The budget foresees 3,134 million euros for infrastructures in Catalonia, 18.6% of the quantity for all of Spain, an amount significantly less than in 2010. One of the reasons is a reduction in public expenditure due to the economic crisis and austerity needs. 320 million have not been assigned to any concrete work and their assignation will have to be decided on in a bilateral commission.
After more than 3 years of negotiation, the Conservative People’s Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) have finally agreed on a replacement procedure for the Constitutional Court magistrates who currently have expired mandates. The Constitutional Court has had 4 magistrates with expired 9-year mandates since 2007. The Senate should have already appointed new magistrates, but the two main parties, especially the PP, have been blocking the process.
Isolated picket actions and violent anti-system protests contradicted the generally calm and respectful spirit of the general strike in Catalonia, which respect minimum services agreed on. Trade unions state that 80% of Catalan workers followed the strike. Small and medium-sized business associations quantified 1.2% of the strike’s success. The Catalan Government quantifies 11% of public employees who did not go to work today.
The restaurants ‘B44’ of San Francisco and ‘Casa Mono’ of New York were recognised for the strong presence of Catalan wine on their menus.
The highway management company Acesa has already begun construction works on highway rest stops in Montseny and next to Barcelona. The new services for lorries and their drivers will have a fee of 10 to 20 euros. They include 24h surveillance, showers, laundry, resting facilities and entertainment zones.
Foreign correspondents from all around the world attended the presentation of the CNA website in Madrid. The project aims to become 'a voice for Catalonia in the world', said ACN's director, Saül Gordillo.
The workers’ representatives hope that the industrial action will force the Spanish Government to reconsider its labour market reform. The strike is planned for the 29th of September.
The Spanish Ministry of Economy believes that the budget cuts for autonomous communities have nothing to do with the 7.9% cut in the Spanish general budget.
Scientists from the Vall d'Hebron Institute for Research in Barcelona find that patients are more likely to develop respiratory difficulties when there is a failure in the activation of immune response genes.
Catalan Cinema is recognised with three awards at the festival, including the Special Jury Prize for 'Elisa K' and the Best Photography Prize for 'Aita'.
The Valencian designer Javier Mariscal is exhibiting his work from the last 20 years in the famous Gaudí building, La Pedrera.
This morning Catalan Minister for Health Marina Geli made a cooperation agreement with Gambian Minister for Health Aboubakarr Gaye.
Both small and large companies united to present their high quality cava. The event was a great success, bringing in thousands of professionals.
The National Archive of Catalonia inaugurated 800 new photographs from the Spanish Civil War into its collection. The photographs will be published as part of the 'Fem Memòria' campaign from the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya.
A strike against the possible rise in the age to receive pensions from 60 to 62 years old has caused the cancellation of 56 flights throughout Catalonia. Airports affected include Barcelona’s El Prat, Girona’s Costa Brava Airport and the Reus Airport.