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International News

Tokyo Olympics “Safe And Secure” despite Coronavirus emergency: Organiser

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday that Japan is committed to holding a “safe and secure” Olympics, and that he believes the public mood will change when the country begins vaccinations, currently scheduled for late next month.

But International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told the BBC that he could not “be certain” the Games will go ahead, because “the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus”.

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Elon Musk surpasses Amazon’s Jeff Bezos as world’s richest person

The milestone caps an extraordinary 12 months for Musk. Over the past year his net worth soared by more than $150 billion in possibly the fastest bout of wealth creation in history. Fueling his rise was an unprecedented rally in Tesla’s share price, which surged 743% last year on the back of consistent profits, inclusion in the S&P 500 Index and enthusiasm from Wall Street and retail investors alike.
The world’s 500 richest people added a record $1.8 trillion to their combined net worth last year, equivalent to a 31% increase. The gains were disproportionately at the top, where five individuals hold fortunes in excess of $100 billion and another 20 are worth at least $50 billion.

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Final industry loss footprint for Australia’s 2019/2020 Bushfires at AUD 1,866m: PERILS

“One year on from the Black Summer bushfires, this release of the final loss report provides a timely reminder of the devastation such an event can cause to local
communities. This was one of several major Cat events to impact Australia in 2020, with the insurance industry playing a critical role in enabling affected communities to rebuild during the year. The detailed data resolution in this updated industry loss footprint can enhance the insurance industry’s understanding of the impact of future bushfire events as there is always more to learn about these devastating losses.”

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Thai Re launches ASEAN’s first reinsurance smart contract platform using IBM’s blockchain and hybrid cloud technology

Through the launch of its “Insurer Network” platform on IBM Cloud, Thai Re will streamline how it handles more than 10,000 annual reinsurance contracts with its insurance partners, making it easier for those insurers to grow their businesses.

Using blockchain technology on the highly secured IBM Cloud, the platform will allow Thailand’s insurance industry to gain efficiency and speed in processing the reinsurance contracts.

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Private investigators’ body APDI forms global alliance against fake Covid-19 vaccines

APDI Chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh in a statement said, “The GAFV has been formed after reports emanating from several countries about the circulation of fake Covid vaccines. Already, Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, has issued a warning of fake vaccine circulation due to huge demands.”

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WHO calls for intensified measures over ‘alarming’ virus variant

“This is an alarming situation, which means that for a short period of time we need to do more than we have done and to intensify the public health and social measures to be certain we can flatten the steep vertical line in some countries,” WHO’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge, said, referring primarily to the new variant first discovered in the UK.

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4,400 adverse events reported in US after receiving Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Locations administering Covid-19 vaccines should adhere to CDC guidance for use of the jabs, including screening recipients for contraindications and precautions, having the necessary supplies available to manage anaphylaxis, implementing the recommended post-vaccination observation periods, and immediately treating suspected cases of anaphylaxis with an intramuscular injection of epinephrine, said the CDC

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