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Teachers, administrative staff, students and parents have protested against budget cuts by the Spanish and Catalan Governments affecting primary, secondary and university education. The protest was organised throughout Spain. In Barcelona, 25,000 people according to the police and 150,000 people according to the organisers demonstrated through the city centre. Protests were also organised in other Catalan cities, such as Girona, Lleida and Tarragona.

The Catalan pharmaceutical company Grífols, third worldwide company in plasma derivatives, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Blood Bank. The agreement, which strengthens the presence of the Catalan company in China, promotes blood genotyping research. The Chinese institution will use the Grifols’ genetic test BLOODchip in transfusion compatibility studies. Shanghai Blood Bank serves over 20 million people and receives more than 300.000 donations per year. In 2011, Grifols sales in China grew by 30%.

From May 21st to 25th the First International Congress about Management and Disclosure of Protected Volcanic Landscapes, Volcandpark, is taking place in Olot, in Central Catalonia. The event will project the Garrotxa Natural Park's Volcanic Zone.

The centre received the ‘Gold Level Award’ from the Global Network for Tobacco Health Care Services, thanks to its fight against the effects of smoking. The jury emphasised the training given to both hospital workers and patients in order to give up smoking and the achievement of a strict non-smoking area in this health centre’s facilities. Only ten hospitals around the world have this distinction, among them another Catalan institution: Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Manresa, in Central Catalonia.

National Geographic chose Girona and the flower exhibition as one of the best world destinations for this spring. Thousands of visitors visited the city these days enjoying floral exhibitions and other art works. ‘Girona, Temps de flors’ has increased its exhibitions from 27 to 32 and its historic patios from 82 to 85.

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band offered two three and a quarter hour concerts in Barcelona. In the two consecutive shows, on May 17th and 18th, the American musician changed almost half of the repertoire. Whereas the first performance started with a clear leitmotiv, the economic crisis and its consequences for the working class and middle classes, the second one was more of a dedication to his greatest fans. As he did in other years, The Boss talked in Catalan on some occasions during the concerts.

FC Barcelona player Eric Abidal was today discharged from hospital, although according to a medical bulletin he will still need to return for regular checkups. Abidal had a liver transplant on April 10th. In March 2011, the French defender was diagnosed a liver tumour and he went through a first surgery.

The world’s most popular short-message network has included Catalan as one of its 28 official languages. Twitter has opened a Catalan ‘translation centre’ to adapt its content. In the first 24h, more people had registered voluntarily than the number of those who did it within the 6 months after the Finnish version was released. Twitter’s CEO had already announced at the 2011 Mobile World Congress, which is held every year in Barcelona, that the company would do it, but he did not specify a date. Wikipedia opened its Catalan version 11 years ago and Youtube incorporated Catalan in early 2011. Catalan is is the world’s 8th language with the most blogs, the 13th most used language in Wikipedia, and the 14th search language in Google.

The Catalan company Mesoestetic has built a new factory that multiplies by ten its previous facilities. Furthermore, the company will increase its staff by 30%. The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment has praised the company as a model for innovation and internationalisation. He has spoke of the long tradition of the pharmaceutical industry in Catalonia as well as the Catalan economy’s export capacity.

The Catalan Government will adjust its budget by €4.295 billion in 2012, through spend cuts of €2.680 billion and increasing revenue by €1.615 billion. With this plan, the Catalan Government will meet the 1.5% deficit target. The Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy (CPFF), which brings together the Spanish Government and the 17 Autonomies, has approved Catalonia’s budget adjustment plan for 2012-2014. The Spanish Government would pay part of the money owed, but not all of it. The Catalan Government has included a plan B in case the Spanish Government does not honour its fiscal obligations towards Catalonia.

The FC Barcelona player underwent surgery on Wednesday afternoon to correct his fractured collarbone. Alves was injured the same morning during Barça first team’s training session.

A group of international bloggers with two million followers are traveling to different regions in Catalonia. These well-known tourist bloggers from the USA, Canada and United Kingdom are explaining their trip experiences through the internet, using the hashtag #catalunyaexperience. The Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) has come up with the initiative.

From May 17th to 27th, the 14th edition of 'Tarraco Viva' will be held in Tarragona. Last year, over 82,000 people visited this festival, an increase of 186% compared to 2007. 'Tarraco Viva' is a festival which takes over the Roman city, allowing the audience to witness many historical recreations and performances that allow them to imagine how people lived 2,000 years ago.

The Catalan town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia aims to deploy agents to counterbalance prejudices and stereotypes concerning its foreign residents, with the aim to prevent conflicts and promote mutual understanding The foreign community represents 9.3% of the population.

The crisis has hit the hospitality and tourism businesses hard. However, new ideas to attract more consumers appear every day. In Vall de Ribes, in central Catalonia, a marketing strategy called ‘Pay what you want’ has begun.