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International News

COVID-19: Wealthy nations urged to delay youth vaccines, donate to solidarity scheme

“In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower risk groups are now being vaccinated”, he said.

“I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX.”   

Tedros reported that vaccine supply in low and lower-middle income countries has not been sufficient to even immunize health and care workers.

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Mass shooting insurance in high demand as U.S. emerges from lockdown

Client inquiries for what the industry calls active shooter policies have risen 50% year on year in the past six weeks, said Tarique Nageer, Terrorism Placement Advisory Leader at Marsh, the world’s biggest insurance broker.

Such policies gained popularity in recent years following a spate of school shootings. They typically cover victim lawsuits, building repairs, legal fees, medical expenses and trauma counseling.

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U.S. SEC chair planning new workforce data disclosures for public companies

He said staff would propose a new rule on disclosing the workforce or “human capital” metrics. Those disclosures could include data on issues such as workforce diversity, part-time versus full-time workers, and employee turnover, according to advocacy groups that have been pushing for the new rules.

“This is one of my top priorities and will be an early focus during my tenure at the SEC,” Gensler told the gathering.

The SEC is ramping up its ESG agenda to execute on Democrats’ priorities to address issues such as climate change and social injustice.

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Adani and other Australian coal miners flag finance, insurance difficulties

The withdrawal of global insurers risks making even some ancillary business unviable, said contractor BMD Constructions Pty Ltd, which is building a section of a 210 km (130 mile) rail line to service Adani’s Carmichael mine in northern Queensland state, which is due to start operating this year.

The coal miners argued that Australia’s high-energy coal offers a comparatively lower emissions alternative to export markets compared with coal from other regions. They say coal also provides billions of dollars to government coffers and supports regional jobs.

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Human catastrophe unfolding in India, Nepal a warning; S Asia must bolster health system: Amnesty

“Governments across South Asia must immediately address healthcare shortages and urgently strengthen their healthcare systems to respond to the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases in the region. Extremely low vaccination rates across South Asia have also left the region highly vulnerable, with pressing action needed at the global level to ensure more equitable access to vaccines,” a statement from the Amnesty said.

It also said that South Asia, home to a quarter of the world”s population, is fast becoming the new global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Remote work leads to massive surge in hacking globally: Report

Among Financial and insurance industries, 83 per cent of data compromised in breaches was personal data, while in Professional, Scientific and Technical services industries only 49 per cent was personal.

“As the number of companies switching business-critical functions to the cloud increases, the potential threat to their operations may become more pronounced, as malicious actors look to exploit human vulnerabilities and leverage an increased dependency on digital infrastructures” said Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business, in a statement. .

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