In response to a parliamentary question by the Member of the European Parliament, Ramon Tremosa, from the Association of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE) group, the EC wages for this railway network to be built before the end of 2012. This rail track is an essential part of the Mediterranean Rail Corridor, which will link Southern Spain to France via the Mediterranean harbours.
Leading companies in the infrastructure and information technology industries, Abertis Telecom and Indra will work together with the town halls of both cities in a pilot programme to improve city life. The project foresees the creation of a reference centre in Catalonia focused on providing technological solutions to the cities’ problems.
The world famous chef Ferran Adrià is directing a symposium at Harvard University this autumn which blends cuisine and chemistry. Catalan cuisine is the pillar of the symposium, which is the first of its genre at the prestigious university. Next week, the chef Carme Ruscalleda, who boasts 3 Michelin stars and the award-winning chef Nandu Jubany will perform their master classes.
Cargo ships with containers going through the Barcelona harbour will now be served faster. The TCB group will invest 70 million euros within the next 3 years to duplicate its operating capacity for containers. The investment includes renewing the harbour rail terminal and adapting the rails to European standards.
These levels have not been recorded since November 2008. However price raises stabilised in relation to August, particularly because of the price decrease of organised trips.
A new exhibition is presenting a 50-year retrospective of industrial design pieces that were awarded with the Delta Prize, from the ADI-FAD Association. The show attempts to place the designs in their historical, political and cultural context.
Over 1,600 people have signed a virtual petition for a Catalan translation of twitter. The initiative was started by the Catalan journalist Albert Cuesta.
A 50-year retrospective of the Brazilian artist Anna Maria Maiolino will open on the 15th of October at the Fundació Tàpies Museum in Barcelona.
A new initiative kicked off Wednesday at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival to broaden the presence of Catalan films on an international scale. VEOcatalanfilms.cat will offer streaming of Catalan cinema for industry professionals.
Catalonia must be able to co-manage key infrastructures such as Barcelona’s Airport and receive a special economic agreement like the one the Basque Country and Navarra have. Artur Mas, President of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Party (CiU), explained the main line of his economic programme today. Mas sent a message out to Prime Minister Zapatero (PSOE) and the Conservative People’s Party (PP).
Catalonia has experienced the 8th month in a row of continuous increases in housing sales in relation to the same month of last year. This data confirms the slow recovery of the sector. However, in comparison to July 2010, housing sales dropped 6%.
Citizens will be able to buy treasury bonds of the Catalan Government’s debt worth 1,000 euros each at a 4.75% interest rate. In the framework of the electoral campaign, the Opposition denounced that the Catalan Executive has “its drawers empty, without money”. The Catalan Government has denied this and accused the opposition of being irresponsible in order to get votes.
The Lleida City Hall approved the controversial ordinance that prohibits the use of headwear in municipal buildings, including the burqa or niqab, as well as helmets or other clothing fully covering the face. Islamic local groups are at odds as to whether or not the ban is justified. The ban does not apply to the street, private spaces or buildings owned by other public instituitions.
700 workers from the Martorell factory next to Barcelona will temporarily lose their jobs. They will return to work in June of 2011. The company still has to negotiate the conditions with unions.
The Catalan Group on the Future of Europe sent their conclusions to the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe before the Reflection Group presented their results to the European Council. Today’s event was a way to foster debate in Catalonia on these issues and a way to show the results from the analysis by the Catalan Group on the Future of Europe. President of the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe 2020-2030 (and former Spanish PM) Felipe González. has summed up the conclusions.