Spain

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Spain Deals Bullfights Fatal Blow
Spain Deals Bullfights Fatal Blow

Spain Deals Bullfights Fatal Blow

Spanish television yanks coverage of lethal, decreasingly popular sport

(Newser) - The traditional sport of bullfighting suffered what may prove to be a death blow yesterday, when the Spanish national television network decided not to include coverage in next year's schedule. Traditionalists are up in arms, but animal-rights advocates cheered the decision, which will eliminate the traditional Sunday afternoon broadcast of...

A Historical Video Game Shocks Spain
A Historical Video Game Shocks Spain

A Historical Video Game Shocks Spain

Civil War game lets players fight against— or for—the fascists

(Newser) - The New York Times reports on a new video game on sale in Spain that bills itself as the first based on the 1936-39 civil war. Players of Shadows of War can take command the Republican army and reverse the course of history, preventing Franco's 40-year dictatorship—or they can...

Europeans Go for Coke
Europeans Go for Coke

Europeans Go for Coke

2007 EU report says coke use up by one million

(Newser) - Cocaine is "Europe's stimulant of choice," according to a new study that says nearly five million Europeans used coke this year—a million more than last. The Spanish and British used it most, BBC reports, but Danes and Italians increased their usage most in 2007. Two million Europeans...

Juan Carlos' 'Shut Up' Still Ringing

King's dis of Chavez inspires sought-after ringtones, T-shirts

(Newser) - A diplomatic misstep by Spain's king has rung in a $2 million windfall: A ringtone of Juan Carlos asking Hugo Chavez "Why don't you shut up?" has been downloaded about 500,000 times. Many fans are student foes of the Venezuelan president. Several versions use actors to avoid copyright...

EU Eyes Single Telecom Market
EU Eyes Single Telecom Market

EU Eyes Single Telecom Market

European Commission considers EU-wide rules to break up national monopolies

(Newser) - Europe would be a single telecom market under a plan proposed by the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, which argues that cheaper broadband and phone service is being held up by conflicting legislation and national monopolies in member countries. Under the plan, a regulatory body would oversee...

Spanish King to Venezuelan Prez: Shut Up!

Summit simmers when King Juan Carlos snaps at hectoring Chavez

(Newser) - World leaders at the Ibero-American summit had a grade-school exchange yesterday, with Spain's King Juan Carlos pulling out a "why don't you shut up" when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wouldn't wait his turn to talk. Chavez ignored requests to be more polite after calling a former Spanish prime minister...

21 Guilty in Madrid Train Blasts
21 Guilty in Madrid Train Blasts

21 Guilty in Madrid Train Blasts

But seven defendants cleared as tribunal concludes

(Newser) - A court in Madrid has convicted 21 defendants in the March 2004 commuter train bombings that killed 191 and injured thousands. The court delivered symbolic sentences of 38,976 years for the three lead defendants, although under Spanish law they will only serve 40 years. But, writes the Guardian, the...

McCanns Give Teary Talk
McCanns Give Teary Talk

McCanns Give Teary Talk

Couple promotes hotline on Spanish TV, certain Maddy is still alive

(Newser) - Maddy's mom cried on Spanish TV today as she pleaded for public help and announced a 24-hour line to find her daughter. "Somebody knows something" about Maddy's whereabouts, Kate McCann said alongside her husband. "I think she is possibly being held by someone in their house." It...

Housing Ills Ripple Across Pond
Housing Ills Ripple Across Pond

Housing Ills Ripple Across Pond

(Newser) - The American housing crisis is echoing in Europe, where home prices are dropping after a decade of rapid growth. The damage is limited, however, by intercontinental differences. High interest rates and shaken confidence are catching up to prices in France, Ireland, and particularly Spain, where new home construction had spurred...

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,...

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