Author: completebodyneeds

A proposed Florida constitutional amendment that would limit some home property taxes will likely remain on the November ballot, but state officials have just 10 days to tone down the proselytizing language, a judge ordered. Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank said Monday that the Legislature-approved wording of the ballot measure was more like a political slogan than a clear and neutral statement, as required by law. “In summary, voters are entitled to a fair, clear, accurate and non-misleading ballot statement to assist them in making their critical determination,” Frank wrote in his order, the Miami Herald and other news…

Despite the apparent step towards yielding to Iranian demands, the sources pushed back against assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that a deal reopening the strait was imminent, saying important details still had to be agreed. “The concession has already been made regarding some form of control over Hormuz,” one of the regional sources told Reuters. The other regional source said there were still details to be determined about how “control” would be defined, with Gulf negotiators insisting regional countries supervise inspections of ships, and that any payment of fees be voluntary. The senior Iranian source said that the text…

US telecommunications companies connected their systems to data centers and related infrastructure in a way that exposed them to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, potentially opening the door to the massive Salt Typhoon hacking campaign that breached several mobile carriers two years ago, according to a House committee. The companies’ networks had routine pathways to equipment and data centers that may have been connected to three Chinese telecommunications firms that are otherwise prohibited from operating in the US, according to a report released Tuesday by the House Select Committee on China. Those connections created links between US telecom companies and the infrastructure breached…

Chubb announced key executive appointments within Westchester, the company’s wholesale excess and surplus (E&S) lines business in North America. Dave Lupica Dave Lupica, vice president, Chubb Group and division president, Westchester, has been named executive chairman. Dave Roberts, currently chief operating officer, Westchester, has been appointed vice president, Chubb Group and division president, Westchester, succeeding Lupica. The appointments are effective immediately. Dave Roberts Lupica will provide governance oversight and advise on strategy for Chubb’s wholesale E&S business in North America. During his 26 years with Chubb, Lupica has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and evolution. From building…

Wildfires burning across Washington and Oregon have left Portland with the worst air quality among major cities around the world, edging out Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The air in both cities is classified as unhealthy, although the quality is improving in the Congolese capital on Wednesday, according to IQ Air, a commercial monitoring service. At the other end of the ranking, Canberra, Oslo and Stockholm have the cleanest air, with Washington DC currently the highest ranked U.S. city. Air quality alerts have been issued for both sides of the U.S.-Canada border as smoke from wildfires across the…

In a deal designed to boost The Hartford’s growth in the small and midsized employer segment, the Connecticut-based insurer announced a deal to acquire Equitable’s Employee Benefits business, focusing on flexible non-medical benefits. According to a media statement, as part of the definitive agreement The Hartford will also obtain Equitable’s Employee Benefits technology, enhancing employee, employer and broker experiences “with unified digital capabilities and real-time API integration.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but The Hartford said the deal would bring roughly $500 million in premium. Equitable’s Employee Benefits portfolio includes group life, disability, paid family and medical…

A Massachusetts judge has declined to reduce the $91 million punitive damages award she approved last September for a construction worker’s personal injury claim, an award she herself characterized as “grossly excessive” but found is required by statute and precedent. Suffolk Superior Court Justice Debra Squires-Lee found that because Liberty Mutual insurers willfully failed to investigate and make a reasonable offer to injured worker John Rooney, she was obligated under state law to at least double the verdict issued by a jury in August 2021. The $26.6 million verdict consisted of $1 million for past medical expenses, $2.1 million for…

A DHL cargo aircraft hit an unknown object as it was climbing away from Leipzig/Halle airport in eastern Germany overnight, prompting an unscheduled landing in Hanover, a source familiar with the incident told Reuters on Wednesday. Authorities said they were investigating a drone found near a runway at the airport during the night, which the Bild newspaper said contained a detonator. The southern runway of the airport, a major hub for the logistics group DHL and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, remained closed while explosives experts examined the drone, a police spokesperson said. Read more: Germany Sees Russian Covert Attacks as Prelude…

Artificial intelligence is fueling more than half of cybercrime in Africa, enabling criminals to launch faster, more sophisticated attacks as financial losses continue to mount, a new study found. “Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region,” Neal Jetton, director of Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate, said in a report released Monday that surveyed 36 countries. “AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack, from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.” The findings underscore how economic and security risks are mounting as Africa’s digital economy expands. Cybercrime inflicted at least $5 billion in direct economic…

The green excavator scooped another heap of arid dirt and rocks before swiveling around to deposit the load onto barges ready to be sunk deep into the Danube River. Watched by a group of workers in the scorching Romanian heat, it was the latest stage in a complex engineering operation with a specific goal: to gain 10 centimeters. With its water level at a record low, the shrunken Danube is disrupting trade and tourist cruises and making locals along its banks from Bratislava to Belgrade confront the impact of climate change. But upriver from Romania’s only nuclear power plant, raising…