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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...

Pakistan among 26 countries named founding members of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

The Trump administration’s newly formed “Board of Peace” on Wednesday announced 26 countries designated as founding members of the initiative, including Pakistan. A week after United States President Donald Trump formally introduced the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the body launched an official account on US social media company X. "The Board of Peace welcomes Pakistan as a founding member of our growing international organisation," said a welcome post on X. The Board of Peace welcomes Pakistan as a founding member of our growing international organization. pic.twitter.com/nyAy69v9g8 — Board of Peace (@BoardOfPeace) January 28, 2026 The list of founding members includes Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, spanning the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caucasus. Read: Why Pakistan joined Trump's Board of Peace Notably absent from the list are major European countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, amid sharp disagreements with Trump on issues including Greenland and tariff policies, which have strained relations between Washington and several European capitals. Ukraine questioned how it could participate alongside Russia and Belarus. Belarus accepted the invitation to join, while Russia was not included in the board, despite President Vladimir Putin saying Moscow was ready to allocate $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the previous US administration to the body’s budget. Trump rescinded Canada’s invitation, citing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum, in which he warned against economic coercion by major powers. Trump announced the establishment of the "Board of Peace" on January 15 as part of his broader plan for Gaza, under which the ceasefire agreement was reached. The board was authorised by the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in November 2025. Read More: What is Pakistan getting into with Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’? The board was originally conceived to oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction of Gaza, but its charter expands its mandate to peace-building in all areas affected by or at risk of conflict. Further details on the board’s mandate, leadership structure, and timeline for implementation have yet to be formally announced.

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

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Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

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