Hurricane season “above-normal” say scientists
As the hurricane season ends, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and central Pacific regions all experienced above-normal activity.
For the Atlantic region it was the first above-normal season since 2012 with 15 named storms including 7 hurricanes, 3 of them major.
This year also saw the highest number of named storms make landfall in the US since 2008, with a total of five causing damage and insured losses in South Carolina and Florida.
“The strength of Hurricane Matthew, as well as the increased number of U.S. landfalling storms this season, were linked to large areas of exceptionally weak vertical wind shear that resulted from a persistent ridge of high pressure in the middle and upper atmosphere over Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
October was peak month for terror attacks
There were more terrorist attacks in October than in any other month of 2016 according to new data from HIS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center.
The report shows that there were 2,662 attacks globally in the month, 59 per cent above the level in September. October’s average 86 attacks per day was well above the average 59-per-day recorded in the previous 12 months.
“Syria was the primary driver of this increase, accounting for over 40 percent of all attacks worldwide,” explained Matthew Henman, head of the center. “This spike reflects the deepening intensity of the battle for control of Aleppo, with fresh offensives launched by opposition forces."
While attacks by Islamic State have been largely focused on the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it has also targeted the West with foiled attacks in France and Germany and the attack on Brussels in March.
Chinese consumers doubled insurance spend in third quarter
Insurers frequently talk about the opportunities in the emerging insurance markets in Asia as country’s such as China see a growth in wealth; and new figures show just how fast the market is developing.
Reuters reports that Chinese consumers bought $2.42 billion of insurance through the Hong Kong markets in the third quarter of 2016, doubling the amount spent a year earlier.
Chinese government data also reveals that the spend on insurance from mainland Chinese residents in the first 9 months of 2016 surpassed the full-year spend for 2015.
Wealthy Chinese frequently use insurance as a way to shift their funds into foreign investment, especially when the Chinese currency is losing ground.
