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FC Barcelona has announced that the first team manager, Luis Enrique Martínez, and the rest of his coaching staff will be staying at the Catalan club for an extra season, as they were initially finishing their contracts in June 2016. Now, the new contract will expire on 30 June 2017. The new deal was signed on Tuesday afternoon, where the first team manager was joined by assistant coaches Juan Carlos Unzué and Robert Moreno, technical auxiliary Joan Barbarà, physio Rafel Pol, goalkeepers’ coach José Ramon de la Fuente and psychologist Joaquín Valdés. "We are naturally very happy. After the wonderful year we’ve had, with difficulties but a very happy ending, we are more than thrilled about the hope of winning more titles", stated Luis Enrique.

The 10^th edition of Barcelona Design Week started Monday with a programme of more than 70 activities, under the slogan 'Design is here!' ('el Disseny és aquí'). The event is a call for companies, designers and other agents of the business, innovation and creativity fields, and it is also open to the wider public, with event locations scattered throughout Barcelona. Barcelona Design Week also marks the beginning of the 5^th Barcelona Design Festival, which is being held from 8 June to 5 July. Among the new features is the 'Design is Future Congresstival,' midway between the conference and the festival, which delves into the world of innovation through design.

FC Barcelona has announced that Dani Alves has accepted its proposal for the renewal of his contract, which expires on June 30 of this year. The new settlement means the defender will remain at the Catalan club for a further two seasons, through to 30 June 2017, with the option of a third additional season. It all means that the Brazilian will be staying around for what will be his eighth season at the club. He joined from Sevilla in 2008 to form part of the new project under manager Pep Guardiola. The full-back has gone on to appear in 343 matches for Barça, more than any other foreigner in the history of the club. His 19 titles break down as follows 5 Ligas, 3 Champions Leagues, 3 Spanish Cups, 2 European Super Cups, 4 Spanish Super Cups and 2 Club World Cups.

The leader of the alternative left and green coalition Barcelona en Comú, Ada Colau, has announced that she will attend the massive demonstration for independence scheduled for Catalonia's National Day (11 September). In 2014, the demonstration gathered more than 1.8 million people in Barcelona. Colau won the municipal elections 2 weeks ago and therefore is likely to become the next Mayor of the Catalan capital. Last week, she said she would not join the self-determination road map agreed between the centre-right pro-Catalan State coalition CiU and the left-wing independence party ERC because she refuses to reach agreements with the right-wing CiU. Pro-Spanish unity media started to speculate that she did not support Catalonia's self-determination process. This Monday Colau highlighted her commitment to the process and announced her will to contribute "to a constituent process that should allow for real sovereignty", expanding the current process' plurality.

In times of economic crisis, the Mariano Rajoy-led Spanish Government has been making recentralisation a main driver of its political agenda, using the economic recovery as the reason for passing the reforms. An additional step in this direction was taken on Monday with a new regulation forcing Spanish Autonomous Communities to seek permission from the Spanish Ministry of Finance before granting loans and guarantees to private companies located in their territories. From now on, Madrid's permission will be conditional upon the applicant's compliance with deficit targets. The new regulation substantially curbs the Autonomies' powers to shape their industrial policies, following a reform passed in May that modifies both the Organic Law for Financing the Autonomous Communities and the Organic Law on Budgetary Stability and Financial Sustainability.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reviewed and improved its economic growth forecasts for Spain, going from a 2.5% growth rate for 2015 forecast in April to a 3.1% one foreseen this June, and from 2% to 2.5% for 2016. However, the IMF has also issued recommendations and warnings, emphasising that Spain will have to carry out "additional fiscal efforts" and "structural reforms" in order not to jeopardise the country’s economic recovery. The IMF recommends that Spain reduce the costs of public healthcare and education by making users pay for part of the services. According to the international organisation, Autonomous Community governments – such as Catalonia's – should have greater fiscal responsibilities in such systems since they exclusively manage them. In this vein, the IMF has praised the fiscal consolidation efforts undertaken over the past few years by regional governments and has asked for an increase in their funding and fiscal powers, as well as for the adapting of the deficit targets to their needs.

The price competitiveness index for Catalan industry in relation to other industrialised countries improved by 0.4 points in the last quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, according to figures released on Monday by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (IDESCAT). This improvement is particularly noticeable when compared against newly industrialised Asian countries, over which Catalan industry held a 2.7 percent advantage in competitiveness. A recent decline in the Euro's value has aided in facilitating the attractiveness of Catalonia's industrial products in the market. The favourable exchange rate has helped offset the loss of competitiveness of industrial prices compared to other industrialised countries.

FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC have struck a deal to bring Aleix Vidal to the Camp Nou, with the 25-year-old signing a five-year contract that will keep him at the Catalan club until June 2020. Vidal – a pacey right wing back – was officially presented on Monday, after a morning of medical tests at the Hospital de Barcelona and the Centre Mèdic at the Ciutat Esportiva. Aleix Vidal is delighted to have signed for FC Barcelona, and that was more than obvious from what he had to say in Monday’s press conference at the Camp Nou. “Apart from the day my daughter was born, this is the most special day of my life” he said, describing it as a homecoming after he spent one year at the club playing for the U14 B team. He was joined in the pressroom by Vice-President Jordi Mestre, who explained that the player’s transfer fee from Sevilla was 18 million euros, plus a further €4 million in variables.

Barça complete historic second treble with convincing victory in Berlin.FC Barcelona rode goals from Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suárez, and an injury-time clincher by Neymar Jr to claim the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League title on Saturday night at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. The victory gives FC Barcelona their fourth Champions League title in the last 10 years — their fifth in team history — and an unprecedented second treble, adding a layer of reinforced concrete to the Catalans' already rock-solid status as a dynasty for the ages.

The Catalan President, Artur Mas, argued that having a separate stand for Catalonia is an “opportunity” to show to the world the country’s “own personality and identity”. This is the first time that Catalonia is not taking part in an International Expo as part of the Spanish pavilion. Mas admitted that the decision was due to the political conflict with Madrid, but added that having a separate space was the “right solution”. Catalonia is present at Expo Milano 2015, with an exhibition entitled ‘Barcelona Capital of Catalonia. Real food for real people’, which promotes the culinary tradition in the country and its capital.

The Fundació Joan Miró museum in Barcelona is to redistribute its rooms and include a new set of 20 works from the Miró family collection. The Mirós’ collection and the Japanese Kazumasa Katsuta collection, currently exhibited in a special room, will now be included in the permanent collection. The Fundació Miró is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an extensive programme of activities, including exhibitions, music and dancing. The 10th of June will be an Open Doors Day at the museum, and during the next months all those born in 1975 will be able to enter the Fundació for free.

FC Barcelona has announced on Thursday that they have reached an agreement with Pedro Rodríguez to renew his contract until 30 June 2019. The Canary Islander striker’s current contract was due to expire on 30 June 2016. His buyout clause will remain at 150 million euros. The Canary Islander will be signing the new deal over the next few days.

Veremonte has walked out on the BCN World project, the largest holiday resort in Europe based in the Costa Daurada, near Tarragona, as first announced by the Catalan Business Minister, Felip Puig, on Thursday and later confirmed by the company itself. However, Puig has assured that this will not impede the project's continuation as companies such as Melco, Hard Rock, Grup Peralada and Value Retail remain committed to it. Veremonte did not provide any further details about its decision. The investment company was initially leading the initiative and had reached an agreement with La Caixa bank to buy 500 hectares of land in 2012. However, it missed the final deadline last December to do so and the Catalan Government had to jump in to guarantee the project's continuation, reaching an agreement with La Caixa for the land. However, Veremonte was still linked to the initiative through the casino licences' tender, which it bidding for in partnership with Hard Rock and Melco.

Researchers at the Hospital Germans Trias in Badalona (Greater Barcelona) have taken an important step toward creating a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes, which currently has no cure. The discovery, published in the scientific journal 'Plos One', consists of the preparation of nanoparticles in the laboratory that, once introduced into the body, slow down the destruction of beta cells (whose primary function is to store and release insulin). With Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks these insulin-producing cells located in the pancreas and destroys them. Currently, to combat the disease, patients must take insulin injections. In recent years, Catalonia has become a global hub for biomedical investigation, developing cutting-edge research initiatives and participating in leading international projects. With just 0.1% of the world’s population, Catalonia accounts for nearly 1% of global scientific production and attracts 2.2% of European competitive funds and 3.5% of European Research Council (ERC) grants.

The University of Barcelona (UB) has begun the first phase of its Humanities and Social Sciences Park in the 22@ business and technological district. The opening ceremony took place in Can Jaumandreu, one of the buildings that will hold the research park, along with Can Ricart. Both of these buildings used to be factories built in the late 19^th and early 20^th century in what was once the industrial centre of Barcelona, known as 'the Catalan Manchester'. This new research park is the latest addition to the 22@ district, which over the past 15 years has become a hub for business and technology in Barcelona. The park represents an effort by the UB to amplify its research in the humanities and social sciences and is a complement to the Barcelona Scientific Park, which opened in 1997.