After a summer of relentless heatwaves – with one last bout of warm weather hitting this week – a new season approaches, with the nights drawing in and sunset-coloured leaves crunching beneath our feet.

The autumn equinox (23 September) is regarded as a clear marker of the start of autumn and a time when both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience equal amounts of daytime and night.

But according to astrologer Inbaal Honigman, its significance goes far beyond the changing seasons.

“With summer drawing to a close, and winter on the horizon, the light half of the year begins to give way to the darker half,” Honigman told HuffPost UK.

“The autumn equinox marks that precise moment of transition, and is a liminal space between light and dark. It is the moment when the sun sits directly above the equator, bringing day and night into balance with almost equal hours of light and darkness.”

Generally, it’s around 21 September, give or take a day or two. But this year, it falls on 23 September (Wednesday).

Here, Honigman talks us through what the autumn equinox could mean for each star sign.

“As the autumn equinox is a time to rest up and gather strength, it leaves you a little perplexed. You like to keep active, Aries, so balance is a dull subject for you. The season gives you the unfair and very welcome advantage: if you’re the only one working hard, you’re likely to find success.”

“This equinox leads into Libra season, which is governed by Venus, planet of love. The same planet governs you, too, Taurus, meaning that romance, the home, and your indoor spaces will be prioritised and taken care of.

“Self care is not selfish, so go ahead and welcome autumn with a day off and a comforting hot drink.”

“On the equinox, night and dark are in perfect balance, a union of opposites. You, Gemini, feel right at home during those liminal times. The moment between day and night, the moment between winter and summer, when you’re neither one or the other. Those times speak to the very essence of who you are, the Twins.

“Enjoy being both active and calm, both serious and humorous, on this day of balance.”

“Autumn gathers life and brings it into the home. You, Cancer, are the most home-loving of the signs, so this time of year ensures that you step into your true character.

“Lighting a cinnamon candle, decorating your living room in fall colours, investing in a large book and a new comforter, you’ve never felt more peaceful.”

“After the equinox, every day will have more darkness than light for six whole months. This isn’t the easiest for you, Leo, as your celestial ruler is the Sun, and the Sun’s light is decreasing.

“While your sunny essence goes unsupported, this is a great opportunity to explore your inner light. Be a light unto others, and show friends and loved ones how to self-generate the joy and strength that you are known for, by exercising more, and being intentional with your career moves.”

“The autumn equinox isn’t just the end of the light half of the year, it is also the end of Virgo season. While the past month was all yours, Virgo, the next 11 months are not.

“You’re a tolerant, welcoming and soothing presence for friends and strangers alike, and as the season leaves you, your kindness doesn’t. Connect with your inner self by taking on volunteer projects and supporting those who need it most.”

“Leading into autumn, the most elegant of seasons, is exactly your time of year. Libra season begins at the autumn equinox, and for you, Libra, this is a quiet and undeniable joy.

“You’re a graceful, peaceful sign that loves making your home into a sanctuary. There can be no better time for you to tidy, reorganise, and be at home with your personal space. Tis the season to be nesting.”

“Welcoming the dark half of the year is what you’ve been wishing for all summer. Even the most extroverted of Scorpios find the sunny season to be a bit much.

“All the socialising, the outdoors, the sweat, are not your cup of tea. In fact, an actual cup of tea is preferable in your eyes. So autumnal fashions, trends and habits make you feel relieved, excited and enthusiastic. The countdown to Halloween can finally begin!”

“For a sign that travels and explores as much as you do, seasons are but a figment. Autumn is for others, you’re already planning your next getaway, Sagittarius.

“As the days get shorter, they’re getting longer elsewhere, and you’re taking steps to get there. Even if you stay at home all season long, the dreams and fantasies of faraway shores, sustain you. And it’s always sunny there.”

“The autumn equinox tolls the bell for the third quarter of the year. You’re the most business-minded of signs, Capricorn, which is why you see every year and every quarter as a reflection of your goals and achievements.

“You’re not looking at the falling leaves and the fragrant lattes, you’re looking at your spreadsheets and deciding how to make the most of winter.”

“Autumn equinox brings change to nature all around us, from trees and grass to birds and pets, as well as human friends. You’re a great nature lover and humanitarian, Aquarius, and for you, any change is as good as any other.

“As the season changes, you’ll find yourself inviting friends over, adopting strays and protecting your neighbourhood shrubs from sudden frosts. The dark season gives you new focus, and a reason to activate your caring heart.”

