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Madrid

Close-up of a weathered bronze dog statue with a focus on its snout and open mouth.

Amid Madrid mega-statue hype, a small bronze dog shines

Arts, Culture & Media

Two proposals for giant statues in Madrid are stirring up controversy. Bigger is better, organizers argue. But a tiny, life-size statue of a stray dog, in downtown Madrid, proves the opposite for some. Paco the Dog sits quietly, keeping a city legend alive. Or is it a true story? The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Madrid.

The world’s best comics store says immersive fantasy is key to its success

Arts, Culture & Media

Medical wax museum in Spain showcasing 19th-century diseases is set to close

Health & Medicine
Vicky sits in a park in Madrid. She’s smiling because her hospice caretakers have arranged for her to fly home to the Dominican Republic to visit her mom and family one last time.

‘What I really needed was a hug’: Madrid hospice workers make sure the unhoused won’t die alone

Lifestyle & Belief
This address is listed on an official police website back in China as an “Overseas Police Service Center,” but the locale appears abandoned. 

China has a police network that stretches across some 30 countries, NGO says

Global Politics
A parishioner enters into the Catholic church of Cazurra, a village of around 75 inhabitants, in the Zamora province of Spain, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.

‘People want to shed light’: Spain finally investigates sexual abuse within Catholic institutions

Religion

As full inquiries into clerical abuse swept Europe, Spain remained an outlier. Now, two separate investigations are underway.

A man is shown hugging a woman who is looking into the camera with empty stadium seats in the distance.

Post-9/11, Europe’s weak spots make it a target for extremists

Extremism

Since 9/11, Europe has witnessed many more extremists attacks on its soil than the United States. Why? A variety of reasons, analysts say.

A waiter wearing a mask and an apron with her hair pulled back tends to a dining table.

England indoor dining resumes, but where are all the staff?

Jobs

More than 1 in 10 hospitality workers in the UK have left the industry over the past year due to COVID-19. Between Brexit and the pandemic, owners are short-staffed, now that indoor dining is back.

La Francachela restaurant in Madrid, Spain.

Spain test-drives a nationwide 4-day workweek

The Spanish government has proposed a three-year pilot project to help companies switch to a four-day workweek, and will partially fund companies who may need to hire additional staff or reorganize workflows. 

Merkel stands at a podium flanked by two German flags.

Merkel reverses plan for strict Easter lockdown in Germany

Top of The World

In today’s Top of the World: Merkel reverses plan for strict Easter lockdown in Germany; China lashes out at major brands for speaking out against Uyghur human rights abuses; Vice President Kamala Harris tapped to tackle mass migration at the US-Mexico border.