More than 118 million children had their schooling interrupted in April alone, UNICEF said, as large parts of the Middle East and Asia, from Gaza in the west to the Philippines in the southeast, experienced a sizzling weekslong heat wave with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius.

Extreme weather caused significant disruptions to education worldwide in 2024, with around 242 million students in 85 countries missing lessons due to heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

At least 242 million children across 85 countries faced disruptions in their education due to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, cyclones, and flooding last year, according to a recent report from the United Nations Children's Fund.

Extreme weather caused significant disruptions to education worldwide in 2024, with around 242 million students in 85 countries missing lessons due

In Europe, torrential rains and floods disrupted lessons for over 900,000 students in Italy in September, while October floods affected 13,000 children and teenagers in Spain, according to UNICEF.

Heatwaves were the leading cause of school closures in 2024, affecting over 118 million students in April alone. Countries like Bangladesh and the Philippines saw widespread shutdowns, while Cambodia shortened school days by two hours. In South Asia, temperatures soared to 47°C (116°F), creating unsafe conditions for students.

As the young Ukrainian-born chef running it – a “Gen Z” social media star who shot to fame teaching recipes during the COVID pandemic. Elias Dosunmu, 27, boasts 9.6 million followers on TikTok, nearly 5 million on YouTube and 2 million on Instagram, making him – in his words – “Spain’s most followed gastronomy profile”.

The Fiji Airways Fiji Men’s 7s team, sitting atop the leaderboard with 48 points, finds themselves in Pool C with Spain, Uruguay, and the USA. The Fiji 7s team which finished 5th in Perth is still a team to watch, but they’ll face stiff competition from Spain, who are also in fine form.

In November, UNICEF warned in its State of the World’s Children report that climate crises are expected to become more widespread between 2050 and 2059, with eight times as many children exposed to extreme heat waves, and three times as many exposed to extreme river floods, compared to the 2000s.

At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones

At least 242 million children in 85 countries had their schooling interrupted in 2024 because of heatwaves, cyclones, flooding and ot

ISLAMABAD: Over 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events last year, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts, exacerbating an existing learning crisis, according to a Unicef analysis released on Friday.