Features
A year to remember
We look back on a 12-month period of events that could change the country for ever.
2014 An exceptional year of Catalonia in politics, but what else is worth remembering from the past 12 months?
January
New president for a troubled Barça
Sandro Rosell resigns as FC Barcelona president after allegations of a scandal regarding irregular payments connected to the Neymar transfer fee
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Vice president Josep Maria Bartomeu replaces Sandro Rosell (left) as Barça chairman with immediate effect. / ARCHIVE 1. -
Nani Roma triumphs in the 2014 Dakar, considered one of the hardest endurance rallies in the world / JUANMA RAMOS 2. -
On January 16, the Catalan parliament passes a bill asking Madrid to transfer powers to call a legal referendum on independence. Some 87 MPs voted in favour and 43 against. / ARCHIVE 3. -
Infanta Cristina, the youngest daughter of the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, is charged by a magistrate with tax evasion and money laundering. / AFP 4. -
Catalan chef, Ferran Adrià, presents an ambitious project to build El Bulli Foundation at Cala Montjoi, where his famous restaurant was located. / ARCHIVE 5.
January
A recipe for success?
At long last it seems that awareness is growing about the importance of English. Catalonia Today discovers that language classrooms are full and official exams are on the menu for many.
February
Basque separatist group ETA downs arms
ETA announces intention to “seal” its arsenal to put it beyond use in a historic move towards disarmament by western Europe's last violent separatist movement
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Members of the International Verification Commission (IVC) are handed documents by masked members of Basque separatist group ETA / AFP PHOTO/ NAIZ INFO 1. -
A Spanish court orders Catalonia's schools to abandon the linguistic immersion policy of Catalan and to teach at least one third of classes in Spanish. / ELISABETH MAGRE 2. -
Barcelona hosts the Mobile World Congress 2014, with thousands of visitors from all over the world. / ALBERT SALAMÉ 3. -
Spain's largest banks increase revenue by 4 points, after receiving billions in public funds to avoid bankruptcy. / ARCHIVE 4. -
The Russian city of Sochi hosts the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, a personal achievement for president Vladimir Putin. / ARCHIVE 5.
February
Democracy under construction
It is full speed ahead for the November 9 referendum. Catalonia Today looks at the inner workings of how it will be put into practise.
March
Catalonia to get new holiday mega resort
An agreement between CiU and opposition PSC paves way for 6-billion euro holiday complex to be built next to Port Aventura resort
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This land next to Port Aventura amusement park will see the rising of a huge resort with hotels, casinos, golf courses, a beach club, a marina, a smart residential city area, shopping centres, theatres, conference centres and other attractions / ARCHIVE. -
FC Barcelona's long-serving captain, Carles Puyol, announces that he has decided to abandon the professional practice of football. / ARCHIVE
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Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a bill in the Kremlin in Moscow, annexing the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula. / ARCHIVE. -
Military pallbearers carry the coffin of Spain's former prime minister Adolfo Suarez during his funeral in Madrid. / REUTERS. -
British director Steve McQueen holds up his Best Picture Oscar for 12 Years a Slave during the 86th annual Academy Awards. / AFP.
March
The lines are drawn
The Catalan language comes under attack in Valencia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands. Catalonia's long-standing and much lauded policy of linguistic immersion is threatened.
April
Girona's Can Roca: world runner-up
International recognition for three Catalan brothers for the second year running. Sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs and author Gabriel Garcia Márquez die
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Girona's Celler de Can Roca restaurant, run by the three Roca brothers, is ranked number two in the world by the prestigious Restaurant magazine, after topping the list last year./ AFP 1. -
Sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs, creator of the controversial façade of the Sagrada Família cathedral, dies. Nobel prizewinning author, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, also passes on. / ARCHIVE 2. -
Punt Avui TV launches on Sant Jordi's day. Programming begins with Xevi Xirgo interviewing president Artur Mas. / ARCHIVE 3. -
French president, Francois Hollande, names interior minister, Manuel Valls, as France's next prime minister. / REUTERS 4. -
Former Barça coach, Tito Vilanova, dies on April 25, aged 45, after a battle with cancer. Vilanova was diagnosed two years ago and stepped aside as head coach in July. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE 5.
April
The time is now
The new campaign, Ara és l'hora, launches, aiming to bring our work timetables into line with the rest of Europe. Has the time come for a change?
