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Appellate Court Rejects EPA Bid to Ease Regulations for Coal-Fired Power Plants

Article 0 Comments A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s bid to withdraw Biden-era limits on soot pollution from coal-fired power plants and factories, in a setback for the Trump administration’s deregulatory efforts. The EPA under President Donald Trump last year asked the appeals court to invalidate the 2024 rule, arguing the agency had acted unreasonably by failing to consider costs while setting the standard. The court rejected the petition, leaving the annual limit of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5, in place. “After initially defending the new rule, the EPA now moves to vacate the rule on the grounds that it exceeded its statutory authority and acted unreasonably by failing to consider costs. Because these arguments lack merit, we deny the petitions for review and the motion for vacatur,” the ruling said. The EPA under Biden had said the tighter limits would avoid more than 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 2,000 hospital visits and 4,500 premature deaths. But the Trump EPA has said that the 2024 rule costs “hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to American citizens if allowed to be implemented” and was not...

More Canadians with previous health conditions can now qualify for up to $500,000 in no-medical life insurance 0

More Canadians with previous health conditions can now qualify for up to $500,000 in no-medical life insurance

Foresters Financial expands simplified issue underwriting, enabling up to $500,000 in affordable no-medical coverage for Canadians with prior health conditions Toronto, ON (June 9, 2026) – Canadians living with conditions such as cancer in remission, managed diabetes or a past cardiac event have often faced limited access to meaningful life insurance coverage, even as their health has improved over time. Foresters Financial™ is helping to change that. Through its Canada Protection Plan® line of simplified issue products, the organization has enhanced its A-Z Life Coverage application to widen eligibility, streamline the experience and help more people qualify for affordable no-medical life insurance. Canadians may now be eligible for up to $500,000 with day-one coverage.[1] “Even with a health diagnosis, the need for life insurance protection remains the same,” said Michael Aziz, Chief Distribution Officer, Canada, Foresters Financial. “These enhancements are about meeting people where they are. More Canadians who once assumed coverage was out of reach, or who settled for less than they needed, can now qualify for real, day-one protection for the people who depend on them.” What’s changed The enhanced A-Z Life Coverage application introduces expanded eligibility criteria and updated look-back periods across several key conditions. These updates...

WTW acquires Redefind to strengthen digital asset protection offering 0

WTW acquires Redefind to strengthen digital asset protection offering

London, UK (June 9, 2026) – WTW, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, has announced its acquisition of Redefind, an end-to-end web-based platform, designed to facilitate access to insurance products for crypto and digital assets. This investment reflects WTW’s long-term strategy to expand into next-generation protection solutions for clients exposed to digital finance, crypto ecosystems and tokenised asset environments. The proposition launches as a non-custodial, cost-of-recovery insurance solution, intended to support digital asset owners in the event of theft or loss. Coverage is designed to support expenses associated with forensic investigation, asset tracing, and legal recovery of stolen digital assets. As part of the acquisition, Redefind’s founders, Richard Daws and Connor Edward joined Willis upon completion of the transaction. The service will initially launch in the UK, with broader market and product expansion planned as capabilities continue to evolve. Alastair Swift, head of global specialities at Willis said: “As digital assets continue to move further into the mainstream, demand for credible regulated protection solutions is increasing. Through this investment, WTW is taking a leading position to shape the future of risk transfer and protection in the digital economy. “We are committed to supporting clients in navigating emerging financial...

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Mamdani Delivers Rent Freeze in Milestone for New York City Tenants

Article 0 Comments New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents for roughly one million stabilized apartments, handing Mayor Zohran Mamdani a major political victory and delivering on a central promise that launched him to City Hall. The board voted 7-1 to pass the freeze, which applies to both one- and two-year leases. It is the first time that rents for longer-term rental agreements have been frozen. Mamdani has repeatedly called for a freeze, arguing that stabilized tenants are facing rising costs for food, transportation and other necessities even as wages fail to keep pace. The vote follows months of debate over whether tenants should be shielded from soaring housing costs despite mounting financial pressures on landlords. The freeze will apply to leases signed between Oct. 1, 2026 and Sept. 30, 2027. The last one-year rent freeze was during the pandemic in 2020. “Tenants have rights, and we have power, but we must stick together,” said Sarah Delany, an advocate and rent stabilized tenant in the Bronx. “Mayor Mamdani kept his campaign promise, and it also shows we’ll be able to pay for regular needed daily necessities. It’s a historic moment what just happened.” Board Appointees The decision...

Majesco Research Reveals Modernization as Critical Backbone for Retirement & Pension Administration and Pension Risk Transfer 0

Majesco Research Reveals Modernization as Critical Backbone for Retirement & Pension Administration and Pension Risk Transfer

Rising Complexity, Cyber Risk, Member Expectations and Ecosystem Convergence Elevate Cloud-Native, AI-Enabled Platforms as a Strategic and Operational Mandate Morristown, NJ (May 5, 2026) – Majesco, the insurance and retirement & pension industry’s foremost innovator in cloud-native, AI-native software, is pleased to announce the release of its new thought leadership report, Technology Trends Shaping Retirement & Pension Administration and Pension Risk Transfer (PRT). The report highlights how member demographic shifts, regulatory pressure, cyber threats, and converging pension–insurance–PRT ecosystems are turning modernization into a strategic and operational mandate for public-sector, private, and multi-employer retirement organizations. Based on the Retirement Plan Administration Technology Trends survey of senior leaders across state and local retirement systems, transit authorities, utilities, school systems, and other public-sector entities, insights from an executive panel and a detailed case study with a retirement & pension organization,  the report reveals an industry under intensifying pressure to modernize aging and manual administration environments while strengthening trust, transparency, and resilience. “Retirement and pension systems are the operational backbone of the social contract — and that backbone is being rebuilt, in real time,” said Denise Garth, Chief Strategy Officer at Majesco. “Administrators can no longer rely on fragmented, manual, legacy environments and expect...

