Spain

From her convent on a sacred mountain, Benedictine nun Teresa Forcades — a feminist medical doctor with a Ph.D. in public health — is a prominent leftist and leading advocate of Catalan independence.

Now that Scotland has voted to stay in the U.K., attention is turning to another separatist movement. Emboldened by the peaceful Scottish referendum, Catalans are planning a vote in November.

Spain is dealing with its biggest migration crush in decades. More than 1,200 people this week alone have landed on the country's Mediterranean coast in flimsy rafts and boats.

FC Barcelona — home to two of soccer's superstars, Messi and Neymar — has been indicted on tax fraud, a sign that the culture of impunity among Europe's top soccer clubs may be coming to an end.

The drowning of more than 300 African migrants off Italy's Lampedusa island earlier this month jolted the world into awareness of a long-running crisis. Tens of thousands of refugees from Syria, Somalia and beyond risk their lives each year, traveling by boat to Europe in search of a better life. Scores die en route.

The cashier found the winning $6.3 million ticket last year and turned it in. He could claim the jackpot if authorities don't find the person who purchased it.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the factory collapse in Bangladesh in April. Spanish companies were among those whose clothes were made at the facility. But there's a clash between the allure of low-cost fast fashion and consumer awareness of working conditions. A Spanish artist is doing her bit: She's drawing attention to workers' plight.

King Juan Carlos is suffering his lowest ever approval ratings. Some Spaniards roll their eyes at his high-flying lifestyle and now question the future of the monarchy.

On Spain's Atlantic coast, the city of Santander has installed 12,000 sensors that measure everything from when streetlights need to be dimmed to when trash dumpsters are full — saving millions for cash-strapped public coffers. It's becoming a model for cities worldwide.