Bodega Fermín, one of the establishments with the longest history in the Barceloneta neighborhood, has begun to remove its historic signs by order of the Barcelona City Council. The signs, installed in 1973 and which became an identifying mark of the establishment, have been affected by the application of the ordinance on urban landscape uses, which limits the type and volume of commercial identifiers in certain areas of the city.

The Major Oak, one of the most emblematic trees in the United Kingdom for its size and its connection to the legend of Robin Hood, has died after a process of progressive deterioration. The oak, located in Sherwood Forest, in the north of England, was between 800 and 1,200 years old and was considered one of the country's great natural icons and cultural heritage.

Leo Messi's family confirmed this Thursday that Jorge Messi, the Argentine footballer's father, has been admitted to the hospital for a health problem about which no details have been disclosed. In a statement, the family environment indicated that he is "under medical supervision, recovering and evolving favorably within the framework he presents," the family said.

Nacho Duato, one of the most prominent figures in Spanish contemporary dance and former artistic director of the Compañía Nacional de Danza between 1990 and 2010, explained in an interview on the program Cara al show, on La Sexta, an episode he experienced when he was 17 years old, upon arriving in Madrid to start his career as a dancer. He explained it during his visit to the program presented by Marc Giró, where he detailed an attempted sexual assault and a subsequent physical assault by an actor now deceased and, according to him, "very famous".

The Ångermanland court, in northern Sweden, on Tuesday sentenced Tomas Runsten, a 61-year-old man, to four years and five months in prison. According to the verdict, he allegedly sexually exploited his wife for three years and exposed her to between 250 and 275 men in exchange for money since 2023. The case has inevitably been compared to that of Dominique Pelicot in France — for which he is known as the "Swedish Pelicot" — both for the extent of control exerted over the victim and for the way intimate life was turned into a system of sustained exploitation.

The president of the Spanish employers' association CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, has raised his tone regarding the political situation the State is going through and which is marked by different judicial fronts: "The [Spanish] panorama is devastating [...] We are heading for institutional drift," Garamendi denounced during the closing of the CEOE General Assembly held this Wednesday in Madrid. The employers' leader also called to "lift the carpets, because the cases of corruption are incredible".

Russia launched one of the most massive aerial attacks in recent months against Ukraine early Monday. Among the affected targets is the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the great spiritual and cultural emblems of Ukraine and Orthodox Christianity, founded in the 11th century, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The attack caused a spectacular fire.

The show had not yet ended and everyone already had it clear that the blessing of the Sagrada Família's Jesus tower would be one of the images of the year. This Thursday, the front pages of the world's press certified it. As in the '92 Olympic Games, Barcelona once again showed itself splendid in a global ceremony. The day after the event, it was easy to overhear conversations everywhere about the impressive effect of the drones recreating the figure of Antoni Gaudí or the beauty of the light show. Comments that, often, oscillated between pride in the image offered and reservations about whether this could lead to an increase in tourism in the Catalan capital.

Rosalía has been honored this Thursday in London with the Ivor Novello award forinternational songwriter of the year, one of the most prestigious in the music industry, which recognizes her career and places her among the most outstanding figures in the musical Olympus. In previous editions, artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Adele have received it. Rosalía has thus achieved a new historic milestone at 33 years old.

The Generalitat has halted the filming of the movie The last druid (The Last Druid), starring Russell Crowe, planned in Sant Cugat del Vallès, after detecting non-compliance with the safety measures established for the African swine fever crisis. The department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, headed by counselor Òscar Ordeig, has sent a request to the company responsible for the production.

The FC Barcelona first team squad, the coaching staff, and the board celebrated the end-of-season dinner this Wednesday at the Restaurant Casanova Beach Club in Castelldefels, with about 150 guests. The gathering, initially planned as a celebration for the League and Super Cup titles, also ended up becoming a tribute to Robert Lewandowski, who announced his departure from the club on Saturday. In fact, he already said goodbye to the fans in the last match at Camp Nou against Betis. The Polish forward received recognition from his teammates and the coaching staff in an internal event, even though there is still one match left to play.

