When Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, then Vice-President handed over copies of cheques to President Jomo Kenyatta at State Hoiuse Nairobi in 1965. [File, Standard] The strong bond of friendship between Kenya’s founding President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and independence Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga instilled a sense of confidence and hope among the citizens of the newly formed state. As has been recorded in the country’s political history, Odinga turned down a clever request by colonial power brokers to form a government and ascend to power as Prime Minister as Mzee Kenyatta languished in prison. In a move that shocked the British government, Odinga outrightly rejected the offer declaring that there would be no independence without Kenyatta who he described as the undisputed leader of the African people. Later responding to a question by a British journalist in early 1960 months before Kenyatta was released from prison, on why he refused that offer, Odinga said; “How can we be better than our father? Mzee Kenyatta is our teacher and we all stand solidly behind him. There is no independence without Mzee Kenyatta.” Odinga had in 1952 mobilised resources to hire lawyer Dennis Pritt, then a Queen’s Counsel, and a team of other lawyers to defend Kenyatta following his arrest and others by the British government on October 20. The charges were supporting the Mau Mau movement. Daytime meeting Odinga’s loyalty did not waver while Kenyatta served a sentence in Lokitaung and later Maralal. During the formation of Kanu on May 18, 1960, at a daytime meeting at the current Kirigiti stadium in Kiambu, the leaders elected were Kenya African Union’s (KAU) James Gichuri and Kenya Independence Movement’s Tom Mboya who had collapsed his party into Gichuru’s KAU to make Kanu, becoming secretary-general. Gichuru became chairman and Odinga vice-chairman. However, both Gichuru and Odinga considered Kenyatta the leader and Gichuru would give way after Kenyatta was finally set free from Maralal later that year. Upon changing the 1963 Constitution turning Kenya into a republic and Kenyatta becoming President in 1964, Odinga became the natural choice for the position of Vice-President. However as has happened with the Ruto-Gachagua ‘prayerful’ political union, the political bliss of the two founding fathers — Kenyatta and Jaramogi – lasted for only two years. The two political soul mates parted ways and ushered the country into a season of heightened ethnic rivalry, tensions, and intense mistrust. Odinga who had built a solid support base in his Nyanza backyard and across other parts of the country resigned from office in 1966 citing frustration within the government which had made it difficult for him to serve the people. Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter A year before he resigned tensions had already built between the two leaders whose tipping point was the assassination of Odinga’s loyalist, Pio Gama Pinto, in 1965 which triggered continued disagreements. Political commentators and historians have said the fallout between the two leaders sowed the seed of Kenya’s politics of betrayal between presidents and their deputies which has been the hallmark of politics in Kenya over the years. Veteran politician and long-serving Molo MP Njenga Mungai told The Sunday Standard that the Kenyatta-Odinga conflict re-configured the country’s political landscape as each of the two leaders solicited the support of their ethnic communities to fight their political battles. Mungai said the conflict which was based on political differences and conflicting ideological inclinations undermined the country’s spirit of nationalism, social integration, and cohesion. The retired lawmaker, currently serving as the chairperson of the Jubilee Party’s Council of Elders said; “The intrigues of the complex Cold War being perpetrated by influential forces from outside Kenya impacted negatively the relationship between Kenyatta and Odinga leading to their fallout. “The political challenges facing the country today owe their genesis to the seeds of disunity and ethnic rivalry that were sowed amongst members of the big ethnic communities over the struggle for political power and influence shortly after the country attained independence,” Mungai told The Sunday Standard during a recent interview at his Molo home. Former Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere, a key figure in the second liberation, attributed the fallout between the two leaders to what he described as; “the concentration of State power in the hands of a cabal of ethnic chauvinists.” Wamwere, once a celebrated political prisoner forced to flee and find refugee in Norway, said although there were invisible external forces that created a wedge between Kenyatta and Odinga the competition for control of State power and acquisition of material possession amongst the ruling elite caused fissures in the newly formed government. The former fiery politician and assistant minister, who was first hurled into detention without trial by Kenyatta said the fallout between the two leaders was a result of “political power having fallen in the hands of individuals who did not believe in the values of the liberation struggle and who were interested in serving their selfish ends.” “Bildad Kaggia, one of the freedom fighters who was jailed together with Mzee Kenyatta but later aligned himself with Odinga would always say the struggle for independence was a struggle for land and freedom, and without the two, it would mean that the struggle had been betrayed,” Wamwere recalled. During the struggle for independence, Kenyatta and Odinga championed the cause of a unitary state of Kenya as their counterparts in Kadu agitated for a federal system of government that would create independent regions fairly free from the centre in Nairobi. Kadu drew the bulk of its support from the minority ethnic communities which in the late 50s and early 60s were the Coastal