The Worst Wildfire Season in Spain & Portugal

 

BBC News reports on the worst wildfire season ever in the EU, led by the blazes in Spain & Portugal. In total, one million hectares have burnt in the whole of Europe, due to climate change and an unprecedented heat wave. 

The article contains a few technical terms, so it can be recommended for B2 students who can pick up expressions like: a wildfire, on record, to scar, to scorch, a severe [fire], a forested [area], pilgrimage, to trigger, a vicious cycle, to release [CO2], to surge, a blaze, [fire]-prone, flammability, [rural] depopulation, to be overgrown, a fire break, [fire]-hardy [ecosystems], to struggle, a hare, a cork oak, [to keep] in check, to offset, a [climate] feedback loop, to pose [a threat], soil [erosion], ash, a reservoir.

Below you can also watch a longer report (11:27) broadcast by DW News nine days ago during the worst moments of struggle against the blazes, which is recommended for C1 students:

Jaialdi/ San Inazio, the Basque Festivals in Idaho

Jaialdi is a major Basque Festival held in Boise, Idaho, every five years. Thousands of Basques migrated to the Western states of the U.S. in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, to work as shepherds or farm labourers in the cattle ranches. In 1987, the first Jaialdi festival began to celebrate Basque heritage in Boise and now it is the largest and most popular festival in the Basque diaspora. San Inazio is a smaller festivity that takes place every year, both events are organised by the Basque Center in Boise.

Jaialdi 2025 runs from July 29th to August 3rd. B1 students can read the article "Drinks and dancing though the decades: Boise's Basque Festival Jaialdi returns this week" written by Jaime Gear on Boise State Public Radio, and they will find interesting expressions like: to chop, an attendee, a [basque] staple, the Gold Rush, a tight-knit [community], a garb, buoyant, to toss, a hay bale. For B2 students, George Prentice's story "Dancing, wagon lifting, chorizo and kalimotxo. Hey Boise, here's your Jaialdi 2025 preview" is more suitable, as the text summarizes a more complex (13':06") radio interview to Lael Uberuaga in "Morning Edition" (C1 level). Some of the expressions in the article are: an overstatement, to skip, to date back [to 1987], a footprint, to stretch, naively, to reconvene, to gather, a vendor, to get underway, an attendee, to ramp up, to dub, herri kirolak, a hay bale, to hoist, an anvil, to be hard-pressed.

If you want further information about Basque culture in Idaho, you can check The Basque Museum and Cultural Center (BMCC) in Boise, which includes Esther Ciganda's The Immigrant All Around podcasts -where Pedro Ciganda's bilingual account of how he picked up English and how he adjusted to the American way of life, is highly recommendable, and the BMCC Oral Histories, a library of interviews to numerous Basque migrants like José Ramón Larrea, or their desendants like Juan Pablo Aramburu who talk about their experiences in the U.S.A. You can also watch a Visit Idaho video about the Basque Block in Boise or another short video from Idaho News 6 about San Inazio 2024, the smaller festival which is held annually.

Finally, C1 students can watch the KTVB report with subtitles below about Jaialdi, where they will find expressions like: a gamut, a thunderstorm, to honour [the culture], to head [to], a closure, to check out, to shape, seating.

England Wins the Women's Euro Title, 2025

England beat Spain in the penalty shootout to retain the title at Euro 2025, Emma Sanders reported for BBC News. The match ended 1- 1, and then England scored 3 goals in the penalty shootout, whereas Spain scored 1. 

The report contains many football technical terms, so it is recommended for C1 students who will find interesting expressions like: the score, a fixture, an assist, a venue, stunning, penalty-shootout, the winner, a spot-kick, to seal, [to miss three] in a row, to save, soil, [single-]legged, comeback, to trail, to concede, [a] knockout [match], feeble, a header, to dampen, unwavering [belief], to come on, struggling, the build-up, a [whipped] cross, to pick out, to dig [deep], to have what it takes, to bounce back, to backfire, resilience, the limelight, to whirl, the wake, sexual assault [case], to stumble, free-flowing [football], to pull away, to prove [costly], a stumbling block, to stand out, a [long-ball] outlet, the backline, to dribble, to set up [a goal], to slot [back into team].

