As another heatwave reaches the UK, it is worth asking an uncomfortable question: is there any positive side to extreme heat?

The answer is not that heatwaves are good. They are not. They put pressure on people’s health, homes, schools, transport and the electricity grid. The UK Health Security Agency estimated 1,504 heat-associated deaths in England during five heat episodes in summer 2025. The official advisory Climate Change Committee has also warned that 92% of existing UK homes could be at risk of overheating by 2050. So the starting point is clear: heatwaves are a serious climate and public-health risk.

But heatwaves also expose something important. They show us how poorly prepared our homes and energy systems are for the climate we are now living in. In that sense, the opportunity is not in the heat itself. The opportunity is in using heatwaves as a trigger to redesign how we cool, power and protect our buildings.

One obvious route is solar energy. Hotter weather does not automatically mean better solar performance. In fact, solar panels lose some efficiency as they get hotter, with typical losses of around 0.4%–0.5% per degree Celsius. But heatwaves often come with long periods of strong sunlight, and that creates a practical opportunity: using solar power to meet some of the extra demand for cooling.

We should not simply respond to heatwaves by buying more portable air-conditioning units and adding pressure to the grid. During the late June 2026 heatwave, Great Britain’s electricity system operator had to request extra power as households used more fans and air conditioning. That is a warning sign. Cooling is becoming an energy-system challenge, not just a question of household comfort.

Cooling with clean energy

The better response is to connect cooling with clean energy. Homes with solar panels, batteries, external shading, good ventilation and smart controls can use daylight hours more intelligently. Solar power can run fans, heat pumps or efficient cooling systems during the day. Batteries can store surplus electricity for the evening, when demand often rises. Thermal storage can also help by storing coolness or heat, reducing the need to draw electricity at peak times.

This is not a fantasy. Solar power is able to directly meet around half of the world’s cooling demand according to one model, and more when combined with cold thermal storage, such as freezing water when solar electricity is abundant, and using the ice later for cooling. The UK is not directly comparable with the hotter countries covered in that study, but the principle still matters: as cooling becomes more necessary, it becomes more important to power that cooling through clean energy rather than adding pressure to the grid.

There is also a role for heat pumps, especially reversible systems designed for both heating and cooling. The UK government has already framed some heat-pump and heat-battery technologies as tools that can keep homes warm in winter and cool in summer. But this needs careful design. Not every heat pump installation will provide effective cooling, and not every home is ready for it.

The simplest solutions should come first: external shading, trees, better insulation, ventilation, reflective surfaces and one safe cool room in vulnerable homes. These are not glamorous technologies, but they reduce heat before households need to use electricity. Then, where active cooling is needed, it should be efficient, low-carbon and linked to smart energy systems.

The fairness issue is crucial. Wealthier households can adapt first: solar panels, batteries, shutters, heat pumps and better insulation. Renters, older people, low-income families and people in poor-quality housing may be left with the highest heat risk and the least ability to respond. Heatwave resilience therefore cannot be treated as a private luxury. It needs to become part of basic infrastructure.

So yes, there is a positive side to heatwaves but only if we define it carefully. Heatwaves are not good news. But they are increasingly clear warnings of where the system is failing and where investment should go next: cleaner cooling, better homes, smarter storage and a fairer approach to climate adaptation.

Experts are warning the changes should serve as a wake-up call for anyone planning their retirement.

While the change does not affect everyone immediately, it is another step in the long-running increase to the State Pension age designed to reflect longer life expectancy and rising costs.

But retirement experts have warned there is another issue that many pensioners may not have considered.

With the full new State Pension continuing to rise under the triple lock while the personal income tax allowance remains frozen at £12,570, mean more people could soon find themselves paying tax on their pension income.

Derence Lee, Chief Finance Officer at Shepherds Friendly, said: “With the full new State Pension now sitting just below the frozen personal allowance of £12,570, more retirees are edging dangerously close to paying income tax on their State Pension.”

