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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.

Until the 17th October, the Catalan coastal town of Sitges, located south of Barcelona, will be the world capital of Fantasy and Horror films. The opening ceremony honoured the actor and director Paul Naschy. Makeup artist Tom Savini and the director of Catalonia’s cinema school, Josep Maixenchs, were also awarded for their contributions to the world of cinema.

The EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) will be reformed. Catalonia wants to have a say in the future of the CAP. To do so, it is lobbying together with other European regions that lead fruit and vegetable production. A joint declaration with 10 ways to improve the sector has been agreed on.

The new subsidiary company of Gas Natural Fenosa, Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables, has been created for the development of renewable energies. The new company puts together all the green energy assets of the group. It will jointly compete with Alstom Wind in the Aeolian Competition of Catalonia.

‘Workshop Pirineus’ was organised to unite tour operators and businesses from the tourism sector with tourist agencies to sell their Pyrenees offers. More than 100 companies have come and 1,000 interviews have been held.

A workshop in central Catalonia has analysed the promotion of local agri-food sectors. The Italian region of Tuscany will share their successful experiences in revalorising local consumption.

A study presented today by the Catalan Government states that the industrial added value could grow 1.9% each year in a good economic context.