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The Catalan Government’s debt represents 21% of Catalonia’s GDP, and it is in charge of almost half of public spending and manages healthcare, education and other basic services. Catalonia’s debt continues to increase because of the public deficit, but slows down its growth significantly. Over the first quarter of 2012, the Catalan Government’s debt increased by €222 million, while it had grown by €2.34 billion over the same period in 2011. With this last increase, the Catalan Government’s debt reached €42 billion at the end of March 2012.

FC Barcelona’s new manager gives his first press conference. “It's an honour. I'm eager and excited”, said Tito Vilanova. He is aware he's taking on “a very big challenge” but that “we won't give up on any match or any titles. We'll try to win them all”. "I accept this challenge because I know how football is understood here and, furthermore, I feel that I’ve been part of the successes of these past four years," says the new manager. Furthermore Vilanova emphasised: “I lose in any comparisons [with Guardiola], I didn’t come here to compete with anyone. I’ll try to do a good job, I’ll dedicate as many hours to the job as I have in the past”.

The world-renowned business school has invested €1 million in a new building located at its Sant Cugat campus, in Greater Barcelona, where the International MBA programmes will be taught. In fact, the Barcelona-based business school wants to turn its Sant Cugat campus into an international hub for education, innovation and entrepreneurs.

House prices have dropped for 17 consecutive quarters in Catalonia. Last quarter’s drop was the highest since the crisis in the sector began in 2008, falling by 14.6% in the last 12 months. In Spain as a whole, house prices dropped by 11.8%.

50 balloons from across Europe will participate in the festival’s next edition, which is held from July 4th to 8th, in the town of Igualada, in the centre of Catalonia. Besides, the European Balloon Festival has renewed its logo after sixteen years and the organisation has created a new website where Facebook and Twitter are linked directly to facilitate interaction between the event and the public.

Barça Regal beat Real Madrid on Wednesday evening thereby forcing a fifth and final game in the Liga Endesa Finals. Lorbek, with 24 points, was the best Barça Regal player on the court. Saturday, at 19:00, the champions of the 2011/12 Liga Endesa will be decided at the Palau Blaugrana

FC Barcelona have come to an agreement with Francesc ‘Tito’ Vilanova. This season's first team assistant manager will be the head coach of FC Barcelona for two seasons, through June 30th, 2014. Barça’s new manager will sign his new contract this Friday, at noon.

The festival offers more than 150 proposals in its program, including music, exhibitions, screenings and activities for professionals based around the technology applied to artistic creation. For three days, from June 14th to the 16th, Sonar brings electronic rhythms to Barcelona. This year, the MACBA square, in the centre of Barcelona, will be the venue for Festival’s day programme while the Fira Gran Via, at l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, will be the night venue.

On Tuesday the Catalan Council for Constitutional Guarantees (CGE) declared that the Spanish Government decree cutting €3 billion in education does not respect 2 Constitution articles and 5 other articles from Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy, being thus unconstitutional and going beyond Madrid’s jurisdiction. The Catalan Government following the CGE’s unconstitutionality assessment decided to bring the education decree to the Constitutional Court(TC), as it did last week with Rajoy’s health decree. However, after the Spanish Government threatened to bring approved initiatives from the Catalan Executive to the TC, the Catalan Government decided to modify the decrees through dialogue and bring the decrees to the TC as a last option.

The Ebro Delta city has recovered part of its Jewish heritage, renovating the old Jewish quarter. In addition, with this initiative, the city wants to attract Jewish tourism which visits Catalonia. Five Catalan municipalities integrated in the 'Jewish Network': Barcelona, Girona, Besalú, Castelló d'Empúries, and Tortosa.

On its 75th anniversary, the company has demonstrated the keys to its success: innovation and the study of the healthy properties of food. The President of the Catalan Government has said that Gallina Blanca is an example of solid-working practices which fight speculation and help to improve the economic situation.

Diverting the Ebro River to southern Spain was the aim of the National Water Plan that José María Aznar wanted to carry out during his term of office ten years ago. Now, Mariano Rajoy and Agriculture Minister Miguel Arias Cañete hope to bring it back. People from the Ebro Delta are ready to fight the battle again.

This weekend, 14,500 people rocked at the Palau Sant Jordi, in Montjuïc, in a charity concert that brought together the most famous Catalan singers and bands. Singer songwriter Lluís Llach interpreted a poem with former F.C. Barcelona Manager, Pep Guardiola, who finished with the verse: “Everything is to be done, and everything is possible”. 20 more artists participated in the concert, which turned into a cry against AIDS and for the independence of Catalonia.

Compared to the rest of industrialised countries, Catalonia’s industrial sector improved its competitiveness index by 0.7% between October and December 2011, compared to the same period a year earlier. Catalan industrial prices have been improving their competitiveness since 2009.

How can you reach out and touch the sky with your fingers? Is it better alone or together with others? Ram Devinevi and Cano Rojas give a clear answer to this question in their documentary which shows how three different cultures -the Catalan, the Indian and the Chilean- all with a common aim: to build the highest human constructions. A formidable challenge which can only be achieved thanks to the huge effort of three hundred bodies climbing and the technical guidelines of an experienced coach.