He said today’s changes highlight wider issues facing Britain’s retirement system: “As the next phase of the State Pension age increase comes into effect, it also highlights a widening imbalance in the UK’s retirement system.

“While the triple lock has played a vital role in helping pensioners keep pace with the high inflation seen in recent years, if the tax-free allowance remains frozen, some of the recent State Pension increases could effectively be taken back through income tax.

“For pensioners who rely mainly on their State Pension to cover everyday essentials, even a small tax bill could make a noticeable difference to their finances.”

The warning comes as many households continue to face higher living costs, with retirees increasingly relying on a combination of State Pension payments and private savings to fund later life.

The expert said anyone approaching retirement should consider looking beyond the State Pension alone. He added: “By preparing today, pensioners give themselves the best chance to ensure their income keeps pace with costs and maintain a sense of financial stability.”

Who is affected by the State Pension age change?

The latest increase affects people reaching retirement age under the government’s phased timetable, with the State Pension age continuing to move towards 67.

People can check exactly when they will become eligible using the government’s State Pension age checker.

Recommended reading:

Why experts are urging people to review their retirement plans

Although the State Pension remains a key source of retirement income for millions, financial experts increasingly recommend building additional savings through:

• Workplace pensions
• Private pensions
• ISAs
• Other long-term investments

They also recommend checking eligibility for Pension Credit, which can increase income for lower-income pensioners and unlock extra support with bills, housing costs and council tax.

When will you get your State Pension?

The age at which you can claim your State Pension depends on when you were born. Here’s the current timetable:

• Born 6 April 1960 to 5 May 1960: State Pension age is 66 years and 1 month
• Born 6 May 1960 to 5 June 1960: 66 years and 2 months
• Born 6 June 1960 to 5 July 1960: 66 years and 3 months
• Born 6 July 1960 to 5 August 1960: 66 years and 4 months
• Born 6 August 1960 to 5 September 1960: 66 years and 5 months
• Born 6 September 1960 to 5 October 1960: 66 years and 6 months
• Born 6 October 1960 to 5 November 1960: 66 years and 7 months
• Born 6 November 1960 to 5 December 1960: 66 years and 8 months
• Born 6 December 1960 to 5 January 1961: 66 years and 9 months
• Born 6 January 1961 to 5 February 1961: 66 years and 10 months
• Born 6 February 1961 to 5 March 1961: 66 years and 11 months
• Born 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977: State Pension age is 67

People born between 6 July 1960 and 5 August 1960 are the latest group affected by today’s change, meaning they will now reach State Pension age at 66 years and four months.

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 22:30 BST, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 22:58 BST, 7 July 2026

President Donald Trump bragged about the four billion views on TikTok videos about his beautification projects in Washington, D.C. — but it could have just been people checking out what’s gone wrong.

“You know who the number one person on TikTok is by far? Trump,” the president told reporters at the White House on Monday. “Taylor Swift was number 11.”

A day before, the president shared a “Trump on TikTok” graphic on Truth Social that he said was from the social media platform’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew.

The graphic states that Trump is the “most followed and watched world leader on TikTok,” without including a ranking of other world leaders, let alone celebrities like Swift.

There have been 425 billion views of “#Trump TikToks” overall and four billion views across all “Trump-related DC beautification TikToks” since January, according to the graphic.

But the graphic doesn’t specify what type of content — critical, supportive or neutral — generated those views, as MeidasTouch News pointed out.

One of Trump’s latest D.C. projects, the multi-million-dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, has faced intense scrutiny after it turned green from algae, while its new American flag blue paint — as the president called it — chipped away days after it was completed.

One TikTok video that amassed 3.5 million views and more than 281 likes showed the blue paint peeling at the bottom of the basin, filled with green water.

“It was a pretty blue, if you minus all the algae green,” the person filming the video said. “But it’s peeling up already.”

Trump had blamed vandals for the problems with the newly renovated reflecting pool. But government documents obtained by The New York Times suggested the deterioration of the basin was already underway.

