Monthly Archives: <span>August 2020</span>

U.S. Pursues Nearly $13 Billion of Claims in Purdue Pharma Opioid Probes-Sources

U.S. prosecutors are pursuing possible penalties of nearly $13 billion to resolve investigations of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma after uncovering evidence of criminal and civil misconduct stemming from the company’s alleged role in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis, people familiar …

Miners Need More Engineers to Meet New Tailings Dam Safety Standard

JOHANNESBURG/TORONTO — Mining companies need more skilled engineers if they are to meet strict new global safety standards for tailings dams aimed at preventing catastrophic failures like those in recent years that have killed hundreds of people and inundated nearby …

County Pledges Probe Into Health Worker’s Coronavirus Death

Officials in a Maryland county say they “will spare no time or expense” investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a veteran public health worker who died of COVID-19 after relatives and coworkers believe she contracted the virus on the …

Vehicle Malfunction Sparked Southern California Wildfire

BANNING, Calif. — A wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles that has forced thousands of people from their homes was sparked by a malfunctioning diesel vehicle, fire officials said Monday. The vehicle spewed burning carbon from its exhaust system, …

U.S. Refining Capacity Poised For First Big Drop in Nearly a Decade

NEW YORK/HOUSTON — U.S. oil refining capacity this year could decline by the largest amount in nearly a decade as pandemic-related travel curbs and a fire shut several plants, reversing years of small gains. Refiners globally have been idling plants …

7th Circuit: California Claims Adjuster’s Wage Suit Must be Decided in Indiana

A former claims adjuster who says Ryze Claims Solutions violated his rights by paying him a base salary of $455 per week won’t be able to make that argument in his home state of California. The 7th Circuit Court of …

Robots Running the Industrial World Are Open to Cyber Attacks

Industrial robots are now being used to assemble everything from airplanes to smartphones, using human-like arms to mechanically repeat the same processes over and over, thousands of times a day with nanometric precision. But according to a new report entitled …

Viewpoint: Washington Impedes Progress on Self-Driving Cars

Imagine how different the discussion about returning to the office or school would be if we could deploy autonomous vehicles — and therefore had more alternatives to public transportation or school buses without worrying about parking — or how much …

AIG’s Pandemic Losses Hit $730M for First Half of 2020 -CEO

Insurer American International Group Inc racked up $730 million in COVID-19-related losses during the first half of the year, its chief executive officer said on Tuesday. The pandemic is a “formidable and ongoing catastrophe,” AIG CEO Brian Duperreault said during …

Europe Air Safety Regulator Gives No Firm Date For 737 Max to Fly Again

PARIS — Europe’s air safety watchdog has no firm date for Boeing’s grounded 737 MAX to resume flights, it said on Tuesday, adding that the U.S. planemaker had some more work to do before a 17-month-old safety ban could be …