communities, Luhya, Kalenjin, Maasai, while the Kenyatta-Odinga-led Kanu political party had the support of the Kikuyu and Luo which were Kenya’s largest communities at the time. The leaders of the Kadu party were elected members from the smaller communities; Ronald Ngala (party leader) from the Coast, Masinde Muliro (secretary-general) Luhya, Daniel Arap Moi (deputy party leader), Kalenjin. The fallout between the two leaders sparked off a wave of enmity that pitted Kenyatta’s populous Kikuyu community against Odinga’s Luo. The two communities had worked together to champion the cause of freedom with Central Kenya and Nyanza regions forming the independence party, Kanu, political bastion at the height of the freedom struggle. Political pundits and historians contend that Kenyatta and Odinga were trapped in a complex web of interests driven by both local and external forces. Analysts add that the different political backgrounds and personalities who formed the independent government shaped their perception of the exercise of power and acquisition of personal wealth hence triggering conflicts amongst themselves. At the local political scene, Kenyatta is said to have fallen hostage to a cabal of Kikuyu elites who wielded power and influence in the newly established State where they used their position to acquire power and wealth. Odinga on his part advocated for the redistribution of wealth including land previously owned by the departing white settlers, hence stepping on the toes of the influential Kikuyu political elite. On the external front, Kenyatta and Odinga had different ideological orientations that were defined by the Cold War era and the after-effects of World War II. Duncan Sanys (left), Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. [File, Standard] Following the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s fascism, the two emerging powers that had been allies and victors of the 1939-45 war, began competing on a myriad of things including ideological ones. The US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) engaged in a battle of wits through indirect conflict where smaller nations and freshly independent States such as Kenya found themselves right at the centre of the war. Capitalist system The US and its allies including the British government advocated for a capitalist system of government on Kenya against communism which was espoused by the Soviet Union and China. Kenyatta enjoyed the backing of the British and the US governments in their efforts to bolster their support in the region against the Soviet Union. READ: Exposed: Power struggles that set Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Jomo Kenyatta on warpath Odinga had been calling for closer ties with China and the Soviet Union where he had political networks. He was, however, not a communist at heart and never supported the communistic ideology. He was by all accounts a capitalist - owning huge tracts of land, had investments in transport, agriculture, retail. The tag of communism was therefore a label that hit its target at a politically bad time. The tag came from his pronouncements where he pushed for no full alignment with the East or West but borrow what works from either. “For me capitalism and communism is like food, you can today eat nyoyo and tomorrow you eat ugali.’’ The Western press working in Nairobi would report such statements with a tweak “Communism is like food, Odinga says”. In his autobiography, Not Yet Uhuru, published in 1967, Odinga states that the use of public offices for the accumulation of personal wealth and oppression of the opposition by the government meant the country was yet to attain real freedom. African leaders Historians argue that the US was wary of a crop of African leaders who had ushered their countries to freedom and were agitating for closer working relationships amongst the newly independent states. READ: How a powerful group frustrated Oginga Odinga's efforts to meet Jomo Kenyatta President Kwame Nkurumah (Ghana), Leopold Senghor (Senegal), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Patrice Lumumba (Congo) and Kenyatta (Kenya) whose countries had attained independence from colonialists in the late 50s and early 60s were calling for the emancipation of other African countries from the yoke of colonialism. The Soviet Union had rendered support to some of the countries in the liberation struggle and even supported liberation movements hence the need for the US and the Western block to woe independent African states to their side. “Though the two leaders were great friends at both political and personal levels they fell prey to intense manipulations and intrigues orchestrated by the US and British forces which sought to prevent the Soviet Union from establishing a sphere of influence in the region,” Wamwere added. Confidential documents from the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and those from the British government depicted Odinga as a power-hungry leader who was plotting to topple the Kenyatta administration. The two governments shared their intelligence briefs with the Kenyatta administration which enhanced its plot to isolate Odinga from the government. The love-hate relationship between the Kikuyu and the Luo communities came to define the trajectory of the country’s politics over the years. Candidates from the two communities have on numerous occasions found themselves key protagonists during presidential elections since the country reverted to multi-party politics. Occasional marriages of convenience between the two communities have also influenced the outcome of major political events in the country including the agitation for the second liberation and enactment of the new Constitution. ALSO READ: Jomo and Jaramogi: A tale of Kenya’s enduring political dynasties The Kenyatta administration used Tom Mboya to undermine and reduce the influence of Odinga in the Luo community —where he belonged. Mboya, who harboured presidential ambitions, was shot by an assassin in Nairobi in an incident linked to