Now that is what I call hot.

Those of you in Britain who are complaining about the temperatures at the moment should consider what it must be like in parts of the Middle East.

On Thursday a blistering temperature of 54C was recorded in Kuwait, firmly putting the hot spell in Britain into context. It is the highest temperature ever recorded in the eastern hemisphere and almost certainly the highest temperature ever recorded on earth.

If verified by the World Meteorological Organisation, this will almost certainly be the highest temperature ever recorded on the planet.