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On the day the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed, President Biden said the federal government would pay the “entire cost” of rebuilding it, which some suggest could run to more than $1 billion. Washington will foot the bill so the bridge and nearby port can reopen “as soon as humanly possible,” he said. Rebuilding the bridge, repairing the cargo ship that hit it and compensating companies for the disruption at one of the nation’s busiest ports may take years to resolve. “We’re not going to wait,” said Mr. Biden, who plans to visit Baltimore on Friday to survey the damage. They cited an 1851 law that allows a shipowner to cap financial damages mostly to the value of a ship after a crash, if the owner is determined not to have been at fault.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Biden, ”, “ We’re, Mr Organizations: Baltimore, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, Synergy Marine Locations: Baltimore, Washington, “, Singapore, U.S

☆ Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before it collided with Baltimore bridge, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted. Investigators on Wednesday began collecting evidence from the vessel that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge the previous day. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said authorities had been informed that the ship was going to undergo the maintenance. "We were informed that they were going to conduct routine engine maintenance on it while it was in port. Video showed the ship moving at what Maryland's governor said was about 9 mph (15 kph) toward the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) bridge.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Roland L, Butler Jr, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Butler, Wes Moore, Shannon Gilreath, Jennifer Homendy, Homendy, Moore, Watson, Pete Buttigieg, Biden, Buttigieg, Gilreath Organizations: Fire, Bloomberg, Getty, U.S . Coast Guard, Maryland State Police, Maryland Gov, . Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board, Coast Guard, Homeland Security, Associated Press, Synergy Marine Group, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, White House, Transportation, World Association, Transport Infrastructure Locations: Baltimore, Dali, Patapsco, Baltimore , Maryland, U.S, Maryland, Mexico, Guatemala, Dundalk , Maryland, Honduras, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Port, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, Windward, Annapolis

☆ Owner of ship that crashed into Baltimore bridge will likely try to invoke 1851 law used to cap damages after Titanic disaster
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The owner of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge faces a mountain of potential lawsuits. Experts say the owner will likely try to invoke an 1851 law to try to cap potential damages. The Limitation of Liability Act was successfully used by the Titanic owner after the 1912 sinking. "If they're fully successful, it will cap how much they have to pay in damages," Michael Sturley, an expert in maritime law and professor at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Law, told BI. However, I must say that the way things look at present, it seems unlikely that a limitation petition will be successful."

Persons: —, Maryland's Francis Scott Key, Dali, Michael Sturley, Sturley, Michael A, McCoy, it's, Martin Davies, Davies, Gordon Carey —, Carey, It's Organizations: Titanic, Service, University of Texas, Austin's School of Law, Private Ltd, Grace Ocean Private, Business, Washington Post, Wall Street, Titanic Inc, Maritime Law Center, Tulane University School of Law, White Star, Reuters, Synergy Marine Group, Synergy Marine Locations: Baltimore, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Patapsco, United States, , Oregon, Oregon

