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California considers insurance to help with wildfire costs

The most populous state should follow the lead of Oregon, the World Bank and the Federal Emergency Management Agency after outspending its emergency fund in seven of the last 10 years, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Treasurer Fiona Ma said.California spent nearly $950 million two years ago, about $450 million more than was budgeted and by far the highest annual amount. It spent about $677 million last year, as wildfires again swept through cities, suburbs and more rural areas.

California has experienced 11 of the top 20 most destructive fires in its history since 2007.

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Study questions safety claims about Tesla autopilot’s steering feature

The study, released Friday by Quality Control Systems Corp., a data analysis company in Maryland, examined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2017 conclusion that there was a 40 percent reduction in the rate of crashes by Tesla vehicles that resulted in the deployment of air bags after they were equipped with Autosteer, a part of the automaker’s suite of automated driver-assist systems it markets as Autopilot.

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International push to improve food safety

Climate change and the globalization of food production, coupled with a growing global population and increasing urbanization, pose new challenges to food safety.  Food systems are becoming even more complex and interlinked, blurring lines of regulatory responsibility.  Solutions to these potential problems require intersectoral and concerted international action.

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