Below you can watch the highlights of the match and the penalty-shootout:

Azizam and the Best 2025 Summer Songs in USA

 

Which is your summer song this year? No ideas? Well, here you have a couple of lists to help you decide. First, you can check the American Top 40 chart July 12- 19 and look around if any tune sounds fun. A alternative/ indie/ electronic list was drawn up by Hazel Cills, Sheldon Pearce and Robin Hilton for NPR on July 1st, 2025's best songs (so far).

I have compiled a short-list of YouTube links to the songs that, one way or another, have struck a chord with me: Relationships by Haim, It's a mirror by Perfume Genius, Room of fools by FKA twigs, Gold rush by Lucius. Sabrina Carpenter has three hits on the charts, Taste, Bed Chem and Manchild- and, furthermore, the latter has been positively reviewed by Hazel Cills in Sabrina Carpenter can crack a joke, while Billie Eilish has two songs, Birds of a feather and Wildflower. Other international hits are Messy by Lola Young, Die with a smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, Nice to meet you by Myles Smith, APT by Rosé & Bruno Mars, Too sweet by Hozier, and, last but not least, All the Way, by BigXthPlug, feat. Bailey Zimmerman, an original blend of rap and country music.

Azizam by Ed Sheeran is a catchy summer song that mixes British pop with Persian influences and has been a number one hit in many countries around the world, as you can read in the Wikipedia entry for Azizam. Here you can find a listening task for B1 and B2 students with the key for self-study, and a few interesting words that come up in the song: azizam, floor, wrapped, careless, [do it our] way.

Relationships, by Haim talks about the complexity of inner feelings, when reading the lyrics, B1 students can pick up expressions like: to be through, to be cought up in [something], to end up, to blame, guilty, averse to [conflict], to bring [you] down.

Listen, dance and enjoy your summer!

Toxic Mushroom Murder Trial in Australia

Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering her in-laws by serving them poisonous mushrooms in a family dinner. The case has gathered huge media attention in Australia and all around the world for the jury had to weigh up the evidence and the lies, to decide if the poisonings were deliberate or not, and for the family relationships between the victims, the murderer and her estranged husband.

B2 learners who are not familiar with the story will find it difficult to understand the details at first, so I recommend them to read Rachel Treisman's report for NPR first, An Australian woman is found guilty of murdering her in-laws by toxic mushrooms, where they will come across interesting words like: death cap mushrooms, guilty, estranged [husband], beef Wellington, a paste, [finely] chopped [mushrooms], [multiple organ] failure, a witness, a twist and turn, a prosecutor, a motive, to plead [non-guilty], [three] counts [of murder], to forage [mushrooms], to cover up [her actions], to prove [her guilty], a recap, a split, an amicable [relationship], to pull out, a quirk, amanita phalloides mushrooms, to be discharged, scrutiny, back and forth, to throw up, to acknowledge, a grocery store, to dispose of [something], the stand, to dump, a knee-jerk [reaction], to dig [deeper], to cover her tracks, a deception, a fabricated [cancer claim], to plant the seed, a lump, to spark [a search for death cap mushrooms], to cherry-pick, a ruse, to take a leap, 

After reading the text, C1 students can listen to a 3-minute NPR radio report and check how much they understand the American accent, where they can pick up words such as: to grip, a suburban [mom], to pass up, an estranged [husband], death cap mushrooms, the leftovers, bizarre, to fake [a cancer diagnosis], to forage for [mushrooms], to chalk it up, a [kitchen] mix-up, devastated, on [pretty] decent [terms], to pull out, to recap. To fully understand all the words in the report, C1 learners will problably have to use the transcript after listening a couple of times.

For further information, students can read the following Wikipedia entry, 2023 Leongatha mushroom murders, watch this 9News story to test their understanding of Australian accent (C2 level) or watch the shorter ABC YouTube video below, also in Australian English:

Backstage with Shakira

Shakira is in the middle of a tour in North and South America, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry)" and Mark Savage has interviewed the Colombian artist in the backstage of the Miami show for BBC News in the article "My kids are the reason I'm alive: Backstage with Shakira". The report peeps into all the seamstress and laundry work behind an international musical show with an interview to head of wardrobe, Hannah Kinkade, and it also revisits the recent personal upheavals of Shakira and how she has managed to get over every setback and relaunch her career. 

