Historic heatwaves are sweeping the planet from China to Europe and the United States, with 2023 on track to become the hottest year on Earth since records began. Rome and Catalonia on Tuesday recorded their highest temperatures ever, provisional data suggests, as southern Europe is gripped by extreme heat and wildfires. Meteorologists predict this week Europe can record its highest temperature ever as parts of Italy are forecast to cross 48C (118.4F). Meanwhile, China has already recorded its highest-ever temperatures with a scorching 52.2C (125.9F) recorded in Sanbao on Sunday as the country is hit by multiple climate disasters at once. The same day, Death Valley in the US recorded 53C (127.4F), as meteorologists say it is close to setting a new record for the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth amid blistering heat gripping large parts of the southern states. This onslaught of heat from Asia to the Americas is just the latest in the series of climate extremes we have witnessed this year with the first week of July being recorded as the hottest days on the planet and ocean temperatures reaching record highs. So what is causing these extreme temperatures and is there a link between all the heatwaves the planet is currently experiencing? According to experts, a combination of factors are contributing to these extreme weather events including stagnant weather systems and the El Nino phenomenon. However, the driving forces behind the heatwaves are primarily linked to the climate crisis. Scientists say high-pressure systems are dominating Europe, central Asia and the southern US, leading to these regions experiencing heatwave conditions. The hotter-than-usual ocean waters are also contributing to rising temperatures over land. “The bubble of hot air that has inflated over southern Europe has turned Italy and surrounding countries into a giant pizza oven,” Professor Hannah Cloke of University of Reading, says. “The hot air which pushed in from Africa is now staying put, with settled high pressure conditions meaning that heat in warm sea, land and air continues to build.” Dr Akshay Deoras, meteorologist at the University of Reading, says while it isn’t unusual for the northern hemisphere to experience heat at this time of the year, the temperatures seen in Europe are definitely unusual. “Heatwaves are common in the northern hemisphere at this time of year. However, the temperatures we are expecting in parts of southern Europe in the coming days are what we normally get in the tropical deserts or tropical countries such as India, Pakistan or the Middle East during summer,” Dr Deoras says. “The simultaneous occurrence of heatwaves in different regions of the world as well as their forecasted intensity fits well with the anticipated impact of climate change on global temperatures.” Dr Melissa Lazenby, senior lecturer in climate change at the University of Sussex, said the weather extremes being experienced across the globe are “exactly what climate scientists have been predicting” as a result of the man-made climate crisis. “The northern hemisphere is experiencing a combined effect of both natural and anthropogenic climate change resulting in extreme heat over three NH [northern hemisphere] continents,” Dr Lazenby said. According to the United Nations’ top science body, the world has become hotter by approximately 1.2C (34.1F) since the 1800s due to the greenhouse gases released by burning fossil fuels. Scientists say the heat brought by a natural phenomenon like El Nino comes on top of the existing heat the planet is experiencing due to greenhouse gas emissions, hence, raising the temperatures higher than they would have in a world without man-made pollution. “There is a developing El Nino event as well as the additional warming from human emissions, therefore, resulting in abnormally warmer temperatures than without human emissions,” Dr Lazenby said. Professor Cloke adds: “It is not surprising that different parts of the northern hemisphere have heatwaves during our summer months, but the combined picture is starting to look like climate change impacts all happening at the same time, as scientists have forecast for decades. “We are now living through these impacts, rather than predicting them in a computer simulation of the future climate.” Alarms were raised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) earlier this year about the unprecedented warming the planet could experience once the El Nino cycle begins. The WMO said there is a 98 per cent likelihood that “at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record”. However, since then, several heat records have been broken. Even before the weather phenomenon could start in full swing, June was the hottest month recorded for the planet, according to Berkley Earth, an independent organisation that maintains monthly temperature records. The researchers at the California-based independent organisation have said there is an 80 per cent chance this year could be the hottest on record for the planet. Ocean temperatures have also been breaking records with parts of the North Atlantic,. especially waters around the UK and Ireland experiencing an “unprecedented” marine heat wave, with temperatures up to 5C (41F) hotter than usual. “The El Nino gathered momentum since May this year and its effects have already kicked in with significant anomalies in upper-surface sea temperatures in the Pacific,” Dr Malcolm Mistry, assistant professor in climate and geo-spatial modelling, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said. “This in turn is known to disturb wider weather patterns not only in the Pacific, but also globally such as over Eastern US