Millions of people in California and the US South-west are experiencing record high temperatures due to a "heat dome" this week.
About 30 million people in northern California, south through Arizona and east into Texas are under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories issued by the National Weather Service until Saturday.
Similar heat domes have scorched the US in the past: the same region suffered under weeks of extremely hot weather last summer.
The city of Phoenix in the US state of Arizona set a heat record, with 19 straight days of temperatures above 40°C, beating the previous record set in 1974.
What is a heat dome?
A heat dome occurs when high-pressure atmospheric conditions trap heat over an area. These are combined with high winds caused by La Nina, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This high pressure also causes air to sink. As the air sinks it warms, leading to higher temperatures. And since the air cannot escape it creates a dome, with temperatures getting hotter and hotter.
The area trapped under the dome can stretch across several countries and linger for weeks.
Most records are set during heat domes, which can result in dangerously high temperatures.
Who suffers most in a heat dome?
Officials have urged residents across the region to stay indoors, drink plenty of fluids and, if able, to check on neighbours and loved ones.
Elderly people and those who do not have access to spaces to keep cool are most at risk during a heat dome. The high temperatures can be deadly if people do not hydrate or find ways to cool down.
Cities often adopt heat-beating measures, such as opening cooling centres and setting up sprinkler systems.
The impact of constant heat may also make people more prone to illness.
Where have heat domes taken place?
More than 2,000 people in India were killed in 2015 during a period of intense heat that lasted several weeks.
The country has experienced other heatwaves in the years since, leading to more than 6,500 deaths.
Excessive heat has also been linked to the country's hindered economic development.
One of the deadliest heatwaves occurred in 2003, when searing conditions resulted in about 30,000 casualties across Europe between July and August.
More recently, a heat dome settled over France last year, leading to intense high temperatures that were felt across Europe.
A record-breaking summer in Europe led to more than 61,000 heat-related deaths in 2022.
Is climate change a factor behind heat domes?
Climate change is a driver in the increasing frequency of heatwaves.
A 2023 study found that Afghanistan and parts of Central America are both areas susceptible to high-risk heatwaves.
Forecasters say it was difficult to link the record-breaking heat experienced by the US South-west in recent years to human-induced climate change, but such extremes are becoming more frequent because of global warming.
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
Racecard
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SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
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Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
