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3.1 million external attacks on Cloud user accounts in Q4 2020: McAfee report

“Ransomware and malware targeting vulnerabilities in work-related apps and processes were active and remain dangerous threats capable of taking over networks and data, while costing millions in assets and recovery costs,” Samani added.

Malware was the most reported cause of security incidents in Q4, followed by account hijackings, targeted attacks and vulnerabilities.

German regulator acts to halt ‘illegal’ WhatsApp data collection

The regulator in the city-state of Hamburg said that it had opened emergency proceedings against Facebook after WhatsApp earlier this year informed users that they would need to consent to new data terms or stop using the service.

“We have reason to believe that the data sharing policy between WhatsApp and Facebook is being impermissibly enforced due to the lack of voluntary and informed consent,” said Hamburg’s data protection officer Johannes Caspar.

Insurance startup Clearcover raises $200 million from Eldridge, others at $1 billion valuation

The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the importance of physical networks of agents in insurance and helped “insurtech” providers like Clearcover, which uses artificial intelligence and big data to reduce costs and better target customers.

Global investment in the sector jumped 12% to $7.1 billion for 2020, a record high, according to Willis Towers Watson.

Generali in talks to buy AXA assets in Malaysia, sources say

“Asia is a fast-growing market and a focus for Generali,” one of the sources said.

Generali had been looking at a series of AXA assets in Malaysia worth around 700 million euros but the sources said it was in talks to buy the French insurer’s non-life business.

Europe’s third biggest insurer has been in Malaysia since 2015 and the deal could make it the second-biggest property and casualty operator in the country.

Aon’s EU concessions for $30 billion Willis bid may not be enough: 

Last Friday, the London-headquartered company submitted concessions to the European Union’s competition watchdog, which did not disclose details in line with its policy. The watchdog often requires acquiring companies to make concessions that will strengthen rivals before giving its go-ahead.

Aon has proposed selling Willis Re, its biggest concession, and Willis’ German retirement benefits and consulting business. It has also offered to sell Willis’ insurance broking activities in France, including French unit Gras Savoye, as well as in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, one of the people said.

India’s new coronavirus cases hit record; Mumbai prepares for lockdown

In the western state of Gujurat, a Reuters witness saw a long queue of ambulances waiting outside Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Wednesday, with some patients being treated there while they waited.A hospital source, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly, said a lot of private hospitals were short of oxygen and were sending their patients to the public hospital.

Chhattisgarh state – one of several hinterland regions struggling with a surge in cases – set up a temporary 370-bed hospital in an indoor stadium.

Life insurance industry in Malaysia to reach $15.7bn in 2025: GlobalData

Amrita Sheela, Insurance Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Malaysian life insurance industry is driven by retail consumer segment, which accounted for over 90% of total premiums in 2020Indonesia. The economic slowdown and uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic restricted consumer spending and impacted life insurance business. As a result, life insurance industry grew by 4% in 2020 against 9% growth registered in 2019.”

Global warming making Indian monsoon seasons stronger, more chaotic: Study

”We have found robust evidence for an exponential dependence: For every degree Celsius of warming, monsoon rainfalls will likely increase by about 5 percent,” said study lead author Anja Katzenberger from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany.

”Hereby we were also able to confirm previous studies but find that global warming is increasing monsoon rainfall in India even more than previously thought. It is dominating monsoon dynamics in the 21st century,” Katzenberger said.

Delhi crematoriums, graveyards struggle to manage resources as COVID-19 kills 409 in just 13 days

”Since last week, on an average 10-15 bodies of COVID victims are being buried daily here. Yesterday, 18 burials were performed.” Suman Gupta, the general secretary of Badi Panchayat Vaishya Beese Agarwal organisation that manages the city’s main crematorium at the Nigambodh Ghat, has an equally sobering number to share.

”Usually, around 50-60 cremations are performed here daily. The number has gone up to over 80 now,” he says.

Cybersecurity needs multi-faceted solution, role of tech cos crucial: Microsoft

”It (cybersecurity) is an extraordinarily important issue…I think the recent spate of cybersecurity attacks underscored that even more clearly. I think the solution has to be mult-ifaceted…(as a tech company) we have to ask ourselves how can we change our practices, how can we make our software and our services more secure and what more can we do to help customers around the world,” he said during Raisina Dialogue.

New global compact aims to drive down diabetes deaths, boost insulin access

“The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled in the last 40 years.  It is the only major noncommunicable disease for which the risk of dying early is going up, rather than down. And a high proportion of people who are severely ill in hospital with COVID-19 have diabetes.” 

More than 420 million people worldwide live with diabetes, a group of chronic diseases characterized by elevated blood sugar, which can cause damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.  

Malware attacks on mobile devices in India jumped in Oct 2020-Mar 2021 period: Report

”Cyber criminals are continuing to evolve and adapt their techniques to exploit our growing reliance on mobiles. Enterprises need to adopt mobile security solutions which seamlessly protect devices from today’s advanced cyber threats, and users should be careful to use only apps from official app stores to minimise their risk,” Neatsun Ziv, VP Threat Prevention at Check Point Software, said.

IFAD and IsDB commit $500 million to address hunger and climate change in poor rural communities

“Both institutions strive to improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people and contribute to ending poverty. Through this agreement we can strengthen our impact in areas of common interests, including improving access to markets and rural financial services, increasing climate resilience and using technology and innovation to maximize impact.”said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD

Flexible working is more than just a laptop at Home, Survey says

Almost all organizations polled said they are planning for a future involving hybrid work — split between home and office locations — though just 36% are redesigning job roles with more flexibility in mind. Without more targeted support, parents and carers in particular risk erasing the boundaries between work and home life and seeing their workload increase, the survey said.