Category:

Risk Management

Study probes how ejections from Sun’s corona influence space weather predictions

Space weather refers to the conditions in the solar wind and near-Earth space, which can adversely affect the performance of space-borne and ground-based technological systems.
An example of space weather events is the geomagnetic storm, a perturbation in the Earth’s magnetic field, which can last for a few hours to a few days. Understanding of how events in the solar atmosphere influence space weather is necessary for monitoring and maintaining our satellites.

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Brit launches machine learning algorithm to enable faster claims response to catastrophe events

In this latest innovation, Brit’s Data Science team developed and overlaid a machine learning algorithm to access the ultra-high-resolution ariel images and data such that it pinpoints, color-codes, and displays properties by damage classification within days after a catastrophe event.  This enables the Brit Claims team to proactively identify, triage and assign response activity even before claims are reported.

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NGT directs Maharashtra to deposit Rs 1 crore as interim compensation for restoration of water quality near Trimbakeshwar

The bench was hearing an application filed by Kiran Ramdas Kamble and others seeking to take action for failure of the Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council and other concerned authorities of Maharashtra in preventing discharge of Municipal waste into the river which joins Godavari in violation of the judgement of the Supreme Court, in spite of at least four orders of NGT in the last two years and also general orders in other cases.

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UN climate talks: Faint progress on money, none on pollution

World leaders made “faint signs of progress” on the financial end of fighting climate change in a special United Nations feet-to-the-fire meeting Monday, but they didn’t commit to more crucial cuts in emissions of the heat-trapping gases that cause global warming.In the meeting, vulnerable countries such as the Marshall Islands and the Maldives that are “staring down the barrel” of climate change were “pleading with the developed world to step up to the plate” to provide needed money for them to cope with warming’s impacts, said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hosted the meeting with Guterres.

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Facebook spent over $13 bln on safety, security since 2016

Facebook played down the negative effects on young users of its Instagram app and had a weak response to alarms raised by employees over how the platform is used in developing countries by human traffickers, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing a review of internal company documents. read more

“In the past, we didn’t address safety and security challenges early enough in the product development process,” the company said in a blog post. “But we have fundamentally changed that approach.”

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Biden sanctions cryptocurrency exchange over ransomware attacks

The Treasury Department accuses Suex OTC, S.R.O. of facilitating transactions involving illicit proceeds for at least eight ransomware variants, marking its first such move against a virtual currency exchange over ransomware activity.
Hackers use ransomware to take down systems that control everything from hospital billing to manufacturing. They stop only after receiving hefty payments, typically paid in cryptocurrency.

Attacks are increasing in scale, sophistication and scope, the Treasury said. In 2020 ransomware payments reached over $400 million, more than four times the level in 2019, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber, told reporters on the call.

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Need to mainstream green finance: RBI Dy governor

“As the risks and opportunities and financial impact arising from climate change vary across jurisdictions, this poses unique considerations for emerging economies like India.The challenge before us is to mainstream green finance and think of ways to incorporate the environmental impact into commercial lending decisions while simultaneously balancing the needs of credit expansion, economic growth and social development,” Rao said.

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