Kenyatta succession politics in 1969. The assassination of Mboya jostled the country’s political scene and provided an ethnic shift to Kenyatta-Odinga differences. Mboya’s assassination had been preceded by that of Pio Gama Pinto, a former freedom fighter of Goan descent who was perceived to have been the brain behind Odinga’s communist ideology and his lead political strategist. The killing of Pinto was interpreted as an attempt to politically weaken Odinga who was kicked out of the ruling party Kanu forcing his to seek a refugee in the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) which he founded to further his political cause. In 1969, barely months after the murder of Mboya, Kenyatta made a trip to Kisumu to open the New Nyanza General Hospital which had been constructed with the support of Russia through Odinga led to fracas that forced presidential guards to open fire on the crowd killing tens of people. The violence broke out when agitated supporters of Odinga’s KPU party clashed with Kanu youth wingers. As the showdown continued the mob threw stones at the presidential dias where Kenyatta was speaking from prompting action by security forces. The incident coupled with the killing of Mboya created bad blood between the Kikuyu and the Luo with the Luos solidly backing Odinga. The radical wing within Kanu had also coalesced around Odinga whose support threatened those in power. Odinga’s supporters, most of whom had decamped from Kanu and were subjected to an election on a KPU ticket were arrested and hurled into detention as he was placed under house arrest to weaken him politically. Personal ambition Former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando, told The Sunday Standard that the fallout between Kenyatta and Odinga “epitomises how political intrigues, personal ambition and clash of ideology between the president and his assistant have defined the practice of politics in the country right from independence time hence undermining the sense of nationhood and national stability.” Kabando observes that at the time of independence candidates from different ethnic backgrounds would contest political seats in constituencies where there were few members of their communities. “For instance, Mboya would be elected in Nairobi in a constituency where the Kikuyu community formed the bulk of voters while Achieng Oneko was elected in Nakuru. John Keen, who had a Maasai background stood for a political seat in Kitale. The voters elected candidates based on the political agenda championed by a political party rather than based on ethnicity,” Kabando said. He added that the fallout between the two leaders had a profound impact on the country’s political landscape as ethnicity and support for a leader became the basis of political and mobilisation.UMaine women’s basketball team defeats Coppin StateA report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: – US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; – Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); – Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); – China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); – Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); – Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); – Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); – Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); – Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); – Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion).p777 online casino 。

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — EJ Farmer scored 16 points as Youngstown State beat Detroit Mercy 73-64 on Sunday for their seventh victory in a row. Farmer had three steals for the Penguins (9-5, 4-0 Horizon League). Gabe Dynes scored 12 points while going 4 of 5 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and four blocks. Nico Galette had 10 points. Orlando Lovejoy led the Titans (5-10, 1-3) with 23 points and three steals. Legend Geeter and TJ Nadeau both scored eight. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .By Prisca Promise Mashushu LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)- President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has condemned vandalism of ESCOM resources saying it is retrogressive to the company’s efforts to make Malawi a free blackout country. Chakwera made the sentiments on Monday during the official launch of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project in Kanengo sub-station in Lilongwe. “I would like to appeal to Malawians to avoid vandalising ESCOM resources such as poles, cables and others in order to ensure that everyone has access to electricity hence the police should investigate all vandalism cases that are happening in the country. “The launch of BESS has been designed to reduce blackouts and cost of electricity by having reliability in electricity distribution to all people of the nation, but it can only happen if people in the country protect ESCOM resources since electricity is for all,” said Chakwera. Echoing with the presidents sentiments, Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola, said the launch of BESS is important to boost energy sector that has been facing many challenges including persistent blackouts and vandalism of electricity resources among others. “A journey of thousands miles begins with a single step and the launch of BESS is just the beginning of many projects that government is planning to provide to the energy sector in order to ensure that all people have access to electricity without facing blackouts, while improving climate change,” he said. Chairperson for ESCOM, Morgan Tembo, said the launch of BESS will help to improve stability and reliability of the national power grid as it will have the capacity to hold 20 megawatts of electricity. “BESS will facilitate effective distribution of power, reduce outages and increase access to electricity. It will also provide frequency support in case of emergencies when electricity is shut down unaccepectebly,” said