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Catalan GDP grew by 0.7% during the second quarter of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. However, in the first quarter it grew by 1.1%. The export sector continues being the Catalan economy’s engine, while internal demand fell. Catalan GDP grew by 0.2% from the first to the second quarter this year, the same rate than for the rest of the European Union. At the end of 2010, Catalan GDP represented 209.7 billion euros, more than Finland’s, Portugal’s or Venezuela’s.

After their hard won win in Gijón, FC Barcelona top the Spanish League. If we look back over the last few years, Guardiola’s team have certainly got the experience to stay up there.

An early goal from Adriano gave Guardiola’s men the three points in Gijón which take them to the top of the Spanish League’s table for the first time this season. On the negative side, Abidal was forced off with an injury.

The Debate on the State of the Nation ended at the Catalan Parliament with the approval of several resolutions. After three days of debate, the resolutions were voted on Friday. One of them condemns the way in which the Spanish Constitution amendment was negotiated and passed, as it did not take into account parties that participated in the Constitution drafting and approval, and it also interferes with the financial autonomy of Catalonia. Another motion demands the Catalan Government to present the budget for 2012 before October 10th next.

After not having found the needed private investors to meet the required levels of core capital, the Bank of Spain’s Governor announced that the Spanish State would intervene in four savings banks, including two from Catalonia. The State will control 100% of Unnim and 90% of CatalunyaCaixa. Once the banks are streamlined, private investors will be offered shares. The European Commission has authorised the operation. Now, all Spain’s banks and savings banks have at least 8% core capital. Considering the global banking sector restructuring in Spain, the Spanish State has spent 19,000 million euros from the public finances.

Barcelona-based CaixaBank, the private bank of ‘La Caixa’, will pay 16 million euros for the purchase of both businesses. Bankpime is a bank for small and medium-sized companies. CaixaBank will control a total volume of 1,200 million euros. CaixaBank will buy Bankpime’s credit investment portfolio -which is worth 363 million euros-, the fund management business –with some 400 million euros traded, the 19 branches of the bank, and client deposits worth some 436 million euros.

"Other Egypt" brings together over 200 pieces formally preserved in the Louvre, many of which had not never left Paris since their arrival. The exhibition pictures the Christian heritage of Egypt; from the Roman times to the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Egypt was a Christian country.

The Catalan airline wants to consolidate its hub at Barcelona Airport. Spanair, partially owned by the Catalan Government, plans to transform Barcelona El Prat into an international hub in its own right.

Leo Messi set another record in the game against BATE Borisov when he equalled Ladislau Kubala’s record of 194 goals for FC Barcelona, to draw level with Barça’s second highest goal scorer of all time. That’s one more record for the Argentinean –who is still only 24 years old.

Barça destroyed BATE Borisov with goals from Messi (2), Pedro, Villa, and an own goal, and came away with their first win in this season’s Champions League. Messi has drawn level with Kubala as the second top scorer in the history of FC Barcelona.

The vaccine MVA-B against HIV gets a 90% immune response in its first test with humans. In addition, after a year, the vaccine proves to still be effective in 85% of the individuals. The vaccine is still a prototype but it shows a promising perspective. Soon it will be tested as well as a therapeutic vaccine, for people already infected with HIV-AIDS. The vaccine has been developed by the Spanish High Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), in collaboration with Barcelona’s Hospital Clínic and by Madrid’s Hospital Gregorio Marañón.

In an historical decision, the Catalan Academy of Cinema chose a movie entirely in Catalan to represent Spain at the Oscars awards. ‘Pa negre’ (‘Black bread’) was the absolute winner of the last awards of the Spanish Academy awards, surprising everyone. However, the fact of it being in Catalan and that the movie competed with Almodóvar’s ‘The Skin I Live In’ made it difficult to predict if the movie was to finally represent Spain at the world’s top awards.

FC Barcelona visit BATE Borisov in the second game of the Champions League (20.45 CET) in search of a very important victory, following the draw against AC Milan. Alexis, Iniesta, and Afellay are all out through injury.

In addition, he warned about an ongoing re-centralisation process, going against the consensus of 1978, and whose next step “will be the electoral reform”, which “will sentence us [Catalan nationalists] as galley slaves”. The day that King Juan Carlos was ratifying with his signature the amendment to the Spanish Constitution, one of the main law’s six founding fathers criticised the reform. Miquel Roca, who represented the views of the Catalan nationalists in 1978 criticised a reform approved only with the support of the two main parties in Spain, both defending centralist stances.

The Catalan Government has approved the new Law of Budget Stability, which foresees a gradual and significant reduction of the deficit in the following years. The law permanently fixes an allowed deficit limit of 0.14% of Catalonia’s GDP from 2018, two years earlier than the deadline required by the Spanish Constitution’s modification. According to the Catalan Finance Minister, Andreu Mas-Colell, the law demonstrates Catalonia’s “strong commitment to budget stability”. In addition, the law creates a fund to return public debt, which will be filled with any additional revenues or budget surplus.