Swiss insurance data firm Perils A.G. said that floods from Storm Desmond caused insured and reinsured losses of £717 million ($1.03 billion) in the United Kingdom, Artemis.bm reported.

A report by the World Economic Forum revealed that, apart from the United States, most countries underestimate the risk of cyber attacks on their economies and businesses, ComputerWeekly.com reported.

Blizzards in parts of Eastern Europe have caused power outages and affected air, rail and road transport, Times Union reported.

The Indian government plans to ask four public sector general insurers, namely, The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd., National Insurance Co. Ltd., United India Insurance Co. Ltd. and The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.

The recent fire at Mingalar Market in Myanmar has put focus on the need for insurance, Myanmar Times reports.

Agriculture officials in Taiwan have said that 27,538 chickens were culled at a Changhua County farm after the detection of a subtype of a H5 avian influenza virus, reports Focus Taiwan News Channel.

A report by A.M. Best Co. Inc. has said that Nigerian insurers retain only 25%-40% of the nation’s oil and gas related business, reported The Nation Newspaper.

The French agriculture ministry has asked poultry farmers in southwest France to stop producing ducks and geese as part of efforts to eradicate bird flu, reported France 24 citing news agencies.

A survey has revealed that insurers in the Middle East are worried about budget cuts affecting spending on infrastructure, reported Middle East Insurance Review.