The president joined TikTok during the 2024 election cycle and has amassed 16.7 million followers and 121.8 million likes on his account alone. Swift, who married Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Friday, has 33.5 million followers and 274.6 million likes on the platform.

On Monday, Trump brushed off concerns that TikTok is a national security problem.

“We have to be careful because China is a great competitor,” Trump cautioned, but he added, “I’m No. 1 on TikTok. I think it helped me win the election in a landslide.”

Before former President Joe Biden left office, he signed a bill that gave ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American-approved company or face a nationwide ban.

Once Trump returned to office, he kept extending the deadline for TikTok to make a decision.

In January, TikTok finalized a deal to create an American joint venture that would “secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures,” according to an announcement from the new company.

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

This is where you can breathe a sigh of relief: you’re not the only one who realises their makeup is halfway down their faces in the middle of the day. Or at 11am, whatever.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll barely make it into the office before realising you have mascara stains on your chin – and this heatwave doesn’t exactly help.

While I’ve tried plenty of primers, setting sprays, and powders in my attempt to stop looking like the unfortunate tenth member of the Addams Family, most have been unsuccessful.

That is, until I discovered e.l.f. Power Grip. Made up of a selection of primers and setting sprays, the collection is designed to keep your makeup near-superglued to your face throughout the day.

Designed so that the two products work together, Power Grip is my secret to making my makeup last through even the hottest of summer days – and yes, it even keeps my winged eyeliner in place.

It’s totally affordable, and you can even choose a primer to match the finish you want to end up with – matte, glowy, or brightening, with the addition of niacinamide.

Regardless of what you’re doing this summer – whether it’s going to a wedding, festival, or simply making it into the office – I can say with utmost confidence that Power Grip is going to be your heatwave handbag hero. And I don’t say that lightly.

By QUENTIN LETTS, PARLIAMENTARY SKETCHWRITER

Published: 18:15 BST, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 21:47 BST, 7 July 2026

Junior and Princess Andre broke down in tears as they reflected on their turbulent childhood. 

The siblings, who are the children of Katie Price and Peter Andre, appeared on their mother’s new documentary Katie Price: Nothing To Hide, where they looked back at Katie’s public breakdown in the late 2010s.

Katie, 48, went off the rails following the breakdown of her marriage to third husband Kieran Hayler, spiralling into depression and developing a cocaine addiction. 

At the time Junior and Princess were just 13 and 10 respectively and began to start fending for themselves and their younger siblings Jett and Bunny, then four and three. 

Reflecting on the chaotic years, Junior confessed: ‘That was probably the most difficult time of my life, our lives’, as Princess agreed: ‘I didn’t know what was going on and I couldn’t talk to mum about it because she wasn’t there.’ 

Junior, now 21, continued: ‘And when she was there, she wasn’t there, and we as siblings just kind of looked after each other. 

‘I remember me trying to figure out if food was microwavable to feed us for dinner.’ 

At the time Junior and Princess were just 13 and 10 respectively and began to start fending for themselves and their younger siblings Jett and Bunny, then four and three (pictured in 2017)

Recalling one painful memory, Princess shared: ‘She’d give me a blanket and spray her perfume on it and that was my attachment to her. 

‘I used to go home and feel so lonely I would just cuddle the blanket and cry.’ 

Junior added: ‘I missed her so much.’ 

Thinking back to one vivid memory, he continued: ‘I was in her bed waiting for her to come back and I woke up 3.30am to loud noises. 

‘She came in the room, I’ll never forget the look on her face. She was obviously on stuff and it scared me, I’d never seen my mum like this. 

‘That’s when I started seeing the same pattern and her falling down the same hole. When she wasn’t in the right headspace she really wasn’t and she wasn’t being a mum. 

‘The mum that I knew from when I was a little boy, the amount of love she gave me was so immense, that’s what I missed so much. 

