The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday approved its first construction permit for a commercial nuclear reactor in eight years, one that will allow a Bill Gates-backed company to build a sodium-cooled reactor in western Wyoming. TerraPower filed for the permit in 2024 and construction is now set to begin within weeks. Completion of the up to $4 billion plant is targeted for 2030, according to TerraPower. Microsoft co-founder Gates, who is eyeing nuclear generation as a power source for the electricity-hungry data centers behind artificial intelligence, is a founder of TerraPower and its primary investor. “We have spent thousands…
Author: Awais
Residents of Syracuse, New York — America’s snowiest city — once barraged a service hotline with street neglect complaints during blizzards, even if plows had passed two hours earlier but the work was hidden by fresh snow. Now public trust seems to be rising as Syracuse and other cities across the U.S. integrate upgrades such as video monitoring, GPS mapping and artificial intelligence into snow operations that once relied almost entirely on manual planning. Syracuse was one of the first to revamp the way it deploys its snowplows, and complaint calls have dropped by 30% under the new system, said…
A Michigan pharmacist and business owner who engaged in a five-year pharmacy shortage fraud scheme at two separate pharmacies pleaded guilty on February 24, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.. Mohammad Hamdan, age 44, from Dearborn Heights pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for a scheme that caused over $3 million in loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. At the hearing, Hamdan admitted to utilizing his two pharmacies to submit false and fraudulent claims for prescriptions even though the prescribed drugs were medically unnecessary or not actually…
Company is making its boldest move yet – into wildfire country
Amazon said March 5 it has resolved an issue related to its software code that had caused an hours-long outage on its website for thousands of shoppers. The disruption, which began around 2:00 p.m. ET, gradually eased to less than 650 incidents of people reporting issues with the website in the United States as of 08:16 p.m. ET, down from a peak of about 22,000, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector.com. “We’re sorry that some customers may have temporarily experienced issues while shopping. We have resolved the issue, which was related to a software code deployment, and (the) website and app…
Liberty Mutual, the insurance and reinsurance group, has disclosed that its aggregate reinsurance protection has been lifted higher up the tower for 2026, with the $500 million of limit set to attach excess of $3.15 billion this year, while on the occurrence limit side it appears one of the Mystic Re catastrophe bonds has been reset to attach lower down.A year ago, Liberty Mutual had disclosed its property catastrophe reinsurance arrangements after the California wildfires caused a major market loss, explaining that it was well protected for 2025 through $2.8 billion of per-occurrence limit and a further $500 million of…
Emirates and Etihad Airways were resuming limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday, though the threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines as they scramble to accommodate travelers. With most airspace in the Middle East still closed over missile and drone concerns since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, authorities have been arranging charter flights and securing seats on limited commercial services to evacuate tens of thousands of people. A government-chartered Air France flight to bring French nationals back from the United Arab Emirates was forced to turn back…
Virginia-based specialty insurer Richmond National Group plans to invest $1.75 million to expand operations at the firm’s Glen Allen office. The company said it expects to be hiring as many as 75 new employees for the office. “Five years ago, we started our specialty insurance company in the Richmond area primarily due to its deep talent pool of insurance and financial services professionals and its favorable business environment,” said Richmond National Group President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph C. Kavanagh. “These factors have contributed to our early success as a younger company, and we continue to see significant hiring opportunities…
Green Tree Risk Partners Names Page Director Laura Page Green Tree Risk Partners, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named Laura Page as director of Green Tree Risk Partners. Page has 20 years of insurance and leadership experience, previously serving as the vice president at Extraco Insurance Agency. Page succeeds Angelo Ganguzza, an insurance veteran focused on the wood and building materials industry for 40 years, who is retiring from his full-time agency leadership role and will transition into a strategic position within brokerage operations. TDC Specialty Underwriters Appoints Spina as Chief Underwriting Officer TDC Specialty Underwriters, headquartered in Unionville, Connecticut, promoted…
The insurer says it was forced to foot the defense bill after repeated requests went unanswered
A year after it was acquired by its CEO’s new holding company, Universal North America has added offices in Florida and changed its name. Universal Insurance Co. of North America, admitted in Florida with offices in Sarasota and in Orlando, as well as in Fort Worth, Texas, is now known as One Alliance North America Insurance Co., the carrier announced. Miguel Barrales remains president, and Rafael Cedeño Camacho is chairman of the board and CEO. “This name not only reflects the company’s strong footprint in numerous states and financial stability, but also its shared identity and unified vision as part…
U.S. railroads including CSX Corp, Union Pacific and BNSF are moving to recapture freight from truckers as tightening trucking capacity and rising road-haul rates bolster rail’s competitive position. For years, low trucking rates and greater flexibility helped road carriers capture cargo that might otherwise have moved by rail, weighing on rail volumes and limiting pricing power. That dynamic is now shifting, at least temporarily. Freight broker C.H. Robinson said trucking capacity is shrinking as small carriers exit the market and federal scrutiny of driver licensing, safety and insurance requirements intensifies. The added pressure is reducing driver supply and raising operating…
More tankers came under attack in Gulf waters on Thursday as the U.S.–Iran war escalated, and Iranian drones entered Azerbaijan, threatening to spread the crisis to more oil producers in the region. A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was targeted by an Iranian remote-controlled boat laden with explosives while anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port, according to initial assessments. A second tanker at anchor off Kuwait was taking on water and spilling oil after a large explosion on its port side. (Editor’s note: This Reuters wrap-up article was published at 3:19 p.m. on March 5.) Nine vessels have come under…
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