The first half of the article contains very precise fashion & music show vocabulary, colloquial expressions and interesting collocations but the sentences are quite short, so, it can accessible for B2 students and above, who can pick up words like: backstage, bowels, to be taped, on fire, a scrawl, to put on [a stadium tour], sold out, to polish, frayed nerves, a screaming [match], vibe, to stretch, seamstress, to sew, a catsuit, a [guitar] check, tuning, to hang around, a tumble dryer, to plumb in, a venue, wardrobe, a costume, to care for, to stitch, to scrub, an outfit, to scuff [their shoes], to stash [reserves of Gatorade], iced coffee, sticky [Miami heat], a trade-off, the underworld, a set, to stash away, to stud, a [sound] check, [non-]deceitful, to be flanked, a [police] escort, flared, a vest [top], flawless, the crew, to deliver, a quip, a wink, to be [full] out, to figure something out, one way or another, a pan pipe, a riff, a wristband, a workout, [the obsession] to pay off, a parade, a [tribal-knife] routine, to thrash, to howl, to bray, heartbreak, [personal] upheaval, to fall apart, [tax] fraud, to settle [a case], out of court, to prompt, an outburst, a barb, a string [of hits], to rack up [13 billion], streams, furry, a she-wolf, commitment, [to come] off [stage], to put together [a show], to make something happen, to carry you through, to break into [the Western pop market], precarious, humane, to catch up with [the BBC], to christen, a [powerful] statement, to underpin, to span [generations], to bounce around, a tender [ballad], to duet, mixed emotions, stressed out, [to stay] tuned, to tease. 

If you want to watch the Mexico show of Shakira's "Women No Longer Cry" tour, you can click on the YouTube link below:

Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe

The BBC Radio 4 programme "Ramblings" is broadcasting a series of programmes on "Camino de Santiago" (the Way of St. James) where different routes are explored with different pilgrims, guides and hosts. 

The first episode is called "Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe", an author, guide and walker, who went through a deep emotional journey during the "camino" to overcome a personal trauma and find forgiveness. This programme contains a number of relaxed conversations and some descriptions of the landscape, but, as there are no subtitles and it is quite long (23':50"), it can be recommended for C2 students and above. Lower level students could use the following vocabulary list as a listening guide: chilly, crops, brotherly [love], a foundational [month], Down syndrome, to come up with [an idea], to give up, tough, [his] pace, roles reversed, [to open my] consciousness, the scallop [shell], an insignia, faithful,  a [route] to converge, a pungent [smell], to sprout, moss, a [red] tile, a sleepy [village], a [rain] cover, a [recognized] pilgrimage, the tomb [of Santiago], within your means, an upturn [scalop shell], [to collect] stamps, "compostela" (credential), an up-and-coming [route], a [strong] odour [of cows], to rock up, to wing it, St James' appeal, a hermit, "compostela" (field of stars), to hand draw, to rage [down], a drop [of 40 meters], a [single]-arch [bridge], a steep [peak], stonemasons' [insignia], moss & ivy, lichen, to lean over [the balcony], a vocal [dog], a little hamlet, a [raised] [grain-]storage [building], on stilts, grills, stone pillars, to be brought up [in the Church of England], [my faith] to fall apart, the confession, a [public] forum, trauma, [to be] set [at our house], to come up with [the title of the book], to be groomed, to be abused, a vicar, to press charges, to go to court, circumstantial evidence, earthly [father], skewed, to acknowledge [what happened], [a case] to stand up [in court], rage, guilt, to struggle [to forgive], to release [it], shattered, a breakdown, the ramparts [of the castle], to pick up on [the signs], gay, to blame, [for as long as it] takes, to bring them up, fishhooks, to collapse, a gate, to grab [each other], a stream, to flush [them away], baggage, to shed, a healing [process], not linear, a [continuous] mindset, to catch you off guard, thrilled, to catch up.

Other episodes of the series include "Camino Francés with Maggie McLean"  who is a missioner, a reverend canon and one of the first women who was ordained in the Church of England, and "Living on the Camino de Santiago" with Andrea Abbatemarco, who left his life in Milan to run a hostel for pilgrims on the Sanabrés route. Shortly, the episodes "Camino Inglés with Jannine and Sally", "Arriving in Santiago de Compostela with Sharon, Shirley and friends" and "Camino Memories in Penicuik" will be broadcast.

