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Pandemic

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Talent war’ pushing white-collar pay higher, British recruiter says

“A war for talent and significant wage inflation is beginning to emerge,” Robert Walters’ eponymous chief executive said in a statement accompanying the group’s first-half results, though he didn’t specify what level of pay rises the company was seeing.

Walters’ remarks on higher salaries align with stories of pay hikes by European lenders Deutsche Bank and UBS and at Wall Streets banks, while data has shown more people are changing jobs or quitting following months of uncertainty during lockdowns.

Johnson and Johnson still in discussion with Centre over indemnity issue: Sources

As per the sources, Johnson and Johnson is not going to participate in the trials for the single-dose vaccine in India. They are also having discussions over indemnity with the government.In June, a spokesperson of the company told ANI that as per the recent announcement by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), there is no longer a requirement to conduct bridging clinical studies of COVID-19 vaccines in India.

World Bank seeks board approval for $12 billion coronavirus vaccine financing plan

Malpass said the World Bank plan aimed to put poor and middle-income countries, where the virus is spreading most rapidly, on the same footing as richer countries by ensuring they have financing to secure supplies and a system for distribution, which will encourage drugmakers to meet their demand.

Without early doses that can bring outbreaks under control, many of these countries risk economic collapse that will push hundreds of millions of people back into poverty.

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Global coronavirus deaths pass ‘agonizing milestone’ of 1 million

It took just three months for COVID-19 deaths to double from half a million, an accelerating rate of fatalities since the first death was recorded in China in early January.

More than 5,400 people are dying around the world every 24 hours, according to Reuters calculations based on September averages, overwhelming funeral businesses and cemeteries.

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Pandemic to keep Asia’s growth at lowest since 1967, warns World Bank

The economic shock of the pandemic was also expected to lead to a jump in poverty, defined as income of $5.50 a day, the bank said, adding that based on past experience and the latest gross domestic product forecasts, poverty could expand by 33 million to 38 million people to see its first rise in 20 years.

The bank said that 33 million people who would have in the absence of the pandemic escaped poverty would remain in it this year.

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UK watchdog sets Wednesday deadline for agreement on business insurance claims

Hundreds of thousands of mainly small British businesses are waiting to hear if their insurer will pay out imminently, or keep them waiting while they appeal.

London’s High Court ruled that some of the world’s biggest insurers were wrong to reject thousands of claims from small firms battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FCA said it continues to “work closely and at speed” with the eight insurers and two intervenors that participated in the test case to reach an agreement in principle on a range of issues to avoid a “leapfrog” appeal to the Supreme Court.

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U.S. pension funds sue Allianz after $4 bln in coronavirus losses

Market panic around the virus that resulted in billions in losses earlier this year scarred many investors, but no other top-tier asset manager is facing such a large number of lawsuits in the United States connected to the turbulence.

In March, Allianz ALVG.DE was forced to shutter two private hedge funds after severe losses, prompting the wave of litigation the company says is “legally and factually flawed”.

Together, the various suits filed in the U.S. Southern District of New York claim investors lost a total of around $4 billion.

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About 50% term policy buyers opt cover of Rs 1 cr or more during Apr-Aug: Policybazaar

“For the age group 42-50, we witnessed the highest year-on-year increase in term insurance buying i.e. 77 per cent and for year 2020 the age group 31-35 holds the largest share in terms of policies bought i.e. 30 per cent,” the firm said basis its data.

It further said in the High Net Individual (HNI) segment, more than 80 per cent customers went for the cover of Rs 1 crore and above, out of which 25 per cent invested in the cover bracket of Rs 2 to Rs 5 crore.

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