France's 'David and Goliath' fight against wildfires

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Pascale Harter introduces stories from France, Ecuador, the Thailand-Myanmar border and South Korea. Firefighters across Europe have been battling wildfires this week and in the southwest of France an area four times the size of Paris burnt outside Bordeaux. President Macron said it was the toughest situation the country had dealt with since the Second World War.Gwyn Loader joined the professional firefighters and volunteers battling to beat back the flames amid 40C heat. Despite President Daniel Noboa's hardline policies, promising to crackdown on drug trafficking and gang violence in Ecuador, the country is still terrorised by cartels and corruption. In the cities of Guayaquil and Duran, Orla Guerin saw how rampant crime is fuelling a climate of fear. Since the military coup in Myanmar, the border city of Mae Sot in Thailand has become a haven for refugees, exiled civilians politicians and rebel fighters trying to restore democracy in their homeland. But five and a half years on, some of their revolutionary spirit is flagging as the Burmese regime retakes territory across the border. On a recent visit to the city, Jonathan Head sensed a mood of exhaustion in Myanmar's fractured opposition. South Korea is worried about its future, as birthrates remain low. The government in Seoul has spent billions to get more of the younger generation coupled up, married off and having families of their own. But it can be hard for people not used to socialising in person to break the ice. Jake Kwon travelled to an ancient mountainside temple where Buddhist monks have been hosting special speed-dating weekends to help. Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison (Image: Firefighters continue battling the huge wildfire in southwestern France, July 2026. Credit: Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelghani Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images)