☆ Australia's Medibank faces fourth class-action lawsuit over cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 29 (Reuters) - Australia's Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) said on Thursday it was facing a fourth shareholder class-action lawsuit over a cyberattack incident last year that exposed the personal data of 9.7 million current and former customers. Earlier in the week, the country's banking regulator told Medibank to set aside A$250 million ($165.30 million) in extra capital, something analysts believe will affect the firm's ability to pay capital returns to shareholders. The proceedings were filed by Sydney-based law firm Phi Finney McDonald on behalf of people who held interest in Medibank shares between Sept. 10, 2020 and Oct. 25, 2022. The company intends to defend the proceedings, it said in a statement. ($1 = 1.5124 Australian dollars)Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Medibank, Phi Finney McDonald, Poonam, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Sydney, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Medibank served with third class-action suit over cyber breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Australia's Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) said on Friday it was served with another class-action suit related to the cyber hack incident last year in which personal data of current and former customers was leaked on the dark web. The third class-action suit related to the incident was filed in the country's federal court by law firm Slater & Gordon on behalf of affected current and former Medibank customers, and healthcare service providers. In recent months, similar class action suits against the company have been filed by law firms Baker & McKenzie and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Medibank, which is also under investigation from the country's privacy regulator on how it handles personal information, said it would defend the proceedings. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia may inadvertently fuel cyber crime, says data theft victim service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - An Australian government-backed service for victims of identity theft blasted a plan to toughen privacy laws amid an explosion of online data theft, saying it would spur compromised companies to pay ransom and invite more hacking. IDCare, a non-profit that helps internet crime victims, said by making it easier for regulators to fine companies for poor data security and failing to criminalise ransom payment, Australia may inadvertently fuel a cyber-crimewave. Canberra raised the maximum fine to A$50 million ($34 million) from A$2.2 million for companies that fail to stop data theft after the first major attack in October, when some 10 million customer accounts at No. DEMAND SPIKESince Australia made it compulsory for companies to report data breaches in 2018, IDCare's submission said community demand for its services had rocketed. ($1 = 1.4806 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Praveen Menon and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Medibank served with class action lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 29 (Reuters) - Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), Australia's largest health insurer, said on Wednesday that a class action suit has been filed against it related to a breach of disclosure obligations by not revealing information regarding deficiencies in its cyber security systems. The company said it intends to defend the proceedings. Reporting by Archishma Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's IPH detects breach in IT systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - Australian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said on Thursday it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, mainly affecting document management systems of its head office and two of its member firms. The information in document management systems include administrative documents, and some client documents and correspondence in case of the two member firms, Spruson & Ferguson (Australia) and Griffith Hack, the company said. IPH said it was working with external cyber security advisers to conduct a forensic investigation, adding that it has notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) of the incident. Australia has seen a rise in cyber attacks since late last year, with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) and telco Optus. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SYDNEY, March 8 (Reuters) - One of Australia's top government bureaucrats on Wednesday demanded Russia crack down on the large number of cyber criminals operating in the country, saying their actions posed a threat to national security. The comments come as Canberra reforms its cybersecurity policy following a raft of cyber attacks on some of the country's largest companies. "The greatest density of cyber criminals, particularly those with ransomware, are in Russia," Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, told the AFR Business Summit in Sydney. The move follows a rise in cyber attacks since late last year with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) and telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (STEL.SI). The United States and Britain sanctioned several Russians accused of cyber attacks last month, saying ransomware attacks have paralysed businesses, schools and hospitals.

☆ India cenbank imposes penalty on Amazon Pay for non-compliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BENGALURU, March 3 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India said on Friday it imposed a penalty of 30.7 million rupees ($374,770) on Amazon Pay Private Ltd for non-compliance with directions on prepaid payment instruments and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules. "This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entity with its customers," the RBI said in a statement. Amazon Pay is an online payments processing service owned by Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O). ($1 = 81.9170 Indian rupees)Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia plans to reform cyber security rules, set up agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Australia plans to overhaul its cyber security rules and set up an agency to oversee government investment in the field and help coordinate responses to hacker attacks, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told public radio on Monday. Current cyber security rules are not adequate to deal with attacks and cannot protect consumer data, O'Neil told ABC Radio, blaming the previous government for implementing them. She said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet industry leaders and cyber security experts on Monday, and that he has decided to appoint a cyber security coordinator tasked with ensuring government agencies work together during cyber incidents. The office of the cyber security coordinator will exist within the department of home affairs, she said. The government has published a discussion paper on a new cyber security strategy, which it aims to implement next year, and is seeking feedback on how businesses can improve their cyber security in partnership with the government.

☆ Australia's Medibank posts profit, policyholder growth; shares jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Harish Sridharan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The loss of confidence following the hack led to Medibank losing 13,000 customers between October and December, curbing the growth in policyholders for the July-December period to 0.1%. However, the rate of losses slowed in January and reversed to a net addition of 200 policyholders this month through Feb. 18, Medibank said. Medibank stock recovering Medibank stock recoveringMedibank reported that its net profit after tax rose 5.9% to A$233.3 million ($159.4 million) in the six months ended Dec. 31, which, according to brokerage firm UBS, beat the consensus estimate of A$211 million. The 17% jump in policyholders in that business came as more international students, visitors and workers return to the country as the pandemic waned. Medibank also declared an interim dividend of 6.3 cents per share, up from 6.1 cents last year.

