Among the many culinary traditions Catalonia can boast about, the ‘Calçotada’ is one of the most beloved among Catalans. People from all over the territory and in particular those from southern towns such as Valls, eat ‘calçots’ (similar to green onions) with family and friends in special get togethers for the next three months. On January 29th the season kicked off with a festival that brought together 30,000 people.
A hard working display from Barça wasn’t enough to see off Villarreal in a hard fought game the visitors had the best chances in, including a shot against the woodwork from Cesc on 78 minutes.
Vila-real vs FC Barcelona is a crucial game for the Catalan club. Barça go to Vila-real with important absentees as they chase three more points to keep Spanish League leaders Real Madrid in their sights.
Due to the impossibility of finding extra capital, the Barcelona-based airline’s board has taken the decision to cancel all its flights and to suspend the company’s activity. Negotiations with Qatar Airways broke down, which forced Spanair’s board to analyse the company’s viability. The Catalan Government, which partially owns the airline, has refused to invest more money in the company, and thus Spanair stopped flying. Passengers will be refunded and will be able to buy discounted tickets with other airlines.
CaixaBank, the main Catalan financial institution experienced a 12.8% drop in its net profit when compared to 2010. In 2011, it focused on increasing its core capital ratio to 12.5% -one of the highest levels in Europe- to strengthen its inner resources and, at the same time, left generic funds for insolvencies intact, cementing its robust position in the financial sector.
From January 27th to February 5th, those who live in the Catalan capital will enjoy discounts on cultural products, markets, restaurants and hotels throughout the city. The initiative aims at energising the economy at the end of January and stimulating Barcelona citizens to discover their own city.
The FCB Escola project is continuing to expand around the world. Barça will open two schools in Indonesia in 2012, where football is growing exponentially.
At the end of last year there were 775,400 people registered as unemployed in Catalonia. The Catalan labour market lost 126,700 jobs over the year, which represents a 4% drop in the percentage of people in employment. In Spain as a whole, the unemployment rate reached 22.85%, with 5.273 million people unemployed.
This year's edition Mobile World Congress will be the first after Barcelona was officially declared the Mobile World Capital, and the organising city of this annual event until at least 2018. The MWC will start on February 27th with the motto “Redefining mobile”. More than 1,400 companies will be present and organisers expect to break last year’s records. There will also be three times more Catalan companies.
Exports from the Catalan capital’s port have increased by 14% when compared to 2010. Car exports grew by 25%. 3.8 million people passed through Barcelona Port; 2.6 million were passengers of the 881 cruise ships that docked in the city harbour.
Emirates have announced they will link Barcelona with Dubai with a daily flight commencing in July. Furthermore, Spanair have announced connections with Beirut and Moscow, as well as more flights with Germany, France, Croatia and Serbia.
Barça drew 2-2 with Real Madrid in an electrifying Clásico, taking them into the semifinals of the Spanish Cup. FC Barcelona went ahead before the break with goals from Pedro and Alves, but Real Madrid tied up the match in the second half.
The FC Barcelona manager is hoping for a packed Camp Nou and for the team to enjoy the match. “You will see two great teams put on a very good show. The rest doesn’t matter” he insisted. “I hold reverential respect for Real Madrid. They are the worst team we could expect to play on Wednesday”.
The 36 wind farms currently in Catalan territory produce enough electricity to supply 2 million people every year and, at the same time, they place Catalonia eighth in the ranking of wind producers in Spain. According to the Catalan Government’s Energy Plan valid until 2015, wind power production could continue to grow and reach 3,500 megawatts.
Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ produced by the Catalan company Mediapro and the Catalan Public Television Broadcaster, has been nominated for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Art Direction and Best Adapted Script and has already won a Golden Globe. The film ‘Chico y Rita’ has been nominated Best Animated Feature. The movie was developed in the Catalan capital by Barcelona-based Javier Mariscal. However, the Catalan film ‘Pa Negre' has not been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category.