U.S. members of global climate-focused coalitions have come under...
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Flight and voice data boxes extracted from crashed Brazilian plane
The airline VoePass, which operates a small fleet of planes made by...
UK sets up AI Laboratory to tackle cyber threats
The new organization would in time seek to work with technology...
Climate Change: Insurers can afford to drop Oil and Gas—but many won’t
To date, just one insurer has promised to take “significant action” in this regard, according to analysts at Societe Generale SA.
Australia’s Suncorp was the first to announce it would no longer provide coverage for all new oil and gas production projects.While insurers (23 in all) have moved to end their underwriting of coal-related activities, they have been slow to act on oil and gas. That’s mainly because the insurance market for those fossil fuels is considerably larger, with estimated premiums of more than $17 billion in 2018, compared with $6 billion for coal power, said Peter Bosshard, program director at the Sunrise Project and global coordinator of Insure Our Future (IOF).
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear water to be released via undersea tunnel
The government decided in April to start discharging the water, after further treatment and dilution, into the Pacific Ocean in spring 2023 under safety standards set by regulators. The idea has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and neighboring countries including China and South Korea.
The offshore discharge using a pipeline enclosed inside a concrete tunnel is an attempt to minimize the “reputational damage” that would occur if the contaminated water is released close to marine life off the Fukushima coast.
Sun Life taps AWS to transform its global digital services
As part of its move to accelerate digital transformation and deliver new client experiences using the cloud, Sun Life built development workspaces in North America and innovation labs in Asia to bring together IT teams and business leaders to innovate with AWS technologies.
In Asia, for example, one of the labs created the Sun Life Secure Experience, which enables Sun Life advisors to collaborate with clients virtually using video conferencing and secure file sharing.
China plans to ban U.S. IPOs for data-heavy tech firms – WSJ
Officials from China’s stock regulator have told some companies and international investors in recent weeks, that the new rules would prohibit internet firms holding a swath of user-related data from listing abroad, according to the report.
Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases
Microsoft told Reuters that “customers who may have been impacted received a notification from us,” without elaborating.
The disclosure comes after months of bad security news for Microsoft. The company was breached by the same suspected Russian government hackers that infiltrated SolarWinds, who stole Microsoft source code. Then a wide number of hackers broke into Exchange email servers while a patch was being developed.
Contaminant in Moderna vaccines suspected to be metallic particles -NHK
Japan on Thursday suspended the use of 1.63 million doses shipped to 863 vaccination centres nationwide, more than a week after the domestic distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502.T), received reports of contaminants in some vials.
The NHK report, published late on Thursday, cited ministry sources as saying the particle reacted to magnets and was therefore suspected to be a metal. Moderna has described it as “particulate matter” that did not pose a safety or efficacy issue.
China spells out how excessive ‘996’ work culture is illegal
The Supreme People’s Court and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security published a lengthy essay Friday about labor violations and unreasonable overtime, labeled ‘996’ because of the common practice of working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. It outlined 10 cases — including but not limited to the tech industry — in which employees were forced to work extra hours, or put in harm’s way.
Tech companies pledge billions in cybersecurity investments
Google has committed to invest $10 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years, money aimed at helping secure the software supply chain and expand zero-trust programmes.
China’s BRI project causing environmental degradation in South Asia, says report
South Asia is amongst the main regions likely to be hit severely by the negative environmental impact of climate change. BRI announced by Beijing in 2013, will exacerbate these trends, reported European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS).
The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) report said the environmental trends in South Asia generally correspond to the development trajectory, that causes pollution through growing industrialisation, which has become one of the key environmental characteristics of South Asia, says EFSAS.
Lloyd’s forms partnership to deliver faster claims service through geospatial technology
The GEO platform will provide the Lloyd’s market with real-time analysis of global perils including storms, wildfires and flooding. The data, which includes innovative resolution drone imagery, allows Lloyd’s market insurers to instantly assess damages at a time when physical access to the risk location may be limited following a natural catastrophe.
Satellite imaging combined with other intelligence data sources is an innovative way of assessing damage to insured infrastructure and businesses. The technology will help insurers support customers around the world during periods of crisis, whilst reducing operational costs and the carbon footprint of insurers.