Motorways unshackled

After over 40 years, most toll booths in Catalonia are removed, while on September 11 thousands return to the streets to celebrate the National Day

1. Some 44 years after they were first installed, most of the barriers on motorway tolls booths in Catalonia were opened on September 1 prior to their demolition, making almost 500 km of motorway free for all vehicles. The Spanish government said a new method for funding motorways will come into effect in 2024.

2. Catalan independence supporters returned to the streets of Barcelona on Catalonia’s national day, September 11, for the first time since the pandemic began. Some 800,000 people turned out for the annual demonstration, according to the organisers, while the city police put the figure at 108,000.

3. On September 19, the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands erupted. Locals were unable to do anything as lava streams flowed down the mountainside, destroying hundreds of hectares of farmland, scores of buildings and leading to the evacuation of some 7,000 people.

4. The third school year affected by the coronavirus pandemic got underway on September 13, with 1,561,627 pupils of all ages returning to the classroom. While face masks and other measures remained obligatory, such as staggered entrance to schools, many of the coronavirus protocols were relaxed.

September

Remembering the ’great forgotten’

Remembering the ’great forgotten’.

We focused on what have been called the ’great forgotten’, the generation of teenagers and young adults who have received less attention than other ages groups during the pandemic, but who are among those whose mental health has suffered most.