The island plays an outsized role in the global chip supply chain...
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Andreas Berger to succeed Christian Mumenthaler as group CEO of Swiss Re from July 1
Andreas Berger, group CEO designate, Swiss Re Jacques de Vaucleroy,...
Strong earthquake strikes Taiwan, tsunami waves detected in Japan
Taiwanese television showed buildings in Hualien shaken off their...
Launch of the first parametric tropical cyclone insurance product in Africa
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group(ARC) has developed a model capable of correctly estimating the risk and economic losses resulting from tropical cyclones, which is suitable for SOOI countries, such as Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles and Tanzania.
“Our goal is to continue to diversify our insurance product offering in order to effectively meet the needs of our Member States. This new offer will allow our Member States to better anticipate and manage extreme weather events while ensuring that the impact of such events on the population is mitigated, ” said Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. and Chief Executive Officer of the Panafrican Mutual of Risk Management Group ( ARC Risk Capacity Group ).
AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective against new coronavirus variant
“AZD1222 (AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate) contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein, and the changes to the genetic code seen in this new viral strain do not appear to change the structure of the spike protein,” an AstraZeneca representative said in an email.
India is likely to approve Oxford/AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use by next week after its local manufacturer submitted additional data sought by authorities, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
UK identifies new South African coronavirus variant tightens lockdown
Like the UK variant identified earlier, the new variant of the novel coronavirus is also driving a massive resurgence of the disease in South Africa, with experts warning the country is probably facing a much larger second wave.
“Both cases of the new variant are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks,” Hancock said, addressing a briefing from 10 Downing Street.
“This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK,” he said.
Google told its scientists to ‘strike a positive tone’ in AI research: report
Studying Google services for biases is among the “sensitive topics” under the company’s new policy, according to an internal webpage. Among dozens of other “sensitive topics” listed were the oil industry, China, Iran, Israel, COVID-19, home security, insurance, location data, religion, self-driving vehicles, telecoms and systems that recommend or personalize web content.
Advances in technology and the growing complexity of our external environment are increasingly leading to situations where seemingly inoffensive projects raise ethical, reputational, regulatory or legal issues,” one of the pages for research staff stated.
Mauritius shipping disaster caused by lack of attention to safety – owner
There was a lack of awareness of the dangers of navigating close to the coast … and insufficient implementation of regulations that must be observed in order to safely execute voyages,” the company said, based on its interviews with crew members.
The company will ban private use of cell phones during working hours on bridges and install high-speed communications systems on all its ships, as well beef up training, it said.
Allianz’s office deal ’indicates London’s long-term resilience as global financial centre
“This transaction demonstrates that like us, investors remain confident in the long-term prospects for high quality assets in prime London locations,” British Land Chief Executive Officer Simon Carter said in the statement.
Scientists say UK strain unlikely to affect efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, warn against more mutations
According to Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity Wellcome Trust UK, there is no indication at the moment that the new strain would evade treatments and vaccines.
However, the mutation is a reminder of the power of the virus to adapt, and that cannot be ruled out in the future. Acting urgently to reduce transmission is critical, Farrar said in a statement.
Drugmakers rush to test whether vaccines stop coronavirus variant
The mutation known as the B.1.1.7 lineage may be up to 70% more infectious and more of a concern for children. It has sown chaos in Britain, prompting a wave of travel bans that are disrupting trade with Europe and threatening to further isolate the island country.
Moderna expects immunity from its vaccine to protect against the variant and is performing more tests in coming weeks to confirm, the company said in a statement to CNN.
Unicef launches Covid-19 vaccine market dashboard
The dashboard provides a regularly updated overview of the global research and development pipeline, the projected production capacity, publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements, as well as reported price points, Xinhua news agency quoted the Unicef as saying in a statement on Monday.
Asian business confidence gains steam, pandemic still top risk: Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey
“There’s a sense of optimism going forward,” said Antonio Fatas, Singapore-based economics professor at global business school INSEAD.“Things are getting better but they are getting better with still a dose of uncertainty. The effect of the crisis is very different across sectors,” he added, noting the weakness in the transport sector due to curbs on global travel.
Still, more than half the respondents polled flagged persistent cases of the novel coronavirus as well as the possible scarcity of vaccines in parts of the world – at least initially – as their biggest risk.