Category:

Risk Management

After COVID revenue collapse, Canadian municipalities face insurance premium spike

Cities need insurance to protect against claims in the event of accidents on municipal properties or roads, and to deal with risks including cyber attacks and natural disasters – so forgoing coverage is not an option.
Accident-related lawsuits against cities and settlements have risen alongside cyber attacks and natural disasters, both domestically and globally, even as bond yields have slid, resulting in more stringent underwriting standards and higher premiums around the world.

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Pfizer agrees to pay $345 mln to resolve EpiPen pricing lawsuit

The litigation followed a public outcry in 2016 after Mylan, which owns the rights to market and distribute the devices, raised the price of a pair of EpiPens to $600, from $100 in 2008, putting it in the center of an ongoing U.S. debate over the high cost of medicines. The lawsuit accused Mylan and Pfizer, which manufactured the EpiPen for Mylan, of engaging in anticompetitive conduct that allowed them to maintain a monopoly over the market for the devices and their profitable revenues.

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Biogen Alzheimer’s drug hits roadblocks with some hospitals, insurers

Several Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans, including those in Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, have said there is insufficient evidence of Aduhelm’s benefit for patients and they will not provide coverage for the drug.
Biogen said in a statement that the several Blues plans’ “characterization of Aduhelm as experimental and investigational is inaccurate and misleading.”

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U.S. launches online hub to help ransomware victims

The new website, www.StopRansomware.gov, is an initiative led by the Justice and Homeland Security departments.
The launch of the new website and the $10 million reward come on the heels of a ransomware attack earlier this year against the Colonial Pipeline Co. that led to widespread shortages at gas stations along the East Coast of the United States. The Justice Department was later able to help Colonial Pipeline recover some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom it paid to hackers.

About $350 million in ransom was paid to cyber criminals in 2020, a more than 300% increase from the previous year, the department said.

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FACTBOX-How Big Tech is faring against U.S. lawsuits and probes

The U.S. Justice Department sued Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals. A trial date was set for Sept. 12, 2023. A lawsuit by 38 U.S. states and territories accuses Google of abusing its market power to try to make its search engine as dominant inside cars, TVs and speakers as it is in phones. This was consolidated with the federal lawsuit for purposes of discovery.

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IAEA breaks ground for new facility to help countries tackle nuclear terrorism

The Centre will provide more than 2000 square meters of specialized technical infrastructure and equipment. Hands-on training will be conducted on demonstration systems and virtual reality environments. These platforms will emulate security systems used at nuclear power plants, research reactors and border crossings.
Participants will practice procedures on access and alarm controls, inspect physical protection systems, better understand computer security risks, and learn how to sweep an area for radioactive material during major public events, among other activities. Exercises at the training centre will also strengthen capabilities in radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics.

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Strong rise in political risk globally:Coface Political Risk Index

Inflationary risks have been in the news in recent months. In this context, the annual update of the Coface Political Risk Index shows a strong rise in political risk across the world, and particularly in the emerging countries. Indeed, figures show a deterioration in living standards and purchasing power, as well as a rise in inequalities observed following the COVID-19 crisis. At this stage, these conditions are not necessarily leading to popular uprisings, which remain limited by people’s capacity to mobilise.

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