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The Catalan News Agency is reviewing the stereotypes, myths and ideas that foreigners have about Catalonia and experts are called to challenge them

The prestigious red guide will add three Barcelona restaurant hotels to its 2011 edition. Paco Pérez’s Miramar Restaurant was awarded its 2nd Michelin star. The 4 3-star restaurants keep all their stars.

FC Barcelona face one of their toughest tests of the season as the long-awaited encounter with Real Madrid takes place on Monday evening (22:00h) and victory would see the Catalan side leapfrog their opponents at the top of the Primera table.

The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, ‘Convergència i Unió’ (CiU) wins. The Centre-Right forces get a clear majority in the Catalan Parliament. The governing Left-Wing parties collapse. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) gets the worst results in history, which could be fatal for Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero future’s re-election. The speech on immigration control, the economic crisis and Spanish identity gives the Catalan People’s Party (PPC) their best results ever in Catalonia. Catalan Nationalist forces globally increase their absolute majority, despite the collapse of the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC). A new populist independence party ‘Solidaritat per la Independència’ (SI), former FC Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta’s party, enters into the Parliament. The Anti-Catalan Nationalist Party ‘Ciudadanos’ (C’s) maintains its 3 seats. The Catalan Green Socialist Party (ICV-EUiA) loses 2 seats.

Exit polls predict that Artur Mas, CiU’s leader, will very likely be able to govern alone, with between 63-66 seats. The Catalan Socialist Party may collapse, losing more than 10 seats and getting between 24 and 27 seats. The parties in the 3-party governing coalition are losing a lot of support. The Catalan People’s Party (PPC) may become the 3rd force, with 15-17 seats. The Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC) may drop to between 11-13 seats. The Catalan Green Socialist Party (ICV-EUiA) may loose some support and get between 8 and 10 seats. The former FC Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta’s party (SI) could enter into the Parliament with 3-4 seats. The Anti-Catalan Nationalism Party (C’s) may get the same results with around 3 seats. The Right-Wing Catalan Independence Party, Reagrupament (Rgt), could be at the limit of entering into the Parliament with 1 seat.

Motorbike world champion of 125cc Marc Márquez answers: “More than just football, there are other sports such as hockey, basketball and motorcycling that we are very good at”.

The 7 years of the Left-Wing 3-party coalition may end on Sunday and CiU may once again rule the Catalan Government. Spain is looking carefully at these elections: the Socialists may collapse, the People’s Party may win seats thanks to its anti-immigration speech, and if CiU wins, they could help Zapatero to pass economic reforms. Europe should look at these elections: the future of the Euro is in Zapatero’s hands, but Zapatero may be in CiU’s. The campaign finished at midnight on Friday. Saturday is the “reflexion day”, when campaigning is forbidden. Sunday the 28th of November is Election Day. The parties’ candidates with Parliamentary representation presented their projects to CNA for a foreign audience.

Convergència i Unió (CiU) will very likely win the elections and rule the Catalan Government. It is already the first party in the Catalan Parliament, with 48 seats (out of 135), and polls predict it could get a result just below the absolute majority, with a range from 59 to 65 seats. CiU is a coalition of 2 parties: a Liberal and a Christian-Democratic. In the last years, CiU has openly defended Catalonia’s right to self-determination and, in this campaign, CiU’s main proposal is to negotiate a special economic agreement for fiscal redistribution with the Spanish Government, in line with the Basque Country’s.

In 2008 and 2009, fairs in Catalonia generated 2,372 million euros and 30,000 workers, according to a study by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Despite the crisis, 2009 saw more fairs than 2008, and 441 are already planned for 2011.

Laia Fàbregas, a Barcelona born writer, says: “Barcelona is much more than that. There are a lot of tourists and different types of people that enjoy living here”.

CNA interviews five Catalans living overseas about how they feel about the Catalan elections and what they have done to get their ballot papers in on time

With polls predicting a considerable loss of seats and a large increase of support for the opposition party, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) will very likely lose the Catalan presidency. In addition, the next municipal and Spanish elections also seem complicated for the Socialists, who currently lead the 3 levels of government (local, Catalan and Spanish). Their 3 main problems include: governing with a hand tied behind their back due to electoral agreements, a crisis of leadership and ruling all administrations in times of crisis.

FC Barcelona ensured that they progressed to the next round of the Champions League as group winners after a convincing victory against Panathinaikos on Wednesday thanks to two goals from Pedro and another from Lionel Messi.

The company will partner with Spanair to offer direct flights to Sao Paulo starting in 2011. Singapore Airlines hopes to offer more direct flights from Barcelona to other South American capitals in the near future, announce its Executive Vice President of the airline.

Lluís Gavaldà, lead singer of Els Pets answers Lucy from Glasgow: “Catalonia has very extensive musical richness, with traditional, classic, jazz and pop music in Catalan”.