Society

In a solemn ceremony and accompanied by his family and friends, the FC Barcelona manager has received the greatest honorary distinction from the Parliament of Catalonia.

The judge Eloy Velasco has accepted the case, that deals with the attacks against members of parliament commited by protesters against the spending cuts. There are calls on the Prosecutor of Barcelona to release the proceedings and recordings of the investigation

The President urges institutions and citizens to defend the Catalan education system, which has been put at risk following a court order obliging the Government to include Spanish as a school language of instruction. Meanwhile, the Catalan Minister for Education, Irene Rigau, warns that on the 2nd of November the government “will not separate pupils by language”

The Catalan Supreme Court of Justice issues a court order giving the Catalan Government 2 months to change the current school model and include Spanish as a school language of instruction. The Government will appeal. Teacher unions and the main parent associations back the current model. Currently, Catalan is the language used and Spanish is taught in school but only as a subject. For the Catalan Government, the court decision breaks a model praised by international organisations, which guarantees social cohesion and the knowledge of both languages by all pupils.

The Catalan Government is reducing public deficit and cutting public spending by 10% this year. All areas are affected, including healthcare, which is one of the departments with a smaller percentage budget reduction. Last August, 25 community health centres (CAP) reduced their opening hours, closing their emergency room during nights and weekends as they were scarcely used; as of this September, another 21 centres in a similar situation have been added to the list. Citizens have been camping in some CAPs to protest about the decision.

The programme will be trialled at CaixaBank cash machines to analyse the effectiveness of user interface and help to develop a long term option to help the disabled overcome barriers.

Lloret de Mar is one of the most popular tourist destinations along the Costa Brava yet some tourists themselves are tearing this beach resort apart. Clashes with police, particularly over the last month, have sparked calls for greater security and a crack-down on the drinking culture that has fostered in the town.

The group dedicated to robbing cars and possessions from unsuspecting drivers at the AP-7 highway has been disbanded by the Catalan police. 13 stolen cars have been recovered and more than 90 people responsible for these crimes arrested.

Almost 600 professionals from over fifty countries participate in the meeting which will be held between 5th and 9th September in Barcelona.

Archaeologists discover a 56,000 year old wooden tool, the oldest of its kind ever to have been discovered in the Catalan town of Capellades. The tool is thought to have been used by Neanderthals for maintaining their fires and is "unique in the world".

Plans to change the location of Barcelona zoo have been put on hold indefinitely. The zoo, which has been housed in Park of the Ciutadella since 1892, is now turning its attention to modernisation, aiming to become a "leader in the defence and conservation of biodiversity". Popular with tourists and locals alike, visitors increased by 13% from January to July this year. Coinciding with the zoo’s new plans, two spotted hyenas have arrived, the first in the last 25 years.

Each year, thousands of seasonal workers come to Lleida's fields to work picking fruit; most of them are Muslim and thus have to work during Ramadan. They claim that, despite the Ramadan being tough, this year it has been made a little easier thanks to the weather, there is "less heat than last summer" they say.

Researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IBIDELL) have shown how brain areas interact as if the person is resting or active. Networks active when resting should be deactivated when awake, but a dysfunction in this process may be behind some diseases. The study has been published in the journal ‘PLoS ONE’.

The Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia and IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic of Barcelona are included in the 131 medical institutions that participated in the world study.

Modern day Tarragona was once one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire, Tarraco. The ruins are one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Tarragona’s Roman Temple of Augustus, which can be found beneath the foundation of the Gothic Cathedral, is currently being studied. The second archaeological excavation concludes with the discovery of several medieval coins, medals and a twelfth-century lamp.