Spain

The 18th century Catalan tradition of castelling, the building of human towers, or castles, is undergoing a renaissance today. This has accompanied a rise in Catalan nationalism.

El Hierro, the most remote of Spain's Canary Islands, used to import thousands of tons of diesel each year. Now a new power plant will let the island run entirely on renewable energy.

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.