Andreu Mas-Colell, former Harvard Professor and the current Catalan Finance Minister, travelled to London to meet with financial representatives. The objective is to explain, first-hand, the Catalan Government’s austerity plans and its efforts to reduce the deficit and to foster the economic recovery. Mas-Colell met with City investors, banks and media, such as the ‘Financial Times’.
‘Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape’ was on show at London’s Tate Modern until September, being one of the must-see exhibitions of the year. Now it arrives at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona. It is the most complete exhibition on one of the most universal Catalan artists of all time, with 170 works on display from public and private collections from all over the world. The exhibition has the double objective of rediscovering Miró’s work and showing his commitment in the era he lived in. Another exhibition on Miró’s posters will run in parallel, focussing on his involvement in Catalan cultural, political and civic initiatives.
FC Barcelona will open their Copa del Rey challenge with a local derby against L’Hospitalet, a small team from Greater Barcelona, playing at the third division (called Division 2B). The first leg will be on November 9 and the return at the Camp Nou on December 21.
One of the two workers is Catalan. The two women were working as logistics officers for Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Dadaab, in the Ifo refugee camp, near the Somali border. Armed men took the two women away around 1pm (CEST). Kenyan police think they might belong to the Shabaab group, linked to Al-Qaeda. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the kidnapping.
The Catalan capital is considered the best city for quality of life. However, it does not reach the top 5 regarding telecommunications, international transport, and market access.
FC Barcelona may be the team to supply the most players to the European Championship for 2012. Between Spain, France and Holland, the club has twelve players due to take part in Ukraine and Poland next summer.
Despite exceptional increases for concrete development projects, external relations and international cooperation services and funds were reduced by almost 50% within the plan to reduce public spending in 2011. The Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation decided to increase financial aid to the Horn of Africa to help with the humanitarian crisis that is affecting 13.5 million people.
Comparing the annual inflation rate registered in August, prices increased from 3.0% to 3.2%, after four consecutive months of drops. For the whole of Spain, the annual inflation in September was 3.1%.
In Spain as a whole housing sales dropped by 38%.New-build apartment sales in Catalonia fell by 35% in August, compared to the same month in 2010.
The Chairman of the EP’s Transport Committee, the British MEP Brian Simpson, has stated that building the Mediterranean Railway Corridor for freight and passengers is “absolutely imperative and crucial” for the European economy. On the contrary, the third corridor going through the Central Pyrenees, linking Zaragoza and Toulouse is “not-viable and not-needed”. “Drilling mountains is very very expensive”, he warned. The Mediterranean Railway Corridor would link Central and Northern Europe with Spain’s Mediterranean ports by international-width tracks. In addition, it would include a high-speed train service for passengers.
Barça have scored 37 goals this season, and 26 of those have been scored by products of FC Barcelona’s own youth system. Eight were scored by imported players, and three were own goals.
The works to the monument, which dates back to the 12th century and is at risk of ruin, have been delayed two years over a dispute with owner. The Castle is located over the beach of La Fosca, in Palamós. This town is at the centre of Catalonia’s Costa Brava and it is an important tourist centre.
Catalonia would have lost 60,000 residents by the end of 2011, according to the INE. For the first time in decades, Catalonia's population will fall this year. In the next ten years, Spain’s population would decrease by 1.2% if current demographic trends are maintained. At the end of 2010, Catalonia had 7,512,000 residents and Spain 47,021,000.
Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol joined Barça Regal for training this Thursday, alongside his brother Marc Gasol. The two will train under Xavi Pascual whilst the NBA lockout continues. Pau Gasol hopes to be able to play with Los Angeles Lakers soon, but meanwhile he will train with FC Barcelona Regal.
The 44th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia begins with the presentation of ‘Eva’, a Catalan movie about robots and artificial intelligence. It stars German-Catalan actor Daniel Brühl (‘Inglorious Basterds’, ‘Good bye Lenin’, or ‘The Edukators’) and ACN talked to him. It is the first time a Catalan movie opens this international festival that will run from October 6th until October 16th.