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EU plans 120 billion euro economic boost by easing insurance rules

Olav Jones, deputy director general for Insurance Europe, an industry body, said he welcomed EU acknowledgement of the need to reduce capital requirements, but only a “significant and permanent” cut in capital would allow insurers to increase support for the economy and regain global competitiveness.

Brussels proposed easing the impact of the so-called volatility adjustment, which mitigates the impact of short-term market moves on insurer solvency.

It also wants to make it easier for insurers to benefit from preferential capital treatment worth around 10.5 billion euros from investing in long-term assets to green the economy.

‘We can end the pandemic’, UN chief says in new call for global vaccine plan

Although more than 5.7 million doses have been administered globally, 73 per cent have been in just 10 countries, and just three per cent of people in Africa have had innoculations.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s plan calls for at least doubling vaccine production to ensure 2.3 billion doses are equitably distributed through the vaccine solidarity initiative, COVAX.

The goal is to reach 40 per cent of people worldwide by the end of this year, and 70 per cent in the first half of 2022, per targets set by WHO.

Moderna chief executive sees pandemic over in a year

“If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated. Boosters should also be possible to the extent required,” he told the newspaper in an interview.

Vaccinations would soon be available even for infants, he said.

No climate finance for hydropower: ‘Rivers for Climate’ declaration

Incentivising and expanding hydroelectric power construction would not only fail to prevent catastrophic climate change, but it would also worsen the climate crisis by exploding methane emissions and diverting scarce climate funds away from meaningful energy and water solutions in a world that is already grappling with severe impacts of climate change, the release said.

As workers age, robots take on more jobs: study

“Aging is a huge part of the story” in robot adoption, said Daron Acemoglu, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who conducted the study with Pascual Restrepo of Boston University.

The research fits a longstanding trend of countries such as South Korea and Germany – which both have very rapidly aging workforces – also being among the world’s fastest adopters of robots, based on the number of robots per human worker they deploy.

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.

Telangana-Wingsure pact to provide AI-driven insurance advisory services to farmers

Farmers are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and other livelihood risks. They have sub-optimal access to risk awareness programs, modern resources, and government-backed schemes.
The alliance is among the first in the global farming ecosystem and will help Telangana to promote social inclusion and digital transformation in Indian agriculture. Overall, it will support the government’s objectives to promote economic empowerment and offer opportunities for collaboration, innovation of value chains, growth, and job creation.
Underserved farmers in the state will access diverse insurance solutions with rapid claim resolution through mobile phones using the Wingsure app.  

Kharif foodgrain output estimated at record 150.50 mn tonne this year: Govt

Releasing the first advance foodgrain production estimate for the ongoing kharif season, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: “A record foodgrain production is estimated at 150.50 million tonne in kharif season.”

Bumper crop is being achieved on account of tireless hard work of farmers and scientists besides farmer-friendly government policies, he said.

Britain launches 220 mln pound support scheme for industry to go green

“With innovation and investment across the economy, we can power the UK’s green industrial revolution. But we know for the most polluting and energy-intensive businesses, this will mean a big shift in the way they operate,” Prime minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

German auto giants place their bets on hydrogen cars

Stephan Herbst, general manager of Toyota in Europe, speaking in his role as a member of the Hydrogen Council business group, which forecasts that hydrogen will power more than 400 million cars by 2050, said he was confident that now governments had set ambitious carbon-reduction targets, they would push hydrogen alongside battery electric cars.

“We strongly believe this is not a question of either or,” he added. “We need both technologies.”

U.S. flood insurance rates to rise for 77% of policyholders -study

Under the new “Risk Rating 2.0” system from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) taking effect Oct. 1, new premiums will be based on a property’s value, risk of flooding and other factors, rather than simply on a home’s elevation.

Meant to account for climate-change-driven shifts like increasing flood frequency, the new plans also will make the program more equitable, said Nick VinZant, QuoteWizard senior research analyst.