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‘Nature’s 10’, the annual list which distinguishes the year’s best scientists according to the journal, has included Catalan astronomer, Guillem Anglada-Escudé amongst its names. The researcher at Queen Mary University of London detected the nearest known planet outside the Solar System which he baptised ‘Proxima b’. He put together a team and got observing time on the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) at the European Southern Observatory as well as other telescopes that could double-check whether any promising evidence that they found was caused by stellar activity, which can mimic the signs of a planet. Within days, they confirmed that the planet was there; within weeks, they submitted a manuscript detailing their discovery. The planet, called Proxima b, has at least 1.3 times the mass of Earth and orbits Proxima every 11.2 days.

On the 26th and 27th of January, Girona celebrates the second edition of #Girona10. This low-cost tourist event consists of offering hotel rooms and restaurant menus for €10 in and around the city. It was created last January in order to promote this northeast Catalan city and is aimed at both local and foreign tourism. The 2012 #Girona10 project was hugely successful, and the website where people could register quickly collapsed. This fact has led the organisers to think about a new hotel room distribution model, based on a lottery. Also due to last January’s success, this year the campaign offers 40% more hotel spots and 25% more menus than last year, while other institutions and activities have been added to the event providing new services.

The initiative is inspired by 'Girona 10'. It lasts from June 8th to the 10th so as to promote the Costa Brava town as a commercial and tourist destination. Blanes s offering hotel nights and menus in restaurants for 12 euros as well as discounts at some local shops of 12%. 90 commercial and service establishments are participating in the initiative, which includes a shopping night.

The crisis has hit the hospitality and tourism businesses hard. However, new ideas to attract more consumers appear every day. In Vall de Ribes, in central Catalonia, a marketing strategy called ‘Pay what you want’ has begun.

Recent polls and the massive demonstration in Barcelona on 10 July suggest a widening gap between citizens in Spain and Catalonia since the cuts in the Statute