Barcelona

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After 20 Years, 'the Woman in Pink' Has a Name

Interpol's Identify Me initiative counts another win in naming Russia's Liudmila Zavada

(Newser) - After two decades, authorities have identified a woman whose body was discovered beside a roadside near Barcelona, Spain. Once known only as "the woman in pink" for her color-matched shirt, pants, and shoes, she's been identified as Liudmila Zavada, a 31-year-old Russian citizen, believed to have died...

Couple Accused of Ditching Kid at Airport to Make Their Flight

Airport worker calls incident involving 10-year-old boy in Barcelona 'surreal'

(Newser) - Barcelona has been hit in recent months with moves against mass tourism , and the latest incident in the Spanish city's main airport is sure not to endear visitors to the locals. According to the country's Guardia Civil national police, the incident took place a few days ago at...

Barcelona Takes Big Step to Combat Overtourism

2 of city's 7 cruise-ship terminals will close next year

(Newser) - Barcelona is taking more action to curb overtourism by shutting down two of its cruise ship terminals. The move announced by the city council on Friday will trim the number of active terminals at Europe's busiest cruise port from seven to five next year, CNN reports. City leaders...

Protesters Spritz Tourists
Spaniards Turn
Water Pistols
on Tourists
photos
Jun 15, 2025 11:32 AM CDT

Spaniards Turn Water Pistols on Tourists

Barcelona and Mallorca protest mass tourism

(Newser) - Protesters used water pistols against unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona on Sunday as demonstrators marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they say is fueling a housing crunch and erasing the character of the Spanish city. "The squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit," Andreu...

Spain to Airbnb: Shut Down 66K Listings

Authorities say many short-term rentals are in violation of the rules

(Newser) - Spain has ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday. The ministry said that many of the 65,935 Airbnb listings it had ordered to be withdrawn did not include their license number or specify...

Zoo Takes 'Dignity' Approach to Its Aging Animals

Geriatric care reigns at Spain's Barcelona Zoo, where elephants even get pedicures

(Newser) - At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant places her foot through the metal barrier where a zookeeper gently scrubs its sole—it's how the beloved pachyderm gets her "pedicure," along with apple slices every day. The treatment is part of the zoo's specialized geriatric care...

Pope Puts 'God's Architect' on Track for Sainthood

Francis starts process for Antoni Gaudi, designer of Barcelona's famous Sagrada Familia basilica

(Newser) - Antoni Gaudi just took his first official step toward becoming a saint. The Catalan architect who designed the still-in-progress Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, Spain, has been placed on the path to sainthood by Pope Francis, who in a Monday decree declared Gaudi "venerable" and full of "heroic...

Protesters in Spain Object to Skyrocketing Rents

Average cost has doubled in 10 years

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading "Fewer apartments for investing and more...

Catalan Separatist Leader Returns, Speaks, Slips Police

Cops now searching for fugitive Carles Puigdemont around Barcelona

(Newser) - A former leader of Spain's autonomous region Catalonia, who illegally declared independence for the region in 2017, has made a stunning return from self-imposed exile. Carles Puigdemont appeared at a rally near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona on Thursday morning despite facing an outstanding arrest warrant. The AP reports...

Fed-Up Barcelona Locals Turn Squirt Guns on Tourists
Fed Up Barcelonians Turn
Squirt Guns on Tourists
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 14, 2024 7:31 AM CDT

Fed Up Barcelonians Turn Squirt Guns on Tourists

Spain city is the latest flashpoint in a backlash against tourism

(Newser) - It's another high-profile move against tourists, this time in one of the most popular destinations in the world—Barcelona, Spain. There, fed-up locals blasted tourists dining outdoors with squirt guns as they shouted "Tourists go home!" and the like over the weekend, reports the Washington Post . Watch...

A Popular Travel Destination Is Outlawing Tourist Rentals

All 10K tourist apartments in Barcelona to shut down by 2028, mayor says

(Newser) - There are 10,101 legal short-term rental accommodations in Barcelona, Spain, one of the most visited cities in the world. But in just four short years, there will be zero. That's according to Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, who announced the "unexpectedly drastic move" to combat the city's...

144 Years Later, Barcelona Landmark Will Finally Be 'Complete'

Work on Gaudi's Sagrada Familia to wrap up in 2026, though additions are possible

(Newser) - Work began on Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia in 1882. Today, the massive cathedral towers over the city—but the work continues. The building, long accompanied by cranes and scaffolding, has never been completed. No more than 15% was complete in 1926, the year architect Antoni Gaudi died, per CNN...

Religious Procession Marks Return of Rainfall

Spain's northeast is dealing with a drought emergency

(Newser) - A religious procession in downtown Barcelona celebrated the appearance of long-awaited rain, after nine days of praying for relief from a severe drought. Around 100 local people took part in the Catholic ceremony on a rainy Saturday evening. They carried the figure of the Holy Christ of the Blood, winding...

This Napkin May Fetch Nearly $400K at Auction

Impromptu document was the first 'contract' for 13-year-old Lionel Messi

(Newser) - Back in December 2000, Lionel Messi and his family were a little concerned that they hadn't heard anything in a while from FC Barcelona about signing the prodigy. So a lunch meeting was arranged among the player's father, Jorge; an agent; and club officials, the BBC reports. The...

2 US Cities Make Cut in World 'Destinations' List
2 US Cities Make Cut
in World 'Destinations' List
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 16, 2023 12:45 PM CST

2 US Cities Make Cut in World 'Destinations' List

Paris is No. 1, but New York and L.A., make the cut in Euromonitor International's annual ranking

(Newser) - With international travel making a comeback after the peak of the pandemic, the sky's the limit on possible destinations. To help you narrow down where to visit, CNN Travel reveals the most attractive cities worldwide, at least according to Euromonitor International's "Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023....

Cops Raid Spanish Soccer Federation's Offices

More bad news for the organization, which was just rocked by a sexism scandal

(Newser) - Spanish police raided the offices of the country's soccer federation on Thursday as part of an investigation into the payment of millions of dollars over several years by FC Barcelona to a former vice president of Spain's refereeing committee. The Guardia Civil confirmed to the AP that its...

Only One US City Makes Top 10 Travel Destinations

New York squeaks in at No. 10 on Euromonitor International's list; Paris comes in at No. 1

(Newser) - Recovery from the pandemic for the travel industry is a work in progress, but inbound arrivals around the world increased by more than 80% this year in terms of numbers of trips, CNN notes. That means people are breaking out their passports again, and some cities are drawing travelers in...

Track Dad Who Helped Son Finish Memorable Race Has Died

Jim and Derek Redmond participated in 'one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history'

(Newser) - Jim Redmond wasn't supposed to be on the track at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He wasn't even an athlete, yet he played a key role in what the Olympic Committee calls "one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history." Per NPR, Jim Redmond died...

Year Later, John McAfee's Body Still in Morgue

That's where it's been as legal battle between family, Spanish officials continues

(Newser) - The fight over what happened to John McAfee continues, and his body remains in limbo in a Spanish morgue in the interim. The 75-year-old, who developed the first commercial anti-virus software, was found dead last June in a Barcelona-area prison cell, and authorities claimed it was a death by suicide....

Shakira: I Was Attacked by Wild Boars

Singer says hogs stole her bag in Barcelona

(Newser) - Shakira says she was attacked by a pair of wild hogs. The Colombian singer described the apparent attack in a Barcelona park, where she was walking with her son, on Wednesday in videos posted to her Instagram stories, which are no longer visible. The Grammy winner, who is married to...

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