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At least 242 million children in 85 countries had their schooling interrupted last year because of heat waves, cyclones, flooding, and other extreme weather, the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a new report Friday.UNICEF said it amounted to one in seven school-going children across the world being kept out of class at some point in 2024 because of climate hazards.The report also outlined how some countries saw hundreds of their schools destroyed by weather, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa hit especially hard.But other regions weren’t spared the extreme weather, as torrential rains and floods in Italy near the end of the year disrupted school for more than 900,000 children. Thousands had their classes halted after catastrophic flooding in Spain.While southern Europe dealt with deadly floods and Asia and Africa had flooding and cyclones, heat waves were “the predominant climate hazard shuttering schools last year,” UNICEF said, as the earth recorded its hottest year ever.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 weeks-long heat wave with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).“Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heat waves, storms, droughts, and flooding,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat, and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded, or if schools are washed away.”Around 74% of the children affected in 2024 were in middle- and low-income countries, showing how climatic extremes continue to have a devastating impact in the poorest countries. Flooding ruined more than 400 schools in Pakistan in April. Afghanistan had heat waves followed by severe flooding that destroyed over 110 schools in May, UNICEF said.Months of drought in southern Africa exacerbated by the El Nio weather phenomenon threatened the schooling and futures of millions of children.And the crises showed little sign of abating. The poor French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean off Africa was left in ruins by Cyclone Chido in December and hit again by Tropical Storm Dikeledi this month, leaving children across the islands out of school for six weeks.Cyclone Chido also destroyed more than 330 schools and three regional education departments in Mozambique on the African mainland, where access to education is already a deep problem.UNICEF said the world’s schools and education systems “are largely ill-equipped” to deal with the effects of extreme weather. AP climate and environment news: https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment Gerald Imray, Associated Press
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last month that automatic payments are being sent to roughly one million taxpayers who did not claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax returns. These payments, according to the IRS, were expected to be disbursed throughout December and arrive by late January 2025 “in most cases,” meaning most eligible recipients should receive them by this week or next at the latest. Why are these payments being sent out? The Recovery Rebate Credit was created to provide financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic for individuals who missed or did not receive the full amount of their Economic Impact Payments, commonly known as stimulus checks. While most eligible taxpayers have already claimed their credits, IRS officials identified a significant group that overlooked this benefit. Looking at our internal data, we realized that one million taxpayers overlooked claiming this complex credit when they were actually eligible,” Danny Werfel, commissioner of the IRS, said in a statement in December. “To minimize headaches and get this money to eligible taxpayers, were making these payments automatic, meaning these people will not be required to go through the extensive process of filing an amended return to receive it. How are these payments being disbursed? The payments, which can reach up to $1,400 per individual, will be sent via direct deposit or as a paper check to the address or bank account listed on the recipients 2023 tax return. Those receiving payments will also be notified by letter. If a taxpayers bank account has changed, the funds will be reissued as a check to the updated address on file. Am I eligible for a payment? In total, the IRS estimates approximately $2.4 billion will be distributed through these final payments. Taxpayers who did not file a 2021 return but believe they are eligible have until April 15, 2025, to submit a return and claim the credit. The IRS encourages taxpayers to confirm their eligibility using online resources or by reviewing the credit guidelines on the IRS website. Importantly, if you are eligible for a payment and filed a 2021 return, you don’t not have to do anything. The payments are automatic. The agency has also committed to further outreach during the 2025 tax season to ensure individuals understand other available benefits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and other pandemic-related tax relief. This final round of payments closes the chapter on pandemic stimulus measures, offering a last opportunity for eligible individuals to access unclaimed financial support.
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Days after a winter storm dropped ice and record-breaking snow, cleanup efforts were underway Thursday in several major Southern cities such as New Orleans, where crews were removing snow the same way they remove trash, drink cups, and plastic beads after Mardi Gras.Temperatures were gradually rising across the U.S. South, bringing hopes that remaining snow and ice would melt away.“We have to be honest with ourselveswe’re from Louisiana, we know crawfish, we know football, but we don’t really know snow and ice and that’s okay,” said Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spokesperson Daniel Gitlin. “It’s going to go away and we’re better off letting Mother Nature do what she needs to do right now.”Up to 200 miles (320 kilometers) of interstate was expected to remain closed until Friday due to treacherous patches of black ice, Gitlin said. Louisiana has nearly run out of its salt supply after treating roads, he added.In the Big Easy, a private waste management firm has been contracted to repurpose equipment that’s typically used to clean up Mardi Gras beads and cups to clear snow from the streets.IV Waste President Sidney Torres said his company has deployed a 4,000-gallon (15,000-liter) “flusher” truck to spray water on the ground to soften the ice for removal in the historic and festive French Quarter. The truck normally sprays lemon-scented fragrance “to get rid of that funky liquor, urine, puke smell from the night before,” Torres said. “We’re finding new solutions and better techniques to dealing with this.”Arkansas sent Louisiana snowplows, dump trucks, salt spreaders, and other equipment, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said.The snowfall likely broke several records across the region, including in Florida where a preliminary report of 10 inches (25 centimeters) in one town would set a new all-time record for the state, if confirmed.Snow totals reached 3 inches (8 centimeters) this week in Savannah, Georgia, the most that the state’s oldest city has recorded since December 1989.The snow was lighter in metro Atlanta, where the southern suburbs saw more snow and ice than areas north of the city. In Covington, southeast of Atlanta, Jesse Gentes used a flame thrower to deice the roads in his subdivision. In better weather, he typically uses the flame thrower for brush removal, he told WSB-TV.Light freezing rain was forecast Thursday in the port city of Brunswick and surrounding Glynn County, where local officials had imposed an overnight curfew because of icy roads and frigid temperatures. Officials opened three warming stations where people could escape the biting chill, and nearly 4,000 residents of the county were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.South Carolina reported at least one death in the storm. A 71-year-old man died from a medical condition while shoveling snow Thursday morning in Berkeley County, Coroner Darnell Hartwell said. About 3-4 inches (8-10 centimeters) of snow fell in the area, according to the National Weather Service.The snow and ice had staying power and left a mess on the roads in coastal South Carolina. In Charleston, ice that melted and then refroze overnight closed the James Island Connector, a bridge that links the city to its western suburbs. Police said on social media that “while crews are working hard, it is unlikely to reopen soon.”Schools and county offices remained closed as officials in most areas south and east of the state capital, Columbia, asked people to stay home at least one more day.It was a similar story in North Carolina, where slick roads remained a danger to drivers after snow melted and then refroze overnight. Schools were also affected, including in Cumberland County where Fayetteville is located, where the school system announced that students would have an “asynchronous” learning day allowing students to complete assignments at home. Several other school districts operated on a two-hour delay.Some school systems in central and south Alabama remained closed Thursday because of concerns about remaining ice on roads or the possibility of frozen pipes in schools. In coastal Baldwin County, sections of Interstate 65 and Interstate 10 were shut down because of ice.Across the South, airports were gradually recovering from the weather interruption. Nationwide, about 600 flights scheduled to fly into or out of U.S. airports had been canceled by midday Thursdaya marked improvement over previous days when the storm was at its peak, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.com. Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press Writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed. Jack Brook and Russ Bynum, Associated Press
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