Tembo. The project is expected to provide electricity to natives in different parts of the country by June 2025 and ESCOM has fueledUS$ about 2.4 million to complete the project. Tembo has, therefore, warned people who engage in vandalism of ESCOM resources to desist from such maplractice saying it is drawing back development in the country. Vice President for Africa Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Joseph Karanja Nganga, explained that the launch of BESS symbolises the spirit of ambition and innovation to ensure that Malawi has access to electricity. “With energy present in the country, our farmers will be able to use technology equipment when farming and also they will be able to store crops easily. It will help in flourishing business activities; schools can work smoothly and the health sector can improve without having any draws back. “Our ambition is to work along side visionary leaders such as President Chakwera in order to fulfil a common goal of having access to energy globally,” Nganga explained. Nganga said that the launch of BESS is also proof that Malawi can overcome tremendous challenges concerning energy. The project has been funded by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), the Malawi government and ESCOM. Source: MANA Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

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Bectran Partners with GIACT for ACH Fraud PreventionParkit Enterprise Inc. ( CVE:PKT – Get Free Report ) dropped 3.5% on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.55 and last traded at C$0.55. Approximately 26,037 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 50,216 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.57. Parkit Enterprise Stock Performance The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is C$0.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.60. The company has a market capitalization of C$122.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.50 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 116.60, a quick ratio of 5.35 and a current ratio of 2.95. Insider Activity In other Parkit Enterprise news, Director Robert Blair Tamblyn sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$0.67, for a total value of C$40,200.00. Also, Director Bradley Roy Dunkley bought 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$0.70 per share, with a total value of C$699,800.00. 39.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. About Parkit Enterprise Parkit Enterprise is an industrial real estate platform focused on the acquisition, growth and management of strategically located industrial properties across key urban markets in Canada. The firm has parking assets across various markets in the United States of America. The firm seeks to invest in the United States. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Parkit Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Parkit Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Shares of D-Wave Quantum Inc. QBTS are trading higher Friday following recent developments across the quantum computing sector, driven in part by announcements from major companies and growing recognition of quantum computing’s potential economic impact. Here’s what you need to know. What To Know: On Monday, D-Wave participated in the Quantum Technologies Forum at the University of Southern California (USC). During the event, D-Wave highlighted advancements in its annealing quantum computing technology and presented practical use cases from commercial and research clients. Notably, USC hosts a D-Wave Advantage quantum system, emphasizing the company’s foothold in both academic and enterprise applications. Earlier this week, D-Wave also announced plans to feature its solutions at the upcoming Q2B24 Silicon Valley conference. The presentation will focus on the application of quantum optimization for business challenges such as workforce scheduling, network resource allocation and manufacturing processes. Company representatives stated that its annealing quantum systems provide measurable benefits in these areas, including reduced scheduling times and improved resource utilization. The broader quantum computing industry has seen increased activity. Analysts project the global enterprise quantum computing market will grow at a compound annual rate of 29.7%, reaching $10.83 billion by 2028. This growth aligns with forecasts suggesting quantum computing could generate a $1 trillion economic impact by 2035. In the financial community, D-Wave’s CEO, Dr . Alan Baratz , recently appeared on Fox Business to discuss the company’s advancements and the growing commercial adoption of its quantum technology. Baratz emphasized the company’s role as a leader in delivering quantum solutions for operational use cases, reinforcing its position in the market. QBTS Price Action: D-Wave Quantum shares were up 32.0% at $4.98 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: What’s Going On With Rocket Lab Stock on Friday? Image Via Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Can Schmidt's Wallabies end his first year with a big scalp in Dublin?The 10 costliest climate disasters in 2024 racked up damage totalling more than 200 billion US dollars, Christian Aid has warned. A report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: – US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; – Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); – Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); – China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); – Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); – Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); – Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); – Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); – Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); – Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion). 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Delays totalling 29 years ‘wreaking havoc’ with public services, says Labour