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The atelier where Catalan painter Joan Miró worked in Palma de Mallorca has been accurately reconstructed by the Mayoral Gallery, in London. Besides 22 paintings and drawings from the artist, the exhibition includes reproductions of personal objects from the artist, such as photographs and postcards, but also leaves, shells, roots and other natural items which Miró picked up and brought into his working space. “Visitors can appreciate Miró’s artwork within its original context”, explained ‘Miró’s Studio’s curator, Elena Cámara. The exhibition coincides with the 60^th anniversary of Miró’s settling in Palma de Mallorca, where he produced most of his works and where he died in 1983. 

Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs Raül Romeva assured that he is “not worried at all” about the legality of this new Ministry. Thus the cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ top member responded to the Spanish government’s claim that the new department may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. Foreign affairs “is a competence which is attributed to Catalonia and recognised in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy” assured Romeva and emphasised that the actions to be launched “are the same” as those carried out by the Catalan Foreign Affairs Secretary, Roger Albinyana. Romeva called for “finding synergies with other European actors” rather than “having embassies everywhere”, which he described as a 19th century policy. Romeva also forecast that former Catalan President Artur Mas will have an “important” role in the international agenda.

One day after the new Catalan executive was constituted, the Spanish government has announced that the State Attorney will analyse the competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as it may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. “We will not allow any action which could be contrary to the Constitution or to the laws, whatever it may be” warned current Spanish Government Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. This warning comes after the Spanish Government confirmed that a report will be written analysing the taking office ceremony of new Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, during which Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution.

The Catalan capital will host the first Amazon express delivery centre in Europe. Similar to New York’s recently opened Amazon ‘Prime Now’ delivery centre, Barcelona will have a centre to attend to customers’ demands quickerand deliver products on the same day. Amazon will establish this centre at 89 Rosselló Street, in Barcelona city. The building was previously the headquarters of the Editorial Gustavo Gili publishing house and its huge basement makes it an appropriate choice considering Amazon’s activities. This operation is to complement the creation of Amazon’s biggest logistics centre in the South of Europe, which will be built in El Prat de Llobregat, close to Barcelona El Prat Airport. 

The European Commission’s President, Jean-Claude Juncker, urged Spain to form a “stable government” and do it “as quick as possible, as it belongs to the Eurozone”. Juncker refused to “give an opinion on the movements in some regions and provinces”, referring to Catalonia’s push for independence, but called for “Spain to rise to” the circumstances. In a similar vein, the Euro Parliament’s President, Martin Schulz, assured that the Catalan case would have to be “dealt with within the framework of the Constitution”. The Vice President of Flemish Nationalist party N-VA, Sander Loones, commented that the EC “missed a great opportunity” by not taking up a role as mediator and noted that “saying that it is a Spanish issue only is a way of making sure that nothing will move”.

The members of the new Catalan executive took office this Thursday, more than three months after the 27th of September Catalan Elections resulted in the victory of pro-independence forces. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called them to be “aware” of the citizens’ assignment “without renouncing anything”. ERC’s leader Oriol Junqueras has been designed to assume the Vice presidency and led the Department of Economy and Tax Office, one of the key areas of the new executive. Another novelty is the creation of the department for Foreign Affairs, which will be led by former MEP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s top member, Raül Romeva.

Current Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy insisted that the Spanish Government’s legal services will “write a report” to evaluate the procedure used in new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont’s, take office. During the ceremony, Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution. “According to this report we will make the appropriate decisions, following the current legislation and the general interests of all the Spanish citizens” he warned. Despite petitions from he other groups in Spanish Parliament, Rajoy admitted that “so far” he “doesn’t intend” to meet with Puigdemont. 

39.7 million passengers used Barcelona’s El Prat Airport facilities this 2015, 5.7% more than last year. This figure sets a new record for El Prat, which is the second busiest airport in Spain, only beaten by Madrid Barajas. December was also a historic month, with 2,604,772 passengers whom passed through El Prat. The highest figure was registered in August 2015, were nearly 4.4 million passengers used El Prat Airport’s facilities. The passenger group which grew the most was international travellers, especially the Latin American market, which registered a 21.7% increase in comparison to last year. Regarding the number of operations registered, there were 288.878 take-offs and landings in 2015, which represents 1.8% more than in 2014. 

Carles Puigdemont took office this Tuesday and became Catalan President number 130. “We will respond to the people’s hopes” stated Puigdemont during his speech and added that it is “not possible to guarantee” a better life for all citizens “with the skills we currently have, with the skills we have been left”. The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, representatives from all the groups in the Catalan chamber and personalities from civil society attended the ceremony. Current Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, and the Spanish Government’s Delegate in Catalonia, María de los Llanos de Luna, were the only representatives from the Spanish government to attend the event.  

In 2012 Messi became the first and only player to ever take home the Ballon d'Or four times. Now he has extended his unrivaled feat to five. Messi, Neymar, Alves and Iniesta were named to FIFA FIFPro World XI for 2015. All four made the prestigious team, which was voted on by nearly 25,000 professional footballers from 70 countries. Luis Enrique has won the Coach of the Year award at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in the Kongresshaus, Zurich on Monday. It comes in recognition of an incredible 2015 in which he led FC Barcelona to five out of six titles. The Barça boss received 31.08% of the votes, ahead of Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola who received 22.97%.

Philip VI refused Parliament President Carme Forcadell’s request for an audience to communicate to him the investiture of the new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. The Royal Household asked Forcadell to do so in writing and thus broke with the tradition according to which the presidents of the Catalan, Basque and Galician Parliaments travel to Madrid to communicate to the monarch the decision of their respective chambers. Philip VI’s secretary asked for the investiture to be communicated “complying with the procedures established by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy”.  

Messi is going for his fifth Ballon d'Or, a jaw-dropping feat considering the fact that in the history of the award, he is the only person to have won it more than three times. Four other players have won it exactly three times, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Cristiano Ronaldo, while just five other players have ever won it twice. Messi won his unprecedented fourth straight Ballon d'Or in 2013 and is now looking to distance himself from the pack. Messi and Ronaldo have scooped up every Ballon d'Or for the last seven years. That number is almost certain to rise to eight this Monday.

Carles Puigdemont was invested as Catalan President number 130 with the absolute majority of the Catalan Parliament. A last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP allowed the new government to start working and finally unblock the deadlock over the investiture. Mas decided to step aside and named president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence and mayor of Girona, a city 100 km north of Barcelona, Carles Puigdemont as his successor. A member of former governing party liberal Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, Puigdemont ran for cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ in Girona and has repeatedly expressed his commitment to Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap. 

Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) president and mayor of Girona city Carles Puigdemont has been instated as Catalan President number 130 by an absolute majority of the Parliament. Puigdemont, a member of cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ proposed by current Catalan President Artur Mas, obtained 70 votes in favour, 63 against and 2 abstentions. The investiture debate took place this Sunday after a last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and CUP and just before all the legal deadlines were due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia.

The Spokesperson Bureau has convened this Sunday and the investiture debate to elect a new President has been scheduled straight away, just before all the legal deadlines are due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia. According to the pro-independence forces’ last-minute agreement, Artur Mas’ candidate, Carles Puigdemont, will get the support of 68 MPs from the 135 in the Parliament, so that he can be instated in the first round. Puigdemont’s investiture would allow the government to start working on the roadmap towards independence.