barcelona

Barça’s captain Carles Puyol back after 220 days and Messi, Mascherano and Cuenca also declared fit

October 18, 2013 05:17 PM

It’s good news all round today for FC Barcelona, with no fewer than four players returning from injury. Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano, Carles Puyol and Isaac Cuenca are all available for selection by Tata Martino after recovering from their respective injuries. With these four all back, Barça’s boss is now only missing Jordi Alba and Afellay through injury. The FC Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol, hasn’t played an official first team match since March 12, the night of the comeback against AC Milan (4-0). During this time, he has undergone arthroscopy for articular cleansing of his right knee and has also had a Baker’s cyst removed.

Investindustrial, which owns PortAventura theme park, joins ‘BCN World’ by building 3,000 hotel rooms

October 16, 2013 10:25 PM | ACN

The Italian investment group has announced it will build and manage 3,000 of the 6,000 hotel rooms of the ‘BCN World’ mega resort, the competitor to Madrid’s Eurovegas that is being developed by Veremonte in Salou (Costa Daurada). The $6 billion entertainment resort will be located next to the beach and the PortAventura theme park, which is owned by Investindustrial. After a year of talks, the Italian company has finally decided to join the mega resort project, which will have casinos, hotels, convention centres, luxury shops, restaurants, golf courses and a beach club. The CEO of ‘BCN World’, Xavier Adserà, confirmed that the resort will begin building in the first half of 2014, employing 17,000 people. The hotel group Melià, shopping-mall company Value Retail and casino group Melco Crown Entertainment will build the first phase.

Large demonstration in Barcelona organised by Spain’s unity supporters, but smaller than the independence march

October 12, 2013 09:47 PM | ACN

On Saturday, Spain’s National Day, those opposing Catalan independence and defending Spain’s unity organised a large-scale demonstration in Barcelona. In absolute terms, the demonstration was far from gathering as many people as the Catalan independence demonstration a month ago or that of 2012. However, it was still a massive concentration of people, gathering around 30,000 people according to the local police, 105,000 according to the Spanish Government and 160,000 according to the organisers. The People’s Party and the anti-Catalan nationalism party Ciutadans (C’s) attended the demonstration. The organisers had been received on Thursday by the Presidents of the Catalan Government and Parliament.

Catalan researchers present an HIV vaccine prototype that could be tested in humans in 2014

October 8, 2013 09:19 PM | ACN

At the HIV Vaccine World Congress, which is taking place in Barcelona between the 7th and 10th October, Catalan researchers presented a vaccine prototype that has proven to be effective in clinical studies conducted with mice and monkeys. The vaccine stimulates the creation of antibodies and attacks infected cells. The prototype has been created by the Catalan programme to develop a vaccine against HIV, HIVACAT. According to the programme’s Scientific Director, Christian Brander, the vaccine could eventually also be used as a therapeutic treatment.

FC Barcelona vs Valladolid: Spectacular comeback (4-1)

October 6, 2013 01:27 AM | Jordi Clos

Sensational second half comeback gives Barça their eighth straight Spanish League win, breaking their own record. Alexis (2), Xavi and Neymar turned the result round after Valladolid's opener.Valladolid set a different task for Barça with an early strike and although Martino’s side soon equalised, it wasn’t until the second half that they finished the game off, with an unstoppable Neymar leading the fightback.

German multinational GFT CEO, Ulrich Dietz: “Catalonia is one of our preferred places to invest”

October 3, 2013 10:06 PM | ACN / Laura Pous / Albert Segura

The founder and CEO of technology company GFT announced that they will create 500 new jobs in Catalonia in the coming years. In an exclusive interview with the CNA, Ulrich Dietz, stated that he has “aggressive plans to increase the staff” in Greater Barcelona and Lleida. GFT  specialises in developing technological solutions for the banking and insurance sectors, with a turnover of €231 million in 2012. With several offices in Germany, the company is based in Stuttgart and is present in Brazil, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, US and UK. A quarter of GFT employees throughout the world are based in Catalonia. Most of them work in Greater Barcelona, which is the company’s “hub” for the European market. Dietz explained that he has plans to develop Lleida’s facilities, which currently employ 40 people, “significantly”.

