TikTok was charged on Friday with breaching EU online content rules over what the bloc’s regulator said were its addictive features and was told to change the design of its app or risk a fine of as much as 6% of owner ByteDance’s global turnover. The EU watchdog’s charges focus on TikTok’s addictive design which includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and its highly personalized recommender system. TikTok, whose algorithm is driven by the understanding of a user’s interest and has been key to the social media app’s global success, criticized the European Commission charges. Read more:…
Author: Awais
The European Union’s executive arm said it detected a recent cyberattack that may have exposed limited staff contact details, but that no devices were compromised. The incident was detected on Jan. 30 by the central infrastructure team that manages mobile devices, according to a statement issued Friday evening by the European Commission. “The commission’s swift response ensured the incident was contained and the system cleaned within nine hours,” the commission said in the statement. “No compromise of mobile devices was detected.” The EU said it would review the security of its systems and take additional precautions if needed. The Berlaymont…
A Massachusetts concrete services company pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards in a 2023 incident that led to a worker’s death. John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc. in East Freetown faces a term of probation of up to five years, a fine of up to $500,000, and restitution payable to the estate of the deceased victim, according to U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson scheduled sentencing for May 4, 2026. According to court documents, the company utilized a large soil screener for…
A lawsuit that targets companies that distribute computer code that facilitates the illegal manufacture of 3D printed ghost guns was filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. The lawsuit filed on Friday in San Francisco County Superior Court against Gatalog Foundation Inc. and CTRLPew LLC says the companies unlawfully distribute computer code for 3D printing ghost guns, machine gun conversion devices including “Glock switches,” illegal large-capacity magazines and other firearm-related products and components to people who are not licensed to manufacture firearms in California. The suit also seeks to hold the defendants held…
President Donald Trump is demanding a $1 billion payment from Harvard University to end his prolonged standoff with the Ivy League campus, doubling the amount he sought previously as both sides appear to move further from reaching a deal. The president raised the stakes on social media Monday night, saying Harvard has been “behaving very badly.” He said the university must pay the government directly as part of any deal — something Harvard has opposed — and that his administration wants “nothing further to do” with Harvard in the future. Trump’s comments on Truth Social came in response to a…
SafePoint Insurance Company is aiming to upsize its new catastrophe bond, with the Nature Coast Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) issuance now targeted to secure the company up to $250 million of multi-year named storm reinsurance protection from capital market investors, Artemis understands.SafePoint returned to the catastrophe bond market in the second-half of January, for what will become the fifth catastrophe bond sponsored under its Nature Coast Re program and its ninth cat bond sponsorship in total. Initially the insurer was seeking $150 million in reinsurance through its latest cat bond issuance, but we’re now told that its ambitions have been…
A bill moving steadily through the Florida Legislature has suddenly ignited a storm of controversy, with some insurance agents and brokers worried it could benefit one large brokerage while costing others fees and flexibility on takeouts of Citizens Property Insurance commercial policies. “The main question I have is, ‘What is the problem that this is trying to solve?’” said Chris Siegel, Florida vice president at Burns & Wilcox, a surplus lines brokerage. “We’re already doing all this without a surplus lines clearinghouse.” Siegel was talking about Florida Senate Bill 1028, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Gruters, the chairman of the…
The Washington OIC sets minimum best-interest suitability standards in WAC 284-212-110, requiring issuers and producers to establish standards that include identifying and avoiding conflicts of interest and disclosing, on request, the scope and terms of the producer’s relationship with the applicant. The rules also implement loss ratio standards mandated by RCW 48.212.200(1) in WAC 284-212-210 and WAC 284-212-230, and the OIC states that implementation will be shared across its Rates, Forms, and Provider Networks, Consumer Protection, Company Supervision and Legal Affairs divisions, which will handle supervision, consumer assistance, rule content, authority questions, enforcement and market compliance within Washington state.
A bill moving swiftly through the Florida House of Representatives could help ease the shortage of customer representatives at insurance agencies by waiving longstanding education requirements. House Bill 1343 would allow insurance customer representatives to forego the courses now required for a customer service representative license in the state, as long as the applicant completes high school courses on insurance and personal finance. The bill’s co-sponsor, state Rep. Brian Hodgers, one of only two insurance agents in the Legislature, said that agencies across the state have had difficulty hiring and keeping customers reps, especially in recent years as escalating property…
The proposals come amid intensifying insurance stress. In California, the deadly January 2025 Los Angeles‑area wildfires destroyed more than 18,000 homes and properties, triggering steep premium hikes, widespread non‑renewals and thousands of delayed or denied claims. Reliance on the FAIR Plan has increased 500% in less than a decade as major carriers have withdrawn capacity. The plan expects to pay $4 billion in losses from the 2025 LA fires and has called on participating insurers for US$1 billion in funding, with roughly half likely to be recouped through further rate rises.
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to a move by President Donald Trump’s administration to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts. A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an injunction that would have blocked Trump’s administration from implementing executive orders he signed shortly after taking office last year aimed at eliminating DEI programming in the government and private sector. The court in March 2025, at the administration’s urging, put on hold that preliminary injunction, which had been issued by Baltimore-based U.S. District…
Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide announced Feb. 5 that it entered into an agreement to acquire the renewal rights for surety and fidelity bonds issued by Main Street America Insurance, a unit of American Family Insurance. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nationwide said in a written statement that the acquisition expands its commitment to businesses and contractors, and that the addition of Main Street America’s capabilities and employees creates new opportunities for growth and innovation. The two companies expect to close the agreement by the end of the first quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. “Nationwide’s strength and stability have…
The structure gives AIG access to diversified specialty risk and fee income while deploying capital through both equity and reinsurance, and provides Convex and its new majority owner, Onex, with an anchor reinsurance partner. It also further aligns AIG with Onex’s asset management platform via the 9.9% stake in the Canadian-listed manager.
A fire tore through a northeastern Pennsylvania hospital, sending smoke billowing into the air as dozens of patients were evacuated and emergency medical crews were rushed in from across the region, authorities said. No one was reported injured by the Wednesday night blaze at the Lehigh Valley Hospital campus in Dickson City, which drew all available emergency medical services within a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius, fire officials said. The facility remained closed Thursday while the damage was assessed, hospital spokesperson Shellie Wass said. Bystander video showed smoke rising over the hospital’s entrance as firefighters on ladders worked to contain the blaze.…