and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.” El Nino is still in its developing stages and it typically peaks in the months of December to February. Scientists say, there is likely more extreme events and heat to come globally as it kicks in. “As per current seasonal forecasts, the El Niño is expected to strengthen and its effects to remain persistent till the rest of the year,” says Dr Mistry. According to Dr Deoras, El Niño is “still weak and in its early stages of development”. “Its effect on the global weather patterns will become more robust in the coming months,” he adds. This year’s heatwave comes as a repeat of the devastation experienced last year in all three continents, when Asia, Europe and the US all suffered through scorching heat. Scientists say with heatwaves becoming more frequent and prolonged, more immediate measures are needed to protect vulnerable population and cut down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions immediately. “Scientists have shown that such heatwaves are occurring more often with climate change, and with El Nino conditions this year we are likely to see many more temperatures records broken in the coming months,” says Dr Vikki Thompson, climate scientistat the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. “Heatwaves will continue to increase in intensity, frequency, and duration unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically.” Read More 2023 is set to be hottest on record amid global heatwaves, scientists say Why is there no UK heatwave as Europe swelters during Charon? 11 pictures that capture the devastation of climate crisis as heatwave sweeps Europe Heatwave map 2023: Temperatures set to soar in Italy, Spain and Greece due to Charon heatwave Incredible satellite images reveal extent of heatwave across Europe Arizona driver claims extreme heat melted her car light

A woman is raking in the cash as a so-called “surrogate wife” for married men online, saying she can perform tasks “like no other woman”. Babi Palomas is an OnlyFans model who has gone viral in the past after revealing her former school teacher allegedly signed up to see her saucy snaps. Originally from a small town near São Paulo, Brazil, the 24-year-old influencer has become a social media star with 110,000 followers on Instagram (@babipalomas). And she has plenty of male admirers, claiming she has begun offering a new service: acting as a “surrogate wife” – for the handsome price of $30,000 (£23,605). "I do tasks that average wives often prefer to avoid, like watching a football match on television without complaining,” Babi told Jam Prime. “With one client, I made dinner while accompanied on a call and we watched movies together. We then watched a football match, among other little things. They [these men] open up to me and tell me about their lives. She continued: “In these conversations, I realised that many of the men who are married and have families feel lonely. “In fact, they miss having someone with whom they can share these 'masculine' activities with them, or even miss being pleased.” The model says men also like her independence, like the fact she “can even change my own car tire”. The model, who is single, says she loves playing her impromptu role but hopes to have a real-life partner and family of her own one day. She said: "Actually, I dream of getting married one day, you know? I want to have my family. But while I don't have one, I train with my fans. “I don't go to my fan’s house, my work is only online. I make 12-hour or 24-hour packages and talk to my client until I arrive at a good price for both of us.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The biggest drama in the chess world has taken another turn, after it was revealed that Hikaru Nakamura previously accused a young prodigy of cheating. Grandmaster Nakamura dismissed “garbage” claims that he had cheated recently after being accused following an impressive winning streak. Vladimir Kramnik was one of the prominent voices in the game to stir the pot – although he deleted his initial post, leading Nakamura to hit out at him for spreading the accusations. Now, it’s emerged that Nakamura himself once accused a young player of cheating. In a Twitter/X post by Chess Rumours, an anonymous social media user claimed that Nakamura once threatened to track down Andrew Tang, a future grandmaster who was 14 at the time, after he took him on in a match and scored 20 per cent. It was also claimed that he had done this to GM Arjun Erigaisi – and now grandmaster Srinath Narayanan has posted to confirm those allegations. “Can confirm that – true story about Arjun,” Erigaisi tweeted. “Young Arjun was obviously rattled by the baseless accusation and felt bad about it, but thankfully it did not break his confidence or deter his progress.” It’s just another development in one of the most eye-catching sports stories of the year to date. It comes after Nakamara recently posted a YouTube video hitting out at Kramnik, saying: “Someone doesn’t get to say these things without actual proof. They don’t get to falsely accuse people over and over again without having to pay a price. “It’s very disrespectful and to me, it shows that Kramnik simply has no respect for anybody at the end of the day. You don’t get to make false accusations when you are not an expert. You don’t get to make false accusations when you do not have data to back yourself up.” He went on to say: “I’m very proud of my record playing online, very proud of it, and I have nothing to hide.” indy100 has reached out to Hikaru Nakamura for comment Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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