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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.

The Spanish minister for Education, José Ignacio Wert, has proposed a new law that the Catalan government sees as a “threat” to the current Catalan educational system and the “worst” legislative piece on the teaching of regional languages “since 1978”. The proposal would relegate the Catalan language to a ‘specialized subject’ at schools, while the Spanish language would continue to be a ‘core subject’ and a second foreign language would be taught as a ‘specific subject’. Catalan minister Irene Rigau left a meeting in Madrid to express her opposition to the motion. She said that the proposals presented are “not negotiable” for the Catalans.

The Brazilian has explained that Barça have plenty of reasons to take the Benfica match seriously, even though they have already won the group The man who has played in every position in defence is having a terrific season so far. Asked about his versatility, he said “right now I don’t where I like playing the most. The most important thing is to play. I like being on the pitch and helping the team and the boss. It is an honour that he trusts me so much and I am just trying to improve”.

Catalonia won’t be able to meet its deficit targets without imposing cuts with “serious consequences” on the welfare state, said the Catalan President on Monday. Artur Mas explained in Parliament that the Spanish Government is forcing him to implement austerity cuts that are “impossible to meet without seriously affecting some basic elements of the welfare state”. Mas added that his government has been making a “very important” effort to reduce spending but blamed Madrid for “suffocating” the autonomous communities and local administrations by imposing very difficult deficit targets on them.

‘La Patum’ is a popular festival celebrated every year during Corpus Christi in the Catalan city of Berga. In this town, the earliest reference to this festival dates from 1454 although the celebration has its origins in pre-Christian festivities. Over the years, a new symbolism has been given to the festival – it also incorporates elements from theatre in the Middle Ages - which led to an original mix of giants, devils, angels and other peculiar-looking characters. In 2012, ‘La Patum’ celebrates its 7th anniversary since UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005. This celebration coincides with the launch of a documentary which shows how ‘La Patum’ was celebrated 50 years ago.

The Asian multinational company sets up its fourth centre of industrial automation in the Catalan capital, where it has invested up to one million euros. This has created 20 highly-qualified new jobs. The Catalan minister for Business and Jobs, Francesc Xavier Mena, unveiled the centre in an event on Friday. “We have succeeded in attracting Omron to Catalonia”, he said.

The leader of the CiU and Catalan President, Artur Mas, has urged the left-wing ERC to guarantee that he is able lead a “strong, stable and serious” government even if they don’t form a coalition. In his first press conference as President since the electoral results, Mas also asked Spain to see the recent electoral results as a sign that the Catalan society is ready for a referendum. Mas asked Mariano Rajoy’s government to consider its position on Catalonia’s right to self-determination, currently forbidden by the Spanish constitution. Despite losing 12 seats on Sunday, Mas pointed out that the Spanish unionists “only have 28 out of 135 seats” in the Catalan Parliament.

The Catalan Government spokesman, Francesc Homs, hopes ERC opposition to forming a coalition is not a definitive stance and that negotiations may yet be successful. The ERC leader, Oriol Junqueras, said on Wednesday that he plans to stay in opposition while offering parliamentary support to the CiU on key issues such as the budget and the independence referendum. His deputy, Marta Rovira, repeated his comments on Thursday. Meanwhile, Junqueras met with the leader of the ICV-EUiA, Joan Herrera, who advised him it will be very difficult to “change the economical policies” of the CiU and urged him to participate in a “left-wing alternative”. The leader of the Socialists, Pere Navarro, cancelled a meeting with the CiU’s Artur Mas due to “diary issues”.

More than 8,000 bottles from the cellar of elBulli, Ferran Adrià’s renowned restaurant,, in Roses, will be sold in April in two auctions in Hong Kong and New York. The sale, organized by Sotheby’s, has an estimated price of between 1,1 and 1,6 million euros, and comes after Adrià decided to close the restaurant last year to focus on his foundation. The three-Michelin-star elBulli was considered to be the best restaurant in the world for five years in a row and was one of the most iconic places in the Catalan Costa Brava for almost three decades.