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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...

OIC slams consecration of ‘Ram temple’ in India’s Ayodhya

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday conveyed its serious concerns regarding the recent construction and inauguration of the "Ram Temple" at the site of the previously demolished Babri Mosque in India’s Ayodhya.  Expressing its stance, the OIC's General Secretariat expressed deep worry over the actions taken to establish the "Ram Temple" and condemned the obliteration of the Islamic landmark represented by the historic Babri Mosque.  #OIC General Secretariat Denounces Opening of “Ram Temple” on Demolished Historic #BabriMosque in the #Indian city of #Ayodhya: https://t.co/lT3UYXsyqX pic.twitter.com/ao4kF6DR80 — OIC (@OIC_OCI) January 23, 2024 The mosque had stood at the site for five centuries and held significant cultural and religious value, it added.  This, the statement continued, aligns with the OIC's consistent position, as expressed by the Council of Foreign Ministers in previous sessions.  The OIC denounces actions that undermine Islamic landmarks and emphasises the importance of preserving cultural and religious heritage, it asserted.  Read also: Pakistan slams temple consecration The statement came a day after Pakistan also condemned the construction and consecration of the temple on the site of the demolished Babri Mosque and urged the international community to take cognisance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes in India.  “The United Nations and other relevant international organisations should play their part in saving the Islamic heritage sites in India from extremist groups and ensuring the protection of the religious and cultural rights of the minorities in India,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press statement.  Pakistan also urged the Indian government to ensure the safety and security of religious minorities, including Muslims and their holy places.  The centuries-old mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a mob of extremists.  The temple in the city of Ayodhya has been a contentious issue that helped catapult the BJP to prominence and power, and delivers on its 35-year-old promise, which analysts say should help Modi as he seeks a rare third term in an election due by May.  For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims.  In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.  (With input from Reuters) 

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At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

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US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

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Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...