If you want to watch a short, lighthearted video of "El Camino", you can just click on this BBC-2 clip below:

The Parsi Museum in Mumbai

Cherylann Mollan reports on a little museum in Mumbai that tells the history and traditions of an ancient people, the Parsis: the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum.

The BBC News report, entitled "Of opium, fire temples, and sarees: A peek into the world of India's dwindling Parsis" can be read by B2 students and above, who will find interesting expressions like: a saree, a peek, to dwindle, to [be] tucked away, a lane, Zoroastrianism, to flee, [fled, fled], the mainstream [population], to shake-off, an artefact, on display, a curator, to showcase, a print, [to be] draped in [saree], cuneiform, a terracotta [pot], to source, [to be] dated [to 4000-5000 BCE], to rule, a barren [desert], to settle, to outline, to grant, a [human rights] charter, a portrait, to own, a brand, striking, to trade, an exhibit, to depict, a compelling [exhibit], a glimpse into, off-limits [to non-Parsis], [to be] renovated, [well]-captioned, a [glass] case, packed with [history].

You can step into the Alpaiwalla Museum virtually by watching the YouTube video below, where Purva Chitnis, assistant editor of The Print, interviews Kerman Fatakia, the curator of the museum, who offers a guided tour of the main exhibits in the museum.  This video can be watched with machine-generated subtitles, which may prove helpful for those C1 students and above who are less familiar with Indian English:

Steve Bannon Predicts a Constitutional Crisis in the U.S. by Summer

 

Steve Bannon is one of President Trump's top allies and his former advisor. He is a political campaigner, a media executive and a leader of the CPAC, a conservative movement that tries to spread Trumpism around the world. Recently, Mr Bannon gave Steve Inskeep, the host of NPR's Morning Edition, an interview, "Steve Bannon praises Trump's strategy, wants DOGE's receipts", where he discusses President Trump's 100 days in office and anticipates "a constitutional crisis" in a "summer like no other". 

This 11-minute-long interview with a script, is rather complex, as it deals with American politics and students won't be very familiar with many references, so it is recommended for C2 students, Experts and teachers, who will find interesting expressions such as: to hurdle, livestream, a [wide] swath [of Trump supporters], a mantel, a drive [to deport people], first off, to rattle, an audit, a high-paying [job], to impose [tariffs] on [China], to back off, to stack up, Bessent, to go in [full] force, to speak out against [elites], to target [top private and public universities], to bleed [the money] back in, a [Chinese] national, tuition, to run up against [judicial resistance], due process, to check [something against the law], to defy [the Supreme Court chief justice], [on his] say so, fentanyl, bookkeeping, to grant [everything you say], to pass a bill, to roll over [to the globalists], to step up [and say], to turf out, to tap along [the president], [disapproval] ratings, [to go] way [down], [I don`t] buy [it], [media] psyop.

If you want to watch the full interview (27':51"), it is on YouTube, or you can just click below. This full video interview is recommended for experts and teachers, as ordinary C2 students will problably get lost at different moments for lack of background knowledge about American politics, history, trade relations and constitutional law:

TikTok, AI and other security threats to the EU

 

The geopolitical tensions in the world are making the European Union think twice about the communication apps that are safe, and those that could be manipulated by foreign powers to eavesdrop on politicians' and high-profile officials' sensitive information, Cynthia Kroet & Romane Armangau report in the Euronews article "From TikTok to AI: What the EU now calls a security threat". 

The article is not difficult to read, but many students will not be so familiar with the topic and with the range of vocabulary, particularly the synonyms it displays, so it is recommended for C1 students, who can pick up expressions like: a burner phone, to ban, stripped-down [laptops], surveillance, to black-list, an [EU] agency, the budgetary watchdog, to gather [data], [to deny] these claims, to compel, alleged, to muddle, to launch [an investigation], to breach [a law], to come under fire, to curb [offences], fraud, promotion of terrorism, [to have] leverage, to hold the keys, encryption, [to impose]   restrictions, disinformation, so-called, to be [AI Act] compliant, to decline [to comment], to be charged, a [corruption] probe, to bribe, a backdoor, critical [infrastructure], build-out, to crop up, ongoing [doubts], to be in line with [regulations], to advise against [using], to comply with [the law], [to flee] fled, [fled], dissatisfied, unchecked, a conspiracy theory, hate speech, to quit, [to find yourself] in hot water, to uncover, a [major security] breach, to track [the movements], a high-profile [official], to deploy.

