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

Bangladesh tightens security after youth leader’s killing amid rising unrest

Bangladesh deployed police and paramilitary forces in the capital on Saturday ahead of funeral prayers for slain youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whose killing has triggered widespread violence and unrest across the country. Hadi, 32, a key figure in last year’s student-led uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants while launching his election campaign in Dhaka last week. He died on Thursday night in Singapore after six days on life support. The unrest erupted amid rising political tensions following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Hadi, a spokesperson for the student-led group Inquilab Mancha, was a key figure in the protests that toppled Hasina. He was shot in the head by masked assailants while launching his election campaign in Dhaka and later flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after six days on life support. Read: Protests in Bangladesh as India cites security concerns Following his death, violent demonstrations spread across Dhaka and other cities, with mobs targeting media outlets, political offices, and cultural organisations. In Dhaka, the offices of major newspapers Prothom Alo and the Daily Star were vandalised, while in Chittagong, protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission, reflecting growing anti-India sentiment. Analysts say the unrest highlights the fragile control of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and raises concerns about maintaining law and order ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. The unrest has seen coordinated attacks on media outlets, political websites, and cultural institutions, including the Dhaka office of Udichi Shilpigosthi, a leading progressive cultural organisation. Demonstrations demanding justice for Hadi also spread to Chittagong, where protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission, reflecting growing anti-India sentiment following Hasina’s exile to New Delhi. Bangladesh is set to elect a new parliament on February 12, 2026, a transition aimed at stabilising the nation after nearly two years of political turbulence. Analysts say the unrest has exposed the limitations of the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and raised questions over its control in the world’s largest apparel producer after China. Yunus’ government declared Saturday a day of state mourning and urged citizens to resist “mob violence by fringe elements,” warning that continued unrest could undermine the fragile democratic transition. Read More: Assassination of student leader Osman Hadi leads to protests across Bangladesh Human Rights Watch condemned Hadi’s killing as a “terrible act” and called on the government to halt ongoing violence, including attacks on journalists and media houses, which the group described as assaults on free expression. Amnesty International also urged prompt, independent investigations into Hadi’s death and subsequent violence. The violence underscores mounting concerns over press freedom and civic space in Bangladesh, which ranks 149th of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/nd2SMUq
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