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Record-breaking heat wave grips western United States

A record early heat wave striking the western United States on Friday is a one-in-500-year event and almost certainly the result of human-caused climate change, experts say. The heat has been toppling records this week and is set to continue into the weekend across western cities while expanding eastward. Four locations in the desert area near the California-Arizona border registered 44.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, a US national record for March. The readings were recorded near Yuma and Martinez Lake in Arizona, and around Winterhaven and Ogilby in California. Read: Intense heatwave grips US, triggering record-breaking temperatures Already, 65 cities have recorded new March highs, ranging from Arizona and California to Idaho, Weather.com reported. Death Valley reached 40°C on Thursday, while typically cool and foggy San Francisco tied its historic March record at 29°C. In Colorado, skiers were seen hitting the slopes shirtless. The National Weather Service issued extreme heat warni...

Japan man gets death sentence for killing 36 in anime studio arson - NHK

A Japanese man was convicted and sentenced to death on Thursday for the arson and killing of 36 people at famed anime studio Kyoto Animation in 2019, public broadcaster NHK said. The deadly attack on the Kyoto-based studio, better known as KyoAni, had sent shockwaves not only through Japan where violent crime is rare, but also overseas given the studio's far-reaching fan base and the audacity of the crime. Shinji Aoba, now 45, had set the studio ablaze by dousing the entrance area of the building with petrol, also injuring 32. Aoba himself suffered heavy burns and underwent intensive treatment for nearly a year. Media have reported that Aoba held a grudge against the studio, known for the series "Violet Evergarden" and other popular works, believing that it had plagiarised his novel, an allegation that KyoAni has denied. A pillar of Japanese pop culture, anime has become a major cultural export, winning fans around the world. The incident prompted condolences from world leaders and business executives such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook. Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven (G7) nations that carry out capital punishment.      

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