Marsh said the fall in the composite rate - the first since the...
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Africa CDC warns of monkeypox surveillance challenges as cases surpass 45,000
Data from the Africa CDC show that the Central Africa region...
Meta, Google, TikTok must face schools’ addiction claims in US
The companies also face significant exposure from hundreds of...
New Zealand to enter lockdown after single coronavirus case found
The move into the strictest lockdown underscored the vastly different approach New Zealand has taken to the virus than most other nations, which are attempting to suppress its spread rather than eliminate it entirely.
New Zealand has reported just 26 virus deaths since the pandemic began.
US, European countries train Africa to tackle piracy in African waters
But there have already been 50 kidnappings logged this year and the U.S. navy is helping with training and European navies are assisting in patrols, a mark of their concern for a region that is a key global supplier of crude oil.
Shell will pay $111 million to end Nigerian oil-spill case
The Anglo-Dutch energy giant will pay the Ejama-Ebubu people 45.7 billion naira ($111 million) in compensation to end a legal case that began in 1991, the community’s lawyer, Lucius Nwosu, said by phone.
The origin of the Ejama-Ebubu community’s grievance against Shell dates back to a rupture in one of the company’s oil pipelines in 1970. Shell said it maintains that the environmental damage was caused by “third parties” during a civil war that was raging at the time.
Why snow, hail and wildfire are expensive for insurance industry
Martin Bertogg, head of catastrophic perils at Swiss Re, said that the industry had been challenged by what is known as “secondary perils.” That is, while the insurance industry has historically done a good job of modeling relatively rare but potentially devastating events such as earthquakes and hurricanes, it’s battling to keep up with risks posed by snow storms, hail, tornadoes and wildfires. Those used to cause relatively minor damage but are increasingly morphing into something more costly. And that is a problem for companies, since many Americans have coverage for such events.
U.S. opens formal safety probe into some 765,000 Tesla vehicles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that since January 2018, it had identified 11 crashes in which Tesla models “have encountered first responder scenes and subsequently struck one or more vehicles involved with those scenes.”In a statement, the NHTSA reminded drivers “no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves … Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly.”
New York’s pension fund to review oil holdings, axes more coal investments
The move by the New York state pension fund comes days after the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported global warming was nearly out of control, and calling its findings “a death knell for coal and fossil fuels.”
Major investors, including BlackRock have re-evaluated holdings in fossil fuel producers and prodded energy executives to reduce emissions and prepare for a lower carbon world. After completing its shale review, the New York fund plans to turn next to oil and gas pipeline and processing investments, it said.
Official: China’s growth likely to slow due to virus, floods
China’s economy still is in a “recovery trend” from last year’s pandemic-induced slowdown but is likely to weaken after a relatively strong first half, said Fu Linghui, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics.
“This year’s main economic growth trend will be low after high,” Fu said at a news conference.
7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti; at least 304 killed
The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere’s poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down.
Haiti’s civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country’s south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals
Aviva to refund at least $5.6 billion to investors after rationalising its global spread
Since joining Aviva just over a year ago, Blanc has focused the firm on its U.K., Ireland and Canada businesses while selling off eight units in other markets. The firm has retained operations in China, India and Singapore
Hottest record temperature hits Italy
Temperatures there reached 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, Sicily’s weather service said. That — if officially verified — would top the record of 48 degrees set in Athens in 1977, according to World Meteorological Organization data posted by Arizona State University.