As the Spanish celebrate Javier Bardem’s receipt of an Oscar for his role in No Country for Old Men, confirmation has come that Spain itself is often no country in which to be a woman, young or old.
   Anyone who reads Spanish newspapers or websites regularly cannot help but be struck by the number of stories about domestic violence; of women beaten, stabbed, strangled or shot dead by husbands and partners. Tuesday was the bloodiest day yet for “violencia machista”, with four women killed by a partner or ex-partner.
  The extent of the killings is revealed in a section of the website of El Mundo, headlined “Terrorismo doméstico”. There have already been 14 deaths since the start of this year. Last year there were 70; in 2006, there were 68; in 2005 there were 62; in 2004 there were 72. Both candidates for the presidency promised this week to respond with “extraordinary” measures.