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International News

Further rate hardening expected,cyber insurance market to surpass $ 7bn in 2020:Munich Re

Recent experiences following the lockdown of public life and the business world in many countries have been a wake-up call regarding the staggering potential for systemic risks to result in losses that subsequently trigger many different repercussions. Yet it is by definition impossible to insure risks that lead to losses everywhere at the same time, thus violating the fundamental criterion of insurability, said Munich Re. 

Interest rates have dropped to record lows once again in 2020. Against the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis, it is increasingly likely that the current interest-rate environment will continue to affect low-risk investments for the foreseeable future. These circumstances mean that sustained profits, in long-tail business and elsewhere, will only be possible if prices match the assumed risks, explained Munich Re..

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AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteer has died, Brazil health authority says

The regulator said testing of the vaccine would continue after the volunteer’s death. It provided no further details, citing medical confidentiality of those involved in trials.

The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is helping coordinate phase 3 clinical trials in Brazil, separately said that the volunteer was Brazilian but did not say where the person lived.

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IMF cuts Asia’s growth forecast, warns of pandemic-driven risks

India’s economy is likely to shrink 10.3% this year in stark contrast to China, which is set to expand 1.9%, the IMF said.

Asia’s economy is likely to grow 6.9% in 2021 thanks to the boost from expected stronger recoveries in China, the United States and the euro area, it said.

But the IMF said there were “considerable” risks such as the chance of a second wave of infections, escalating U.S. tensions and a potential return to tighter financial conditions.

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Japan will take steps to guard against Olympics cyberattacks

Olympics organizers reported no significant impact on their operations for the 2020 Games, which were postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain and the United States on Monday condemned what they said were a series of malicious cyber attacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

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London must ‘seize the moment’ to maintain global leadership amid COVID-19 pandemic:Report

Britain accounted for nearly a third of financial activity in the European Union, which it left last January, and will no longer have to comply with its rules after Dec. 31.

New Financial said in its study “Beyond Brexit,” supported by Barclays bank, that leaving the EU would be a seismic change and involve significant disruption for the banking and finance industry’s relations with the bloc.

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U.S. says Google breakup may be needed to end violations of antitrust law

The federal government’s complaint against Alphabet Inc’s GOOGL.O, which alleges that Google acted unlawfully to maintain its position in search and search advertising on the internet, was joined by 11 states.
The government said Google has nearly 90% of all general search engine queries in the United States and almost 95% of searches on mobile.
The lawsuit marks the first time the U.S. has cracked down on a major tech company since it sued Microsoft Corp MSFT.O for anti-competitive practices in 1998.
The European Union fined Google $1.7 billion in 2019 for stopping websites from using Google’s rivals to find advertisers, $2.6 billion in 2017 for favoring its own shopping business in search, and $4.9 billion in 2018 for blocking rivals on its wireless Android operating system.

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