BBC News Briefing

23 June, 2026

Alex has dark blonde, bobbed hair and is smiling. She is wearing a dark grey, high-necked top with a pink jumper on top.

Alex Binley

Hello. Much of western Europe is sweltering under a deadly heatwave - we take a look at how countries are dealing with it. Find out how a backlash to feminism sparked a revolution in South Korean literature. And is supporting your team at the World Cup impacting your health?

TOP OF THE AGENDA

From cool-down spots to chalk on windows - how Europe is coping with the heat

A woman carrying an umbrella walking past the Vatican on a sunny day

Italy, Spain and France have been hardest-hit by the heatwave so far. Credit: Getty Images

Forty people have drowned in France since Thursday while seeking respite in rivers and canals from soaring temperatures, the country's prime minister has said. Much of western Europe is sweltering in a heatwave that has seen France record its hottest June day on record, with an average temperature of 29.8C (85.64F). In Spain, the temperature hit 45C (113F) on Monday. While heatwaves during summer are nothing new, human-induced climate change means they're becoming more normal, says lead weather presenter Simon King. With temperature records expected to be broken in the coming days and the heatwave set to move east across the continent, our reporters across Europe set out how different countries are trying to mitigate the effects of the intense heat.

What Europe's doing

GET UP TO SPEED

Two boys and a girl are looking out of a hole that has been made in the grey wall of a house. One boy wears a yellow T-shirt, the other a green one and the girl is wearing a black dress and a white and black headscarf. The girl looks upset and they all appear to be looking at something.

UN commission of inquiry finds Israel targeting Gaza children

Israel said it "utterly rejects" the report that accused it of genocide, and called it a "libellous sham" and "propaganda".

What the report found >

Dettol apologises after ad to clean up 'toxic men' backfires

The ad sparked accusations of sexism in China, after featuring a man looking for a partner who is "not tainted by other men".

What happened >

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Spider which uses spring trap to catch prey discovered

The catapult-like trap flings ants into a bigger web at 15 times the g-forces experienced by jet pilots, a researcher said.

Where it was found >

NEWS FROM THE UK

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In pictures: As the ex-Scottish National Party chief executive was jailed for embezzlement, new images have been released of what he spent the £400,000 ($527,480) on.

Forced adoption: At 18, Reg Barker found out his birth mother had been pressured to give him up. It took him 45 years to trace his birth family.

AT THE SCENE

Daegu, South Korea

The South Korean authors rising above a tide of hate to become bestsellers

Dozens of women sit around tables in a room. They are all looking forwards and many are smiling and clapping. They are all dressed in jumpers and many have coffee cups in front of them.

Women of all ages attended Ha Mina’s book launch in Daegu. Credit: Kyla Kim

In the years since the MeToo movement's 2016 global breakthrough, South Korean women have experienced an anti-feminist backlash. One of their responses has been a rise in book clubs and writing rooms for women, offering a space to gather and talk freely – and it’s heralded something of a revolution. This year, women won all six categories in the country's most prestigious literary prize for the first time.

Leehyun Choi, reporter

There were no men in sight at the book talk, while I could see women of all ages, and even one young mother who had brought her toddler daughter along. This has become common in South Korea, where the literary scene is increasingly dominated by women.

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“In Korean society, the feminist label is so stigmatised. You’re treated like a freak," author Ha Mina says. "These writing communities are offering one of the few safe places for women to share their experiences, make mistakes, and grow,” she tells me. At the talk in Daegu, one woman tell me she “feels safe and “at ease” as there’s “no need to censor” herself here.

Listen from 16:58

Read more: Choi delves deeper into the success of female writers in South Korea and the backlash they're facing.

Baek Se-hee: After the bestselling author died at 35, readers reflected on how, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, helped them.
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Challenging beauty ideals: Why South Korean women are reclaiming their short hair.
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