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Guy Carpenter Combines UK Property and Casualty, London Europe Ops

Article 0 Comments Guy Carpenter, a business of Marsh, said it is uniting its UK Property and Casualty and London Europe teams under one leadership structure, effective at the start of 2027. Leon Janeke will lead the combined UK Property and Casualty and London Europe team, having previously led the London Europe team for three years. Janeke will report to Paul Moody, UK CEO and Julian Enoizi, Europe CEO, Guy Carpenter. Dean Jenner, a market veteran with 41 years of industry experience and six years at Guy Carpenter, will assume the role of chairman of the combined team. Jenner was instrumental in establishing Guy Carpenter’s market-leading position in UK property and will now focus his efforts on developing the future talent pipeline, resolving complex client challenges that drive competitive advantage, and identifying emerging growth opportunities across new risk areas. Jenner will report to Moody. “This positions Guy Carpenter to compete more effectively, serve clients more comprehensively, and accelerate our market expansion in property, specialty, and emerging risk areas,” said Moody. Topics Europe Property Property Casualty Casualty London Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! %...

Employers must address ‘fear of becoming obsolete’ as AI reshapes the workplace: WTW 0

Employers must address ‘fear of becoming obsolete’ as AI reshapes the workplace: WTW

Singapore (June 8, 2026) – Employers face a growing challenge as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how work is done, with new research from WTW highlighting a rise in the ‘fear of becoming obsolete’ among employees. WTW’s 2026 Employee Experience (EX) Global Market Study points to a widening gap between the pace of technological change and employee readiness. While AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, many organisations are not yet equipped to support their workforce through the transition. According to the study, 59% of employers expect AI to fundamentally change how employee experience is messaged, managed and delivered within the next three years, rising to 89% over the next decade. At the same time, the share of work handled through automation and digital tools is expected to more than double, from 14% today to 31% within three years. The study finds that this creates fertile ground for employees to fear they will become obsolete, as they question their relevance in a more automated workplace. To counter this, WTW has identified the need for employers to shift from only measuring employee engagement, as an indicator of how people feel about their work and their willingness to give effort, to employee impact, as a measure...

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Rhode Island Opens Window to Civil Courts for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

Article 0 Comments Rhode Island has joined more than two dozen other states that have enacted laws expanding access to civil courts for child victims of sexual abuse. Governor Dan McKee signed legislation amending the statute of limitations for child victim claims of sexual abuse and creating a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2026. Its enactment comes after the release of a report in March by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha accusing the Catholic Diocese of Providence of a “well-worn pattern” of failing to remove dozens of priests accused of child sexual abuse and keeping the abuse secret over decades. The report identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950. The investigation found that accused priests were repeatedly returned to ministry. The Diocese of Providence has complained that the AG’s report fails to sufficiently acknowledge that lessons have been learned and that changes have been made to protect children and cooperate with law enforcement. Report Lays Out Decades of Child Sex Abuse by Clergy in Rhode Island Diocese Providence Bishop Bruce...

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Kansas Department of Insurance Distributes Over $20M to Firefighters

Article 0 Comments Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that the Kansas Department of Insurance has made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs). Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, $20,743,000 has been distributed to 552 FRAs throughout Kansas. “Firefighters put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges that by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones,” said Commissioner Schmidt. “The Act not only gives first responders needed safety nets, but it also allows local communities to provide their citizens with improved firefighting equipment and resources.” The funds from the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act are generated by a two percent tax paid by insurance companies on fire and lightning insurance premiums written in Kansas. Associations primarily use their distributed funds for insurance premiums and safety enhancements. The relief funds may pay for the health, accident, disability, and life insurance premiums of local firefighters. Safety enhancements such as new firetrucks, fire station building improvements, and firefighting gear can be purchased via relief funds loaned to local governing entities. Source: Kansas Department of Insurance Topics Kansas Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can...

OpenText Among First Canadian Companies to Join OECD Global Safe AI Reporting Framework 0

OpenText Among First Canadian Companies to Join OECD Global Safe AI Reporting Framework

Waterloo, ON (June 2, 2026) – OpenText™, a global leader in data management for enterprise AI, is pleased to announce it has joined the OECD’s Hiroshima AI Process (HAIP) Reporting Framework, the international mechanism where organizations demonstrate alignment with the G7’s voluntary code of conduct for the safe development and deployment of advanced AI. “Trust in AI begins with the data underneath the model and how it is governed, protected and contextualized,” said Ayman Antoun, Chief Executive Officer of OpenText. “OpenText has been building that foundation for 35 years. Our participation in HAIP is a natural extension of that commitment and ensures the emerging global framework reflects the realities of enterprise-grade agentic AI deployment.” The move positions OpenText, steward of human, machine and transactional data for more than 120,000 enterprises and governments in 180 countries, as an active participant in ensuring agentic AI can be trusted and drive measurable value for public and private sectors alike. More than $15 trillion (CAD) in annual B2B commerce flows through OpenText’s Business Network, and the company manages the unstructured content and machine-generated operational data that regulated enterprises run on every day, giving it a data foundation of exceptional breadth to bring to the...