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.
The Catalan Minister for Finance Andreu Mas-Colell has unveiled the main guidelines for the budget proposal for 2011, which he said are shaped with “austerity, seriousness and credibility”. Public expenditure will be cut by 10%, although he warns that it is impossible to meet the 1.3% deficit objective, as it is a transition year and some revenues have not been paid. However, he insisted that the 2012, 2013 and 2014 objectives will be met. The Spanish Government warned that not meeting the deficit objective for 2011 is not an option. Mas-Colell also explained he has not included, not even as a pending revenue, the 1.45 billion euros for the Competitiveness Fund.
More than 727,000 people were unemployed at the end of March 2011 in Catalonia, 40,900 jobseekers more than at the end of 2010. In Spain as a whole, the unemployment rate has reached 4.91 million people, a rate of 21.29%.
Barça's coach Josep Guardiola hasn’t been distracted by Mourinho's controversy and the complaints before UEFA. On Saturday, FC Barcelona can go a big step further to the league title at Anoeta, and the coach guarantees that his players’ only concern is that game.
The Catalan Government is benchmarked by the American company for using this technology that has enabled saving up to 20% of the costs, according to a representative from the CTIT.
FC Barcelona will present an official complaint about the Real Madrid manager to UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body for what it considers “a violation of basic standards of behaviour”. The UEFA already decided to look on Wednesday's events. In the evening, it was known that Real Madrid also decided to file a complaint against Barça players for going against fair-play. The latter accusation seems quite surprising after having watched the game and Real Madrid's behaviour on and outside the pitch.
According to a study released by the Spanish Observatory of the Wine Market, Catalan wine exports increased by 8.8% in 2010 in terms of revenue, but at a lower rate than other wine producing areas in Spain, with an average increase of 10%. However, foreign customers seem to appreciate the quality of Catalan wine, as its price increased by 3.6%, while the average Spanish wine price dropped by 4.9%.
Elena Salgado, the Spanish Vice President for Finance, wanted to end the debate and discarded transferring the 1.45 billion euros from the fund in 2011. This is the amount asked for by the Catalan Government. The Catalan Minister for Finance has been asking for “co-responsibility”. The same day, the Spanish Senate approved a motion asking the Spanish Government to pay this fund this year as it is its legal obligation. The Catalan Government prefers political dialogue than taking the issue to the courts, as suggested by the Catalan Socialist Party.
FC Barcelona gave a footballing lesson at the Real Madrid’ stadium Santiago Bernabeu, climaxing in two Leo Messi goals -one of which will surely go down as a classic- that put them in the driving seat for a place in the Wembley final ahead of next week’s second leg at the Nou Camp.
The exhibition, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the first meeting between Salvador Dalí and the American photographer Philippe Halsman, reflects the close ties the two artists kept up for over 37 years. The temporary exhibition ‘Dalí by Halsman’ is a collection of 88 photographs on show until 31st December at the Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol.
Car manufacturer SEAT, whose factory is in Barcelona, is present for the first time in Shanghai. Its cars will be seen in China’s roads as of 2012. Audi also officially introduced its new crossover model, the Audi Q3, which will be entirely produced in Barcelona. Auto Shanghai 2011 closes its doors on April 28 and is the main show of this kind in Asia.
Madrid and Barça face each other yet again this evening, this time in the Champions League semi finals (20.45h CET). The two opposing styles are once again about to clash at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, with FC Barcelona missing the injured Iniesta.
The Catalan Government received 3.2 billion euros last week from retail bonds, 0.5 billion euros more than the initial quantity released on the market. In addition, it will have to issue more debt and it needs the agreed money transfers from the Spanish Government. However, the Spanish Deputy Minister for Finance has rejected the request from the Catalan Government of 1.45 billion euros from the Competitiveness Fund and has warned Catalonia not to include that amount in this year’s budget. The Spokesperson for the Catalan Government accuses the Spanish Government of “acting as a defaulter”.