Barcelona
Big tobacco is forced to pay for cigarette butt pollution in Spain, but smokers may soon be on the hook
They’re tiny, they’re toxic, they’re everywhere. Cigarette butts are a huge source of pollution in Spain and lawmakers have said, enough. They're ordering cigarette makers to pay for the cleanup, but smokers worry they’ll end up footing the bill.
Barcelona’s children find safety in numbers as they bike to school in herds
As World Cup wraps, Morocco team inspires Arab unity around the world
China has a police network that stretches across some 30 countries, NGO says
In Spain, beekeepers continue to battle killer hornets
Lost luggage finds a new home at this Spanish nonprofit
In Spain, some 20,000 unclaimed suitcases now sit in airport warehouses. Envera, a nonprofit group, has found a way to give the contents of this lost luggage a new home.
Barcelona festival draws crowds, but locals wonder if it’s still their party
Every August, the neighborhood celebrates the Festa Major de Gràcia, or Gràcia Street Festival. The weeklong event running through Sunday, features a contest for the best-decorated street, with residents working hand in hand for months to produce the most impressive ornaments, often employing recycled materials.
Barcelona’s supercomputer MareNostrum is one of the world's fastest. It's about to get a massive upgrade.
In a few months, the MareNostrum 4 will be replaced by the 5. It will be able to compute in one hour what the 4 needed an entire year to complete.
Humanitarian rescue boat stranded in Spanish port over ‘administrative persecution,’ NGO says
Open Arms, a sea rescue nongovernmental organization, has a new vessel with a hospital and room for over 1,000 people, but says Spain is using bureaucracy to block its departure.
Surfing scientists in Spain are hunting down microplastics
Plastic is everywhere. Scientists have found the stuff in just about every corner of the planet, even through the high seas. But getting a better understanding of what's going on here, where the plastic waste comes from, and what it is, can still be challenging. That's especially true along shallow coastlines.
Singer Rosalía’s new song 'Despechá' was a viral hit even before its official release
Rosalía, who hails from a sleepy town near Barcelona, Spain, is often confused for a Latina artist. But her music does adopt some styles from Latin America. Before her latest song, “Despechá” had been officially released, a clip from it had already been viewed millions of times.
'Fire flocks’ of sheep and goats get deployed to help battle forest fires in Spain
Shepherds in Spain are now training to start “fire flocks" that graze at the edge of forests to prevent wildfires from spreading to populated areas.
Barcelona is one of Europe's loudest cities. It's trying to turn down the volume.
Around 60 million adults in European cities are exposed to noise that's harmful to health.
How US sailors kicked off Barcelona's tourism industry in the 1950s
At first, sailors with the US 6th Fleet brought in a flair of modernity and freedom. Over time, public opinion toward their influence in Spain changed.
Catalonia pardons women accused of witchcraft 400 years ago
Witch hunts relied heavily on accusations from neighbors who were desperate for scapegoats whenever bad luck struck the town — such as crop failures, sudden diseases or natural disasters.