‘Mum was on drugs and she couldn’t look after us and that was the reality of it. 

‘Then I got fed up and clocked this was a very unhealthful environment and I needed to get out.’ 

At the age of 14, Junior then left the family home to live with dad Peter, while Princess decided to stay, explaining: ‘I always wanted to be there for her but she didn’t understand that at the time because she was so hooked up in her own problems.’ 

Junior continued: ‘Thank god that my dad was stable because that’s the house that I went to and gained my sanity back while I was wishing and hoping that my mum would come back and turn herself around. 

‘It made me feel like I wasn’t good enough because she wasn’t fixing herself for me, she wasn’t thinking herself for us – why?’ 

Things came to a head when Katie, who was battling suicidal thoughts, flipped her car while driving under the influence in the early hours of the morning in September 2021. 

Discussing the chaotic few years in the lead up to the crash, Katie shared: ‘W hen I hear how the kids saw it, it breaks my heart. ‘It must have been horrible for them’

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Discussing the chaotic few years in the lead up to the crash, Katie shared: ‘When I hear how the kids saw it, it breaks my heart. 

‘They were still always looked after by people around me, but that’s not good enough, kids need their mum. 

‘They need their mum’s love and their mum’s hugs. I thought I was giving that but obviously I wasn’t. 

‘It must have been horrible for them and I’m just sorry that I put them through that. 

‘I thought I was doing the best I could with them but what could I have done, I was unwell. I couldn’t even look after myself. I didn’t want to be here, I wanted to die.’ 

Following the crash, Katie pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

She was handed a 16-week suspended sentence and a two year driving ban, as well as a court mandated stay in rehab, where she received a diagnosis of ADHD. 

‘I’m just relieved she’s still here,’ Junior mused. ‘I think trying to end your life must wake you up. She helped herself and she got off the drugs. 

‘I feel a duty of care to her, she’s such a special gem, she’s my mum and I’ve only got one. 

‘I feel like I’ve got my mum back. My mum knows she’s crazy but we love her for it and we’ll always be there for her.’

He added that his one hope for the future was that Katie would stop relying on the validation of men. 

Junior explained: ‘I wish she finds more comfort within herself. I want her to start enjoying her own company more.’ 

Discussing his reaction to the news Katie married Lee Andrews in Dubai after days of knowing him, Junior sighed: ‘This is the most silliest, stupidest thing. 

‘Marrying a guy you don’t even know, this just sums it up, this is my mum, this is what she does.’ 

Katie, 48, went off the rails following the breakdown of her marriage to third husband Kieran Hayler , spiralling into depression and developing a cocaine addiction (pictured in 2014 also with eldest son Harvey) 

During filming, it emerged that Katie had met and married her fourth husband – so-called businessman Lee Andrews  who was recently released from Dubai’s notorious Al-Awir prison

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In the documentary, Katie had described her ideal man, saying they had to be older, able to treat her, someone who won’t leech on her and isn’t looking for fame. 

During filming, it emerged that Katie had met and married her fourth husband – so-called businessman Lee. 

Lee has been accused by multiple exes of conning them, most recently being accused of taking £5,000 from a ‘vulnerable woman’ in another alleged scam.

He has denied being involved in any cons. 

Lee then set the internet alight after he seemingly disappeared into thin air, after Katie initially claimed he had been kidnapped. It then emerged Lee was being held at Dubai’s notorious Al-Awir prison.

Despite mounting evidence that fraud was the cause for his arrest, self-proclaimed ‘millionaire’ Lee insisted that he was imprisoned on suspicion of espionage ‘and held in a state security building’ before being taken to prison over ‘a civil case in Dubai’.

In an Instagram post shared in the early hours of Wednesday, Lee continued to insist there is ‘not one shred of evidence’ that he has been charged with fraud, hitting out at his ex fiancée Alana for spreading the story.

He claimed he was ‘taken to the Qatar border by the men, at gunpoint and was captured by men with assault rifles’ before adding: ‘They did slap me round a little bit, little s***s.’

