Hurricane Idalia hits Florida with 125 mph winds, flooding streets, snapping trees and cutting power

13 Sept 22:20 Key points summarised by AI

Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds, causing widespread destruction including ripped roofs, snapped trees, and severe flooding.
The powerful storm then tracked across Georgia and South Carolina, weakening to a tropical storm but still unleashing high winds, heavy rains, and significant coastal surges that flooded downtown Charleston.
Idalia led to at least one confirmed fatality in Georgia and two weather-related deaths in Florida, while cutting power to nearly half a million homes and businesses across the affected states.
Emergency crews are conducting search-and-recovery missions in the remote, hardest-hit areas, as officials describe Idalia as an "unprecedented event" for the region.

Examining Thailand’s four-part education revolution

Yesterday 14:22 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's Education Ministry is implementing a four-pronged strategy to address its students' below-average performance in PISA 2025 and tackle significant educational inequality.
The plan prioritizes closing performance gaps by increasing funding for small and low-income schools, overhauling the curriculum to foster critical thinking, and adopting a data-driven management system to reduce teacher workload.
Key initiatives include enhancing school safety, combating cyberbullying, and expanding mental health support through peer-to-peer networks, recognizing the severe impact of distress on academic performance.
An education expert advises verifying if PISA improvements stem from structural changes, advocating for a revived STEM curriculum with practical 'learn by doing' methods, and urging bureaucratic reform to link teacher evaluations to student development.