A temperature of 54.4C – or 129.9F – has been recorded in Death Valley, California, in what some extreme weather watchers believe could be the hottest reading ever reliably recorded on the planet. The United States National Weather Service’s automated weather station at Furnace Creek near the border with Nevada hit the extreme high at 3:41 pm on Sunday afternoon, a statement said. It comes amid a heatwave on the US's west coast, where temperatures are forecast to rise further this week. The scorching conditions have led to two days of blackouts in...