Hello, Asia continues to be battered by unrelenting rain this week as deadly downpours hit India, Nepal, China, Vietnam and Thailand. More than 70 people have been killed by the floods and landslides that washed away homes, roads and bridges in India's eastern hill region of Darjeeling and neighbouring Nepal, authorities said. In Nepal, the death toll from floods and landslides rose to 50, with the eastern district of Ilam bordering India recording 37 deaths, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force said. The flooding comes as India's government is working on a new national climate-linked insurance scheme to simplify payouts after extreme weather events and which would be the first of its kind. Also on my radar today: |
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A man carries a bag as he wades through a flooded street along the bank of overflowing Bagmati River following heavy rains, in Kathmandu, Nepal. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar |
Darjeeling and Kathmandu floods |
At least 18 people died in Darjeeling, and several people were still missing on Monday, as relief and restoration work got underway, said local government officials in the Indian state of West Bengal, warning that the death toll was likely to rise as details flowed in from remote areas. The Himalayan hill resort of Darjeeling, the main city in the namesake district, is famous for its tea and draws tourists with spectacular views of Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak. Mamata Banerjee, the state's chief minister, urged tourists to stay put until they were safely evacuated. The districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, which are home to tea plantations, were among those affected, she said. In all, 23 deaths have been reported across northern West Bengal state since the weekend, Banerjee said. More rain is expected after the weekend's "extremely heavy" downpours in Darjeeling, said H R Biswas, the regional weather head in the state's capital of Kolkata. Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, suffered from severe flooding as several rivers swamped roads and inundated many houses, cutting the temple-studded capital off from the rest of the country by road. In southeastern Nepal, the Koshi River – which causes deadly floods in the eastern Indian state of Bihar almost every year – was flowing above the danger level, a district official said. |
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India's climate insurance |
The floods arrived as India's government began early-stage talks with the country's insurers about designing a nationwide climate-linked insurance programme aimed at simplifying the payout process after extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods. The scheme would adopt a parametric insurance model, where policyholders receive a pre-determined payout when specific weather thresholds such as rainfall, temperature or wind speed are breached. Should the discussions bear fruit, India – among the nations most prone to extreme weather events – could become one of the first major economies to roll out such a program. Under a parametric model, payouts can be made very quickly, whereas in traditional insurance, payments are based on the loss sustained, and assessments can take years. Parametric insurance can also be used to offer coverage in areas where traditional insurance is rare. Want to learn more about the intersection between climate change and insurance? Click here to listen to an episode of The Big View podcast with Reuters Breakingviews global editor Peter Thal Larsen, who spoke to Mario Greco, CEO of Zurich Insurance, about how the $100 billion Swiss group is handling natural disasters. Keep scrolling for more on Typhoon Matmo, which struck China and Vietnam this weekend. |
Palestinian woman Iman Abdel Halim Abu Mutlaq holds newborn twins Uday and Hamza. Maternity ward, Nasser hospital, Khan Younis, southern Gaza. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem |
- Gaza crisis: Two years of warfare have brought death, misery and ruin to the 2 million inhabitants of Gaza. With a new ceasefire plan under discussion, Reuters looks at one family's story of terrible loss and fragile hope. Click here for the full special report. Our reporters also followed up with Abu Maamar, a Palestinian woman whose image was captured in a hospital morgue, cradling the shrouded body of her five-year-old niece Saly.
- Typhoon Matmo: Strong winds and heavy rain hit southern China over the weekend, after flights and many events had been cancelled in the island province of Hainan, causing disruption during the peak holiday season, according to the state broadcaster. Matmo already caused flooding in the Philippines last week and continued to the east coast of Xuwen in Guangdong province.
- Matmo in Vietnam: Torrential rains triggered by Typhoon Matmo also flooded parts of Vietnam's capital Hanoi. Inner-city districts have been particularly affected, with drainage struggling to handle the volume of rain.
- Thai floods: Over in Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered urgent relief efforts after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain and storms hit 16 provinces over the past week, killing 22 people and affecting more than 100,000 households. Charnvirakul said officials were working to deliver aid and assess the damage done as they prepare for more rain as the monsoon season kicks in.
- U.S. migration: The Trump administration is offering unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 to leave the U.S. voluntarily, according to a letter seen by Reuters from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Refugee Resettlement that was sent to migrant shelters. DHS officials confirmed a monetary offer was being made but did not specify the amount. The administration's efforts to deport unaccompanied children have already faced legal challenges.
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The European Commission said it has approved an aid package of 945 million euros ($1.1 billion) to help Spain recover from one of its deadliest flash floods it suffered in 2024. Roughly 240 people died in the country after torrential rains last October triggered floods that swept through eastern and southeastern Spain. The most severely hit area was Valencia's southern suburbs, where more than 220 people died. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Tomasz Janowski. |
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