After an exceptionally hot and dry summer, large swathes of south-west France and parts of Spain are currently experiencing enormous wildfires.

The flames have meant over 220,000 residents have been evacuated in France and Spain. Authorities are working hard to contain the large-scale burning.

Brignoles, the town in which stars George and Amal Clooney live, has also been affected.

They left the property with their two children earlier this week.

In a letter, George wrote to the area’s mayor, Didier Brémond, to say: “Dear Didier, At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment and as we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasize 2 things.

“First we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole. We love Brignoles and our friends who live there.”

The Fantastic Mr Fox actor has previously spoken about his decision to move to the European country.

He said he didn’t love the idea of children Ella and Alexander growing up with Paparazzi and “being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” adding, “We live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it.

“But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life,” he told Esquire.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called the wildfires which have raged across the country since mid-July “unprecendented,” describing the phenomenon as the “toughest since World War Two”.

He’s only two weeks into the job and Andy Burnham has already been hit with his first deadline.

A British commander warned the prime minister on Thursday that he needs to make his defence spending commitments clear by the autumn – or risk losing his support.

General Sir Richard Barrons, who co-authored the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, warned “a much more challenging discussion about what do you really think you’re doing with this government” awaits Burnham if he has not outlined plans by September or October.

His words follow a week where ministers repeatedly refused to commit to the previous target of spending 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2030.

It’s an obstacle which proved fatal to Keir Starmer’s premiership.

John Healey resigned as defence secretary over a lack of spending for his department in June, something which helped to accelerate the former prime minister’s downfall.

By making Healey his chancellor, Burnham has sent clear signals that he will respect demands to hike up the department’s budget.

So why did the new defence secretary, Wes Streeting, only commit to the Nato pledge 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035 – a date which is in the next parliament – this week?

He told broadcasters that while the government is not “ruling out” the 3% spending commitment by 2030 but added: “It’s really important we set out how it will be paid for.”

While a very reasonable observation – a marker of how the Burnham cabinet is already building a reputation for more transparent communication – worries about defence investment are hardly new.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started more than four years ago and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza has been raging since 2023.

Chair of the defence committee, Labour MP Tan Dhesi, told HuffPost UK that the government “must set out a clear plan for meeting its defence spending targets, with specific milestones and deadlines.”

He said the committee has already called for defence spending to reach 3% of GDP in this parliament.

Dhesi warned: “With the prospect of a Russian attack on a Nato ally before 2030, we cannot afford to delay. Investment in the UK’s defence and security must be accelerated as a matter of urgency.”

There’s also the matter of the “black hole” in the £15 billion defence investment plan (DIP) which Starmer failed to fully cost before he left office.

The Treasury only found £10.3 billion in departmental savings, meaning Burnham will have to find £4.7 billion in his autumn budget.

Even if the DIP were fully-funded, it would only take the UK to 2.7% of GDP from 2027-28.

It’s not just Burnham’s defence policies under scrutiny over potential cost, either.

His policy blitz from the last two weeks has seen him live up to his promise of putting the cost of living at the heart of his government.

The PM has promised to cut VAT from energy bills, a move expected to cost £850m.

The government said this would be funded via the cancelled digital ID programme.

However, former cabinet minister Darren Jones said the tax cut was “unfunded” because there had never been an extra pot of money for digital ID.

Burnham also announced a £500m plan to cap bus fares at £2 from January until the end of 2027 outside of London.

Most of the funding will come from money reserved for climate and energy projects, despite worries about the international impact.

The PM revealed a 20% cut in business rates for pubs and clubs too, which will cost £100m a year.

That will be funded by removing business rates relief from businesses which do not “make a positive contribution” to local communities, though the exact details remain unclear.

Burnham’s daily policy announcements have effectively boosted his support among voters and stopped him from looking like Starmer 2.0.

Labour has overtaken Reform in some polls for the first time in 16 months, with Survation putting Burnham’s party on 26% compared to Nigel Farage’s 24%.

Deltapoll and YouGov put the parties neck-and-neck, while More in Common found Burnham’s approval rating has soared to heights Starmer never reached.

But, as Savanta’s political research director Chris Hopkins warned, this could go into decline when the PM has “actual difficult decisions to make”.

He told HuffPost UK: “Burnham has started well, and his policy blitz, well-received by commentators, will begin to trickle down to the public.

“At this stage, though, the bounce is more likely to be less about Burnham the man and more about what he is trying to represent – a break from ‘politics as normal’.”

