Spain's Barcelona celebrates day of books, love

STORY: Spain's Barcelona celebrates day of books, love SHOOTING TIME: April 23, 2024 DATELINE: April 24, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:41 LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the festival 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): LUCIA LEANDRO, Bookstall manager 3. various of visitors 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Catalan): IVAN FERNANDEZ, Barcelona resident 5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Catalan): SONIA DEL CAMPO, Writer STORYLINE: On Tuesday, thousands of people flocked to the streets of Barcelona for a local festival that celebrates reading and love. Local residents and visitors from around the world strolled in the spring sunshine, browsing the many book and rose stalls set up for the traditional feast day of Saint George (Sant Jordi in Catalan). The celebration has its origins in the legend of Saint George, a Roman knight who, it is said, saved a princess from the clutches of a dragon from whose blood a red rosebush sprouted. The custom of exchanging roses and books was born about six centuries ago in Catalonia,

Street bookstall in Beirut attracts book lovers with humble budget

STORY: Street bookstall in Beirut attracts book lovers with humble budget DATELINE: June 18, 2023 LENGTH: 00:04:01 LOCATION: Beirut CATEGORY: CULTURE/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the bookstall 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMAD ISMAIL AL-MOGHRABI 3. various of the bookstall 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ABO AHMED, Visitor 5. various of the bookstall 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ABO AHMED, Visitor 7. various of the bookstall STORYLINE: Book lovers with a humble budget can now stop by a bridge in Beirut to find a wide range of titles that suit every taste. Facing financial hardship, Mohamad Ismail al-Moghrabi, an old Egyptian man and a former university professor, showcases books he collected to rent or sell, making money to survive. Al-Moghrabi said people love his humble bookshop and many of them look for books that offer knowledge about the real Lebanon. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMAD ISMAIL AL-MOGHRABI "People accept this idea to a great extent. The population, an old man, a writer, a scientist, and a teacher,