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International News

EU expert group at odds over how to resolve tech, carmakers’ patent dispute

Tech firm Nokia and automaker Daimler are locked in battle in German courts over the level of royalties for key navigation and communications technologies and who should pay them.

The issues are relevant for the wider digital and electronics sectors and internet-connected devices in energy, health and smart manufacturing, prompting EU regulators to look into the matter.

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German cabinet approves legislation to ban glyphosate from 2024

Glyphosate, first developed by Bayer’s Monsanto under the Roundup brand, has generated intense global debate over its safety since a World Health Organization agency concluded in 2015 that it probably causes cancer.

While regulators worldwide have determined glyphosate to be safe, Bayer agreed in June to settle nearly 100,000 U.S. lawsuits for $10.9 billion, denying claims that Roundup caused cancer.

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Irish central bank: We’ll act against insurers who don’t pay COVID-19 claims

Ireland’s High Court ruled on Feb. 5 that four publicans insured by FBD were entitled to be indemnified for losses under lockdown-linked claims, in a case that could have implications for over 1,000 similar contracts for FBD alone Gabriel Makhlouf said a number of insurers had already accepted and begun settling business-interruption claims as a before the court judgment in Dublin, as well as one in London.

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Indian authorities assess damages after earthquake in Tajikistan

“Preliminary reports suggest there has been no destruction or building collapse but we will examine whether cracks have developed in dams, bridges or power plants,” said S.K. Singh, an official at the National Disaster Management Authority in New Delhi.

The Tajikistan Emergency Situations Ministry said the epicentre was 420 km (260 miles) east of the Tajik capital Dushanbe near the border with China.
The U.S Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 5.9 and centred 35 km (55 miles) west of Murghob in Tajikistan, central Asia.

The seismic service of the country’s Academy of Sciences told Russia’s RIA Novosti that the quake’s intensity was measured at 6.1. The news agency said there were no casualties or damage, citing the Committee on Emergency Situations.

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China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia among leaders in global logistics ranking

Asia Pacific experienced great turmoil in the beginning of 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis, but it has rebounded strongly, led by the powerful performance of China and Vietnam. The region is on track for a full recovery this year,” says Andy Vargoczky, SVP of Sales & Marketing Asia-Pacific, Agility GIL.

“India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam continue to improve their supply chain infrastructure and capabilities, showing why they are leaders in domestic and international logistics,” he said.

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Fossil fuel pollution kills millions more than scientists previously knew

The results underscore a fact absent from much public debate and discussion about climate change. While the fight to stop greenhouse gas pollution by curtailing fossil fuel use is framed in terms of how it would improve the future, it’s also true that fossil fuels are killing millions of people right now. That’s how Aaron Bernstein, interim director of the Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health, understands the new research.

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Brazil group sues Norsk Hydro over alleged pollution

The lawsuit has been brought by a group of communities who live in the lower Amazon region in the state of Para, mainly members of Cainquiama – the Amazon Association of Mixed Race, Indigenous and Quilombolas – representing some 11,000 families.

They are seeking compensation for what they say is “the incorrect disposal of toxic waste in the Murucupi River, as well as other effects from the presence of Norsk Hydro installations in the region”, their law firm PGMBM said in a statement.

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