“As nights overtake days, there’s more time to dream and imagine. You’re a romantic, psychic, intuitive sign, and you welcome the change of seasons, which inspires you creatively.

“Every moment spent outdoors under the autumn drizzle, evokes a thought.”

Inbaal revealed all for Heart Bingo Online.

While Netflix is yet to announce a decision about the future of its controversial true crime anthology series Monster, bosses already have big plans for the franchise.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ian Brennan – who co-created the show with TV superproducer Ryan Murphy – claimed that he and his collaborator have “both said we want to do 10 of them”.

Asked about whether the team had settled on a central figure for a potential fifth run, he claimed: “We never do. We always switch. It’s always three or four different ones, and we toggle between.

“There’s a hopper of three things, but Ryan and I both said we want to do 10 of them. It’s a fairly exhaustive list, but it’s tricky.”

He continued: “You’d be surprised at how many subjects we start and then abandon, because it’s just not [right].

“You can really tell when it’s wrong right away, because you’re asking people to spend seven or eight or nine or 10 hours getting inside this person’s head. They better be really interesting.

“That’s always the challenge with this show – finding that. And then once we do, it flies out.”

So far, the seasons of Monster have focussed on figures as wide-ranging as Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menéndez brothers, Ed Gein and, most recently, Lizzie Borden.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview published last week, Ian reeled off a list of names that season five could explore, revealing that serial killer Dennis Rader – known to true crime followers by his pseudonym BTK – was one that had been “talked about” in the past.

“[He] is a fascinating one”, Ian noted, before disclosing that Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway (the so-called Green River Killer) and even Luigi Mangione were subjects that had also been tossed around behind the scenes.

Ryan Murphy has already ruled out the idea of a Monster season hooked on Ted Bundy’s crimes, claiming that his story doesn’t provide enough of a fresh commentary on American culture and society.

Tom Cruise’s new movie Digger screened for the press this week – and critics can’t seem to agree on what to make about the dystopian black comedy.

Since then, the first reactions on social media from those who’ve seen the film have so far been completely polarised, calling it everything from “goofy” to “unpleasant” to “fascinating stuff”.

Either way, Digger promises to be a film that will spark conversation and debate, whether audiences love it or hate it.

Next Best Picture founder Matt Neglia declared Digger to be an “over-the-top comedy of gigantic satirical proportions” and teased that the film probably isn’t what audiences may be expecting from its previously-released trailers.

However, despite appreciating the “sombre commentary on the bleak state of the world we’re inevitably heading toward”, the writer ultimately declared the film “less of a bang and more of a hollow misfire”.

The Wrap’s Drew Taylor also called the “odd and extraordinary” film “a grand satire (or farce?) about our current predicament and where we go from here, full of barbed commentary and outlandish set pieces”, but acknowledged it won’t be for everyone.

Variety’s Clayton Davis voiced his respect for the bold film that the film takes, but lamented that he wishes it “leaned harder into the absurdity and satire it kept reaching for”.

Similarly, content creator The Oscar Expert had mixed feelings about Digger, declaring it to be “goofy” and “not funny”, but still “fascinating.”

“It’ll be divisive…” he concluded. “But I appreciated the ambition and surprises.”

Hidden by elaborate prosthetics and makeup, critics have already suggested that Digger could help Tom land his fourth acting Oscar nomination, with his performance being hailed as both “magnificent” and “memorable”.

Film critic Carla Renata called Digger one of Tom’s “craziest, bravest most magnificent career performances” to date, with fellow film journalist Courtney Howard agreeing that his work in the movie is “brilliant”, “boldly invigorated” and an all-round “tour de force”.

Directed by Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, who previously helmed Birdman and The Revenant, Digger centres around Tom’s character, who is described as the most powerful man in the world.

Over the course of the film – which co-stars John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Riz Ahmed – he must prove he can save humanity before a disaster of his own making destroys everything.

Tom recently told GQ that this film is the “culmination of all my skills” while referring to Digger himself as his most “challenging character ever”.

You can see for yourself if Digger is messy or magnificent when it’s released in cinemas on 2 October.

Sure, it’s not as intense as a sprint. But walking definitely counts as a workout – and if you ask doctors, it’s a pretty good one.

Getting your steps in (7,000 a day seems to be the sweet spot) has been linked to a 47% lower risk of early death, as well as a reduced likelihood of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, and falls, compared to 2,000 steps a day.

But does how, and when, we walk matter?

After all, some research suggests that “weekend warriors” (those who don’t work out much throughout the week, but hit the gym or finish a long run on their days off) see just as many benefits as those who chip away at their goals on a daily basis.

