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Fiorini and Perez break race walking world records
Italy’s Sofia Fiorini broke the women’s race walking marathon world record by more than nine minutes at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Spain’s Maria Perez also set a world record in the half-marathon, making the event a notable double-record occasion. The records were achieved during the women’s race walking competition at the championships…
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Spain tourist destination hit by 5 magnitude earthquake in the dead of night leaving roads cracked and buildings shuddering
An earthquake measuring magnitude 5.2 struck the southern Spanish city of Granada in the early hours of Saturday morning, cracking roads, damaging buildings and trapping people inside collapsed structures. The tremor, felt across the popular tourist region including the Costa del Sol, prompted Andalusian authorities to declare an emergency, though no injuries have so far…
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PSG sign World Cup final match-winner Torres from Barcelona
Ferran Torres, who scored Spain’s extra-time winner in the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina, has joined French champions Paris St-Germain from Barcelona. The 26-year-old forward has signed a deal running until 2031 for a reported fee of around 50m euros (£42.7m), adding another marquee attacking talent to a PSG side already boasting Champions League…
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‘I don’t even drink whisky’: Scotland reels in visitors as much of Europe swelters
Scotland is attracting more tourists while parts of Europe endure heatwaves and Britain’s wider visitor market faces disruption from conflict, economic pressures and new EU border procedures. Tourism leaders say cooler weather, increased direct flights from North America, popular Scottish cultural imagery and domestic travellers avoiding border delays have all strengthened its appeal. Flight bookings…
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London City Lionesses’ Mapi León: ‘It is a club created for women. It is beautiful and exciting’
Mapi León says she joined London City Lionesses to test herself in the contrasting, more physical style of the Women’s Super League after nine highly successful years at Barcelona. The Spain defender describes the club as an exciting women-focused project and says she is enthusiastic about adapting to English football and life in south-east London.…
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La Liga 2026-27 preview: Madrid look to Mourinho in bid to dethrone Barcelona
Real Madrid have reappointed José Mourinho as manager in an attempt to end Barcelona’s run of two consecutive La Liga titles, following two trophyless seasons and a period of internal turmoil. Club president Florentino Pérez made Mourinho’s return a central pledge of his June re-election campaign, betting that the Portuguese coach’s authority and past success…
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Fresh rivals & forced to settle for silver – but Hodgkinson up for fight
Keely Hodgkinson has said she is ready to face a new generation of 800m rivals after Switzerland’s Audrey Werro ended her European title reign in Birmingham. The British Olympic champion sees the defeat as part of the sport’s changing competitive landscape, with potential battles against Werro, Dutch athlete Femke Broeders-Bol and others likely to shape…
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‘Their Strength Through Joy conversation is killing me’: Samuel Beckett’s German diaries
Samuel Beckett’s newly published German diaries reveal that, during a six-month journey through pre-war Germany in 1936–37, he closely observed and was disturbed by the growth of Nazism. The notebooks challenge the view that the future author of Waiting for Godot was detached from contemporary politics, showing instead his private resistance to Nazi language, rituals…
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Europe’s scorched landscapes seen from space after summer heatwaves
Successive summer heatwaves have visibly altered western Europe’s landscape, with satellite images showing drier rivers, retreating Alpine glaciers, wildfire scars and farmland turning brown. The changes matter because they illustrate the immediate disruption caused by extreme heat—from transport and energy problems to ecological damage—and are consistent with a warming climate making heatwaves more frequent and…
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Heatwave Strains Farms as Ireland’s O’Connor Takes Heptathlon Second
Ireland experienced prolonged hot, dry weather in mid-August, placing pressure on farms through reduced grass growth, water-supply concerns and the need to consider supplementary feed for livestock. A high-temperature warning covered 13 counties, with daytime temperatures expected to exceed 27°C and warm nights also forecast. Agricultural advisers said dry conditions had made harvesting easier in…