Lee is Katie’s fourth husband. She was first married to Peter Andre for three years until 2009. 

Nine months later she tied the knot again with cage fighter Alex Reid, who also appeared on the documentary and expressed his distaste at Katie publicly discussing their sex life in interviews. 

They separated in January 2011 and exactly two years she wed Kieran Hayler, the father of her youngest children. They split in 2018 after he admitted to being unfaithful multiple times throughout their marriage.  

Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a four-part Sky Original series, is available on Sky and streaming service NOW on July 8.

For confidential help and support call Samaritans free on 116 123 

The White Horse in Ferryhill welcomed customers back on July 3, after extensive work, which included painting the outside white, upgrading the beer garden and installing new draft lines.

The pub, on 23 Market Street, plans to host live music, entertainment, live sport, pool and darts.

The first day proved to be a huge success, with crowds turning out to support the new landlords.

The venue thanked customers in a Facebook post, saying: “Well, Ferryhill… we’re speechless.

“Our grand opening yesterday was absolutely incredible, and we couldn’t have done it without every single one of you.

“From the moment we opened our doors until the moment we closed, the atmosphere was amazing. Seeing so many of you come along to support us meant the world, and we can’t thank you enough for making our first day so special.

“Whether you’re visiting for the first time or coming back for more, we’ll be ready with a warm welcome.

“Thank you, Ferryhill – your support means everything to us. See you soon!”

“When people find out they can fire the sofa out in the alleyway and it is collected in a day or two, I think it really defeats the purpose.”

A DUP Councillor has lambasted bulky waste collections provided by Belfast City Council for large items, suggesting that it has become easier and quicker to get rid of items by flytipping them, rather than using the council service.

At the latest meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee DUP Councillor Ruth Brooks said: “The bulky waste collections appear to be taking too long. We are facing an uphill battle trying to get bulky waste items that have been flytipped and left in alleyways, right across the east of the city, and no doubt in other people’s areas.

“If people are booking in for a bulky waste collection, and they are being told it will be two or two and half weeks, and they find out they can fire the sofa out in the alleyway and it is collected in a day or two, I think it really defeats the purpose.”

READ MORE: Appeal made after treasured “Foxglove Alley” trashed six times in 10 days

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She said: “I received an update from officers, just to say there would be an additional weekly collection on a Tuesday. We do bulky waste collections on a Friday, but I think we just need to drill down in relation to resources.

“Why is it taking so long? Is it because we have become a lot more reactive, rather than being proactive? I have had constituents get in touch saying they have been told a date, then they left the items out, but it hasn’t been lifted because it hasn’t been sitting right on the pavement, rather on the edge of their driveway. People don’t want to block pavements unnecessarily.”

She asked for a report back from officials to ensure “providing a service that is fit for the constituents who are paying rates.”

SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite also asked for an officer report on the council’s policy on refuse bags being left on the street in the city centre, and powers the council has to stop private waste providers leaving refuse bags on the street in the city centre and arterial routes.

Belfast City Council provides a free bulky waste collection service for households only in the council area. They do not collect items from businesses. Households can only make one request at a time, and the council says it will cancel any duplicate or multiple requests.

The council collects bedroom furniture, kitchen appliances, living room items, small electrical appliances and TVs, and other items. If the council can’t collect the item, residents are advised they may be able to dispose it at a city recycling centre or civic amenity site.

The council website states: “Leave your items where your general waste bin is picked up by the lorry. We will not go into your property. This could be at the front of your house, on the kerb side of your house, on the kerb, on the rear of your house in an open space where the vehicular access is at the back, or at the end of an entry, outside any entry gates.”

The council stresses it will not collect any items in an entry or behind entry gates. It adds it will not collect heavy, waterlogged items.

The service runs Monday to Friday, not on bank or public holidays. Residents can request a collection up to three months in advance.

For more details on the service visit here

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