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The Catalan Government will be able to issue more public debt and the State will pay Catalonia 759 million euros that are pending from 2008. According to the Catalan Government, the Spanish Executive owes more than 2,100 million euros, although the figure could be larger. The Catalan President, Artur Mas, claimed this amount and the Catalan Government’s capacity to issue new debt, after having presented a viability and austerity plan a week ago. Both leaders discussed pending competence devolutions today regarding already approved legislation and agreements, but without concrete results. Prime Minister Zapatero was also very interested in this meeting as he wants to count on votes from Mas’ party in the Spanish Parliament. Mas confirmed that his party would support Zapatero’s measures to foster the economic recovery, such as the pension system reform agreement or a new framework for SMEs.

Barcelona-El Prat Airport’s terminals become home to many homeless people from Barcelona Metropolitan area but also from around the world, but not for much longer. The Spanish Airport Authority decided to close the terminal from midnight to 5am to stop this activity. Passengers or people waiting for passengers will ac cess the terminals through secured doors.

Lluís Miñarro’s documentary film ‘Finisterrae’ scooped a top award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is directed by the manager of the International Sònar Music Festival in Barcelona, Sergio Caballero. This was his first ever movie and it was actually the image of last year’s Sónar Festival. Rotterdam’s jury awarded ‘Finisterrae’ impressed for its riskiness.

FC Barcelona have beaten Atletico Madrid thanks to a Leo Messi hat-trick and in doing so have broken the record for consecutive wins in the league. The win leaves them momentarily ten points adrift of Real Madrid.

CNA talks to the Catalan paleontologist Bernat Vila about how collaboration with the University of Manchester gave him the power to excavate the pre-historic Fumanya site in Central Catalonia’s. The site was pictured in the National Geographic series ‘Dinosaurs CSI’.

The total number of foreigners contributing to the Social Security system in Catalonia at the end of 2010 was 401,753 people. Three out of four foreigners in Catalonia come from outside the European Union.

Barcelona is hosting lawyers and legal experts from all over the world this week for the international legal trade fair and the Euro Mediterranean's annual conference for lawyers.

The 2011 edition of the rock-pop festival Primavera Sound will be even bigger with 20,000 square meters more and a brand new bigger and stage. In total there will be 8 simultaneous stages, 2 of them for large concerts.

Barça is the highest scoring team in any of the main European soccer leagues. Guardiola’s side has scored 67 goals in the domestic championship, more than other league leaders like Manchester United, Milan, Lille and PSV.

The industry sector consolidates its position as the main engine towards the recovery from the economic crisis. Despite this positive data, the 2010 GDP falls by 0.2% in comparison to 2009.

The Catalan Minister for Health, Boi Ruiz, announced today that patients will get a symbolic bill when leaving the centre informing them about the drug treatments’ costs. The Minister also stated that “for the moment” patients will not have to directly pay a part of the medical costs.

Photojournalist Gervasio Sánchez culminates a decade of his work with a new exhibition called ‘Disappeared’. He has pictured the pain of family members who face the loss of a relative disappeared by a dictatorial regime. The work is shown simultaneously in Barcelona, Madrid and León.

Barça, the team that has won the trophy the most times, are into their 35th Copa del Rey final. For coach Pep Guardiola this is already his seventh final since taking his place on the bench, and his second appearance in the domestic cup final.

All the Catalan savings banks are in the process of becoming regular banks. In the last 6 days, all the savings banks have been defining their future and they are all going in the same direction: transforming their structures into those of a regular bank. The first stage was the merging process that took place before summertime and now, with the new banking rules at international, European and Spanish level, savings banks are finding it easier to continue operating as regular banks. The old model is thus finished.

Marta Casals asks the Spanish Government to ask the UN to recuperate the anthem that 40 years ago Pau Casals especially composed. The anthem was used in the seventies, under U Thant’s term, and then forgot. The famous cellist wrote a song for peace.