This 2026, Sopa de Cabra celebrates four decades of trajectory with a commemorative tour and the premiere of the documentary Tornar enrere, directed by Jordi Call. The piece, aired this Tuesday on 3Cat's Sense ficció, highlights various aspects of the band's 40 years that had often remained in the background. For instance, the group members openly admit that they do not maintain a friendship outside the musical project. In fact, the documentary begins with an argument after a concert.

The work of Banksy It never fails to provoke a reaction. The artist (or artists) behind that name creates stencil paintings brimming with social and political commentary, all from a position of anonymity. Their interventions appear on walls, streets, squares, and public spaces worldwide, and each work sparks social debate. Their career has taken them to Paris, New York, Bethlehem, London, and Bristol, the British city where they have left some of their most recognizable murals in the early hours of the morning. The themes are diverse: from critiques of war and social inequality to ironic graffiti about consumer society and politics.

If there's one footballer who doesn't go unnoticed on the pitch, it's Adama Traoré. Known for his striking physique and power on the field – more akin to an American football player – the player from Hospitalet de Llobregat has turned his athleticism and musculature into a hallmark and his main competitive advantage. A privileged genetic makeup that, paradoxically, seems to have gone from a virtue to a problem.

Barcelona hosted the 40th edition of the Goya Awards this Saturday, an edition marked by the return of the gala to the Catalan capital twenty-six years later. Sundays has triumphed over the adventure in the desert of Siradowhich has swept the technical categories. All this in a ceremony that once again provided memorable images, musical numbers with a Catalan flavor, and impassioned speeches.

Myopia has skyrocketed in recent decades and has become a global problem. Around the year 2000, it affected approximately 23% of the world's population, but projections indicate that by 2050 almost half of humanity could be myopic. In any case, this rapid increase in myopia may have more to do with how we use our eyes indoors than with screen use. This is according to a study by [the relevant organization/institution]. SUNY College of OptometryPublished in the journal Cell Reports. Specifically, the researchers explain that looking very closely in low-light environments causes the retina to receive less stimulation, which could contribute to myopia.

The death of Nemesio Oseguera CervantesThe leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), known as El Mencho, has unleashed a wave of violence in Mexico that has left roads blocked, buildings burned, and at least 55 dead. The Mexican government confirmed that at least 25 members of the Mexican National Guard and about 30 members of the CJNG died in the unrest. In addition, some 70 cartel members were arrested in states such as Jalisco and Michoacán (in the west), according to Mexico's Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch. Authorities say they have restored calm after road blockades, vehicle fires, and coordinated attacks were reported Sunday night (Monday in Catalonia) in several locations in Jalisco and neighboring states. "Today there is more peace and quiet, and there is a government, there are armed forces. There is a security cabinet and a great deal of coordination. So, you can rest assured that peace, security, and normalcy are being protected in the country," said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at a press conference this Monday.

This Friday marks one month since the tragic Gelida train accident On the night of Tuesday, January 20, 2026, a commuter train derailed near Gelida, on the R4 line between Martorell and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. The accident resulted in the death of a young trainee train driver and left five people seriously injured after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks. The accident caused a complete shutdown of the line and affected hundreds of passengers, highlighting the fragility of a railway infrastructure marked by decades of underinvestment and an aging train fleet.

This Wednesday, February 18th, the calendar marks an unusual coincidence: the simultaneous start of Catholic Lent and Muslim Ramadan. This exceptional occurrence is solely due to a matter of calendar calculation. Lent depends on the Christian liturgical calendar and the variable date of Easter—which is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, making it fall between approximately March 23rd and April 25th—while Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, based on the solar calendar, which is about ten to twelve days long each year, making it movable from year to year. Because they follow different calendars and progress at different rates, Lent and Ramadan only sporadically coincide in the Gregorian calendar, as they do in 2026. This simultaneity invites us to ask how these two central periods for the two major religions are similar and how they differ.

This Wednesday, during the World Economic Forum in DavosElon Musk has asserted that a large solar power plant located in sparsely populated areas of Spain or Sicily could generate enough energy to power all of Europe. According to the entrepreneur, the necessary facilities are technologically feasible and simply need to be implemented. Musk cited China as an example, where solar plants already produce 540 gigawatts (GW) annually.