Skip to main content

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...
Post a Comment

Israel reduces 'safe zones' to rubble, leaves only 9.5% of Gaza for civilians

Israeli forces have turned the designated "safe humanitarian zones" within the Gaza Strip into heaps of rubble and ashes, leaving only 9.5% of the territory as so-called “safe zones” for displaced civilians, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza said on Saturday. According to a statement released by the authority, at the onset of Israel's ground invasion of Gaza in early November 2023, Israeli forces pushed hundreds of thousands of civilians from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, claiming these areas were "safe humanitarian zones." Initially, these zones covered 230 square kilometers (89 square miles) or 63% of Gaza's total area, including agricultural land and commercial, economic, and service facilities spread across 120 square kilometers (46 square miles). As the Israeli military offensives continued, the size of these so-called safe zones shrank dramatically, the statement said. The authority explained that by early December 2023, following Israel's incursion into Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the designated humanitarian areas were reduced to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), accounting for 38.3% of Gaza's total area. These areas included some agricultural land as well as economic, commercial, and service establishments. Further reductions occurred in May 2024, during Israel's incursion into Rafah, when the humanitarian zone shrank to 79 square kilometers (30.5 square miles), or 20% of Gaza's total area, the statement added. By mid-June 2024, the zone was reduced to 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), accounting for just 16.4% of Gaza's total area. The area encompassed roads, streets, service areas, and even cemeteries, none of which could be considered truly safe havens for displaced civilians, it said. In mid-July 2024, the area deemed "safe" by the Israeli forces was reduced again, this time to 48 square kilometers (18.5 square miles), or 13.15% of Gaza's total area. Finally, as of August 2024, the Israeli army has reduced these "safe humanitarian zones" to a mere 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles), or 9.5% of Gaza's total area. This zone includes only about 3.5% of agricultural, service, and commercial areas, further shrinking the spaces where civilians can seek refuge, the authorities said, detailing how Israeli forces systematically destroyed the "safe zones." The ongoing reduction of these safe zones has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as civilians have fewer places to escape the violence. Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities. An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins. Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/N0A5b1R
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more