If you want to learn more about hackers and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, you can watch this long BBC News programme, AI Decoded (20':57") which was published 9 months ago, where some experts discuss AI threats to critical national infrastructure, disinformation and deep fakes. This video can be recommended for C2 students, experts and teachers:

Bike Buses to School in Cardiff, Valencia and Barcelona

 

Cardiff has started a new scheme to help children bike to school safely, Hywel Griffith and Antonia Matthews report for BBC News in "Bike bus in Cardiff creates safety in numbers on school run". The idea is to plan bike routes where groups of children, with the supervision of some adults, can start the day with energy and oxygen in their brains, an initiative that was promoted by Bike Bus World, an American non-profit group, and Sustrans in the U.K., and has caught on in Spain -Violeta Peraita reports for Levante newspaper- in CEIP Cervantes de Alboraia, Valencia and in other schoolos like Xirinacs school, Barcelona. The BBC article is short and simple, so it can be recommended for B1 students who can pick up expressions like: a [bike] ride, to set [pupils] up for [a successful school day], non-profit, a charity, a marshal, to pick up [children], to foster [a sense of community], a convoy, loads [of fun], [to have a] chat. 

Below you can watch a video where folk singer and nationalist politician Dafydd Iwan sings along with many school children Yma o Hyd, the song that is mentioned in the BBC News article. This song is usually chanted when Wales plays international rugby or football matches to intimidate their rivals. You can watch Yma o Hyd in Welsh with Welsh subtitles right underneath these lines, to have a first exposure to Welsh language:

Afghan Women under the Taliban

To celebrate International Women's Day, you can watch two reports about life for Afghan women under the Taliban. The first one is a short video titled "Have Afghan women been forgotten. The Taliban's rules for women in Afghanistan" by Al Jazeera, and the second one is the BBC News report "In their own words: Spend one day with Afghan women living under Taliban rule".

The Al Jazeera video below is short (05':37") and has subtitles, so it can be recommended for B2 students and above, who can pick up words like: timid, a cage, [to take] power, to be banned from [a job], a chaperon, a beauty salon, to take a [huge] toll on [their mental health], a surge, a midwife, a health care provider, [against] a backdrop [of an economic crisis], to struggle with [an issue], to flee fled, a breadwinner, the mindset, gender apartheid, on [gender] grounds, to be committed, to spin, to be on board [with the restrictions], resilient.

The BBC News report In their own words: Spend one day with Afghan women living underTaliban rule" is a collection of short contributions from Afghan women: in the first one Freshta, a midwife says her rural colleagues lack higher education, in the second piece Lima, an 18-year-old with a singing talent tells the BBC she feels so isolated, she uses AI as a friend to talk to, you can see videos of Lima singing, photos of Zenat at work, or pieces of Ala's art; there is a third text on how Freshta spends her days without working, another one about what what Lima misses about her life, a fifth story about what Hela hopes to achieve in the future, and there are many more testimonies to read (Iftar feast, Ala again, Arshida, Moska etc). This on-going BBC report can be recommended for B2+ students and above, who can read as many short texts as they please and will  find interesting expressions like: a decree, to bar [them] from [education], a midwife, to scroll  [down], Freshta: a C-section, labour,  Lima: fake [hope], an overthinker, Zenat: mud, a bakery, a set-up, dough, a batch [of dough], Ala: an outbreak, to be deprived of [education], [to hold on to] a glimmer [of hope], Freshta: to strive, to step out, a brand, Lima: a takeover, MMA, kickboxing, numb, Hela: to bless [us with success], to sponsor [us financially], to stand on our own feet, Iftar feast pictures: [to break their] fast, Iftar, Ala: sheer [necessity], to bear the burden, overwhelming, to be weighed down [by traditions], to sorrow, to deem [worthy of], Arshida: to take over, to be trapped, harsh [reality], resilience, to mirror, Moska: to shatter, to deprive of [learning], to resume [my education] etc.

Women are strong and resilient in Afghanistan and all around the world. 

Happy International Woman's Day, 2025!