Welcome to Death Valley, where tourists hope to celebrate record-high temperatures

Image of the week: (Don’t) Visit Death Valley

Death Valley in California, close to the Nevada border, is known for sweltering temperatures that pose a risk to human life, as its name suggests.

This week, it joined in one of three mass-area heatwaves scorching the earth, with the temperature coming close to 129.2F (54C), the highest reliably recorded and validated air temperature ever reached on earth (in Kuwait in 2016 and also in Death Valley in 2013). Two instances of the temperature reaching 129.9F in the valley, which is 86m below sea level, were also recorded in 2020 and 2021 but are pending validation.

To underline what they can expect, tourists can find the visitor centre for Death Valley National Park at a spot called Furnace Creek. And they do – with forecasts for record-flirting temperatures only incentivising some people to head there.

While some visitors marvel at the majestic scenery, others take giddy selfies next to unofficial thermometers, including one that is helpfully metal and sits in the sun, making its readings a couple of degrees higher than the actual temperature (which reached 128F but fell short of the record).

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Remember the Disaster Girl photograph in which a four-year-old girl was pictured smiling in front of a burning house? Well, it’s like that, only this time, adult tourists beam intentionally as the wilderness behind them bakes and vast tracts of the rest of the planet go on fire.

In numbers: Extended call of duty

18

Months since Microsoft first announced plans to buy Call of Duty video games maker Activision Blizzard for a whopping $69 billion (€61.6 billion).

3

Months by which the deadline to close the deal has been extended, with October 18th now the new date by which it must be completed as the companies labour to secure approval from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

$4.5 billion

The likely termination fee that Microsoft pays Activision Blizzard if the takeover collapses after September 15th, making it somewhat important for the tech giant that it go through.

Getting to know: Yakub Zakriev

Despite having a first name that shares many of the same letters as Yakult, Yakub Zakriev is more of an Activia kind of guy – at least, he is now. The “dear nephew” of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been appointed the new head of Danone’s Russian subsidiary after the Kremlin seized control of the French yoghurt maker’s business in the country.

Zakriev, a deputy prime minister of Chechnya and its agriculture minister, has been given the post of general director, with another Chechen minister suggesting on his Telegram messaging app that the choice showed the team of “hero of Russia” Kadyrov were “talented and successful managers”.

The appointment comes amid a fresh Vladimir Putin redistribution of wealth to his close allies, with Carlsberg’s Baltika subsidiary also seized. It is now run by Putin associate Taimuraz Bolloev, who is said to be close to the Russian president’s billionaire confidantes Yuri and Mikhail Kovalchuk.

Danone is now reported to be reviewing its legal options, with a source telling Reuters it planned to “write to the Kremlin”.

The list: Barbie’s 2023 incarnations

Mattel’s plastic doll has come a long way since the days of Peaches and Cream Barbie, and not just because she is now starring in her own Greta Gerwig-directed film. So which incarnations of the doll is the toy giant shifting these days?

1. Barbie Careers Rhythmic Gymnast Doll: Accompanied by two batons, a ribbon and a very big hair bun, this doll “cannot stand alone”, Mattel notes, which does seem a drawback for a gymnast.

2. Barbie Chelsea Career Doll – Pilot: Chelsea is Barbie’s seven-year-old little sister, which makes her qualification to fly aircraft all the more impressive.

3. Barbie Fashionista Doll with Wheelchair: To Mattel’s credit, its Barbie range is much more inclusive than it used to be – which, to be fair, would not be hard.

4. Barbie Wedding Gift Set: In which Barbie and Ken dress up as bride and groom, while Chelsea and Stacie, another little sister, do the honours as bridesmaids. The perfect scenario for a Darth Vader cameo.

5. Barbie the Movie Pink Gingham Dress Doll: Margot Robbie not included.