Spain

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Paltrow, Pals Start Foodie Tour of Spain

Star-powered road trip will air on PBS next fall

(Newser) - While one usually associates road-trip cuisine with a 7-Eleven, two foodies and two actresses today embark on a four-month culinary tour of Spain. Gwyneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols will sample traditional cuisine for a 13-part PBS series called...

In Spain, It's Not Good to Be the King

Juan Carlos defends monarchy, faces down calls to abdicate

(Newser) - Amid loud calls for his abdication, Spain's King Juan Carlos I has been forced into the unprecedented and lowly position of justifying his throne to commoners, reports the Telegraph. Catalonian separatists have been burning effigies of him and Queen Sofia, and some are calling for him to hand the crown...

Zut Alors! Rude French Scaring Off Tourists

Sweeten up, official warns his compatriots

(Newser) - France to the French: Take it easy on foreigners. After the land of vin and fromage fell for the first time in years as the top traveling spot, the tourism bureau has issued guidelines about courtesy, the Guardian reports. “Our greatest handicap,” said a tourist official, “is...

Spanish TV Channel Nixes Live Bullfights

Public broadcaster deems gore and gorings unfit for kids and afternoons

(Newser) - Spanish state television will not show any live bullfights this year, bowing to restrictions on gore on daytime TV but disrupting a time-honored tradition. Televised bullfights had been a viewer magnet for public-TV station TVE, and fans are seeing red, the Guardian reports. "It is obvious that watching bullfights...

Rodent Attacks Demolish Spanish Crops

As 750M voles enjoy the all-day buffet, farmers resort to their wits

(Newser) - As many as 750 million voles have descended on farmland in central Spain, and with government response slow, farmers are taking matters into their own hands. The reason the number of rodents has exploded over the past few months is unclear, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but a likely explanation...

Bullfighting Dustup Has France on Guard

Government bans violent protest ad but lets festivals continue

(Newser) - Animal activists and bullfighting fans in France are butting heads over an anti-bullfighting ad that shows bulls being speared and slaughtered. The French government banned the ad as too violent, prompting cries of hypocrisy from a well organized group of celebrities and dignitaries who have been protesting the gruesome "...

Don't Even Go There!
Don't Even Go There!

Don't Even Go There!

Don't fly away yet! That packaged deal may be too good to be true.

(Newser) - Before you pack your bags, check out Foreign Policy's list of the five most overhyped tourist locales:
  1. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt: Famous beach and diving locale actually tacky and overcrowded.
  2. Ibiza, Spain: Hippy haven and hedonistic paradise turned into dirty and pricey hole.

Heatwaves Double Over 100 Years
Heatwaves Double Over 100 Years

Heatwaves Double Over 100 Years

Number of 'extremely hot days' have tripled, Euro study shows

(Newser) - The duration of heatwaves in Western Europe has doubled and the frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled since 1880, according to a study released yesterday. Periods of sweltering weather last an average of 3 days now compared to 1.5  in 1880, a shift that forebodes a higher...

Basque Leader Busted In Major Crackdown on Separatists

Opposition party calls move an election ploy

(Newser) - A top Basque separatist leader and 17 others have been arrested in the two months since the organization ended a 15-month ceasefire with Spain. Some analysts credit luck and improved intelligence for the arrests, including last week's bust of ETA's crucial head of logistics. But some critics say the crackdown...

Contador Surges to Lead Tour's 14th Stage

Young Spaniard bests race-leader Rasmussen in mountain sprint

(Newser) - Tour de France leader MIchael Rasmussen was bested in Stage 14 in the Pyrenees yesterday by 24-year old Alberto Contador of Spain. After a grueling 122.4-mile slog through the mountains, the two men emerged almost 2 minutes ahead of the field, with the Netherlands' Rasmussen, 33, still holding a...

Spain Has a Taste for Immortality
Spain Has a Taste for Immortality

Spain Has a Taste for Immortality

Mediterranean food may be bound for exclusive UN status

(Newser) - The Great Barrier Reef and the Taj Mahal may have to make room on the UN's World Heritage list for ... sangria. Spain's culture minister wants Mediterranean cuisine added to UNESCO's list of humankind's treasures, and he may get his way, Der Spiegel reports—Portugal, which currently holds the EU presidency,...

Bulls Gore 2, Trample 7 in Pamplona Run

Herder among victims of charging giants

(Newser) - Charging bulls gored two Spaniards and trampled seven during the second of eight bull runs in the San Fermin festival in Pamplona yesterday. One of the men gored was a bull herder appointed by the festival to keep the run orderly. None of the injured was killed, although one was...

Oldest European Human Fossil Discovered

Million-year-old human tooth found in Spain

(Newser) - A million-year-old tooth belonging to a distant human ancestor has been unearthed in northern Spain, the BBC reports. Scientists touted the pre-molar as western Europe’s “oldest human fossil remain” by more than 200,000 years. The tooth was found Wednesday at the Atapuerca site, where caves have already...

Basque Separatists End Ceasefire, Threaten Spain

Country braces for renewed violence

(Newser) - The Basque separatist group ETA has declared an end to its 15-month ceasefire, and Spanish authorities are gearing up for the possibility of bombings at tourist sites this summer. ETA blames the return to violence on PM José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's "fascism"; addressing the nation on TV, Zapatero called...

Fast Food Replaces Grandma's Cooking

Across the globe, traditional diets fade

(Newser) - Every nation has its traditional cuisines, but in today's fast-paced, globalized culture, cheap, fatty Westernized food is crowding out ancient preparations and presentations. Diets define who we are, Time reports, and in the modern world, once-unique food is becoming culturally homogenized. Global influences traditionally enriched flavors and techniques; today, the...

The Bulldog Beats Out The Duck
The Bulldog Beats Out
The Duck

The Bulldog Beats Out The Duck

Spanish restaurant remains atop list of 50 best in the world

(Newser) - For the second straight year, El Bulli of tiny Cala Montjoi, Spain, is No. 1 on UK-based Restaurant Magazine's annual rankings of the world's top restaurants. The Fat Duck in Maidenhead, England, is second. Of the winners, 37 are in Europe, and 8 are in the US. Australia...

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