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AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Arkansas’ Kinsale

Article 0 Comments AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a+” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) of Kinsale Insurance Company (Kinsale) based in Little Rock, Arkansas. The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to stable from positive while the outlook of the FSR is stable. Concurrently, AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term ICR to “bbb+” (Good) from “bbb” (Good) of Kinsale Capital Group. The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to stable from positive. These Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Kinsale’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The Long-Term ICR upgrade reflects the strengthening of Kinsale’s business profile, supported by its increased scale, established position in the U.S. excess and surplus lines market and demonstrated ability to grow while maintaining disciplined underwriting and strong profitability. Kinsale is a property/casualty insurance company founded in June of 2009, operating exclusively in the U.S. excess and surplus lines market and has grown to approximately $2.0 billion of gross written premiums as of year-end 2025. The company...

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Piracy Observer Says Somali Incidents Rising as Navies Stretched

Article 0 Comments The world’s top maritime piracy observer said incidents off the coast of Somalia are on the rise again after a pair of fresh attacks this week — as two major regional conflicts stretch naval forces in the area thin. Yemen’s Houthis said last month that they would block Saudi Arabia’s ports and targeted several vessels, forcing many ships to avoid the area. At the same time, the Iran war brought chaos to the industry with dozens of freighters attacked in and around the Persian Gulf. (Editor’s note: This article was published by Bloomberg on Aug. 21). Naval authorities this week reported that a pair of ships were attacked by Somali pirates, adding to previous concerns about a rising number of incidents this year. Back in 2008-10, they targeted hundreds of vessels, forcing some owners to sail all the way around Africa to stay safe. “While naval assets are in the region, other maritime security threats are taking precedence, due to which opportunity has potentially arisen for the Somali pirates, who had been successfully deterred and disrupted for over a decade,” said Cyrus Mody, a director at the International Maritime Bureau, which maintains a global piracy database. On...

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Thousands in Indiana Still Without Power After Deadly Storms

Article 0 Comments Tens of thousands of people in northwest Indiana remained without power Wednesday, more than a week after deadly storms leveled trees and knocked down power lines across the region. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said crews were working nonstop to fix the outages, but 75,000 customers still lacked electricity by late afternoon, mostly in Lake County next to the Illinois border. They included more than 20,000 customers in Gary, where residents lined up again at community centers for hot meals and a place to charge phones. The latest news for Gary wasn’t good: Full restoration is not expected there until Aug. 25, NIPSCO said. Roughly 300 poles and 44 power transmission poles need to be repaired or replaced in Gary as a result of the storm, which carried winds of 99 mph (159 kilometers per hour), said Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO’s parent company. Birmingham acknowledged the “real burden” of losing perishable food and people living for days without air conditioning after a “historic storm” that initially left 300,000 customers in the dark. “These aren’t simple repairs,” Birmingham said at a news conference. “These are systems that are being rebuilt.” Utility says low-income residents are not...

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Explosions at Ohio Recycling Plant Claim 2 Lives

Article 0 Comments Explosions rocked an Ohio industrial recycling business earlier this week, killing two workers and sparking a large fire, officials said. Flames and dark smoke poured from Brent Industries in Toledo on Tuesday as fire engines surrounded the building, TV news video showed. Crews later discovered the bodies of two employees, a man and a woman, inside the smoldering building, said Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong. Two or three other employees had minor injuries, she said. Two explosions occurred shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, during a shift change, Armstrong said. Crews had to deal with hazardous materials, runoff and the threat of more explosions while first searching for victims and accounting for the other employees, she said. Environmental officials said monitors showed that there was no hazardous threat in the air. Demetrius Langston said he felt the explosion half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away. He ran outside with his phone and captured video of a huge plume of smoke rising into the dark sky. “The shock waves came down the block,” he said. “Then we all heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.” Armstrong said the fire was still burning Tuesday afternoon. She also said there were...

Budget pressures leave Canadians considering cutting back on insurance – despite many not knowing what they’re putting at risk 0

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Budget pressures leave Canadians considering cutting back on insurance – despite many not knowing what they’re putting at risk

TD Insurance survey finds 84% say they don’t fully understand their coverage, highlighting a major insurance confidence gap Toronto, ON (Aug. 5, 2026) – As Canadians look for ways to manage rising costs, a new TD Insurance survey suggests some may be taking financial risks they don’t fully understand. One-third of Canadians say they would consider reducing their insurance coverage to save money, despite not fully understanding what their policies do and don’t cover. Key findings from the survey: 33% of Canadians say they would consider reducing their insurance coverage to save money Gen Z (55%) is most likely to cut back on insurance to reduce pressure on budgets 62% aren’t confident their coverage would fully protect them in an unexpected situation 84% don’t fully understand what their insurance does and doesn’t cover The findings point to a growing insurance confidence gap: Canadians are looking for ways to save money at a time when many don’t fully understand what their insurance covers or whether it would adequately protect them in an unexpected situation. While 85% of Canadians recognize the importance of insurance as a financial safeguard, half (50%) admit they don’t know what insurance coverage they currently have. “With the...

