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The former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has collected the ‘Premi Internacional Catalunya’, a prestigious prize recognising individuals who have greatly contributed to the development of cultural, scientific and human values around the world with their work. In the award ceremony held in the Palace of the Catalan Government, in Barcelona, Lula da Silva has asked Catalans and Europeans “to fight to guarantee the Welfare State”, which was achieved with so much effort. He also praised Catalonia as “a moral and political model for all democratic people” and “a world symbol of the fight for freedom and social progress”. The award was announced in April but the ceremony was postponed due to Lula da Silva’s recovery process after he suffered from cancer.

This pioneering energy plant, located in western Catalonia, will generate 22.5 megawatts of power, the equivalent of the electricity supply to 27,000 houses. The hybrid system combining solar thermal and biomass energy enables the production of electricity 24 hours a day, increasing the production capacity of the plant. It occupies 96 hectares and has 2,688 solar panels. In just 20 months, Abantia and Comse Emte have built the plant and put it to work. The €153 million project will prevent 24,500 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.

Cristian Tello has extended his contract with FC Barcelona until June 2016. The release clause has been fixed at €10 million. Tello, born in Greater Barcelona, is a product of the Catalan club’s school and youth system. He debuted with Barça’s first team in November 2011 and from 2002 and 2007 he played in the club’s youth ranks.

In Cordoba, yet another brace from Messi has put the Spanish Cup quarter finals well within reach for FC Barcelona. It was a wonderful all-round performance for Barça at the Nuevo Arcángel in the Copa del Rey round of 16. Barça they will still have to make sure of qualification when the sides meet again at the Camp Nou on January 10.

The parties supporting the current school model, representing 80% of the new Catalan Parliament, and Catalonia’s School Council – with all the stakeholders – have met to decide upon a consensual answer to the Spanish Government’s Education Reform relegating the Catalan language and centralising competence. The meeting ended with a consensual decision to stick to the current Catalan Education Law if the Spanish Executive does not change the spirit of its reform and continues to insist on breaking up the school model that has been in place for more than 30 years. Cancelling the linguistic immersion model would mean splitting Catalan society into two language communities, which is absolutely not acceptable to the wide majority of Catalans. The current model has been validated twice by the Spanish Constitutional Court and is based on Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy which was approved via referendum.

Staff members from Catalonia’s main hospitals, including Sant Pau, Vall d’Hebron, Clínic, Parc Taulí and Germans Trias i Pujol, carried out several protests on Wednesday. Some of these protests had already started a few days ago and might last a few days longer, such as spending the night in the hospital lobby. They are demonstrating to criticise the budget cuts affecting health centres and to defend the public healthcare system. Some of these hospitals are recognised at an international level for their top quality clinical and scientific research work.

The Barça boss has admitted that he would rather be playing a First Division team in the round of 16 of the Spanish Cup, because Córdoba will be trying especially hard to spring a surprise. Vilanova said he left Iniesta out “because I’d prefer him to be fresh against Atlético considering that Cesc is injured”.

Barcelona’s trade fair complex will end 2012 with a €116 million turnover, an improvement compared to 2011 and even more so compared to 2010. With international leading shows such as the Mobile World Congress, Alimentaria and the Smart City Expo, Fira de Barcelona competes at an international level with the world’s main trade fairs. In a press release, Fira de Barcelona reaffirms its “leadership in Spain in the area of industrial trade shows”.

The Barcelona-based Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) has identified two proteins that block the metastasis of rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that represents 8% of this sort of illness in children. These two proteins are related to cellular proliferation and growth as well as having the capacity to migrate to other organs. The study opens the door to the development of new treatments targeting these two proteins. The study was funded by the foundation of the Catalan Public TV Broadcaster and it has been published in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC).

At the end of October, the Catalan Government had a 1.17% deficit, representing a difference of €2.34 billion between revenue and spending. It is a significant reduction compared to last September, when the deficit reached 1.26% of the Catalan GDP. Furthermore, it also represents a 23% reduction compared to the first ten months of 2011, when there was a €3.05 billion deficit. The improvement is mostly due to an increase in revenue. By the end of 2012, the Catalan Government is obliged to meet a 1.5% deficit target.

More than 60 demonstrations have taken place to protest against the new law announced by the Spanish Education Minister, José Ignacio Wert. The demonstrators consider it to be “an attack” against the Catalan language, as it would no longer be a ‘core subject’ and pupils could end their schooling period without taking a single Catalan language exam. Furthermore, it would end the current linguistic immersion model, which has been in place for the last 30 years and ensures that all children end their studies knowing both Spanish and Catalan. Almost the entire Catalan political class and civil society is against Wert’s reform, as well as public figures in the rest of Spain, such as the Rector of the Madrid Complutense University. The current model guarantees social cohesion and equal opportunities. It has been praised by international organisations and has been validated twice by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

The Spanish League leaders get their eighth straight win on the road and in all their 14th of the season. Messi put Barça ahead with two early goals to beat Müller’s record. Betis pulled a goal back before the break and hit the post three times in the second half. Messi and Jordi Alba also hit the wood work.

The day after a serious shock in the Benfica match, Leo Messi has described how he felt in the 84th minute, when he had to be stretchered off the pitch. “When I first felt the pain, I imagined the worst – that I’d be out for months. After tests and learning that it is not a long-term injury, I’m feeling a lot better”. Describing the action, in which he stumbled against the keeper but still carried on trying to score, he said “I thought it might be the last ball I’d touch for a long time and I wanted to go for it”.

Barça closed the group stage of the Champions League with a goalless draw against Benfica. This should have been a night of celebration for Leo Messi as he closed in on Gerd Muller’s scoring record, but it ended badly with the injury to the World Number One. Messi had started on the bench and Tito Villanova didn’t bring him on until after the break. Shortly afterwards, the Argentinean had to come off with a knee injury. Before Messi’s appearance, Pinto had been the centre of attention with a series of saves that helped ensure the Portuguese team bowed out of the Champions League.

In Brussels, all political parties but the PP denounced the new proposals by the Spanish minister for Education, José Ignacio Wert, to relegate the Catalan language to a third-class subject in schools. MEPs from the CiU, the ERC, the PSC and the ICV have written a joint letter to the European Comissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vasilliou, asking for a meeting to discuss the Catalan language situation in Spain. The Catalan politicians have also presented a parliamentary question to the European Commission urging the institution to protect languages such as Catalan and asking whether the law proposed by the Spanish government is in line with European directives.