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Bezos’ 2021 Space Odyssey a risk too far for insurers

There is a nearly $500 million market to insure satellites, rockets and unmanned space flight, but no legal requirement for an operator such as Blue Origin, which Bezos founded, to insure passengers for injury or death or for space tourists to have life cover, brokers and insurers said.

“We’re not aware of a case where anybody is insured against passenger liability,” Neil Stevens, senior vice president, aviation and space at Marsh, the world’s biggest insurance broker, told Reuters.

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Adani’s Bravus pushes ahead with new Australian thermal coal mine

The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned last month that investors should not fund new oil, gas and coal supply projects if the world wants to reach net zero emissions by mid-century.

But Australia, the world’s top coal exporter, is considered a global laggard in climate change policy as, unlike many other developed countries, its Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not set out a path to zero emissions by 2050.

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Delta variant ‘greatest threat’ to US’ COVID-19 efforts: Dr Fauci

”Similar to the situation in the UK, the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the US to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Fauci told reporters during a virtual news conference here.

However, the “good news” is that the US vaccines are effective against the Delta variant, said Fauci, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

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 Mongolia,Bahrain and Seychelles battling a surge in Covid-19 infections despite administering Chinese vaccine

All three put their faith, at least in part, in easily accessible Chinese-made vaccines, which would allow them to roll out ambitious inoculation programmes at a time when much of the world was going without.

But instead of freedom from the coronavirus, all three countries are now battling a surge in infections.China kicked off its vaccine diplomacy campaign last year by pledging to provide a shot that would be safe and effective at preventing severe cases of Covid-19.

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Hybrid SIRC planned in 2021, Current EC of Singapore Reinsurers’ Association re-elected for 2021-22

 “With the global roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines, we are cautiously optimistic that by the time the 17th SIRC is staged in November, some of the Safe Management Measures and travel restrictions that are currently in place will be eased so that we can welcome some of our loyal international supporters back to our shores. Hence, our Secretariat is already drawing up plans for a ‘hybrid event’, combining a virtual segment similar to the SIRC 2020 Re-Mind event that was organised last year, with a scaled-down ‘live event’ that will incorporate all health and safety protocols aligned with the prevailing SMMs mandated by the relevant authorities.”Marc Haushofer, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific & Executive Vice President of Validus Reinsurance Company, who has also been reelected as the SRA Chairman, for 2021-2022

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UK financial sector urges caution over any ‘work from home’ law

“This is going to evolve, clearly, and that’s why legislation would be inappropriate,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, told City & Financial’s City Week event.

“We have to allow different sectors of the economy to adapt in different ways to address this opportunity, frankly, for a more mixed economy of remote and physical work. The return to the office should be treated carefully so those working from home did not feel excluded.” Carnegie-Brown said

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