catalan way

World pioneering foetal surgery against spina bifida successfully undergone in a Catalan hospital

November 2, 2011 09:58 PM | CNA / Maria Bélmez

For the first time in the world, a foetus having the spina bifida congenital disorder went through a new intra-uterus surgery technique. A medical team from Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron Hospital operated on the foetus in its 24th week by placing a biological fabric on the spinal cord, in order to protect it from amniotic liquid and to ease the gap’s closing. The baby is now five months old and doctors are confident she may walk without any problems.

Spielberg to produce the remake of the Catalan public television series ‘Polseres vermelles’ for American network ABC

October 29, 2011 12:09 AM | CNA

Steven Spielberg has bought the rights to adapt a series produced and broadcast by Catalonia’s public TV station. The American name will be ‘The Red Band Society’ and Marta Kauffman, creator of ‘Friends’, might be in charge of the script. The main characters in the series are a group of teenagers with cancer, who develop a friendship and explore their imagination in hospital. ‘Polseres vermelles’ was a huge success on Catalan television and the second season is in production.

Unemployment reaches 742,000 in Catalonia at the end of September, representing a rate of 19.43%

October 29, 2011 12:05 AM | CNA

The Catalan Government considered the figures “worrying” but puts them to a “complicated” financial situation that has provoked an economic uncertainty. On Tuesday, the Government announced an action plan to reduce unemployment in the short term. In Spain, there are almost 5 million unemployed people, which represents an unemployment rate of 21.52%. Lleida has Spain’s lowest unemployment rate, set at 13.02%.

Spanish banks will use their own resources to get the 26,121 million euros needed according to the new rules

October 27, 2011 11:43 PM | CNA

The Spanish stock exchange celebrated the European Summit’s results by increasing 4.96% in a one day of trading. The main managers of the Spanish banks are convinced they will get the requested core capital with their own resources. In addition, they believe they will need 13.5 billion euros, and not 26.1 once the detailed calculations are made. Spanish financial circles consider the new rules, adopted to counteract French and German banks’ exposition to Greek sovereign debt, do not particularly benefit Spanish banks, which almost do not hold any Greek debt. In addition, as was the case with the stress tests, the criteria to analyse the bank situation ignores Spain’s proposals and imposes those benefiting German banks.

The Catalan Government presents an action plan to fight unemployment

October 26, 2011 12:40 AM | CNA

The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment has stressed that the Government’s objective is to reduce unemployment by half by 2014. The plan foresees ten measures, with a special focus on the long-term unemployed. Some of the measures include incentives to SME companies to hire the long-term unemployed, collaborating with private temporary work agencies, enlarging the network of education classrooms and relocating staff from the Catalan Public Employment Service to provide job search council and other direct services.

The Catalan Government issues 3,700 million euros in one and two year retail bonds

October 24, 2011 10:19 PM | CNA

The 3.7 billion euros may be increased to 4 billion euros depending on demand. After the first day, the offer of bonds raised “high interest” according to financial sources. Citizens will be allowed to buy a minimum quantity of 1,000 euros and a maximum of 2 million euros. The Government is issuing bonds that expire in one year at an interest rate of 4.75%, and others expiring in two years at an interest rate of 5.25%. The Catalan Finance Minister stated that this bond offer is “safe and attractive”. It is the third emission of retail bonds in the Catalan Government’s history. The current bond emission mainly aims to replace those from the first emission, which expire next November 21st.

The Catalan troupe La Fura dels Baus covers Brussels Opera House “in mud” for their newest release ‘Oedipe’

October 20, 2011 09:22 PM | CNA / Laura Pous

Georges Enescu’s opera Oedipe will start its run next Saturday at a Belgian Opera House. It is a new challenge for La Fura del Baus, who was handed the task by Brussel’s La Monnaie–De Munt’s director after the great success of Le grand Macabre in 2009. Alex Ollé, director of the Catalan theatre company, explained CAN the troupe’s interest in this type of spectacle that is “equally or even more interesting than theatre”.

The Catalan Minister of Finance meets with City investors and the Financial Times

October 14, 2011 11:23 PM | CNA / Laura Pous

Andreu Mas-Colell, former Harvard Professor and the current Catalan Finance Minister, travelled to London to meet with financial representatives. The objective is to explain, first-hand, the Catalan Government’s austerity plans and its efforts to reduce the deficit and to foster the economic recovery. Mas-Colell met with City investors, banks and media, such as the ‘Financial Times’.

Rediscovering Joan Miró with the most complete exhibition on the Catalan artist

October 14, 2011 11:13 PM | CNA / Pere Francesch

‘Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape’ was on show at London’s Tate Modern until September, being one of the must-see exhibitions of the year. Now it arrives at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona. It is the most complete exhibition on one of the most universal Catalan artists of all time, with 170 works on display from public and private collections from all over the world. The exhibition has the double objective of rediscovering Miró’s work and showing his commitment in the era he lived in. Another exhibition on Miró’s posters will run in parallel, focussing on his involvement in Catalan cultural, political and civic initiatives.

Sitges International Film Festival kicks off with the Catalan production ‘Eva’ starring Daniel Brühl

October 7, 2011 03:00 PM | CNA / Pere Francesch / Violeta Gumà

The 44th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia begins with the presentation of ‘Eva’, a Catalan movie about robots and artificial intelligence. It stars German-Catalan actor Daniel Brühl (‘Inglorious Basterds’, ‘Good bye Lenin’, or ‘The Edukators’) and ACN talked to him. It is the first time a Catalan movie opens this international festival that will run from October 6th until October 16th.