Society

Economic crisis is hitting some families unmercifully. 40,000 families that could not pay back their mortgage have lost their homes, according to a study made by the General Workers’ Union (UGT) and a consumers association presented today. A judicial procedure that permits banks and savings banks to survey homes and put them up for auction for 50% of their value is putting thousands of families in the risk of social exclusion.

Several foundations from Catalan-speaking territories have launched a newsletter that will portray opinion articles published in the Catalan press but translated into English. The newsletter ‘Intransit’ will be thematic and issued every 3 months. The initiative aims to better present Catalan views abroad.

The Welfare Project of the La Caixa’s Foundation aims to foster social cohesion in neighbourhoods with a high concentration of immigrants in Barcelona, Tortosa and Salt. The project has specified 17 zones throughout Spain that it will work with to develop community intervention models for the next 3 years.

Some 1,300 families will soon have access to government pensions in cases of family separation if the pension is not paid by the part with this duty. The Catalan Government approved the funds today that will cover pensions and alimentary compensation for those in this situation.

Catalan students are back to the books, or in some cases, laptops. The 2010-2011 school year began this morning with over 1,200,000 students and 88,467 teachers back in the classroom.

Muslims in Badalona celebrate Ramadan in the old fire station, offered by the City Hall to be used during the entire month. The decision has however carried some controversy by conservative parties.

Data released by the Department of Health shows that 40% of Catalans are overweight and 16.5% are obese. Marina Geli, the Catalan Minister for Health, is optimistic about health in Catalonia, stating that people are “changing their tendencies” and adopting healthier lifestyles.

Catalonia and Andorra are working together to develop juridical framework for attending to patients in both territories. The agreement would allow the sharing of patient records and information so that Catalans and Andorrans may seek out medical services more easily when being in the other side of the border.

Montserrat Tura, Catalan Minister for Justice, has stated that several departments are working together on this plan. She stressed that the plan focuses more on brothel regulation rather than targeting specific people. Joan Boada, Catalan Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, accused Spanish Government of not acting on the issue.

Spanish police detained the Russian man responsible for the death of 156 people last year in a nightclub in Perm, Russia. The man set off fireworks inside the nightclub, resulting in the deadly fire.

According to data from the Catalan Ministry of Employment, the number of unemployed people receiving additional job training education is 49.6%, exceeding the European average by 16.3%. Among young people, many are dropping out of the courses to return to formal education.

Josep Huguet, the Catalan Minister for Innovation, Universities, and Businesses, said that the Catalan Government is preparing a decree-law that obligates university professors to prove their level of Catalan. Huguet argues that this is a measure of “equilibrium”, to ensure Catalan is used in the university.

The future is here. Digitalisation in school classrooms is now a reality. This summer, a large step has been taken in order to provide Catalan high-school students with laptops and digital books. Catalan Minister for Education Ernest Maragall says it is “an extraordinary step in changing our educational system”.

The Programme for Maternity Health’s birth registry has published data that shows that 30% of newborns in Catalonia have a mother with a foreign nationality. Also, 52% of teen births between 14 and 17 years old were of mothers from a foreign nationality.

The longest kidnapping by Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and the Sahel has now ended after 268 days. The 2 men arrived last night at Barcelona from Burkina Faso, where they took a plane after a long journey by car and helicopter across Mali, where they were kept. They were kidnapped in Mauritania last November when they were travelling with a cooperation aid convoy heading to Senegal and The Gambia. The freeing operation has been very complex and there are unconfirmed rumours of a ransom payment.