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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...
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South Korea names first civilian defence minister since 1961

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung named veteran lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back as the country's first civilian defence minister in 64 years on Monday, making good on a campaign promise made after December's martial law shook faith in the military. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called when former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over the martial law attempt, also named 10 other cabinet ministers including former UN ambassador Cho Hyun as foreign minister and a North Korea diplomacy advocate, Chung Dong-young, as unification minister, his office said. Read: Lee Jae-myung wins South Korea presidency months after martial law protest Yoon's defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, played a leading role in recommending and planning martial law, and is in jail amid an ongoing trial on insurrection charges. The nominations, which do not require parliamentary approval but will be reviewed in at-times contentious hearings, come as Lee works to form a new cabinet and staff his office. He took office the day after the election without a transition period, as Yoon was ousted in April for breaching the duties of his office with December's martial law declaration, which he reversed after parliament defied him. Read more: President Yoon indicted for insurrection over martial law move in South Korea Lee has worked with an acting prime minister and a cabinet carried over from Yoon's administration as he tackles the job of uniting a bitterly divided country and formulating a response to US President Donald Trump's new tariffs. He has pledged to pursue diplomacy pillared on pragmatism with a focus on support for the export-heavy economy's global companies in the fields of automobiles, semiconductors and steelmaking. Earlier this month, he named a long-term member of parliament and a key political ally, Kim Min-seok, to be his prime minister, a post that requires parliamentary approval. Lee on Monday also nominated new ministers for agriculture, environment, labour and maritime affairs, among others.

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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

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