As beer commercials go, it hardly seems controversial. There are no disembodied male arms reaching for the bottle that rests in the small of a prostrate woman’s naked back (thanks, Guinness), and no catfight between scantily-clad women over whether Miller Lite really does taste great or is less filling. Yet this year’s traditional …
Spain
Spain: Deportation Case Casts Light on Push for Catalan Independence
On Thursday, Barcelona police arrested a Moroccan-born man and informed him that he was being deported from the country where he has legally lived and worked for the past 14 years. They say he is a spy. He denies it
The Suspect Princess: Is This Good for Spanish Democracy?
Her father the King was a hero for standing up to a military coup attempt, but Princess Cristina’s contribution to Spanish modernity may be facing the judicial system
French Soccer Clubs Aren’t Safe From François Hollande’s 75% Tax on the Rich
France’s Socialist President François Hollande rolls out a new version of his derailed 75% income tax proposal on top salaries, and finds the French soccer establishment joining the wealthy and business class in protest
Hooded Penitents Celebrate Holy Week
While Holy Week is celebrated around the globe by Christians, Spain is renowned for a particularly colorful tradition: the procession of the nazareno penitents. Looking for all the world like they’re wearing the getup of the …
Spain’s Corruption Scandals: The Crisis of the Royal Family
The king was once among the most admired people in the country but now his son-in-law has tarnished the crown. Can another royal lead the way out?
The E.U. Budget: Champions of Austerity Win a Big Battle–for the Most Part
Sleep-deprived EU leaders adopt a vastly reduced 2014-2020 budget that leading European parliamentarians vow to send back.
Why the Europeans Don’t Really Want an E.U. Budget Deal
Three months after failing to reach agreements on whether to slash or bolster the E.U. budget, leaders gather in Brussels to find their positions still far apart
Spain Is Disgusted With Corruption But Can Anything Be Done About It?
Spain’s economic boom bolstered corruption but such opaque practices have made all parties and a host of politicians targets for criticism and prosecution
50 Years After Landmark Treaty, Can France and Germany Save Europe?
Ceremonies marking the 1963 Franco-German partnership pale in comparison to U.S. presidential inaugurations, but they mark an alliance credited with driving the E.U. — and the euro — toward greater stability and prosperity
A Voice of Reason Falls Silent: Xavier Batalla, 1948-2012
A tribute to the great Catalan journalist by TIME’s Editor-at-Large
Catalonia Votes: Why the Region’s New Proindependence Majority Won’t Guarantee Separation from Spain
Two proindependence parties could form an alliance in the regional parliament and call for a referendum — if they can do a deal on economic policy
A Deeply Divided European Union Faces Its Own Budgetary Cliff
France, Germany and Britain become central antagonists in more general discord over a multiyear E.U. budget — and risk preventing Europe from fulfilling one of its most basic operational tasks
