2024-05-05 13:02

DHAKA, May 5 (Reuters) - Schools in Bangladesh reopened on Sunday and classes were continuing over the weekend after a searing heatwave a week ago that suspended lessons as the country baked in temperatures that surged to well over 40 degrees Centigrade. Bangladesh has wavered over reopening schools for some 33 million students amid pressure to prepare pupils for exams, even as the worst heatwave in seven decades sent temperatures as high as 43.8 C (110.84° Fahrenheit) last week. Many people have died across the region, and experts warned the heat could exacerbate inequalities, widen a learning gap between developing and developed nations in the tropics. Bangladesh, which follows the Islamic work week from Sunday to Thursday, will hold classes on Saturdays until further notice, the education ministry said. Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury has said schools would open on Friday if needed to complete the curriculum. Parents have welcomed the decision. "Children don't want to study at home. This will help them make up for the loss," said Fatema Akhtar, who was waiting to pick up her grade-two daughter outside a school. Scientists have said climate change is causing more frequent, severe, and lengthy heat waves during summer months. The U.N. children's agency has estimated that one in three children, or nearly 20 million children, in low-lying Bangladesh bear the brunt of such climate change every day. Separately, a fire that broke out amid the heatwave on Saturday and spread across three acres of the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest that is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, was brought under control on Sunday, officials said. Intense heatwaves have caused water shortages and frequent power cuts, hitting the key apparel sector which accounts for more than 80% of exports and supplies retailers such as H&M (HMb.ST) New Tab, opens new tab, Walmart (WMT.N) New Tab, opens new tab and Gap Inc (GPS.N) New Tab, opens new tab. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-reopens-schools-searing-temperatures-drop-2024-05-05/

2024-05-05 10:24

NAIROBI, May 5 (Reuters) - The number of people killed by flooding and other impacts of the heavy rains battering Kenya has risen to 228, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The torrential rains that have caused widespread flooding and landslides across the country in recent weeks are forecast to worsen in May. In a statement, the ministry said further flooding was "expected in low lying areas, riparian areas and urban areas while landslides/mudslides may occur in areas with steep slopes, escarpments and ravines." The deluges have destroyed homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across East Africa's largest economy. At least 164 people have been injured by the adverse weather, while 212,630 have been displaced, the ministry said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/death-toll-kenya-floods-rises-228-2024-05-05/

2024-05-05 08:58

KYIV, May 5 (Reuters) - Recent Russian massive drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian energy system have caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to the sector, Ukraine's energy minister German Galushchenko said on Sunday. Since March 22, the Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations as well as main networks on an almost daily basis, leading to blackouts in many regions. "Today, we are talking about the amounts of losses for more than a billion dollars. But the attacks continue, and it is obvious that the losses will grow," Galushchenko said in a statement. Galushchenko said the main damage was to thermal and hydro generation facilities, as well as power transmission systems. "The system is stable for today, but the situation is quite complicated," he said, adding that thanks to favourable weather conditions, the energy system is currently being supported by wind and solar power generation. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-attacks-ukraine-energy-system-caused-1-bln-damages-minister-2024-05-05/

2024-05-05 02:58

May 4 (Reuters) - South American football's governing body, CONMEBOL, postponed on Saturday the Libertadores and Sudamericana matches scheduled for next week in Porto Alegre, Brazil, due to heavy rains. The government of Rio Grande do Sul declared a state of emergency on Thursday following the intense rains that have hit the region. "CONMEBOL has decided to postpone the Libertadores match between Chile's Huachipato and Brazil's Gremio, scheduled for Wednesday, and the Sudamericana match Bolivia's Real Tomayapo and Brazil's Internacional scheduled for Tuesday," the governing body said in a statement. "The new date for both matches will be announced shortly." Flooding across the state has killed 55 and left more than 350,000 without electricity, while Salgado Filho International Airport is under water and operations have been suspended indefinitely, with roads also being affected. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/heavy-rain-porto-alegre-forces-conmebol-postpone-libertadores-sudamericana-2024-05-05/

2024-05-04 21:52

OMAHA, Nebraska, May 4 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) New Tab, opens new tab shareholders on Saturday overwhelmingly rejected six proposals addressing environmental and social policy issues at Warren Buffett's conglomerate, all of which the billionaire investor and his board opposed. By margins of more than 4-to-1, shareholders at Berkshire's annual meeting voted against two proposals that the company's insurance and energy operations disclose more about their efforts to address climate change including greenhouse gas emissions. They also turned down a proposal for more disclosure about efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. By overwhelming majorities, shareholders voted against a separate environment-related proposal, creating a board-level committee to monitor safety at the BNSF railroad unit, and requiring Berkshire to report annually on how much its business operations depend on the "hostile" Chinese government. Berkshire invested in Chinese electric car company BYD in 2008, though it began reducing that stake in 2022. The votes were not surprising because Buffett owns special shares that give him a 31% voting stake in Berkshire. That makes it difficult to adopt proposals Buffett opposes. Berkshire shareholders also reelected the company's 14-person board. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/berkshire-shareholders-reject-climate-diversity-china-proposals-2024-05-04/

2024-05-04 21:18

SAO PAULO, May 4 (Reuters) - Heavy rains in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul this week killed at least 55 people, local authorities said on Saturday evening, while dozens remain unaccounted for. Rio Grande do Sul's civil defense authority said 74 people were still missing and more than 69,000 had been displaced as storms in the last few days have affected nearly two thirds of the 497 cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina. The local authority said it is now investigating whether another seven deaths were related to the storms, after earlier in the day it had reported a total of more than 55 deaths. Floods destroyed roads and bridges in several regions of the state. The storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant. A second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves is also at risk of collapsing, authorities said. In Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, the Guaiba lake broke its banks, flooding streets. Porto Alegre's international airport has suspended all flights for an indefinite period. State Governor Eduardo Leite told reporters on Saturday evening that Rio Grande do Sul would need a "Marshall Plan" to recover from the storms and its consequences, referring to a plan for Europe's economic recovery after World War Two. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had visited Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday, will travel back to the state on Sunday to follow the rescue efforts, his chief of communication Paulo Pimenta said on Saturday. Lula said on X that his government is in constant contact with state and cities' authorities to support the region with whatever they need. Rains are expected in the northern and northeastern regions of the state until Sunday, but the volume of precipitation has been declining, and should be well below the peak seen earlier in the week, according to the state meteorology authority. Still, "rivers water levels should stay high for some days", Leite said earlier on Saturday. Rio Grande do Sul is at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which has created a weather pattern with periods of intense rains and others of drought. Local scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due to climate change. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/death-toll-rains-southern-brazil-climbs-56-some-70-still-missing-2024-05-04/