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International News

Japan tests first autonomous cargo ship

The Nippon Foundation estimates that taking into account factors like artificial intelligence, which should improve efficiencies, the development of unmanned ships will have a positive impact of about 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) for Japan’s economy in 2040.
There are other foreseeable benefits too, such as lower insurance premiums and improved safety,Satoru Kuwahara, a general manager at Nippon Yusen subsidiary Japan Marine Science Inc, said.

Studies on shipping industry safety show that around 70% of maritime accidents are caused by human error. “With the issue of Japan’s shrinking workforce in mind, there’s growing need for these technologies to uphold safety,” he said.

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More than $19B in PE insurance sector M&A already at record high

This year’s disclosed deal value is nearly double that of the $10.61 billion in 2019 and is the highest amount on record for at least a decade.First half highlights include two large publicly listed PE firms buying insurance assets.

The largest deal was Apollo Global Management Inc.’s planned merger with retirement services company Athene Holding Ltd. in an all-stock transaction that implies a total equity value of roughly $11 billion for Athene.

The five big public PE firms — Apollo, Blackstone, The Carlyle Group Inc., KKR & Co. Inc. and Ares Management Corp. — have all bought into insurance companies over the past two years. The acquisitions are not all typical deals for sector exposure. Some of the firms have said their insurance company buyouts will sit on the balance sheet, provide synergies with PE and become a source of permanent capital.

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Hurricane Ida lashes Louisiana, knocking out power in New Orleans

U.S. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Louisiana, ordering federal assistance to bolster recovery efforts in more than two-dozen storm-stricken parishes. Ida slammed ashore around noon near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, a hub of the Gulf’s offshore energy industry, blasting the coast with hurricane-force winds extending 50 miles (80 km) out from the eye of the storm. Landfall came 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, one of the most catastrophic on record, struck the Gulf Coast.

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Alibaba fires 10 for leaking sexual assault accusations

The Alibaba incident this month shone a spotlight on criticisms that Chinese women are overlooked, objectified or forced to take part in male-dominated rituals like drinking with clients, then brushed aside when reporting abuse. It coincides with intense government scrutiny on issues ranging from exploitative and monopolistic behavior to the abuse of low-wage workers.

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ELEMENT and Parametrix launch innovative cloud outage insurance in Europe

Parametrix developed this unique insurance solution based on its proprietary monitoring technology that analyses the global performance and availability of cloud service providers’ down to the millisecond level. The highly advanced parametric system ensures an accurate and precise overview of risk accumulation and concentration across different IT-services and regions. Also, the monitoring system detects insured events in real time and triggers compensation with waiting periods as short as only one hour. This new insurance solution in the field of cyber and tech-related insurance is an innovative answer for companies to financial losses due to cloud outages.

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New Zealand’s Auckland stays in lockdown, officials report Pfizer-linked death

The health ministry on Monday announced a woman had died due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ’s ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms. The health ministry did not provide the woman’s age. Pfizer in New Zealand did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine contamination woes in Japan have widened with another million doses being suspended after foreign substances were found in more batches and two people died following shots from affected lots.

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