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Baltimore bridge collapse could result in ‘one of the largest marine losses in history’: Lloyds of London CEO
``If you look at it from a marine point of view, this could be one...
China’s latest EV is a ‘connected’ car from smart appliance maker Xiaomi
The combined share of EVs and hybrids in China's auto sales is...
Cyber technology shares soar as security attacks pile up
“This news increases the awareness in regards to the federal government’s susceptibility to cyber attacks from Russia and other foreign entities,” said Daniel Morgan, portfolio manager at Synovus Trust in Atlanta.
Morgan added that technology security companies are “all perceived to benefit from an increase in spending and awareness” he expects will happen as the U.S. government looks to prevent future hacks.
US nuclear weapons agency hacked in massive cybersecurity breach
The attack on Department of Energy has affirmed that the hackers were able to access the networks of the US national security enterprise.
The hackers are believed to have gained access to the federal agencies’ networks by compromising the software company SolarWinds, which sells IT management products to hundreds of governments and private-sector clients, POLITICO opined.
Hack against US is ‘grave threat’, cybersecurity agency says
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in its most detailed comments yet that the intrusion had compromised federal agencies as well as critical infrastructure in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo
This threat actor has demonstrated sophistication and complex tradecraft in these intrusions, the agency said in its unusual alert. CISA expects that removing the threat actor from compromised environments will be highly complex and challenging.
Microsoft says it found malicious software in its systems
The U.S. National Security Agency issued a rare “cybersecurity advisory” Thursday detailing how certain Microsoft Azure cloud services may have been compromised by hackers and directing users to lock down their systems.
“Like other SolarWinds customers, we have been actively looking for indicators of this actor and can confirm that we detected malicious Solar Winds binaries in our environment, which we isolated and removed,” a Microsoft spokesperson said, adding that the company had found “no indications that our systems were used to attack others.”
Global coronavirus count surpasses 74 million
As many as 41,893,773 patients — who tested positive for the novel coronavirus — have recovered from the disease worldwide, as reported by the live dashboard according to which, India continues to hold the top spot with regard to COVID-19 recoveries as it reported over 9,456,449 recoveries across the country.
The United States continues to be the worst-affected country in the world with regard to most cases and most deaths from the virus in the world. Currently, the US caseload stands at 16,914,853 and the death toll stands at 307,064.
Lloyd’s to end investment in coal-fired power plants, coal mines, oil sands by 2022
Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Chairman of Lloyd’s ESG committee and Chairman of Lloyd’s said: “This is the first time we have set an ESG strategy for the Lloyd’s market and it represents an important milestone on the journey towards building a more sustainable future. We have the opportunity to play our part in building back a braver, more resilient world. We recognise that the targets we are setting will be challenging, but will also bring new opportunities. We will work closely with our market and customers to help them plan for these changes as we implement a long-term managed programme towards sustainable, responsible underwriting.”
Moderna Covid-19 vaccine all set for FDA emergency approval
If Moderna’s vaccine is approved by the FDA, it will become the second shot to be greenlighted in America. Moderna’s vaccine is based on the same technology as Pfizer’s – mRNA. The actual virus is not embedded inside these vaccines and people who get the shots can’t catch the virus from it. Instead, the vaccine contains a piece of genetic code that trains the body’s immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the Covid-19 virus and helps mount an organic defence when the attack comes.
Vaccination in Asia-Pacific expected mid or late 2021, says World Health Organisation
“The development of safe and effective vaccines is one thing. Producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone who needs them is another,” WHO Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai told reporters in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
While some countries that have independent vaccine purchase agreements might start vaccination campaigns in the coming months, others could see vaccination begin in the middle or late 2021, said Dr. Socorro Escalante, WHO’s coordinator for essential medicines and health technologies.
New kind of loans and bonds could fill $28 billion Covid funding gap: WHO
The WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance aim to provide poor and middle-income countries with diagnostic tests, drugs and vaccines through a fund known as the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which was set up last April.
Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO adviser and its ACT coordinator, said that new financing mechanisms – including concessional loans and catastrophe bonds – were discussed at a meeting of the ACT facilitation council on Monday, co-chaired by Norway and South Africa.
‘1.8bn people depend on healthcare facilities without basic water services’
The report titled, ‘Global progress report on WASH in health care facilities: fundamentals first’, comes as the ongoing pandemic is exposing key vulnerabilities within health systems, including inadequate infection prevention and control, reports Xinhua news agency.
Worldwide, one in four healthcare facilities has no water services, one in three does not have access to hand hygiene where care is provided, one in 10 has no sanitation services, and one in three does not segregate waste safely.