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Catalan and Barcelona Police tried to remove protesters from Barcelona’s Catalunya Square to facilitate the work of cleaners to dismantle the camp. The official reason was to prevent violent action on Saturday night if FC Barcelona wins the Champions League. After the resistance offered by some protesters, riot police charged violently causing more than 120 injured and the indignation of protesters, many civil society organisations and opposition parties. The Catalan Minister for Home Affairs accepted responsibility and stated that police were following orders. Protesters took the square back and set up the camp again. A similar operation took place in Lleida.

Barcelona El Prat and Madrid Barajas airports will be run by private operators. The Spanish Government has already started informal contacts with potential private operators. Public competition would begin this summer, would take place in two phases and will end before the end of 2011.

FC Barcelona closed their league season with another away win, coming from behind to beat Malaga 1-3 with goals from Bojan (pen), Afellay and Bartra. Barça's squad was very young, with four players from the B team. The result and the performance will give added confidence ahead of the Champions League Wembley final.

The protests of citizens across Spain asking for a new democracy has completely captured the last few days of the electoral campaign. The Central Electoral Board ordered the protests to stop from Friday midnight, as they coincide with the reflection period and election day. The Spanish Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court are expected to give their verdict this Friday. Protesters decided to resist in a peaceful way, while politicians have asked them to abide by the law and the electoral process, but at the same time have requested understanding the protesters. Authorities and police unions have warned about the risks of removing the people from the squares and it is believed that they will not intervene unless violence occurs.

They call themselves “angry people”, they are fed up and they are asking for a “real democracy”, as they believe the political class has failed to represent them. Most of them are in their twenties, but there are people of all ages and backgrounds present. Since Sunday May 15th they are camping in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square and in Barcelona’s Catalunya Square. The movement pretends to change the political system in a peaceful way and is being organised via social networks, probably inspired by Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Politicians, in the final days of the political campaign, have asked for an understanding of the protests and have called for calm.

The Catalan Government will be able to keep the number of new teacher positions this year, after the Spanish Government withdrew its complaint. However, the Spokesperson for the Catalan Government insisted that the Spanish Executive continues with “its offensive against Catalonia”, as among other issues it still refuses to pay 1.45 billion euros from the Competitiveness Fund. In addition, only 0.8% of the Spanish Government’s approved public works in 2011 are in Catalonia.

With the Spanish League title already won, Barça drew 0-0 with Deportivo in a game with few real chances at the Camp Nou tonight. The Champions enjoyed the party atmosphere at the ground with one eye on the CHampions League Wembley final against Manchester United.

FC Barcelona have won their 21st Spanish League title, and it’s now three-out-of-three for manager Josep Guardiola, who has produced a winning style that has amazed the footballing world.

The most desired point (1-1). Barça are the Spanish League champions after drawing away to Llevant. Keita scored the goal that eventually secured the third consecutive title, in Guardiola’s third year as coach. There are still two matches to play, but it is mathematically impossible being overtaken Real Madrid. And now, Barça faces its next challenge: the Champions League final against Manchester United.

The Spanish Government risked losing an important vote at the Parliament if members of the Catalan Socialists had voted the same they did in the Senate. However, they voted together with the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE). By obliging the PSC to choose between its vote coherence and its loyalty to the PSOE, the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition CiU dislocated the PSC in the middle of the municipal election campaign. The rejected motion had asked the Spanish Government to reconsider its stance and pay the Competitiveness Fund’s 1.45 billion euros in 2011.

FC Barcelona need just one point to mathematically win the Spanish League title, but Guardiola says “we need to be well prepared mentally because you have to win points, they don’t give them away”. However, if Real Madrid does not win all the 9 points still to be decided, Barça will become this year’s champion.

Barça again won the city derby against Espanyol with a 2-0 win that leaves them needing just a point to take the Spanish League title. If Real Madrid does not win Getafe next Tuesday, FC Barcelona would win the League.

FC Barcelona suffered their second defeat of the season in Donosti tonight, going down 2-1 to Real Sociedad, who came back from a first half goal by Thiago with two goals in the second half. The results tonight mean Barça need 4 more points to take the Spanish League title, as the 8-point distance with Real Madrid is kept after Madrid’s loss against Zaragoza in the Bernabeu stadium.

The Catalan Minister for Finance Andreu Mas-Colell has unveiled the main guidelines for the budget proposal for 2011, which he said are shaped with “austerity, seriousness and credibility”. Public expenditure will be cut by 10%, although he warns that it is impossible to meet the 1.3% deficit objective, as it is a transition year and some revenues have not been paid. However, he insisted that the 2012, 2013 and 2014 objectives will be met. The Spanish Government warned that not meeting the deficit objective for 2011 is not an option. Mas-Colell also explained he has not included, not even as a pending revenue, the 1.45 billion euros for the Competitiveness Fund.

Barça's coach Josep Guardiola hasn’t been distracted by Mourinho's controversy and the complaints before UEFA. On Saturday, FC Barcelona can go a big step further to the league title at Anoeta, and the coach guarantees that his players’ only concern is that game.