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.
Barça qualified for the final of the Copa del Rey after continuing the good work in the semi final first leg by increasing their aggregate score against Almería to 8-0 following classy goals from Adriano, Thiago and Afellay.
The new initiative is based on sports like Pilates. The pilot school is located in Montellà, in the Catalan Pyrenees. The measure was an initiative from the school zone director, who was concerned about future back problems. It was agreed on with the parents, the school and the Catalan Ministry of Education.
The total number of unemployed people in Catalonia is now 589,623. In Spain as a whole, registered unemployment increased by 130,930 people this January. The total number of unemployed people sets a new historical record, with 4.23 million. Traditionally, January is a bad month in terms of unemployment data due to the end of Christmas sales’ hirings.
Demonstrators carried signs that said “Free Egypt” or “Up with Egypt, down with Mubarak”. All their claims demanded the President’s immediate resignation.
FC Barcelona go out to defend a convincing 5-0 first leg win over Almería as they seek to qualify for yet another final (20.00h). Guardiola is taking his full squad, and only the injured Puyol, Jeffren and Iniesta have no chance of playing.