Midwest quake could cause $100 billion damage: RMS (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami are likely to have caused up to $34 billion in losses for the global insurance industry, catastrophe modeling company RMS said on Tuesday.

It was only a week ago that Iran was shaken by a major 6.1 earthquake, striking just 100 km away from the Busher nuclear power plant: a location so "opportune" some, so inclined, saw in this phenomenon anoter demonstration of the HAARP's capabilities. Those same people will then hardly be surprised to learn that moments ago the entire middle east, from Dubai to Delhi, shook in the aftermath of yet another massive earthquake, this time measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, which once again was located as the USGS reports, some 86 km East South East of Khash, Iran.

(Reuters) - The damage from the powerful storm Sandy is so widespread that it is too soon to estimate losses, a leading disaster assessment firm, RMS, said on Friday, in contrast to rivals projecting possible insured losses of $7 billion to $20 billion.

Catastrophes and man-made disasters cost the world economy a record $370 billion in 2011, reinsurer giant Swiss Re said Wednesday, raising an estimate it issued in December.The group had earlier estimated total economic losses at $350 billion, compared to $226 billion in 2010.The devastating earthquake in Japan that sparked the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March accounted for 57 percent of 2011's losses, the Zurich based group said.Overall, insured losses reached $116 billion, more than double the $48 billion paid out by insurers for 2010.

This week's earthquake in Japan could lead to insured losses of nearly $35 billion, risk modeling company AIR Worldwide said, making it one of the most expensive catastrophes in history.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - This week's earthquake in Japan could lead to insured losses of nearly $35 billion, risk modeling company AIR Worldwide said.