☆ Australia's Medibank beats profit view, says customer losses slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, Medibank said it still recorded a 0.1% growth in policyholders for the six months that ended on Dec. 31. The rate at which it lost customers slowed in January and it has even recorded a net growth of 200 policyholders this month through Feb. 18, Medibank said. Medibank's net profit after tax rose 5.9% to A$233.3 million ($159.4 million) in the six months ended Dec. 31, beating the consensus estimate of A$211 million, according to brokerage firm UBS. The company's shares were up 6.5% to A$3.28 by 0426 GMT, set for their best session in nearly three years. Since Medibank first reported the cyber incident on Oct. 13, its stock had declined nearly 13% as of last close.

☆ Australia's Medibank profit beats view as foreign students, workers return
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Medibank Private Ltd FollowFeb 23 (Reuters) - Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) on Thursday beat profit estimates for the first half of fiscal 2023, as its international business received a boost from students, workers and visitors returning to the country. Australia's biggest health insurer posted a net profit after tax of A$233.3 million ($159.41 million) for the six months ended Dec. 31, up 5.9% from A$220.2 million a year earlier. Shares in Medibank, which has been in the spotlight since a cyber hack in October compromised the data of millions of customers, rose as much as 6.8% to A$3.29. As of the last close, the stock had declined over 10% since first reporting the cyber incident. ($1 = 1.4635 Australian dollars)Reporting by Harish Sridharan in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alibaba sells remaining stake at India's Paytm as it continues to exit market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In January, Alibaba sold about 3% of Paytm for $125 million, cutting its holdings from 6.26%, based on NSE data. ‘India’s Alipay’Founded in 2010, Paytm is India’s largest payment platform, with more than 300 million registered customers and over 20 million merchants. Paytm and Ant Group had been working on “synergies” since Ant made the initial investment, the company said. In early 2021, Alibaba sold a major stake in BigBasket, an online grocery retailer, to Indian conglomerate Tata Group. In May 2022, Alibaba and Ant Group offloaded their entire stake in Paytm Mall, the e-commerce platform of Paytm.

BENGALURU, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Adani Total Private Ltd expects to receive 2.2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at its terminal at Dhamra on India's eastern coast during the year ending March 2024, the company's chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday. Adani Total has a 20-year take-or-pay contract to provide regasification services to state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS) for 3 million tonnes of LNG per annum at the Dhamra terminal. Government-run gas distributor GAIL (India) Ltd (GAIL.NS) has a similar 1.5 million tonnes per annum deal. The energy-hungry country expects deeper penetration of city gas distribution to drive LNG demand in the coming years. Global LNG prices eased off record highs in the second half of 2022, amid ample inventories in North Asia and Europe.

☆ Amazon launches air freight service in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) on Monday launched its own air cargo fleet in India, Amazon Air, as it seeks to expand and speed-up deliveries across one of its key markets. India is the third market, after the United States and Europe, where the company has launched Amazon Air. Quikjet will transport Amazon customer shipments to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, Amazon said in a press release. The books-to-boots online retailer, which competes with Walmart Inc (WMT.N)-owned Flipkart in India, said the launch of Amazon Air would support over 1.1 million sellers in the country. Amazon, which uses its own ground delivery services for shipping, also partners with Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPWGn.DE) controlled Blue Dart Express Ltd (BLDT.NS), one of India's biggest air cargo carriers.

☆ India's Mamaearth parent files for IPO - draft prospectus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Indian skincare startup Mamaearth's products are on display for sale at a wholesale shop in Ahmedabad, India, June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Amit DaveBENGALURU, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Parent of Indian personal care products startup Mamaearth, Honasa Consumer Ltd, on Thursday filed for an initial public offering (IPO), according to draft papers submitted to the market regulator. The Sequoia- and Sofina-backed company's IPO will comprise of a fresh issue of shares worth 4 billion rupees ($48.30 million) and an offer for sale of 46.8 million shares. Reuters had reported in June that Mamaearth was in talks to raise at least $300 million for the IPO scheduled for 2023. Honasa said it would use about 1.86 billion rupees from the IPO for advertising expenses.

