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A British woman who had to climb out of her car window before it was swept away along with the rest of her belongings in Spain's floods says she is "lucky to be alive".Karen Loftus, 62, from Dorset, said she and her husband were headed south to their home in Alicante on Tuesday evening when they were hit by "unbelievably heavy rain". The extreme conditions have seen at least 95 people killed in the country so far, with forecasters predicting further storms going into tomorrow.Describing her ordeal, Mrs Loftus told Sky News that at about 6pm, traffic on the AP-7 motorway came to a standstill. Latest updates on Spain's floodsThe next thing they noticed was the bridge ahead being "washed away", said Mrs Loftus, who is the chief executive of UK-based charity Community Action Network."A lorry w...

The Vatican has unveiled a new mascot for the Catholic Church in the hope of engaging young people - a cartoon character named Luce.Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican's chief organiser for the church's upcoming jubilee year, said the mascot was "created from the desire to enter into the world of pop culture, so beloved by our young people". Named after a Latin word for light, the mascot was designed by Simone Legno, the Italian co-founder of lifestyle brand Tokidoki, which is inspired by Japanese culture. He also designed Luce's "pilgrim friends" Fe, Xin and Sky. Image: Luce is named after the Latin word for light. Pic: Vatican The archbishop described Luce's design features as "the typical elements of the pilgrim", po...

A teenage champion skier has died after a crash during a training session in Italy.Matilde Lorenzi, 19, fell while skiing on a slope in Val Senales, northern Italy, the country's defence ministry said. Lorenzi was an Italian junior champion last season and her older sister Lucrezia is also a competitive skier, according to Olympics.com.Tributes poured in following her death, including a host of messages from Olympic ski stars.Former US Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn described Lorenzi's death as "a tragic loss" and said she was "sending [her] thoughts to her family". US Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin added: "So much love to her family, friends, and teammates."The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) said it extended its "deepest condolences following the tragic loss of Matilde Lorenzi"."...

The extreme conditions in eastern Spain which saw Valencia get a year's worth of rain in just eight hours can be blamed on an event locally known as Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos (DANA).This weather situation occurs when the jet stream high up in the atmosphere meanders like a river and creates a cut off area of low pressure.That can become slow moving or almost stationary, with surrounding high pressure blocking it and allowing heavy rain to fall in the same region.Spain floods latest: Disaster may not be over, warns PM Image: Residents look at cars piled up by the floods in Valencia. Pic: AP Cool air from the north is drawn across the warmer Mediterranean waters, a situation known to bring severe weather to the area ...

Another violent flood, another day we can hardly believe how climate change is, well, changing our lives.At least 72 people killed. Crops ruined, flights diverted, a high-speed train derailed. The footage is jaw-dropping: torrents of water collapsing a bridge, vehicles swept away and dumped on top of each other by powerful floodwater as if they were just a handful of toy cars, people rescued from neck-high water.But it is somewhat familiar.It brings to mind similar scenes from eastern and central Europe just last month, or flooding in Germany and Belgium in 2021 that killed more than 200 people. Image: Pic: Reuters Image: Pic: AP Of course, it is too earl...

England rugby star Joe Marler has caused controversy after branding New Zealand's pre-match haka "ridiculous" and saying it "needs binning".The 34-year-old prop deactivated his X account following his comments over the All Blacks' tradition - before later returning to social media and claiming he was "just having a bit of fun". England are set to face New Zealand on Saturday in the Autumn Nations Series opener at Twickenham. Image: England's Joe Marler later suggested he was baiting followers. Pic: PA Marler, who plays for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins, posted on Tuesday evening: "The haka needs binning. It's ridiculous."It's only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did la...