Plensa is the artist behind the famous ‘Crown Fountain’ in Chicago’s Millenium Park, as well as London’s blue light ‘Breathing’ located on the roof of the BBC’s Egton House, dedicated to journalists killed in action. ‘Echo’ is a giant white head with closed eyes, similar to ‘Dream’ set in Liverpool. Plensa’s sculptures deal with human forms, communication, emptiness and a globalised identity.
The Panathinaikos, Montepaschi Siena, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Real Madrid are playing to become the European champions. The winner will be known on Sunday afternoon. Last year, FC Barcelona won the competition in Paris, but this year Barça will have to look the games from the sidelines.
FC Barcelona and Manchester United will meet in the 2011 Champions League Final on May 28th at Wembley Stadium – the 11th time the two teams have met in Europe and the 8th game between them in the Champions League. This year final repeats the Champions League final of 2009, when Barça won United by 2-0.
April numbers have broken a three-month continuous trend of unemployment increases. In total there were 601,541 people registered as unemployed at the end of April.
This initiative offers free food to people in need and it is a platform involving many organisations. The Food Bank already assists 118,000 people in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and warns that “the figure is growing”.
The Catalan Ministry of Economy and Knowledge has released its macroeconomic outlook for 2011. At the end of the current year, the unemployment rate will be 18%, up from 2010.
The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, presented a road-map with 474 objectives to be reached during his term in office. The Catalan Government’s plan faces three main crises: the economic slowdown, the relationship between Catalonia and Spain, and citizen trust in the democratic institutions. The strategic plan is organised along eight main axes, with economic recovery being the first priority.
In the year of its 130th anniversary, the historical flagship of the Catalan press, the spokesperson of the business world and centre-right nationalism has launched an edition in Catalan. ‘La Vanguardia’ has finally taken this step after many years, or even decades, of rumours. Also some months after a new newspaper in Catalan aimed at a similar but younger target began publication. “Our DNA is Catalan”, states the newspaper’s editor Javier Godó to explain their decision.
Barça have qualified for the Champions League final at the expense of Real Madrid following tonight’s draw at the Camp Nou. Pedro scored the winner for a side that dominated the possession and produced most of the chances.
FC Barcelona look to build on their 0-2 lead from last week when they take on Real Madrid this evening (20.45h CET) in the fourth and final ‘clásico’ between the two sides over the last few weeks. Guardiola welcomes back Iniesta and Abidal to the squad.
Barça trained on the Nou Camp pitch on Monday evening ahead of their Champions League semi final second leg against Real Madrid. The great news for Guardiola was that Iniesta and Abidal trained normally and are in the squad for the Champions League game against Mourinho's Real Madrid.
East Asian and South Mediterranean countries are the two regions with the largest cargo exchange at Barcelona Port. In total, 538,700 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) passed through Barcelona during the first quarter of 2011.
Catalan and FC Barcelona flags, as well as a message of thanks formed by 95,000 cards handed out to the fans will greet the team at the Nou Camp on Tuesday. It will cheer the team before the Champions League game against Real Madrid. Fans can take part in this homage to the team via Twitter, with the hashtag #graciesequip.
FC Barcelona suffered their second defeat of the season in Donosti tonight, going down 2-1 to Real Sociedad, who came back from a first half goal by Thiago with two goals in the second half. The results tonight mean Barça need 4 more points to take the Spanish League title, as the 8-point distance with Real Madrid is kept after Madrid’s loss against Zaragoza in the Bernabeu stadium.
The measure is a reaction to the large number of people, many of them tourists, who in the summer months only wear swim suits across the city or walk with their naked torso, even in the underground. The area next to the more than 5 kilometres of beaches is excluded from the ban, although complete nudity will also be banned. Four weeks before the municipal elections, the two main parties at Barcelona City Council have agreed on the measures.