Wildfire season
The week's news at a glance.
Catalonia, Spain
Arsonists are being blamed for a series of large fires in Spain and Portugal this week. At least three people were killed and thousands of acres of land consumed in fires across Catalonia and Galicia in Spain, and major infernos raced across eastern Portugal. The heat wave baking Europe has turned both countries into a giant landscape of dry kindling. Officials have banned campfires and even outdoor barbecuing in rural areas. Portuguese authorities are considering branding arsonists “fire terrorists” and prosecuting them under anti-terror laws.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published