IBM Connects Its First Modular Cryogenic Systems in Milestone Toward Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing 0

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IBM Connects Its First Modular Cryogenic Systems in Milestone Toward Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing

New cryogenic quantum fridges designed to link hundreds of quantum chips. Cooled to below 15 millikelvin, more than 180 times colder than deep space, the build out marks a step forward in the engineering required for future quantum computers. Advances IBM’s quantum roadmap to deliver the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029. New York, NY (Aug. 19, 2026) – IBM is pleased to announce it has successfully joined and cooled down two cryogenic modules into a single environment. The new architecture is designed to scale into the modular, shared, and ultra-cold system required to link hundreds of quantum chips into a more powerful quantum computer capable of solving large problems. Its deployment is a milestone on IBM’s path to delivering IBM Quantum Starling in 2029, which is expected to be the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer and will integrate advances across error correction, processor design, decoding, and systems engineering. [embedded content] Please visit https://youtu.be/wwMI6IhvwE0 if the embedded video player doesn’t work. Combined, the first two operational modules stand more than 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide, and initial tests demonstrated they can jointly cool down to 4 Kelvin (the temperature of liquid helium) in under 5 days, reaching...

EY Canada makes leading investment in Quantum Computing 0

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EY Canada makes leading investment in Quantum Computing

Firm expands national in-house quantum computing capability to help shape the next wave of technological change Investment marks a shift from quantum experimentation to solving real business challenges for clients Advancement of in-house quantum capabilities helps organizations process highly sensitive data entirely within Canadian borders Toronto, ON (Aug. 5, 2026) – EY Canada is pleased to announce the expansion of its quantum computing capabilities to help clients solve increasingly complex business challenges in areas of optimization, fraud detection and large-scale risk management. The investment in an on-site quantum computer further enables the processing of highly sensitive workloads within Canadian borders, helping organizations meet growing security, privacy and regulatory requirements. “We’re shifting the conversation on quantum computing from concept to practical use for our clients in Canada and globally,” said Biren Agnihotri, Chief Technology Officer, EY Canada. “Quantum computing has the ability to solve complex challenges that classical computing alone cannot address. By combining local and global talent, ecosystem collaboration and leading-edge in-house quantum infrastructure, we’re accelerating how organizations translate quantum innovation into real-world capability.” Moving from experimentation to real-world application EY is continuing its Client Zero approach, developing and testing quantum-enabled solutions within its own environment to help move visionary...

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Romania Destroys Marine Drone Near Neptun Deep Gas Project: Minister

Article 0 Comments Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets to destroy a marine drone spotted a few hundred meters from the Black Sea gas project Neptun Deep, Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Thursday. The incident underscores the growing threat to critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea from drones and mines linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Neptun Deep expected to make Romania the European Union’s largest gas producer when it comes onstream in 2027. NATO-member Romania shares a 614-km (382-mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones breaching its airspace over the last four years and mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes. Read more: Sweden Sees Russia Intensifying Cyber Attacks on Infrastructure Thursday’s incident follows similar action earlier this month when army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the exclusive economic zone near the offshore Neptun Deep project. “In order to protect the lives of the several hundred people working on the platform and to secure critical infrastructure, the decision was made to destroy (the marine drone),” Miruta said in a Facebook post on Thursday. In a later post, he confirmed the drone — which was hit by the...

Customers Want Access to Human Agents From Companies Using GenAI for Customer Service: Gartner 0

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Customers Want Access to Human Agents From Companies Using GenAI for Customer Service: Gartner

Q&A with Eric Keller, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice Gartner survey finds 87% of customers say companies using GenAI for customer service must provide access to a human agent Stamford, CT (Aug. 11, 2026) – Customers have mixed feelings using GenAI for customer support, as 50% of customers say their interactions are easier when companies use GenAI, yet 87% of customers say it is essential for companies to provide an option to reach a human agent when using GenAI, according to a Gartner survey. The Gartner survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers, conducted in February and March 2026, found that while customers are becoming more comfortable using AI to resolve service issues, they will push back when AI acts as a barrier to reaching a human. We spoke with Eric Keller, Sr Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice, to discuss how service and support leaders should design GenAI experiences that increase customer willingness to engage, support task completion and preserve access to human agents when needed. Q: Based on the Gartner survey, how should customer service leaders consider offering GenAI support to their customers? A: Customers are open to GenAI, but...

AI drives surge in disclosed vulnerabilities, yet two-thirds of ransomware deployments still start with compromised credentials 0

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AI drives surge in disclosed vulnerabilities, yet two-thirds of ransomware deployments still start with compromised credentials

Beazley Security’s Q2 2026 Quarterly Threat Report finds agentic AI reshaping vulnerability research far faster than it is changing how attackers break in Disclosed vulnerabilities increased 36% in Q2, while confirmed exploitations in the wild only grew 10% Compromised credentials remained the leading initial access vector, accounting for 67% of ransomware intrusions investigated by Beazley Security Beazley Security Labs issued 40% more critical zero-day advisories to clients than in the previous quarter West Hartford, CT (Aug. 18, 2026) – Beazley Security has released its Quarterly Threat Report for Q2 2026, finding that the widespread adoption of agentic AI in vulnerability research drove a 36% quarter-over-quarter increase in newly disclosed vulnerabilities while the methods attackers used to breach organizations remained almost entirely unchanged. Vulnerabilities confirmed as actively exploited and added to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog rose only 10% over the same period, a gap that further amplifies an already difficult prioritization challenge facing security teams. AI reshapes vulnerability research faster than exploitation Disclosure volume has historically moved within a 10% band from quarter to quarter. That pattern broke in 2026, rising 18.5% in Q1 and another 36% in Q2. Beazley Security Labs (BSL) attributes the...