A 2025 study looked at data from 33,560 adults in the UK Biobank (a program in which people agree to make their health information available to researchers).

All participants averaged 8,000 steps or fewer per day (median: 5,165 steps). That didn’t mean they all walked the same amount daily, though: this is just how it evened out over a week

They asked people involved (whose average age was 62) whether their typical walks lasted:

• less than five minutes,
• five to 10 minutes,
• 10-15 minutes,
• 15+ minutes.

Almost half of them (43%) walked in short bursts that lasted less than five minutes, while only 8% said their strolling sessions lasted more than a quarter of an hour.

Over an average follow-up period of 7.9 years, the risk of death seemed to lower for people whose walking periods were longer.

The sub-five-minute walkers saw a 4.36% likelihood of early death. Those who usually walked five to 10 minutes at a time had a 1.83% risk; and the 10-15-minute group, meanwhile, had a 0.84% likelihood.

But the risk of early mortality was especially low among those who regularly walked 15 minutes or more (0.8%).

The numbers took a similar pattern for heart disease, too.

Those who tended to take the shortest walks had a cardiovascular disease risk of 13.03% after eight years.

But the people who walked 15 minutes or more had the lowest risk of all at 4.39%.

Therefore, they concluded, adults who weren’t hitting recommended fitness goals but “accumulated most of their daily steps in longer bouts had lower mortality and [cardiovascular disease] risk than those who accumulated most daily steps in shorter bouts”.

Of course, the World Health Organisation’s guidelines, which advise 75 minutes of high-intensity activity, or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity movement (like walking) per week, is still the best advice to follow.

Did you know that eating sugar-free chewing gum can help if you’re struggling with constipation?

Yep – doctors say the process “tricks your body into thinking it’s eating,” which helps to get things moving again.

Speaking of moving, chewing gum might have another purpose, too. Some research has found it could help to make our walks faster and more efficient.

A 2018 paper found that, compared to those who didn’t chew gum, people who tried the minty method while walking had higher heart rates, burned more energy, walked further, and strolled faster.

These results seemed especially strong among middle-aged and older people (men, in particular).

We don’t know exactly why chewing gum seemed to speed up people’s pace.

But the researchers wrote, “one possible mechanism is cardiac-locomotor synchronisation (CLS) or cardiac-locomotor coupling”.

CLS happens when a person’s heartbeat thumps in time with their steps, and vice versa. It’s a phenomenon which seems to be stronger in middle-aged and older people.

“Gum chewing increased the heart rate, and CLS possibly led to increases in the physical functions of walking distance and steps,” the study authors said.

A separate 2019 study found that people who chewed gum faster seemed to walk more quickly, too, “with increases or decreases in a person’s chewing rate leading to similar changes in their stepping rate (and hence walking speed)”.

They said that this change may happen as “the neural drive related to chewing entrains the muscles involved in the basic gait action of stepping”.

Yes. If you want to walk more quickly, swinging your arms seems to help, too.

Milica McDowell, a physical therapist and author of Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity – One Step at a Time, told TIME that the movement turns your torso, bringing the rest of the body along with it.

“The arms are sort of like the conductor – they lead the rest of the coordination,” she said.

The castle portraits that will be showcased in the long-awaited second season of The Celebrity Traitors have been unveiled – and let’s just say not everyone is happy with theirs.

As is always the case, the 21 famous faces taking part in the next run of the Bafta-winning reality show have all been recreated in portrait form, which will be hung up in the castle’s breakfast room, and taken down one by one as contestants are “banished” and “murdered”.

With just over a week to go until The Celebrity Traitors kicks off again, the new artwork was unveiled on Tuesday – and it garnered a mixed response from the star-studded cast.

“I think there’s a traitor in the Photoshop department,” comedian Rob Beckett joked on Instagram, commenting: “What the fuck has happened to my face?”

Fellow comic Joe Lycett, meanwhile, couldn’t help noticing a resemblance between his own portrait and a piece of cinema history.

“A Clockwork Celebrity Orange Traitors starts 1 October on BBC One,” he quipped alongside pictures comparing himself to Malcolm McDowell in Stanley Kubrick’s controversial classic.

The Celebrity Traitors is jam-packed with comedians second time around, with Joe and Rob being joined by the likes of Romesh Ranganathan, James Acaster, Miranda Hart and Joanne McNally.

Host Claudia Winkleman recently admitted she “couldn’t get over it” when the line-up was first revealed to her.

