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Cars, a cocktail and a celebrity: South Koreans succumb to Tesla fever

Tesla’s rising popularity among affluent professionals in South Korea, who have been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, is one of many feathers in its cap.Highlighting the threat it poses to established brands, Tesla last week surpassed Toyota Motor Corp as the world’s most valuable automaker while its second-quarter deliveries smashed expectations at a time when sales at rivals have been laid low by the pandemic.

South Korea’s generous subsidies of 12.43 million won ($10,380) for the Model 3 have definitely helped sales, bringing the car’s price down to less than $40,000, but the Silicon Valley automaker has also generated a genuine buzz.

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Beazley launches booking system for virtual broker meetings

Built in collaboration with Microsoft and IT consultancy Redspire, Beazley Booking uses Microsoft’s low code platform Power Platform to create a simple web application that brokers can access using a secure log-in provided by Beazley.

Beazley Booking enables brokers to view underwriter availability, book a meeting time, upload an agenda and documents in advance and view all of their scheduled meetings with Beazley underwriters. It aims to ensure brokers retain consistent access to their underwriting contacts during social distancing and beyond as the insurance industry adopts more flexible working practices in the long term. It also provides underwriters with access to a detailed log of broker enquiries and appointments on a fully secure system.

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Unite human,animal and environmental health to prevent the next pandemic: UN Report

The report identifies seven trends driving the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases, including increased demand for animal protein; a rise in intense and unsustainable farming; the increased use and exploitation of wildlife; and the climate crisis. The report finds that Africa in particular, which has experienced and responded to a number of zoonotic epidemics including most recently, to Ebola outbreaks, could be a source of important solutions to quell future outbreaks.

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TikTok quits Hong Kong as U.S. giants suspend processing data requests

The U.S. companies’ social media platforms are generally banned in China, where access is blocked by Beijing’s “great firewall”. Most have operated freely in Hong Kong, but will now have to determine how to comply with new rules for the city, which rights groups say threaten freedoms enjoyed for decades.

Facebook (FB.O), which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, said in a statement on Monday it was pausing reviews of user data requests for all of its services “pending further assessment of the National Security Law.”

Google and Twitter (TWTR.N) said they had suspended their reviews of data requests from Hong Kong authorities immediately after the law went into effect last week. Zoom and Microsoft’s LinkedIn issued similar statements on Tuesday.

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