The death toll from recent floods has topped 1,300, while 1.2 million people have been displaced in Indonesia alone. The insurance coverage gap is widening, as experts note that increasingly frequent extreme events threaten to make current models unsustainable. Insurance companies are preparing to exclude some natural risks, while most losses in developing countries remain uninsured.
As severe weather continues to rage, more than a thousand people are dead, while millions are affected across vast swathes of Southeast Asia and South Asia. In Sri Lanka, all 25 districts have reported damage of varying degrees. In Indonesia, illegal logging has contributed to soil erosion, making the devastation worse.
In Sri Lanka, the preliminary death toll from Typhoon Ditwah stands at 56, with 44,000 people affected. Hundreds of millimetres of rain fell in just a few hours. Government offices and schools are closed. In Indonesia, 19 people are confirmed dead with scores trapped by mud and debris. The archbishop of Medan has launched a fundraiser.
A young Muslim man in a relationship of "mutual respect" with a Christian woman has gone before the Constitutional Court to challenge Article 2 of the Marriage Law because of its ambiguity. Currently, the Civil Registry Office only register marriages performed by religious authorities. Two justices are calling for laws to better respect rights.
A new serious landslide in Central Java province has caused at least 18 deaths and numerous missing persons. Rescue efforts are hampered by a deep fracture in the ground, and new rains could widen the area affected by the disaster. Climate change and geological conditions are putting the entire country at increasing risk.
Indonesia is the world's largest producer of this raw material and the crossroads of discussions on its environmental sustainability. Over the last year, prices have fallen by more than 17%, but operators in the sector are optimistic about the biofuel market. Forty-one per cent of Indonesian plantations are owned by small farmers.
