milan

Two women residing in Girona who had traveled to northern Italy and a man in Barcelona who had been in Milan, the new cases

Two men who had been in Milan and a woman that had been in touch with an infected person

Committee in central Europe condemns "violations of democratic rights in Europe," while Chinese region's pro-democracy movement plans rally

Milan Kucan insists Slovenia's secession was "extremely peaceful" and a "good example" for Catalonia to follow

More than 70 American academics also asked Spain to “cease political repression in Catalonia”

24 photographs from Miquel Ruiz, a Catalan photographer, are being displayed at an exhibition in Sarajevo, which kicked off on Thursday. The picture of the Library of Sarajevo destroyed by Serb artillery during the siege of the Bosnian capital is one of the masterpieces of the exposition ‘We don’t forget’, which takes place precisely in the same monumental building which appears in ruins in the image and which was restored in 2014. The Catalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, stated during his visit to the exhibition that it recalls that “Catalonia has always been with Sarajevo and Bosnia, even when the EU turned its back on them”. Romeva added that the images call us “to persevere in the construction of peace".

The Catalan President, Artur Mas, argued that having a separate stand for Catalonia is an “opportunity” to show to the world the country’s “own personality and identity”. This is the first time that Catalonia is not taking part in an International Expo as part of the Spanish pavilion. Mas admitted that the decision was due to the political conflict with Madrid, but added that having a separate space was the “right solution”. Catalonia is present at Expo Milano 2015, with an exhibition entitled ‘Barcelona Capital of Catalonia. Real food for real people’, which promotes the culinary tradition in the country and its capital.

Between the 18^th and the 20^th of November, Barcelona is hosting the 4^th edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress. This year it will be the most international edition so far, with 400 cities from 5 continents represented, a 33% increase. Participating cities include Berlin, Munich, Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco, who are present at the Fira de Barcelona exhibition centre. The goal of reaching 9,000 visitors may be achieved, as nearly 700 people attended the opening ceremony on Monday. Companies are presenting technological applications for improving the sustainability, mobility and quality of life of everyday citizens. Applications being presented this year include drones for cities, technology to monitor free parking for busy commuters, and applications to assess air quality for the physically active and for choosing the best place to open a business.

938 of the 947 existing municipalities in Catalonia will host polling stations for the alternative consultation vote on independence scheduled for the 9^th of November, which replaces the original non-binding referendum. According to the Catalan Government, this represents 99.9% of Catalans being able to vote in their own neighbourhood, town or village, without having to go to a nearby municipality. The Catalan Government will be using its own venues to host the polling stations (mainly high-schools), but it lacks them in small towns. For this reason it requested that town halls cooperate and make municipal venues available for voting. 4 additional municipalities could be added to the final list. In addition, civil societies and parties will be able to campaign in 305 Catalan Government's venues between the 30^th of October and the 8^th of November.

The FC Barcelona forward will join the Premier League's Stoke City side this summer. After spending nearly his entire footballing life at FC Barcelona, Bojan Krkic says goodbye to his club. The Catalan forward, who was always one step ahead of his age in terms of skill and quality, leaves FC Barcelona with the distinction of being the all-time highest scorer in the Barça youth system. His tally from all his years at La Masia exceeds the 400-goal mark. He also performed well when he shared the senior side dressing room with some of the best forwards on the planet. First he vied for a starting spot with Eto’o, and then with Ibrahimovic and Leo Messi. During his four seasons on FC Barcelona's first team (2007-2011), he scored a total of 26 goals. He was then loaned out to Roma, Milan and Ajax.

Two goals from Messi and another from Busquets send Barça through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. with the opening and final goals against Milan at the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening. The first was a penalty and the second from a lovely move with Cesc. With Busquets grabbing one more in between the Argentinean’s brace,  Milan could only reply with a Piqué own goal just before the break.

This Wednesday’s match will bring together two of the continent’s most storied football teams for what is considered to be a classic in European football, a Barça vs Milan showdown. A victory for FC Barcelona would see the Catalans qualify for the next round of the competition. Adriano Correia has been declared fit for this evening's match against the Italians. Tata Martino has named a total of 20 players to the team for this evening’s game. Rotations are expected, but perhaps not as many as usual. AC Milan, with Balotelli ready for action, have been unable to win in their last four matches.

Messi goal gives Barça a point in Milan and keeps them top of Group H. This Tuesday’s draw Leith the Catalans on seven points – two more than Milan- at the halfway point in the Group phase. Barça could have been four points ahead had they taken their chances towards the end of the first half, once Messi had equalised Robinho’s early opener.