“My bosses had to repeat the names at least three times,” she joked. “We’re so lucky they said yes.”

The Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday 1 October. Check out the full line-up for yourself here.

Ladies and vulva owners, I get it: the appeal of a matching lingerie set is simply too alluring.

But often, they’re not made from breathable materials. During the warmer months in particular – or just whenever I’m sweating on a tube – I find myself constantly pulling my pants out of my cooch (for lack of a better word) and looking like a maniac trying to get the right placement. Look, it’s not my fault no one can get sizing right.

Then, of course, there’s the smell. We all know by now (I hope) that it’s natural to have a smell down there, but you know better than anyone else when that’s off.

Of course, sitting around in a bikini on holiday means this can happen in summer more than ever – but honestly, they can get uncomfy and chafe during the winter, too.

This year, I’ve simply had enough. Get ready for some TMI, but a combination of recurrent UTIs and various other gynae conditions (don’t ask) means I am desperate to do anything that gives my vulva some reprieve.

More than that, I will do basically anything to make sure I don’t have to change my pants every time I leave my house during the heatwave. I mean, the amount of laundry I do every week is insurmountable.

Recently, I’ve been making a conscious effort to wear cotton undies, but unfortunately for my bank account the H&M multipack I’ve been wearing for years has started to give way.

So I decided it was time to test breathable undies.

The best breathable underwear at a glance:

In case you don’t already know, cotton and natural fibre are the ideal fabrics for your pants.

“Ideally you want to be looking for at least an 80% cotton or natural fabric mix” when buying pants, according to Priya Downes, founder and CEO of Nudea.

“These fabrics are much better for quick drying, and will help with things like chafing, which can be quite painful, or sweat accumulation and feeling uncomfortable.”

Tencel, hemp, and bamboo are also great options for underwear. On the other hand, man-made fabrics like polyester and elastane dry much more slowly than natural fabrics, which might be why you get recurrent thrush or BV, or generally feel not right down there.

“As well as sweat comes bacteria, which can also be really unhealthy,” Downes adds. “You do have a natural biome down there, so wearing natural fabrics is really important. Having quick-drying materials that can wick away moisture accumulation is healthier for your skin.”

As well as the fabric, shape is important to consider when buying underwear.

“You want to be comfortable, and not everybody loves thongs,” Downes notes.

“Sometimes in hot weather thongs can be particularly uncomfortable, so look for shapes that are comfortable, and that aren’t visible under your clothes.

“In hot weather, people are wearing more see-through and skimpier things, so you’ve got to be mindful about visible panty lines.”

For the last few years, I haven’t thought much about what kind of pants I wear, but while testing these pants I realised I’ve been missing out on a lot.

I decided to reach out to a range of brands that intentionally use natural fibres, from bamboo viscose, to tencel, and cotton.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this fortnight has been the comfiest I’ve been in years.

As someone who lives in a white skirt or dress of some description during summer, I need pants that are seamless and won’t show beneath a skirt.

And as someone who also mostly wears skirts in winter, there’s tight chafing and sweating to contend with too.

But considering I also rarely wear a thong, it was a difficult standard to meet.

All of the products below passed the test.

When you’re spending a good chunk of money on some nice undies, you’re going to want to take good care of them.

Of course, natural staining is going to happen, but it’s all in how you care for them, according to Downes.

“The best way to to wash them is in the washing machine and on not too high a temperature, so 30 to 40 degrees is absolutely fine,” she says.

“Absolutely do not put them in the dryer because natural fabrics will degrade at high temperatures, so you should always, always line dry your your knickers.”

“It’s probably better to go with a darker colour because they are a little bit more immune to stains,” Downes suggests.

“Nudes are great because they they hide stains a bit better. White is very hard to get away from staining, and you will probably have to replace white knickers more often than any other colour.”

Switching to breathable underwear has increased my comfort levels by tenfold over the past couple of weeks.

Not only do I not sweat as much, which means less chafing between my thighs (thank god) but I’ve also noticed I smell less down there (thanks for asking) and actually have to do less laundry. Thank god!

If you’re after pants you can reach for every day, Nudea has a range of shapes and fabric mixes that feel lighter than air. However, Stripe and Stare is maybe just that bit softer, and comes in tons of fun candy box colours, if you like a pink pant like me.

Uniqlo and Boux Avenue are solid budget options, but you will forfeit that buttery feeling.

For months now, experts have shared their increasing certainty that we’ll face an unprecedented “super El Niño” this year.

