Society

The Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona responded to criticisms associated with the Pope’s upcoming visit in an interview with CNA. A controversy has been going on in Catalonia regarding the costs of Benedict XVI’s visit to Barcelona, when he will bless the famous Sagrada Família church and declare it a basilica. Public administrations will pay for the security and disturbance costs associated with the visit. Laicism groups have protested for the use of public money.

A collaborative study has shown great possibilities for economic development along the B-30 highway outside of Barcelona, in the area of Vallès. Researchers see collaboration between universities and businesses as an “essential” part of this process.

Catalonia is the autonomous community with the highest number of foreigners receiving social security benefits. The data shows a 1.23% decrease compared to September of last year.

Coastal city of Sitges, 25 km South from Barcelona, plans to become a leading pole of creativity. 'QUALIA Sitges' will dedicate 100,000 square metres to the fields of art and creativity. One of the main objectives of QUALIA is the creation of the 'Barcelona Institute of Performing Arts'.

A collaborative study has shown that if consumers know if fruits are acidic or sweet, fruit consumption in supermarkets may raise up to 30%. The study has also concluded that about 75% of the population prefers sweet fruit while the rest prefer acidic.

The project funded by the Institut Ramon Llull –the institute promoting Catalan language and culture abroad– aims to promote the use of Catalan beyond the areas of Romance Language Studies and Philology.

The Catalan Government has declared the Collserola hills as a Natural Park. The old project has experienced several delays, but today it got the green light. The mountains will now have special protection and further construction will go through strict controls.

On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, NGOs ask the Government to focus on policies that reduce social exclusion.

Leading companies in the infrastructure and information technology industries, Abertis Telecom and Indra will work together with the town halls of both cities in a pilot programme to improve city life. The project foresees the creation of a reference centre in Catalonia focused on providing technological solutions to the cities’ problems.

Over 1,600 people have signed a virtual petition for a Catalan translation of twitter. The initiative was started by the Catalan journalist Albert Cuesta.

The Lleida City Hall approved the controversial ordinance that prohibits the use of headwear in municipal buildings, including the burqa or niqab, as well as helmets or other clothing fully covering the face. Islamic local groups are at odds as to whether or not the ban is justified. The ban does not apply to the street, private spaces or buildings owned by other public instituitions.

‘Workshop Pirineus’ was organised to unite tour operators and businesses from the tourism sector with tourist agencies to sell their Pyrenees offers. More than 100 companies have come and 1,000 interviews have been held.

137 municipalities from the Barcelona area have joined together to fight global warming, participating in the European Union Covenant of Mayors. Today they were in Brussels to share their experiences.

5 universities from both sides of the Pyrenees are working to become the newest competitive research and knowledge pole of Europe. The project will unite university teachers with graduate students to carry out investigations in the fields of tourism, water, nutrition, health, physics and computing.

The Catalan award recognises people who fight for linguistic and social rights of minorities. Malika Ahmed Zadi is an activist for the Amazigh community in Algeria.