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Major wildfire rages out of control on the fringes of the Greek capital
Wildfires are frequent in Greece during its hot, dry summers, but...
Plane crashes in fiery wreck in Sao Paulo with 62 people aboard
At an event in southern Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva...
Paris climate targets not possible without a carbon removal industry the size of oil & gas: Swiss Re study
Christoph Nabholz, Chief Research Officer at Swiss Re Institute, “Carbon removal will need to evolve into a multi-trillion-dollar industry akin to the value of the oil and gas industry today if we are to hit the climate targets set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Serious investment in this nascent industry must start now. Failing to tackle climate change could result in global GDP loss of 18%, which we showed earlier this year. No action is not an option.”
Covid-19:No fans at Olympics, making Games a TV event
“The infections are in their expansion phase and everyone in this country must firmly understand the seriousness of it,” Dr Shigeru Omi, a top government medical adviser, said.
The Olympics are pushing ahead against most medical advice, partially because the postponement stalled the IOC’s income flow. It gets almost 75 per cent of its income from selling broadcast rights, and estimates suggest it would lose USD 3 billion to USD 4 billion if the Olympics were cancelled.
ECB tweaks inflation target, carves out climate role
In perhaps the biggest change, the central bank said it will do more to help the fight against climate change and will include climate change considerations in monetary policy operations in the areas of disclosure, risk assessment, collateral framework and corporate sector asset purchases.
“The ECB will adjust the framework guiding the allocation of corporate bond purchases to incorporate climate change criteria, in line with its mandate,” it said.
EU fines German car makers $1B over emission collusion
EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said that even though the companies had the technology to cut harmful emissions beyond legal limits, they resisted competition and denied consumers the chance to buy less polluting cars.
”Manufacturers deliberately avoided to compete on cleaning better than what was required by EU emission standards. And they did so despite the relevant technology being available,” Vestager said. That made their practice illegal, she said.
COVID infections imperil Indonesia’s vaccinated health workers, and hospitals
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has defended the Sinovac vaccine. “The issue that we are facing is not about the different efficacy between vaccines, it is primarily because of the Delta variant.”
The Medical Association has urged the government to give health workers a third dose of the vaccine, and quickly.
British Airways settles with 2018 data breach victims
Law firm PGMBM said those affected by the data leak would receive a confidential settlement following mediation with British Airways. The resolution does not include any admission of liability by the airline, it added.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 184.5 mn; deaths surge to more than 3.99 mn
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 33,746,275 and 605,903, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 30,619,932 cases.
In crosshairs of ransomware crooks, cyber insurers struggle
Now, the sector isn’t just in the criminals’ crosshairs. It’s teetering on the edge of profitability, upended by a more than 400% rise last year in ransomware cases and skyrocketing extortion demands. As a percentage of premiums collected, cyber insurance payouts now top 70%, the break-even point.
Brutal Summer’s record-high temperatures flare up extreme events in Northern Hemisphere
Extremes are piling up in what’s poised to be a brutal summer as the planet warms. Climate change is intensifying many unusual weather patterns to the point that scientists are able to detect its influence nearly in real time. That’s been the case during the heatwave that’s boiled Canada and the U.S. northwest this season, as well as the heatwave that hit Siberia last year.
Lawsuits are becoming increasingly common as consumers shop online with little understanding
“Within the last year, especially with Covid-19 and more consumers shopping online, counterfeiters have gotten really smart and taken advantage of that,” said Tiffany Pho, manager of anti-counterfeiting at the International Trademark Association.The association has projected that, by next year, the total estimated value of counterfeit goods including digital piracy will reach at least $1.9 trillion annually. Internet sales are particularly popular because the counterfeiters can have a more global reach and more ways to hide, Pho said.