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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...

Gaza's death toll surpasses 50,000 as heavy bombardment resumes

The death toll in Hamas-run Gaza has crossed 50,000, as the health ministry in Gaza reported on Sunday that at least 50,021 people have been killed since the conflict with Israel began in October 2023. The ministry also stated that 113,274 people have been wounded in the ongoing war. According to Gaza's civil defense agency, the death toll had surpassed 50,000, although these figures have not been independently verified. However, the United Nations has deemed the health ministry's figures reliable. The death toll surged this week after a truce that had largely held since January 19 broke down, prompting Israel to launch heavy airstrikes and renew its ground offensive. In the past 24 hours alone, at least 39 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of casualties to 673 since Israeli operations resumed on Tuesday. A study published in The Lancet in early January suggested that the death toll in Gaza during the first nine months of the conflict was about 40% higher than what the Gaza health ministry had recorded. The health ministry's latest figures also include 233 people who were previously listed as missing but whose deaths have now been confirmed. The war began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

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