PARIS: From Nigeria to Japan, Pakistan to Spain, the month of June was the hottest ever recorded in 12 countries and was exceptionally warm in 26 other countries, according to AFP analysis of data from the European monitor Copernicus.

Some 790 million people around Europe, Asia and Africa experienced their hottest June to date. For the residents of 26 other states, including Britain, China, France, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, the month of June was the second hottest on record.

Heatwaves are more frequent and intense because of global warming, experts say. Here is a roundup of the exceptional heat recorded in June:

An early summer heatwave scorched western and southern Europe at the end of June, bringing sweltering heat to the Paris region in France and parts of Belgium and the Netherlands that are not used to such temperatures.

Around 15 countries, including Switzerland, Italy, and every Balkan state, saw temperatures rise to three degrees Celsius above the June average between 1981 and 2010. Spain, Bosnia, and Montenegro had their hottest June to date.

Japan also had its hottest June on record since data collection began in 1898, with record temperatures logged in 14 cities during a heatwave. The temperature of coastal waters was 1.2°C higher than usual, tying with June 2024 for the highest since data collection began in 1982, the weather agency said on 1 July.

Japan’s summer last year was already the joint hottest on record, equalling the level seen in 2023, followed by the warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago. Japan’s beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate, or sometimes not fully blossoming because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering, experts say.

South Korea and North Korea also experienced their warmest June since records began. Temperatures in both countries were 2°C higher than the recorded average.

In China, 102 weather stations logged the hottest-ever June day, with some measuring temperatures above 40°C, according to state media.

Temperatures soared to record highs for June in Pakistan, home to a population of 250 million, and in Tajikistan, which has 10 million people. The June records followed an exceptionally hot spring in Central Asia. Several countries including Pakistan and Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan experienced their warmest spring (April-June) ever recorded.

In Nigeria, the world’s sixth most populous country with 230 million people, temperatures rose to June 2024’s record-breaking levels.

Other parts of central and eastern Africa were also exceptionally hot. June was the second hottest month on record after 2024 in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

In South Sudan, temperatures passed the normal June average by 2.1°C, an exceptional deviation from the norm in a region of the world where temperatures tend to be more stable. The impoverished nation plagued by insecurity is ill-equipped to counter increasing environmental disasters and had already struggled with a devastating heatwave in March, typically the hottest month of the year. Students collapsing from the heat in the capital Juba prompted the government to close schools and order citizens to remain at home.

“Extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement,” warned the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in May.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Afghan officials on Monday met in Islamabad to discuss trade, visa, security, connectivity and refugee issues, amid a thaw in relations between the two neighbors.

Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have been strained by a spike in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad says anti-Pakistan militants carry out cross-border attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.

Another source of tension has been Pakistan’s drive to expel Afghans, which first began in Nov. 2023. Pakistan this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with Proof of Registration cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards. There are a further 1 million Afghans in the country illegally because they have no paperwork, according to officials.

The two sides on Monday held an inaugural round of the additional secretary-level talks, pursuant to decisions reached during the visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul in April, during which he held meetings with top Afghan leadership that encompassed peace and security, people-to-people contacts, and trade and economic cooperation.

“Both sides recognized terrorism as a serious threat to regional peace and security. The Pakistani side emphasized the need for concrete actions against terrorist groups operating on Afghan soil, noting that such groups undermine Pakistan’s security and hinder regional development,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

 “The two sides exchanged views on deepening trade and transit cooperation. They reviewed the implementation status of measures announced during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan to Kabul for facilitating Afghan transit trade, including the removal of a 10 percent processing fee, provision of an insurance guarantee, reduction in scanning and examination, and operationalization of the track and trace system.”

The Pakistani side was led by Additional Secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia, Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani, while the Afghan side was led by Director-General of the First Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor.

They underlined the importance of enhanced regional connectivity as a catalyst for sustainable growth and shared prosperity.

“Noting the strategic significance of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway in that regard, they agreed to make concerted efforts toward the early finalization of the Framework Agreement,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

The 850-kilometer-long railway connectivity project aims to link Central Asia with Pakistan’s southern ports of Gwadar and Karachi through Afghanistan to improve trade access for landlocked countries and strengthen economic integration across the region.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said the two sides stressed the need to resolve the “issues of Afghan prisoners and refugees in Pakistan and facilitate the provision of visas to Afghan patients and businessmen.”

“Pakistan side shared an overview of its efforts to facilitate documented travel from Afghanistan, notably through the issuance of over 500,000 visas since January 2024 to date across a range of categories such as medical, tourist, business, and study. Both sides agreed to work together to further strengthen the legal movement of individuals across borders,” Islamabad’s foreign ministry said.

Both sides assured of continued mutual communication and cooperation to address current challenges and described security as important for regional development and further strengthening bilateral relations, according to the two foreign ministries.

They decided to convene the next round of the additional secretary-level talks at mutually convenient dates.