☆ Hackers dump more customer data from Australian insurer Medibank
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The raw data we have analysed today so far is incomplete and hard to understand," chief executive David Koczkar said. On Thursday, media reported that a blog, believed by cyber experts to be used by the hackers, carried a new post: "Happy Cyber Security Day!!! Medibank did not immediately respond to a Reuters question asking whether it believed all stolen data had now been released. Australian Federal Police last month said Russia-based hackers were behind the Medibank cyberattack, which compromised the details of almost 10 million current and former customers. In its latest update, Medibank said there were currently no signs that banking data had been stolen.

☆ India's NDTV says Prannoy, Radhika Roy resigned as directors of promoter group
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV.NS) said late on Tuesday founders Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy had resigned as directors on the board of the promoter group vehicle RRPR Holding Private Ltd. The resignation comes a day after NDTV said an entity backed by the founders had issued shares to a unit of Adani Group, taking the billionaire Gautam Adani-led conglomerate a step closer to taking over the media firm. NDTV, founded in 1988 and owned by husband-and-wife team Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, had previously said the takeover move "was executed without any input from, conversation with, or consent of the NDTV founders". The promoter group vehicle, which owns 29.2% and is the largest shareholder of NDTV, approved the appointment of Sudipta Bhattacharya, Senthil Sinniah Chengalvarayan, Sanjay Pugalia as directors on its board, NDTV said in a regulatory filing. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh and Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia to consider banning paying of ransoms to cyber criminals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on Sunday said the government would consider making illegal the paying of ransoms to cyber hackers, following recent cyber attacks affecting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month suffered a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in hacks. Asked on ABC television on Sunday whether the government planned to look at outlawing ransom payments to cyber criminals, O'Neil said "that's correct". Around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as a joint standing operation against cyber criminals. The AFP earlier this week said Russia-based hackers were behind the attack on Medibank, which compromised data from around 10 million current and former customers.

☆ Australia unveils joint cyber police taskforce to 'hunt down' hackers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia on Saturday formalised a new cyber-policing model in a stepped-up effort to "hunt down" cyber criminal syndicates, following recent hacks impacting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month was hit by a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in damaging hacks. O'Neil said around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as "a joint standing operation against cyber criminal syndicates". The taskforce would "day in, day out, hunt down the scumbags who are responsible for these malicious crimes", she said. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, speaking alongside O'Neil in Melbourne, refused to be drawn on whether the ransomware group REvil was responsible for recent cyber attacks on Australians.

☆ Australia's Medibank says hacker's data dump could happen daily
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Health records related to mental health and alcohol use of hundreds of customers have been released in the dark web in the latest data dump after the attacker uploaded two data sets, local media reported. "Unfortunately, we expect the criminal to continue to release stolen customer data each day," Medibank Chief Executive David Koczkar said in the latest update about the breach. Data from around 9.7 million current and former customers was compromised, Medibank has said, as Australia grapples with a recent rise in cyber attacks. The fact that information was published going to very personal health details of Australian citizens is disgusting, and something that is I think, just totally reprehensible," Albanese told ABC Radio. Medibank shares have plunged about 20% since the hack was revealed by the company on Oct. 13.

☆ Australian police blame Russia-based hackers for attack on Medibank
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Russia-based hackers were behind the cyberattack on insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), which compromised the details of just under 10 million current and former customers, Australian Federal Police said on Friday. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw blamed a loosely-affiliated group of cyber criminals likely responsible for other big breaches around the world for the attack on Medibank. Kershaw said the AFP knows which individuals are responsible but will not be naming them at this moment. Russia's embassy did not immediately respond to questions asking whether it had been in communication with the Australian government over the hack. Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reliance group, Adani bid for India's debt-ridden Future Retail
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Labourers rest in front of an advertisement for Reliance Industries at a construction site in Mumbai, India, March 2, 2016. April Moon Retail Private Ltd, a joint venture between Adani Airport holdings and Flemingo group, Reliance Retail ventures as well as 13 other firms have submitted expressions of interest (EOIs) for Future Retail. Future Retail's court-appointed resolution professional (RP), Reliance Industries and Adani group did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The deadline for submission of EOIs ended earlier this month for Future Group's flagship retail unit, Future Retail, which was once the country's second-largest retailer. Other entities that have submitted EOIs include Shalimar Corporation Ltd, Nalwa Steel & Power, United Biotech, WHSmith Travel, Capri Global Holdings.

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