Spain once again is home to the world's top restaurant.

“I don’t know why everyone is complaining that the Gilbert school board cut salaries, eliminated the teachers’ voices from negotiations, and secured all the power of decision making for themselves. After all, this strategy has worked very successfully in Communist Russia, Nazi Germany, and... and... oh wait... maybe there IS a problem here!”

When one thinks of the Holocaust film genre, dramas such as “Schindler’s List” and “The Pianist” instantly come to mind for their harrowing portrayals of victims and survivors who suffered at the hands of Nazis. But what about the German survivors – more specifically, the children of Nazi war criminals forced to come to terms with the atrocities of their parents? This is a question posed by the exceptional new German-language film, “Lore,” Cate Shortland’s follow-up to her acclaimed 2004 feature “Somersault.”

Riveting, intelligent and a masterclass in acting, “Beyond the Hills” is likely to be the best film you’ll see this spring or maybe even this year.

Mesa wrestling coach Bob Williams has taken multiple trips to Europe (namely Germany), the Middle East and the former Soviet Union during the past couple decades, both with high school kids and international competitors.

VATICAN CITY — Benedict XVI always cast himself as the reluctant pope, a shy bookworm who preferred solitary walks in the Alps to the public glare and the majesty of Vatican pageantry. And on Monday, the Vatican announced that the leader of the world's billion Roman Catholics was stepping down — the first pontiff to do so since 1415.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI said Monday he lacks the strength to fulfill his duties and on Feb. 28 will become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. The announcement sets the stage for a conclave in March to elect a new leader for world's 1 billion Catholics.

Almost 70 years after coming face-to-face with Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz, Holocaust survivor Helen Handler still remembers his “black, shiny shoes.”

There is no drearier time at the multiplex than the first two months of any given year. All those commonplace horror flicks and mediocre blockbusters that studios have little faith in are mercilessly dumped into theaters, leaving us cinephiles to go see “Zero Dark Thirty” for a third or fourth time.

Oskar Knoblauch, the author of “A Boy’s Story — A Man’s Memory Surviving the Holocaust 1933-1945,” will recount his story of loss and survival at the Red Mountain Library on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Gilbert teen Toan Ngo remembers well his past and hard work that’s led to the honor he received this week — a $150,000 military scholarship — and his future as a Marine.

The Oscar season is customarily kicked off by the Academy President and a random star solemnly announcing the nominees in a drab ceremony. The Academy decided to shake up tradition this year however, in one of the most cheerful Oscar mornings we’ve ever had.

An exhibit on display for a limited time at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society’s Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center is bringing visitors face-to-face with lifelike, three-dimensional renderings of real-life Holocaust survivors.

With dark shadows of uncertainty descending upon the hearts of so many at the conclusion of 2012, one can only hope 2013 will be a year of promise. But even in these dark days, miracles do still happen, especially when people are willing to roll up their sleeves for the cause of freedom.

Capt. Joanie Baca remembers looking up at the picturesque, mountain terrain during her 11-month deployment in Afghanistan last year near the Pakistani border.

NEW CANAAN, Conn. (AP) - The gang's all here: the football fan, the chef, the teacher and the skier. And there's the Nutcracker prince from E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic Christmas story, who inspired them all.

Joe Wright's ambitious, technically dazzling adaptation of "Anna Karenina," set almost entirely within the confines of a decaying 19th-century theater, inspires this week's list: five movies that are so super-stylized, their artifice is part of the art.

Election issues are like an unending drum beat: Family, jobs and national security. There’s nothing’s really new in the world of politics except personalities and here we are again. I was reminded of the same ‘ole, when I reviewed my Election Day column from six years ago. It’s worth sharing, again. Take note of what folks stressed over, even then:

DALLAS — Tempe-based US Airways turned in a strong performance during a three-month stretch that covers much of the peak summer vacation season.

Tempe Town Lake Oktoberfest: A three-day fall celebration features live music, 15 German beers on tap, a kids’ craft zone, a giant carnival and a 5K walk-run, which starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. The Oktoberfest event benefits the Frank Kush Youth Foundation and Tempe Sister Cities youth programs.

As more than 10,000 people flock to Harkins Shea 14 in Scottsdale this weekend for the Scottsdale Film Festival, founder Amy Ettinger will be breathing a well-deserved sigh of relief.