First Thing: Global temperatures soared to new record in September

Scientists are stunned by the hottest September on record; plus, the world’s third most powerful wind gust

Good morning.

Global temperatures set a new record in September by a huge margin, beating the previous record for the month by 0.5C – the largest jump in temperature ever seen.

The hottest September on record follows the hottest August and hottest July on record, with the latter being the hottest month ever recorded. “September was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist, absolutely gobsmackingly bananas,” said Zeke Hausfather, of the Berkeley Earth climate data project.

• The high temperatures have driven heatwaves and wildfires across the world, with the UK, France, Germany, and Poland reporting record highs.

• The heat is the result of the continuing high levels of carbon dioxide emissions combined with a rapid flip of El Niño, which releases ocean heat and drives up temperatures.

“The unprecedented temperatures for the time of year observed in September have broken records by an extraordinary amount,” Samantha Burgess, at the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, said. “2023 [is] on track to be the warmest year and about 1.4C above pre-industrial average temperatures.”

Biden cancels additional $9bn in student loan debt

An additional 125,000 people have been approved for student debt relief in a total of $9bn, Joe Biden announced on Wednesday.

This latest approval brings the total approved debt cancellation under his administration to $127bn for nearly 3.6 million Americans, the White House said.

Earlier this year, the conservative-majority supreme court’s 6-3 decision ruled against the Biden administration’s $430bn student debt forgiveness plan for 40 million borrowers. However, on Wednesday, Biden said that his administration’s efforts to relieve student debt was “not done yet”. “My administration is doing everything we can to deliver student debt relief for as many as we can, as fast as we can,” he said.

In other news …

• At least 14 people have been killed and 102 were missing after a catastrophic overflow of Lhonak Lake in the north-east Indian state of Sikkim that triggered flash floods down a mountain valley and collapsed a dam.

• North Korea has halted the nuclear reactor at its main atomic complex, most likely to obtain weapons-grade plutonium, a South Korean news report has said, citing a government source.

• Joe Biden admitted yesterday that he was concerned political turmoil in Washington could threaten US aid to Ukraine, and urged Republicans to stop their infighting and back “critically important” assistance for Kyiv.

• A newborn baby was killed and multiple people were injured in a shooting on a downtown street in Holyoke in western Massachusetts.

• X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has stopped showing headlines for links posted on the site as the platform becomes increasingly hostile for news organizations.

Stat of the day: Taiwan records world’s third most powerful wind gust

Typhoon Koinu brought a wind gust so strong when it crossed Taiwan’s outer Lanyu (Orchid) island last night that it destroyed the island’s anemometer. The gust measured up to 95.2 metres a second, or 342.7km/h (212.9mph), the third-strongest recorded globally. Almost 200 people have been injured by this category four cyclone.

Don’t miss this: Paris’s booming ballroom scene

Paris is known for its haute couture catwalks of fashion week. But another kind of catwalk is taking center stage. The drag ballroom scene has blossomed in Paris, becoming a haven for the city’s queer people of color. “The French were so racist for so long that gay spaces didn’t like having Black people, Arabs and Asians in their spaces,” said Parisian house DJ Kiddy Smile. “Voguing resonated; it was built by two Black trans women. We had the opportunity to have a scene that was Black and Queer.”

… or this: Lisa Simone on loving and fearing her mother Nina

Lisa Simone, the only child of legendary musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone, was just as familiar with her mother’s rage as she was her brilliance. On Lisa’s 16th birthday, her mother sent her a card that said: “I curse the day you were born.” Lisa, now a singer-songwriter and a Broadway star, spoke with the Guardian about making peace with her inspirational mother who could in some moments be fun, loving and nurturing, and also a neglectful bully to her only child.

Climate check: carbon emissions from global electricity

Carbon emissions from the global electricity sector may peak this year because of a surge in wind and solar power. According to a new report on global electrictiy generation, the growth of renewables was so rapid that it was close to the incredibly fast rate required if the world is to hit the tripling of capacity by the end of the decade that experts believe is necessary to stay on the 1.5C pathway.

Last Thing: boards trodden by Shakespeare

At St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn – England’s oldest medieval guildhall – workers have discovered 600-year-old oak floorboards that are believed to be the only surviving stage from William Shakespeare’s time. “Experts are now confidently saying these are the floorboards Shakespeare would have trodden,” said Tim FitzHigham, an actor and comedian who is now the site’s creative director.

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