Celtic FC vs FC Barcelona: Barça show they learnt last year's lesson (0-1)

October 2, 2013 01:37 AM | ACN

Cesc Fàbregas’ goal gives Barça the win against Celtic, a year on from last season's defeat, when the Scots beat the Catalans 2-1 despite the visitors’ dominating possession.Now, FC Barcelona made the ball their own once again, but with their lesson learnt. Barça patiently probed and looked to open up the flanks through Neymar Jr and the advanced Adriano and it was from the wings that their best chances arose.The win in Glasgow, together with Milan’s 1-1 draw in Amsterdam against Ajax means Barça stay top of the Champions League’s Group H and look favourites to progress to the knock out stages.

Celtic FC vs FC Barcelona: The essence of football

October 1, 2013 02:28 PM | ACN

Barça take on Celtic in the second round of the Champions League group stage in Celtic Park this Tuesday evening (20.45 CET). Martino's men come into the match after securing the best ever start to a league campaign in club history, but they'll be without Messi, who is injured and out of the pitch for the next two weeks at least. Celtic Park is a stadium that Barça know well seeing that the Blaugrana have played there four times in the last decade. The most recent clash between the two teams was played last year, when Barça lost 2-1 in the group stage of the Champions League.

Almería vs. FC Barcecelona: Barça set new record winning seven games out of seven (0-2)

September 29, 2013 07:32 PM | Jordi Clos

Barça's win in Almeria makes this the best ever start to a Spanish League season. Messi scored another brilliant goal on 20 minutes, before going off injured five minutes later. Whatever else happens this season, 2013/14 will go down as a record breaking start to a league season. The boss continued to rotate his squad and left both Neymar and Xavi out of the starting line up, with Cesc, Bartra and Pedro coming in.

Carnival Corporation, the world’s main cruise ship company, to invest €20 million in a new terminal in Barcelona

September 27, 2013 10:18 PM | ACN

The Port of Barcelona will have a new terminal for Carnival cruise ships by 2016. The US company announced on Friday that it will invest €20 million to build a terminal capable of serving ‘post panamax’ cruise ships. These boats can transport 4,500 passengers in ‘turnaround’ operations, which means starting and ending the trip in Barcelona. The new facility will have an area of 10,000 square metres. It will be called Terminal E and located at Barcelona harbour’s Adossat Dock. Carnival Corporation explained that the investment aims to adapt to the sector’s future needs, which point towards larger boats. With this investment, Barcelona strengthens its position as Europe’s and the Mediterranean Sea’s main centre for cruise ships, being also the world’s fourth largest port for this industry.

Barcelona El Prat Airport hosts the world’s third largest offer of low-cost airline seats

September 27, 2013 10:00 PM | ACN

The Catalan capital’s airport is the world’s third largest centre for low-cost flights. Two thirds of the seats on offer from or to Barcelona El Prat Airport are managed by low-cost companies. All Europe’s main low-cost airlines fly to Barcelona. This confirms Barcelona’s tourist attractiveness. In addition, this type of air traffic has enabled the Catalan airport to become one of Europe’s main airports. For the first time, last August more passengers went through Barcelona El Prat than through Madrid-Barajas, which means El Prat was Spain’s main airport. This might be a key asset when low-cost airlines also operate transcontinental flights.

Barcelona to have a new yacht marina next to the Barceloneta beach and the W Hotel

September 26, 2013 12:56 PM | ACN

Following a public tender, the Port of Barcelona has approved giving the private company Formentera Mar the construction and management of the city’s new yacht marina. The company will invest €30 million within the next 2 years to build moorings for 134 boats measuring between 15 and 40 metres long and a dry dock capable of storing 150 12-metre-long boats. Furthermore, the marina will have a restaurant, a viewpoint and technical facilities. It will be located next to the harbour’s north mouth, the Barceloneta beach and the W Hotel tower. The marina’s water surface will be 50,000 square metres. It will strengthen Barcelona as a cluster for the marine industry.

IAG CEO: Vueling would still be based in Barcelona even if an independent Catalonia was not in the EU

September 25, 2013 08:19 PM | ACN

Willie Walsh, the CEO of IAG – the group formed by British Airways and Iberia, guaranteed that its subsidiary airline Vueling will continue having Barcelona El Prat Airport as its main base if Catalonia becomes an independent country and even if it is forced to abandon the European Union. “We will continue in Barcelona”, he emphasised on Tuesday in a meeting with press reporters from the Chinese city of Chengdu, according to an article published by Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia. Walsh was in China as British Airways was unveiling a new route linking this city with London.