WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump stressed the importance of India buying more American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the White House said.
In what the White House called a “productive call,” the leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation and regional issues, including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.
They also discussed plans for Modi to visit the White House, “underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations,” it said.
Reuters reported last week that Indian and USdiplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the two leaders as early as February.
“The president emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship,” a White House statement said.
The United States is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade between the two countries surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a trade surplus of $32 billion.
India, a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas.
The White House said both leaders emphasized their commitment to advancing the US-India strategic partnership and the Quad grouping that brings together the United States and India with Australia and Japan, with India to host Quad leaders later this year.
Foreign ministers of the Quad, who share concerns about China’s growing power, met last week in Washington the day after Trump’s return to office and recommitted to working together.
Earlier on Monday, Modi referred to Trump as a “dear friend” and said they were both “committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership.”
“We will work together for the welfare of our people and toward global peace, prosperity, and security,” Modi said in a social-media post.
Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says
https://arab.news/m3cp7
Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says
- India, a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas
Disaster losses drop in 2025, picture still ‘alarming’: Munich Re
- Costliest disaster came in the form of the Los Angeles wildfires in January, with total losses of $53bn
FRANKFURT: 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 percent 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.
HIGHLIGHT
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.
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.
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 US’ 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 skepticism toward 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.