But he noted: “Where this has the potential to fall down is when he has actual difficult decisions to make.

“He’s already discussed using up his political capital to reform social care, something that has made PMs before him, namely Theresa May, come unstuck with the electorate.

“There is a danger that his popularity will fall, and fall quickly, as soon as he tries to address the challenges his predecessors failed to.

“It is in that sense that his honeymoon may only last so long, before the reality of governing effectively causes him the same problems it has previous prime ministers.”

More in Common’s Louis O’Geran offered a similar warning that his time in the sun might not last very long.

The external affairs manager told HuffPost UK: “There’s no doubt that changing leader mid-term has given Labour and the new PM breathing space.

“After a couple of weeks of popular announcements, Labour’s standing in our latest poll has risen to its highest since the early months of Keir Starmer’s government, and Burnham’s own approval rating now surpasses Starmer’s all-time high.

“However, it’s still very early days, and we’ve only seen a small number of polls so far. What these results tell us most of all is how volatile public opinion has become.”

Burnham will most likely be able to enjoy a few weeks of rising in the polls across the summer.

But, when MPs return from recess, parliamentary scrutiny resumes and pressure rises ahead of his first Labour conference as leader, real life will hit for voters as they realise the money has to come from somewhere.

Will Burnham be able to retain his newfound support once the cost of his promises start to come in?

It is probably fair to say that at this point, we have got self-care DOWN.

Between Red Light Therapy masks, protecting our peace and revelling in the joy of cancelled plans, we definitely are more informed on wellness than any generation before us.

However, I can’t help but wonder if we have potentially taken it a little too far. In our attempts to stay calm during times of political uncertainty, a global pandemic and innumerable weather crises, have we forgotten the joy of having fun?

I truly believe that in these hard times, fun could be exactly what we need to get us through, and that the old millennial mantra of “YOLO” deserves a revival, pronto. We’re only living once and we need to try to find our pockets of real, loud joy wherever we can.

Writing for The Conversation, two professors from Auckland University explain: “A recent study suggests a potential neurobiological pathway between playfulness and cognitive health in older adults. At its core, play provides a space to reset, allowing us to step outside pressure and performance. In doing so, it supports not only stress regulation, but sustains emotional balance and quality of life across adulthood.

“The value of playfulness also goes beyond the individual. Playful engagement in social contexts helps build shared emotional resources, shaping how people interact and cope together over time.”

They add: “In a world that demands constant busyness, play offers essential qualities we are at risk of losing: spontaneity, togetherness and the freedom to have fun.”

This has been my experience, too. I am not particularly good at doing crafts but I have found that when I take the time to do little crafts with friends, I come away from it feeling completely enriched. The joy is in the creating, not necessarily of the final creation.

In his book “Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again”, Austin Kleon says: “We’re better at life when we are having fun and keeping things light. On the wall above my desk, I keep a framed picture of actor Bill Murray with a goofy look on his face and a Post-It note stuck to it that says ‘STAY LIGHT’”

This is referencing a speech that Murray gave to baseball players: “If you can stay light, and stay loose, and stay relaxed, you can play at the very highest level—as a baseball player and as a human being.”

Kleon adds: “Look around and ask yourself: ‘who’s having fun?’, it should be you.”

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.

Every day should be orgasm day, but today it actually is. Didn’t know National Orgasm Day was a thing? Well, now you do.

I would say I’ll leave you to celebrate accordingly, but unfortunately that’s not achievable for everyone.

In case you didn’t already know, the orgasm gap still exists. Although men orgasm 95% of the time during partnered sex, this goes down to 65% for women.

But, contrary to what we’ve been told until fairly recently, that’s not because it’s ‘harder’ for people with vulvas to orgasm, or because they don’t want to.

In fact, research commissioned by ethical porn platform FrolicMe finds that 65.3% say orgasm is important to them during sex. Fair!

While orgasm doesn’t always have to be the goal, things can get frustrating pretty quickly if you’re consistently not reaching orgasm – or having it prioritised – with the same partner.

Whether you’re in pursuit of orgasm with a lover or by yourself this orgasm day, I’ve rounded up my favourite tools for reaching orgasm as someone with a vulva.

Namely: sex toys and ethical porn. As a sex writer and podcaster, I’ve tested hundreds of sex toys at this point, and (ahem) visited plenty of erotic platforms in my time – not to mention I constantly speak to the brands and owners trying to boost the orgasm rate for women and represent female fantasies in all their wonderful forms.

Keep reading for my go-tos when I want to know for sure that I’m going to have an orgasm.