Beijing logged its hottest June day since records began on Thursday, the national weather service said, as swathes of northern China sweltered in 40-degree heat. On Friday the capital upgraded its warning for hot weather to “red” – the highest in a colour-coded alert system – saying most parts of the city could roast in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Scientists say rising global temperatures – caused largely by burning fossil fuels – are aggravating extreme weather worldwide, and many countries in Asia have experienced deadly heatwaves and record temperatures in recent weeks. At the Nanjiao weather station in southern Beijing, considered a benchmark for temperatures in the capital, the mercury hit 41.1C (106F) at 3.19pm (0719 GMT) on Thursday, the weather service said in a statement also carried by state broadcaster CCTV. The figure is half a degree higher than the station’s previous monthly record of 40.6C taken in June 1961 – …

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