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International News

Uber to give UK drivers minimum wage, pension, holiday pay

Uber said it’s extending the benefits immediately to its more than 70,000 drivers in the U.K. Drivers will earn at least the minimum wage, which currently stands at 8.72 pounds ($12.12), after accepting a trip request and expenses, and will still be able to earn more.

Drivers will also get holiday pay equal to about 12% of their earnings, paid every two weeks. And they’ll be enrolled in a pension plan that both they and the company will pay into.

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‘Green’ funds shown to herd less, cutting climate shock risk: EU watchdog

ESMA published what it described as a first attempt to assess vulnerabilities to climate-related financial risks using data from 23,965 EU-based funds worth 10.7 trillion euros ($12.7 trillion).

“Within the European financial sector, investment funds are more exposed to climate-sensitive economic sectors than banks, insurers and pension funds. However, few investment fund climate-related financial risk assessments have been conducted,” ESMA said in its latest summary of market risks.

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EU regulator: Astra jab benefits outweigh risks

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was investigating reports of 30 cases of unusual blood disorders out of 5 million recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In total, 45 million Covid shots have been delivered across the region.

The EU regulator will release its findings on Thursday but its head, Emer Cooke, said she saw no reason to change its recommendation of AstraZeneca — one of four vaccines that it has approved for use.

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Buffett’s Berkshire opposes shareholders’ climate change, diversity proposals

Berkshire also said Buffett’s compensation in 2020 totaled $380,328, comprising his usual $100,000 salary plus $280,328 for personal and home security.

Though Buffett’s salary is low for a chief executive of a major company, his 16.2% stake in Berkshire was worth about $98.2 billion as of Friday.
Citing its decentralized model, Berkshire said the climate proposal from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, Federated Hermes and Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec was unnecessary, and that many businesses’ climate decisions already made “great sense” for the environment.

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Lethal pollution high in 2020 despite lockdowns: report

Concentrations of the life-shortening particles — cast off by traffic pollution and burning fossil fuels — dropped 11 percent in Beijing, 13 percent in Chicago, 15 percent in New Delhi, 16 percent in London, and 16 percent in Seoul.

At least 60 percent of India’s cities were more breathable last year than in 2019, and all of them had cleaner air than in 2018.

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APAC not on track to achieve SDG goals by 2030; may realize 10 pc of target: UN report

There are 17 goals under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), targeted to be achieved by 2030.

These include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, bio-diversity, innovation and infrastructure, and reduced inequalities, among others.

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US and Canada transactional risk insurance market reaches record highs

From 2015 to 2019, rates for representations and warranties (R&W) insurance steadily declined. That trend, however, halted in 2020. 2020 marks the first year that primary rates are sitting above 3% since 2017, which we attribute principally to two factors: An increase in the frequency and severity of transactional risk claims.

“Surge pricing” during the flood of deal activity in the fourth quarter. Claims concerns continue to influence insurers’ approaches to pricing, and we expect rate increases to continue in the short-to-medium term.

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