Entertainment
Disaster losses drop in 2025, picture still ‘alarming’: Munich Re
Natural disaster losses worldwide dropped sharply to $224 billion in 2025, reinsurer Munich Re said Tuesday, but warned of a still “alarming” picture of extreme weather events likely driven by climate change.
The figure was down nearly 40% from a year earlier, in part because no hurricane struck the US mainland for the first time in several years.
Nevertheless, “the big picture was alarming with regard to floods, severe… storms and wildfires in 2025”, said Munich Re, a Germany-based provider of insurance for the insurance industry.
The costliest disaster of the year came in the form of Los Angeles wildfires in January, with total losses of $53 billion and insured losses of around $40 billion, Munich Re said in its annual disaster report.
It was striking how many extreme events were likely influenced by climate change in 2025 and it was just chance that the world was spared potentially higher losses, according to the group.
“The planet has a fever, and as a result we are seeing a cluster of severe and intense weather events,” Tobias Grimm, Munich Re’s chief climate scientist, told AFP.
Last month Swiss Re, another top player in the reinsurance industry, also reported a hefty drop for 2025, putting total losses at $220 billion.
According to Munich Re’s report, insured losses for 2025 came in at $108 billion, also sharply down on last year.
Around 17,200 lives were lost in natural disasters worldwide, significantly higher than about 11,000 in 2024, but below the 10-year average of of 17,800, it said.
Grimm said 2025 was a year with “two faces”.
“The first half of the year was the costliest loss period the insurance industry has ever experienced,” he said — but the second half saw the lowest losses in a decade.
LA wildfires, Myanmar quake
It is now the cumulative costs of smaller-scale disasters — like local floods and forest fires — that are having the greatest impact.
Losses from these events amounted to $166 billion last year, according to Munich Re.
After the LA wildfires, the costliest disaster of the year was a devastating earthquake that hit Myanmar in March, which is estimated to have caused $12 billion in losses, only a small share of which was insured.
Tropical cyclones caused around $37 billion in losses.
Jamaica was battered by Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall, generating losses of around $9.8 billion.
By region, the United States’ total losses amounted to $118 billion, $88 billion of which was insured — around the same as an estimate of $115 billion total losses from US nonprofit Climate Central.
The Asia-Pacific region had losses of about $73 billion — but only $9 billion was insured, according to the report.
Australia had its second most expensive year in terms of overall losses from natural disasters since 1980 due to a series of severe storms and flooding.
Europe saw losses of $11 billion. Natural disasters in Africa led to losses of $3 billion, less than a fifth of which was insured.
The report comes at a time when scepticism towards green policies is growing, particularly since the return to power of US President Donald Trump, who derides climate science as a “hoax”.
But Grimm warned that the Earth “continues to warm”.
“More heat means more humidity, stronger rainfall, and higher wind speeds — climate change is already contributing to extreme weather,” he said.
Jake Paul has broken his silence after singing sensation Olivia Rodrigo mocked him during her Saturday Night Live appearance over the weekend.
The 23-year-old musician hosted the NBC’s flagship sketch show and mocked the YouTuber-turned-boxer of “beating up old guys on Netflix,” apparently referencing Jake’s fight against the boxing legend Mike Tyson.
During her monologue, Rodrigo recalled her childhood projects and quipped, “When I was 13, I was on a Disney show called Bizaardvark, and we have an incredible cast, which included acting legend Jake Paul.”
She also recalled the conversations both stars had at that time, saying, “And we’d always talk about our futures, me and Jake. I’d say, ‘I really wanna create music that explores the complexities of girls my age,’ and he’d say, ‘Well, one day I really wanna beat up old guys on Netflix’.”
In a 2024 bout livestreamed on Netflix, Jake defeated the 58-year-old legend Tyson, which was widely described as a spectacle more than a real fight.
Rodrigo is having a successful music career and Paul has transitioned from a social media sensation to a boxer, so apparently both achieved their childhood dreams.
The songstress said, “And we both did it, hooray!”
Jake took to X to respond to Rodrigo’s monologue and wrote, “We had the vision [crying laughing emoji] I told you that you would sell stadiums out and then we both did proud of you fr [for real].”
Olivia Rodrigo and Jake Paul starred together on the Disney Channel sitcom Bizaardvark, which ran for three seasons from 2013 to 2016.
Britney Spears will not go to jail after reaching a deal in a driving case that started earlier this year.
The 44-year-old singer was arrested on March 4 in Southern California after police said she was driving her BMW in a way that looked dangerous and at a high speed.
Britney was later suspected of driving under the influence.
In court on Monday, the Toxic singer’s lawyer appeared for her and accepted a lesser charge of reckless driving linked to alcohol or drugs. However, she did not attend the hearing herself.
After the arrest, the music icon reportedly went to a rehab facility as her team said the situation was not acceptable but also shared that she has been trying to make positive changes in her life.
The Gimme More singer’s lawyer went on to add that she has taken responsibility for what happened and has been working on improving herself.
He added that these steps helped the court reduce the charge and drop the DUI case.
Because of this agreement, Britney will avoid jail time.
The case is still being followed, and more details may come out as the situation continues to develop.
Emily Blunt has been seen all smiles as she stepped out to celebrate the strong success of the new Devil Wears Prada sequel, which is already making big money at the box office.
The film brings back major stars like Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci and it has clearly connected with audiences very well.
Reports say it that has already earned around 233 million dollars worldwide in its opening days, with strong numbers from both US and other countries.
Emily, who plays Emily Charlton in the film, was seen out in New York with her husband John Krasinski on Sunday night.
The couple attended an awards event and looked very happy as they celebrated the film’s success.
Emily wore a clean white outfit with simple jewellery and heels, while John also looked sharp in a white suit.
They both, however, seemed relaxed and in a good mood as cameras caught them at the event.
Devil Wears Prada 2, released on May 1, has even done better than the original film’s opening.
It also saw a large female audience turnout as the story continue the old characters but also shows new changes in the media world.
Critics have mostly praised it for its style, fashion, and nostalgic feel.
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