That means the surface of the Pacific Ocean could heat up to 1.5-2°C above usual temperatures, which disrupts the world’s weather systems.

The phenomenon is linked to hotter summers and warmer global temperatures overall. In the UK, scientists think it could create a stormier, wetter autumn and a chilly winter.

“Although the UK is thousands of miles from the tropical Pacific, El Niño can influence weather patterns across Europe through remote atmospheric connections,” the Met Office wrote in a recent update. This may include “cold snaps” and storms.

Separately, forecasters have said that a cold air pattern called the polar vortex is starting its season stronger than usual.

A polar vortex is a stream of wind that forms high above the North and South Poles at different times of the year.

This year, the arctic (north) polar vortex, which appears over the area in winter, is showing stronger signs than usual for late September, though it looks like it could even out in October.

Not always. A strong, stable polar vortex actually helps to contain very cold winds and conditions to the North Pole; it works as a very blustery kind of atmospheric fence. This actually protects the UK from deep freezes.

But when that grows weak or spreads, colder conditions escape the vortex. After that, they make their way further down to the equator.

Longer-range forecasts suggest the polar vortex might get weaker in January or February of 2027, which is when this might, possibly, begin to affect us. There are lots of ways in which this cycle could be weakened, but perhaps the most significant to us are sudden stratospheric warmings, which the Met Office says can make the winds in the vortex reverse direction.

However, not only does a weaker polar vortex – and even a sudden stratospheric warming – not necessarily mean we’ll face a frozen winter here in the UK, but predictions of a possibly destabilised vortex are far into the future.

Nor have we outright predicted a sudden stratospheric warming yet, though the El Niño could make this eventuality more likely.

Polar vortices aside, El Niño could make our winter colder, wetter, and stormier. “Later in the season, El Niño is associated with increased risk of cold snaps,” the Met Office shared.

Prof Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, told HuffPost UK: “El Niño is expected to make the UK’s autumn milder, wetter, and stormier, the UK’s winter colder and stormier, and next year’s UK summer hotter.

“We should be ready to deal with such weather, although we are not. The expected hotter summer is particularly challenging given climate change’s evident worsening of heatwaves, in the UK and around the world”.

And Dr Akshay Deoras, Senior Research Scientist, National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, said: “In the UK, there is no robust link between El Niño and our annual average temperature or rainfall, although it can influence seasonal weather.

“For example, a wet, windy and mild autumn is possible, followed by a cooler and drier winter. People should follow weather warnings issued by the Met Office”.

We may need more time to see whether the polar vortex, whose data is newer, has much of an effect on our weather in winter 2026/7.

Nigel Farage has become the only senior political figure to condemn the government’s plans to set up a new unit to tackle Russian misinformation.

The Reform UK leader claimed it was “targeted directly” at his party and would stifle free speech.

Prime minister Andy Burnham announced the move in his first speech to the UN General Assembly.

The National Centre for Information Defence will tackle online lies and deepfakes damaging British interests, the PM said.

Burnham said the rise of artificial intelligence means the problem is only set to get worse unless it is tackled urgently.

“We’re talking about an insidious campaign that reaches into people’s homes and twists what they feel about their own country and community – creating a narrative of decline, stoking division and sowing despair,” he said.

The plan has been welcomed by MPs from all parties – except Reform.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said: “For too long, the approach of successive governments to disinformation has been disjointed and without organisation, allowing states like Russia to amplify lies about this country, to sow division and stoke tensions.”

She said the new unit was “an opportunity to finally take on this very serious threat”.

Tory MP John Whittingdale, who is also on the foreign affairs committee, said: “It is very welcome that the prime minister has now shared our assessment that Russia is conducting information warfare against the West and is taking action.”

Lib Dem MP Richard Foord said: “We look forward to helping ensure that this new centre is a success. We hope it demonstrates a new and robust response from the UK to hostile state information warfare.”

But Farage broke the political consensus by attacking the plan.

He said: “This will be like George Orwell’s Ministry of Information. This will be used to clamp down on free speech.

“And the one lesson I’m learning, as time goes on, whether it’s funding of parties, whether it’s cancelling elections, is never, ever trust this authoritarian government.”

Defence secretary Wes Streeting insisted the new unit would not be used “for “policing domestic political dissent”.

He said: “One of the great things about Britain, and one of the things that I have a responsibility to defend, is the freedom and democracy that we all enjoy.

“And that includes the freedom to disagree, the freedom for people to challenge their government, to challenge government policy, to criticise robustly what we are doing and then to have the opportunity to choose a different government.”

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