Property insurers’ ratings under pressure as risk rises, Morningstar says

(Reuters) – The credit ratings of global property insurers are coming under pressure as rising reinsurance costs force them to cut back on cover and retain more risks themselves, DBRS Morningstar analysts said in a research note on Wednesday. Reinsurers, which insure insurance companies, have been raising rates in recent years due to growing losses…

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Vermont capital submerged in floodwaters with dam on verge of capacity

By Brian Snyder and Rich McKay MONTPELIER, Vermont (Reuters) – A dam upstream from the Vermont state capital was holding at maximum capacity on Tuesday after “catastrophic” flooding shut down roadways leading out of Montpelier and trapped people in their homes. The Wrightsville Dam, which forms a reservoir four miles (6.4 km) north of Montpelier,…

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South Korea, Japan leaders to meet; Fukushima radioactive water, North Korea missile launch focus

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday on the sidelines of a NATO summit, with the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant and North Korea expected on the agenda. Japan plans to soon start releasing more than a million…

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US climate envoy John Kerry to travel to China next week

By Valerie Volcovici and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Monday will become the Biden administration’s third senior official to visit China in recent weeks after trips by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A U.S. official said on Tuesday that Kerry would visit from Monday…

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New air bag death prompts ‘Do Not Drive’ warning for 2003 Dodge Ram pickups

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chrysler-parent Stellantis has warned 29,000 owners of 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to immediately stop driving pending repairs after one person was killed when a Takata air-bag inflator exploded. The fatality in May is the first reported involving a Takata passenger-side bag, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in…

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Biden admin targets use of climate-warming industrial gases

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration issued a final rule on Tuesday phasing down the use of gases known as hydroflourocarbons, or HFCs, used in refrigerators and air conditioners, in its latest step to curb emissions that cause climate change. The final rule implements a 40% reduction in use of HFCs below historic…

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Exclusive – Mexico’s Pemex to lose some 100,000 bpd of crude this month after fire – source

By Ana Isabel Martinez MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos will see its crude output reduced by some 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) until the beginning of August after a massive fire on Friday at an offshore platform, a top company source said. The reduced production implies that in total Pemex…

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Amtrak suspends some service after minor train derailment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak suspended service between Washington and Richmond, Virginia after a train derailed while traveling near Washington Union Station. Northeast Regional Train 86 was traveling at a low speed in the tunnel south of the station and remained upright after derailing. No passengers were reported injured and one employee was…

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EV charger maker Tritium wins order from Hawaii under federal funding program

By Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tritium DCFC said on Tuesday it had won an order from Hawaii to make high-speed electric vehicle chargers – the first funds to roll out in a federal program meant to blanket the country with charging infrastructure and boost EV adoption. The U.S. government plans to dole out…

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