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AM Best Assigns Issue Credit Rating to USAA Capital Corporation’s Senior Unsecured Medium-Term Notes

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  Full Video >> OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has assigned a Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of “aaa” (Exceptional) to the $500 million, 5.25% senior unsecured medium-term notes, due June 1, 2027, issued by USAA Capital Corporation (headquartered in San Antonio, TX). The outlook assigned to the Credit Rating (rating) is stable. All other ratings of USAA Capital Corporation and its insurance affiliates remain unchanged. AM Best notes that USAA Capital Corporation’s $500 million, 0.5% senior unsecured medium-term notes issued in 2021 matured on May 1, 2024. The net impact of the debt transactions results in stable financial leverage, which remains within AM Best’s guidelines for the current ratings. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this...

CISPE Denies It Is Close to Deal Over Antitrust Complaint With Microsoft

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  Full Video>> (Reuters) -European trade group CISPE denied a report on Saturday that it was nearing a settlement with Microsoft to withdraw its antitrust complaint with the European Commission about the U.S. company's cloud computing licensing practices. CISPE, whose members include Amazon and 26 small EU cloud providers, filed a complaint with the European Commission in late 2022 alleging that Microsoft's new contractual terms were harming Europe's cloud computing ecosystem. Politico reported earlier that Microsoft was closing in on a multi-million euro deal with CISPE for it to drop its complaint, citing two unnamed sources. "These rumors are incorrect," said Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe, when contacted by Reuters about the Politico report. "Discussions between CISPE and Microsoft are ongoing, and while proposals have been made, no agreement has been reached." "Any offer will need to be submitted for acceptance to the a...

Ukraine makes gains in its other war - fighting corruption

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  Full Video>> Ukraine has battled endemic corruption since the first days of its independence in 1991, and government officials and independent campaigners alike say that fight is key to winning the existential war it is fighting with Russia. They have had some success. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International ranks Ukraine at its highest level since 2006: currently 104th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index. "Most Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions are showing pretty good results," Andriy Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, tells the BBC. According to him, one such result is the arrest of the then-Supreme Court head, Vsevolod Knyazev, on bribery charges in May 2023. "This can be a safeguard because if you see somebody arrested, you will think twice before doing something corrupt," he said. There have been other high-profile arrests too, including agriculture minister Mykola Solsky and ...

British man killed as London-Singapore flight hit by turbulence

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  Full Video >> A 73-year-old British man has died and more than 30 other people have been injured on a Singapore Airlines flight from London which was hit by severe turbulence. The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, making an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). Passengers said the aircraft suddenly dropped - and people and objects were thrown around the cabin. The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. It offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, who has yet to be named. Authorities in Bangkok say the man probably died of a heart attack. His wife has been admitted to hospital, but her condition is unknown. LIVE: Follow all the latest news and updates “I was covered in coffee,” Andrew from London told BBC 5 Live. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping, there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud." Andrew said once the turbulence had settled, he had been able to h...