Catalan ski resorts open for the new winter season
More than 6.000 people go skiing during the first week-end in the ski resorts of Vaquèria-Beret and Port del Comte, in the Lleida Pyrénees. Two resorts in Girona are also open.
Society
Current affairs and social issues
Stereotypes about Catalonia – People, Music and Food
The Catalan News Agency is reviewing the stereotypes, myths and ideas that foreigners have about Catalonia and is calling on experts to challenge them
Stereotypes about Catalonia – Language, Nationalism and Money
The Catalan News Agency is reviewing the stereotypes, myths and ideas that foreigners have about Catalonia and experts are called to challenge them
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “FC Barcelona, that is what I relate with Catalonia. Visca el Barça i visca Catalunya!”, says Bosnian Rusmin Terzic
Motorbike world champion of 125cc Marc Márquez answers: “More than just football, there are other sports such as hockey, basketball and motorcycling that we are very good at”.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “Barcelona is the capital of Erasmus”, affirms Berlin resident Andreas
Laia Fàbregas, a Barcelona born writer, says: “Barcelona is much more than that. There are a lot of tourists and different types of people that enjoy living here”.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - Catalan music? "What comes to mind is cheesy salsa, passionate flamenco and Latin dancing”, says Lucy
Lluís Gavaldà, lead singer of Els Pets answers Lucy from Glasgow: “Catalonia has very extensive musical richness, with traditional, classic, jazz and pop music in Catalan”.
Immigrants spend 4 times less on medication in Lleida than natives
A study conducted by professors at the University of Lleida shows that immigrants spend less money on medication than natives. It also shows that inhabitants of rural areas spend more money on medication than those of urban areas.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “I know Barcelona, but I don’t exactly know what Catalonia or Catalans are”, states New Yorker Sarah
Sergi Belbel, artistic director of the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC): “To understand Catalans, the first thing is to understand the concepts of ‘seny’ and ‘rauxa’”.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “Tapas, paella, patates braves and pa amb tomàquet are the dishes that define Barcelona’s way of life”, said Parisian Laure
For chef 7 Michelin-star, Santi Santamaria, with 2 restaurants in Catalonia, 1 in Dubai and 1 in Singapur, tapas are for tourists. “We prefer more to deeply experience dishes”, he states.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “We ask ourselves if Catalan is really important on an international level”, says Brit
The president of the Institute of Catalan Studies, Salvador Giner, responds, “Catalan is spoken by 10 million people in 4 different countries”.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - Gilles Cols: “Spaniards should have solidarity; it is a shame that Catalans are separatists”
Miquel Valls, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, says, “Catalonia is the first economic region in Spain, it makes up 19% of the GDP and has solidarity with the rest of the regions”.
United Nations University to open in 2012 in Barcelona
The university will be located in the historic Hospital de Sant Pau area, an Art-Nouveau gem and a hospital until two years ago. The United Nations University will centre on research in education, migration, youth and the role of media.
Stereotypes about Catalonia - Catalonia means “parties and sun”, “from January to December”, says Parisian
Tomàs Molina, Catalan public television's weatherman, answers: “It only rains 100 days a year here, but when it does, it rains a lot, almost like Monsoon season in India.”
Stereotypes about Catalonia - “I like Catalan ‘seny’, but where is the ‘rauxa’”?, says Teresa from New York
Justo Molinero, born in Andalucía and founder of a radio and TV station in Catalonia, answers: “Catalans are very serious people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to party and make jokes”.
Immigration in Catalonia drops 1% in a year
The drop is primarily in the male immigrant population, while the female population experienced a slight increase.
Latest updates and breaking news on society, social issues, and current affairs from Barcelona and Catalonia. Keep up to date on protests, the housing crisis, the ongoing drought, the climate crisis and environmental management, urban development and management, the language immersion system, and much more here.