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International News

Sri Lanka seeks initial $40m from fire-ravaged ship’s operator

The Sri Lankan authorities and the ship’s operator say there’s still no large oil spill

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessel’s chemical cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which was destroyed in the fire. But debris including burned fiberglass and tons of plastic pellets have already polluted nearby beaches. There are concerns that a spill of remaining chemicals and oil on the ship could devastate marine life.

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EU, U.S. sow seeds for climate cooperation, dodge coal’s end date – draft

The United States and EU are the world’s second-and third-biggest emitters of CO2, respectively, after China. A draft of their summit statement, seen by Reuters, outlines plans for a transatlantic alliance to develop green technologies and points to sustainable finance as an area for closer transatlantic collaboration. The EU and the United States will also “scale up efforts” to meet an overdue spending pledge of $100 billion a year by rich countries to help poorer countries cut carbon emissions and cope with global warming, the draft said.

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China asserting authority on foreign companies, calling on tech giants to share data

A growing sense among leaders is that data accumulated by the private sector should in essence be considered a national asset, which can be tapped or restricted according to the state’s needs, said people involved in policy-making. Those needs include managing financial risks, tracking virus outbreaks, supporting state economic priorities or conducting surveillance of criminals and political opponents.

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Pandemic boost for aging-linked stocks, pent-up medical demand and online insurance buying

The number of people aged 65 and over is projected to double to more 1.5 billion by 2050, greatly increasing their economic impact. The total spending power of the older population globally was about $8.4 trillion in 2020, according to World Data Lab. That’s expected to grow to $14 trillion over the next decade.

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G7 may reallocate $100 bln from IMF funds to COVID-ravaged nations

“The United States and our G7 partners are actively considering a global effort to multiply the impact of the proposed Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocation to the countries most in need,” the U.S. president’s office said.

“At potentially up to $100 billion in size, the proposed effort would further support health needs – including vaccinations,” it said, adding that it would help promote a more sustained and inclusive global recovery.

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Brazilian judge orders Vale to pay victims’ families in 2019 mining disaster

The disaster in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, killed 270 people in Brazil’s most deadly mining tragedy has hampered Vale’s performance for two years as it was forced to curb production amid new safety protocols.

Judge Vivianne Celia Ferreira Ramos Correa agreed to the request of the Brumadinho iron mining workers union that the compensation be paid to the estate or heirs of the victims of the disaster, according to the ruling seen by Reuters.

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