Foreign correspondents choose Barcelona as the Mobile World Congress’ permanent host city
International media focus on the world’s leading congress on mobile phone technology.
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Education halts the introduction of laptops in classrooms
The Catalan Minister for Education said that not all the 40,000 students that were meant to start the laptop programme at the next academic course will be able to do so. Although the main reason is due to the economic cutbacks, the Minister said that the are also pending teaching evaluations regarding the use of laptops.
MACBA doubles its space and exhibits more than 500 pieces of art
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona has created a new area to show artworks from the 1950s to the present. The updated exhibition aims to become a 'narrative' to better understand the evolution of modern art.
All 18 plus Thiago heading for London
Pep Guardiola is taking all of the fit first team players he has to London for the first leg of the Champions League encounter with Arsenal. Thiago is also picked, but Puyol and Jeffren are out through injury.
'Pa Negre', shot entirely in Catalan, wins the Spanish Oscars
The Catalan movie 'Pa Negre', directed by Agustí Villaronga and filmed entirely in Catalan, is a huge hit at the Goya Awards taking home 9 awards out of 14 nominations, including the awards for the best film, the best director, and 4 of the 6 acting awards. The movie pictures the dark years after the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia.
The speed limit of the highways in Barcelona’s Metropolitan Area is increased
The previous Left-Wing Catalan Government had set a maximum speed limit of 80 km/h for the highways inside Barcelona’s Metropolitan Area. Less pollution and fewer accidents were the measure’ aims. However now, after some controversy, the current Centre-Right Government changed the measure and today cars are able to circulate at 120 km/h again.
Barcelona becomes the World’s capital of mobile phone technology
From this Monday to the coming Thursday, the Catalan capital is hosting the annual world’s most important cell phone technology event, the Mobile World Congress. About 55,000 people and 1,300 companies will attend the conference, which will generate more than 200 million euros of profit for the local economy. Barcelona needs to do its utmost best this year, as the host city from 2013 onwards is still not decided.
Regal Barça equals top Cup winners
FC Barcelona has now taken 22 Spanish Cups, equalling Real Madrid’s own record. The win in Madrid tonight also means that Regal Barça retained the title they won last year – the first time that’s been done since Aito’s Barça achieved it in 1988.
Villa's magic saves a point (1-1)
FC Barcelona picked up a valuable point at El Molinón thanks to a beautiful finish from Villa just ten minutes from the end. Barça had trailed for the whole game after Barral’s early opener.
Catalan fruit fosters its internationalisation in Berlin
The Catalan Minister for Agriculture Josep Maria Pelegrí visited Berlin this week to greet the 23 Catalan companies that were exhibiting at the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin. Catalonia has a significant fruit production industry and it exports fruit all over Europe.
The Catalan wine giant Torres increased its turnover by 11.5% in 2010 but profits are “minimal”
The well-known Catalan wine brand Torres that is available in supermarkets all over Europe exported 72% of its production in 2010. The company registered a turn-over of 205 million euros, 11.5% more than in 2009.
The Catalan surrealist painter Salvador Dalí has a record-breaking week at London auction houses
At an auction this week at the Sotheby Art Auction House in London, a Salvador Dalí painting was sold for no less than 16 million euros setting a world record for the Catalan artist and for any Surrealist work of art in the world.
The Catalan President rejects raising taxes and states that a 10% budget cut is enough
Artur Mas, the President of the Catalan Government answered the Spanish Vice President for Economy, who yesterday suggested that he should raise taxes. He also wants to stop the debate about which percentage of the public expenditure should be cut, after the insistence from Madrid to go beyond the 10%. The Advisory Council for the Economic Recovery met today for the first time. Mas also announced a Catalan summit on economic recovery scheduled for the 25th of March.
Guardiola: “There is no place like this, but we have to keep winning”
Barça's coach has given his first press conference since extending his contract by one more season and used the occasion to speak about motivation. “The day I lose my passion and strength, I’ll leave” he said.
Housing sales increase by 21.4% in Catalonia in 2010
Compared to 2009, real estate sales increased by 21.4% in Catalonia. The Catalan market’s activity triples the Spanish average. However, forecasts for 2011 are no so optimistic due to the VAT increase and the end of the fiscal deduction for purchasing houses and flats.