including the American Banking Association and the Consumer Bankers Association, released text on Friday that would completely limit stablecoin issuers from providing any…

President Donald Trump’s task force for reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday recommended sweeping changes to how the federal government responds to natural disasters. The recommendations, finalized at a council meeting in Washington, include reassessing FEMA staffing, rethinking what disasters qualify for federal disaster aid and then streamlining its distribution, reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, and shifting more training and spending decisions to state, local and tribal authorities, over a period of two to three years. At least half of the recommendations require action by Congress. A final report detailing the recommendations now goes to the White…

Hackers briefly took down an online portal used by thousands of colleges around the world this month, disrupting services at institutions from Harvard to Princeton. Instructure Inc., which runs the Canvas service used by students to take tests and get grades, said it was forced to suspend the portal after a May 1 infiltration by a “criminal threat actor.” The perpetrators exploited a vulnerability in a specific account for teachers, an Instructure spokesperson said in an emailed statement, gaining unauthorized access to some of its websites. The company, owned by KKR & Co., restored much of the service Thursday, though…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it is opening an investigation in a series of crashes of start-up Avride autonomous vehicles that raised questions about the competency of the vehicles. NHTSA said the vehicles’ performance may indicate inappropriate assertiveness and insufficient competence “and may also constitute traffic safety violations,” and added some crashes resulted in property damage and one reported minor injury. NHTSA noted that Avride is operating some of its AVs on the Uber UBER.N platform and has offered passenger service to the public since December in Dallas, where many of the crashes occurred. Topics USA Texas…

Fertilizer makers are seeing a windfall from Iran’s war, highlighting the impact of the conflict’s upheaval on supply chains for the key crop nutrients. CF Industries Holdings Inc. and Nutrien Ltd. each reported nearly 20% jumps in sales for the latest quarter as they benefited from higher prices for nitrogen fertilizers, which are applied across US corn and soy fields to support crop yields. While the situation is benefiting the producers, the results are likely to add to concerns from farmers and politicians about inflation in the agriculture markets, after growers have already been struggling with low crop prices and…

Novatae Risk Group, the wholesale insurance business of World Insurance Associates, announced that Brian Voorhees will be joining the company as its new managing director of personal lines. In this role, Voorhees will lead Novatae’s personal lines with responsibility for setting strategic direction, driving growth and delivering strong operational and financial performance. He will oversee the expansion of product offerings, strengthen carrier and broker partnerships and guide the evolution of underwriting and placement capabilities to support scalable client-focused growth. Voorhees is a seasoned insurance executive with extensive experience across underwriting, business development, product management and operational leadership. Most recently, he…

Florida’s governor has signed House Bill 803 into law, dropping building permit requirements for construction work valued at $7,500 or less. The law takes effect July 1. “A local government that issues building permits shall exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner’s contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner’s property,” the bill reads. The exemption does not apply to property in a flood hazard area. A sponsor of the changes said it was designed to help speed up minor projects, such as fences…

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping after the US and Iran clashed overnight near the waterway, attacking each other’s assets in the area. US forces targeted missile and drone launch sites and other military assets in the Islamic Republic that they said were responsible for attacking three US warships transiting the strait. The clashes risk undermining talks over a US-proposed deal to end the war, with Iran expected to send a response shortly. President Donald Trump again threatened more intense strikes if Iran refuses his terms. Tehran responded, saying on X that the continued hostile action…

As the Sackler family worked through a plan to pay $6.5 billion to resolve their liability over Purdue Pharma LP’s production of addictive opioids, the epidemic hit even closer to home. Joss Sackler, the wife of former Purdue board member David Sackler, admitted deleting WhatsApp messages showing she was the intended recipient of a shipment of prescription drugs seized by US border agents in 2024. Sackler, who said she was addicted to opioids at the time, pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the transaction. “I am so truly sorry that when I was suffering from my…