The industry’s plodding giants face mounting threats from restless reinsurers and Big Tech. Since the 1980s average annual losses from natural disasters have more than sextupled in real terms. Other risks are variations on old themes, such as pandemics or the fallout from increasing protectionism. And new ones have emerged. Ageing populations push up health-care costs. Cyber-attacks can shut power plants, paralyse firms and siphon fortunes from banks’ coffers. The Economicst

Paying for college seems out of reach for many Americans, so the idea of free college has broad appeal. Several Democratic presidential candidates and members of Congress have endorsed it. New York Times