The writer is chief executive of State Street Global Advisors The year is 2040. For decades, investors and regulators alike have been encouraging companies across the globe to decarbonise by mid-century. As a result, MSCI announces for the first time in its 54-year history that every company in its World Index — more than 1,500…
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The devastating coronavirus crisis overwhelming India is wreaking havoc in neighbouring Nepal, where surging cases have pushed hospitals to the brink of collapse and threatened the climbing industry that is crucial to the Himalayan economy. New infections in Nepal have soared in tandem with India’s, up from 136 confirmed daily cases on April 1 to…
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Electric car startup Fisker signed an agreement with Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that assembles iPhones, to co-develop and manufacture a new electric vehicle. Production on the car, which will be sold under the Fisker brand name in North America, Europe, China and India, will begin in the U.S. by the end of 2023. Numerous details,…
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In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. “Today is a great day for America,” President Joe Biden said during a Rose Garden address…
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Extending the interval between doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine from three to 12 weeks strengthens the antibody response in elderly people, according to a new UK study. The researchers at Birmingham university, working in collaboration with Public Health England, said their findings vindicated the UK government’s controversial decision in December to leave 12 weeks between…
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Airbnb’s chief executive on Thursday predicted the “travel rebound of the century” as the home-rental company reported first-quarter revenues that pointed to a strong recovery in the US holiday market. Airbnb’s quarterly revenue of $887m was up 5 per cent on the same period last year as guests paid higher rates for bigger and more…
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Lambda School has attracted a lot of attention, and raised some $130 million in venture funding from an impressive list of investors, for its novel approach to coding education: offering six-month virtual computer science courses for $30,000, with the option of paying for the courses in installments based on a sliding scale that only kicks in…
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Healthcare fintech provider Cedar paid $425 million to acquire insurance fintech OODA Health on Thursday, in another example of single-point technology startups coming together to expand their reach. The New York City-based Cedar provides a direct-to-consumer platform that providers can use to translate to consumers how much they will be billed after a visit, and…
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CMS on Thursday issued guidance to states on how they can get additional federal funding to increase access to home and community-based services for Medicaid beneficiaries. Congress temporarily increased states’ federal matching funds for such benefits by 10% in March’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, also known as the American Rescue Plan. The funds should…
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The top US public health agency has said fully vaccinated people could forgo face coverings for almost all indoor and outdoor settings, a significant loosening of social distancing guidance that President Joe Biden hailed as a “great milestone” in the fight against the pandemic. The latest update expanded instructions in late April that allowed fully…
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