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After last week’s minor train accident, the Spanish Minister for Transport, Ana Pastor, wanted to personally check Barcelona Metropolitan Area’s railway infrastructure. Pastor has recognised that the Spanish Government had not invested the required amount in railway infrastructure in Catalonia. She said that €5.748 billion has not been invested. Many Catalan voices have criticised the Spanish Government’s lack of investment in key transport infrastructure for Catalonia’s economy.

15,644 companies opened for business in Catalonia last year, which represents an 8.76% increase compared to 2010. However, in 2011, there was also a 3.17% increase in the number of companies that shut down.

Barça have suffered their second defeat of the season away to an Osasuna side that made the most of their chances and adapted better to the freezing conditions. FC Barcelona were two goals down at half time but in the second half looked to have equalised when Alexis’s goal was ruled offside.

Alimentaria 2012 is one of the most important trade fairs in the world focusing on food and drinks. It is organised in the Catalan capital every two years. The next edition will be held between March 26th and March 29th, reducing its length from 5 to 4 days. However, the trade fair maintains the exhibition space and the number of exhibitors and participants.

After having qualified for the Spanish Cup final and just before the Champions League gets back under way, Barça’s attention turns back to the Spanish League campaign. The Catalan side hopes to over take Real Madrid, who are seven points ahead.

Samuel Aranda’s photograph of a fully-veiled woman holding a wounded relative in her arms in Yemen has been awarded the World Press Photo of the Year. Aranda was working in the Arabian country for the ‘New York Times’. During his career he has collaborated with several Catalan and Spanish newspapers.

Legendary British band to play alongside Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab for Cutie, XX, Beirut, Yo La Tengo, The Drums, and Mudhoney, among others in a strong 2012 lineup. The festival will be held from May 30th to June 3rd in Barcelona.

The Catalan company opts for sustainable energy and internationalisation to get through the economic difficulties. With this move, Baxiroca hopes to become Europe’s major supplier. The plant has cost 4 million euros and will export 80% of its production.

Barcelona City Council will apply a tax in order to exercise the profession, aiming for more professionalism. The reform also wants to regulate an activity that on some occasions blocks the circulation of pedestrians in the middle parts of Les Rambles.

A train has crashed into the end-of-track buffer in Mataró, north of Barcelona. 11 people have been injured; all of them with minor injuries except the driver, whose life is not at risk. The Catalan capital’s suburban train network has witnessed 7 minor accidents in the past year. The Spanish Government is responsible for the railways, including tracks, stations, power supply and navigation systems. Many Catalan citizens have demanded an urgent investment in maintenance services.

The Catalan town of Figueres will host the first edition of the International Circus Festival from March 1st to 4th. Three special trains have been arranged to bring viewers from París and Milan. The International Circus Festival includes 52 artists from 13 different countries. It will take place in Sant Ferran Castle.

The results of the research will be helpful to expand the knowledge on diseases related to the process of protein aggregation. Discovery of this might lead to the early detection of Alzheimer ’s disease. The research has found a way to precisely measure the effects that protein aggregation has on cell aging.

FC Barcelona, the Kings of the competition, qualified for another Spanish Cup Final after beating Valencia at the Camp Nou, thanks to goals from Cesc and Xavi, one in each half. Guardiola’s team will play the Cup Final against Athletic Bilbao for the second time in 3 years.

The US technology company Tech Data will create 400 highly qualified jobs in the Catalan capital. Tech Data, which specialises in hardware distribution, will open the new facility in Barcelona’s Zona Franca, an industrial district next to the port. The new Barcelona operations centre will serve the rest of the company’s European plants.

The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition ‘CiU’, which runs the Catalan Government, is close to reaching an agreement with the Conservative People’s Party (PP) on this year’s budget. They have been negotiating over the past number of weeks, but the PP has insisted on modifying two of CiU’s new measures: the tourist tax and the drug prescription fee. They have subsequently agreed to postpone the tourist tax until November 2012 and Barcelona will have a different fee. In addition, they have decided to exclude people with low incomes from paying the drug prescription fee.