Society

Barcelona hosted its last bullfight on Sunday. As of January 1st 2012, bullfighting will be banned in Catalonia. The Catalan Parliament decided to forbid this activity in July 2010, with a law that generated a substantial amount of controversy. Bullfighting is associated with Spanish nationalism, and the ban has been interpreted by many as a political stance, in addition to defending animal rights. In Catalonia, over the last decades, bullfighting has lost most of its popular support and only one arena has remained open.

Between 2007 and 2010, Catalan research centres and private companies participated in a total of 1,047 projects funded by the Seventh Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development of the European Union. In total, Catalan researchers have received 384 million euros from the EU in the last four years, which represents a 73% increase in relation to the previous programme, which ran from mid 2002 to 2006.

The study by the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute has managed to demonstrate that a molecule similar to glucose can cause the death of cancerous cells. The research would enable to shortly develop treatments for the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

The use of the Catalan language is growing but it is clearly used less than Spanish in Catalonia. Some sectors are especially behind, such as judicial system, where only 14.5% of judicial sentences were written in Catalan.

"This could mean a breakthrough in the fight against cancer," said the head of the study Juan Angel Recio from Barcelona-based Vall d’Hebron Research Institute.

The research results were published on the website of the prestigious journal 'Nature Chemistry' and will appear in the print edition as well. The Universitat de Girona is particularly strong in research related to water. The study opens a new path to develop new technologies to carry out artificial photosynthesis.

The innovative technology has a pencil to measure vital signs, an odour detector, a sound detector and two cameras. The Catalan Government's Fire Department and the French firemen from Marseille CEREM participate in the deisgn of the new device.

The Catalan Government approves the modification of the Worship Centres Law from 2009. Town halls will no longer be obliged to save plots for the construction of new religious centres. No architectonical aspects are banned but the law gives town halls the authority to decide on the conditions of construction regarding aesthetics. In some Catalan towns, there have been complex controversies regarding the construction of mosques in recent years. Some Catalan towns have more than a 30% immigrant population, most of who have arrived in the last 10 years. The current approach is to give the authority to each individual town hall to adapt to its local reality.

Catalan researchers participated in an international study which analysed of more than 20,000 women from various countries. They have found that using intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUD) reduces the risk to suffer cervical cancer by half.

This Monday Catalan pupils begin their school year. 1,280,232 students from elementary, primary and secondary education returned to the classrooms with normality. However, controversies are lingering over this year. The Catalan language at schools, the sixth hour of tuition and budget restrictions all frame the school year’s kick off. The day finished with teacher and parent demonstrations in front of town halls defending the Catalan school model.

The Formula 1 circuit next to Barcelona, which hosts Spain’s Grand Prix, has been the stage of the fourth round of the ECO series 2011 race last Sunday, in which thirty electric and hybrid vehicles competed.

In a solemn ceremony and accompanied by his family and friends, the FC Barcelona manager has received the greatest honorary distinction from the Parliament of Catalonia.

The judge Eloy Velasco has accepted the case, that deals with the attacks against members of parliament commited by protesters against the spending cuts. There are calls on the Prosecutor of Barcelona to release the proceedings and recordings of the investigation

The President urges institutions and citizens to defend the Catalan education system, which has been put at risk following a court order obliging the Government to include Spanish as a school language of instruction. Meanwhile, the Catalan Minister for Education, Irene Rigau, warns that on the 2nd of November the government “will not separate pupils by language”

The Catalan Supreme Court of Justice issues a court order giving the Catalan Government 2 months to change the current school model and include Spanish as a school language of instruction. The Government will appeal. Teacher unions and the main parent associations back the current model. Currently, Catalan is the language used and Spanish is taught in school but only as a subject. For the Catalan Government, the court decision breaks a model praised by international organisations, which guarantees social cohesion and the knowledge of both languages by all pupils.