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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...

Hamas says key spokesman Abu Ubaida killed in Israeli strike earlier this year

Hamas has confirmed that its armed wing spokesman, known as Abu Ubaida, was killed in Gaza months after Israel said he had died in an air strike. In a statement released on Monday, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said Abu Ubaida had been killed during the war with Israel, describing him as a “commander and spokesman” whose identity had remained concealed throughout his public appearances. Israel had announced in August that Abu Ubaida was killed in an air strike on Gaza on 30 August, but Hamas had not previously acknowledged his death. The confirmation came in a video message posted on the group’s Telegram channel, in which the Qassam Brigades paid tribute to what it called a “masked man loved by millions”. Read more: Woman killed, family members injured as storms cause building collapse in Gaza Separately, Hamas also confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, its senior leader in Gaza and the younger brother of former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. The Israeli military said in May that Mohammed Sinwar had been killed during fighting in the enclave. Israel has said it has targeted senior Hamas figures throughout the conflict, while Hamas has often delayed or avoided confirming the deaths of its leaders. In August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said  that Abu Ubaida had been targeted in a joint operation carried out by the military and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service in Gaza. 

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