May
Girona blooms for 59th flower festival
Catalonia's northern capital celebrates its annual flower festival Temps de flors, while flowers also feature in this summer season's fashion trends
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Crowds flock from all over to delight in Girona's annual flower festival, now in its 59th year. Squares, private courtyards and streets become a sea of colour. / LLUÍS SERRAT 1. -
Barça's Carles Puyol announces his last season as a player for both club and country. The emblematic defender has been plagued by injury in recent times./ EFE 2. -
Europe votes on May 25, with populist groups on the right gaining more influence inside the EU parliament. / O. DURAN 3. -
Rumours are confirmed that former Barça player and current Celta coach, Luis Enrique, will return to Camp Nou as Barça head coach./ ANDREU DALMAU/ EFE 4. -
Thirty-one die as Ukraine troops go on the offensive in an attempt to retake the port city of Odessa. / ARCHIVE 5.
May
Summer trends
An overview of the major fashion trends for the summer season reveals a plethora of bright colours, flowery motifs and designs inspired by works of art
June
Beginning or the end for Spanish monarchy?
With the institution of monarchy under pressure, the King of Spain abdicates , leaving his son to pick up the pieces. Protests against evictions in Barcelona
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Felipe VI becomes the new King of Spain on June 19 after Juan Carlos abdicates. Felipe's elder daughter, eight-year-old Leonor becomes first in line to the throne. / PACO CAMPOS / REUTERS 1. -
King Juan Carlos of Spain announces he is to abdicate the throne after 39 years in favour of his son Prince Felipe, declaring it is time for a “new generation” to lead the nation. / ARCHIVE 2. -
Violent protests in Barcelona over Can Vies eviction, a squat and social centre in Sants run by civil associations and anarchist trade unions. / M.MIRALLES 3. -
Carles Domingo from Vilanova i la Geltrú becomes first student to get maximum points in university entrance exams./ O. DURAN 4. -
Pro-European businessman Petro Poroshenko wins presidential elections in Ukraine with 56% of the vote on June 7./ EFE 5.
June
Time for a party
After 10 years of Catalonia Today, we feel the need to celebrate. This month we take a look back over the history of the publication and see just how far we have come!
July
Presidential confession comes 34 years late
Former president Jordi Pujol shocks the country with confessions of financial irregularities. New faces at the top in politics in Catalonia and Spain
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Former President of Catalonia Jordi Pujol, 84, admits on July 26 that he kept money in foreign accounts for more than three decades. Pujol claims the funds were from an inheritance received in 1980 that he did not find time to declare. / JOSEP LOSADA 1. -
Sir Elton John, a true icon of the rock world, opens the Cap Roig festival on July 4 in Calella de Palafrugell. / ARCHIVE 2. -
Josep Rull becomes the new general secretary of Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, replacing Oriol Pujol. / MARTA PEREZ 3. -
Miquel Iceta is elected leader of the Catalan socialists, PSC, while Pedro Sánchez wins the PSOE primaries in Madrid. / A. SALAMÉ 4. -
Josep Anton Duran i Lleida quits as the secretary general of UDC with Ramon Espadaler taking over on July 21. / ARCHIVE 5.
July
Time for summer break
We offer an extensive collection of trips and outings from north to south. With excursions catering to all tastes, from history and culture to nature and leisure, a country waits to be explored.
August
Russian boycott hits Catalan exports
Catalan exports seriously affected as Russia boycotts European products in response to European Union sanctions over political turmoil in the Ukraine
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Some 1,500 lorries carrying fresh produce, mostly from Catalonia, are trapped following Russian boycott. Local producers and the Generalitat seek EU assistance. / El SAKIS MITROLIDIS / AFP 1. -
Finally, the world reacts to the tragedy of Ebola in Africa which has so far claimed nearly 1,000 lives. The WHO meets to decide on measures to take should the epidemic spread. / LEON NEAL / AFP 2. -
Catalonia says farewell to Peret (pictured) as well as designer Miquel Pertegaz. In the US, Lauren Bacall dies at the age of 89 and the death of Robin Williams shocks the world. / MIQUEL ANGLARILL 3. -
A campaign dogged by charges of corruption does nothing to impede Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Edorgan from winning the presential elections on August 28. / AFP 4. -
Motorcyclist Marc Márquez does it again and is proclaimed MotoGP world champion at Indianapolis. / REUTERS 5.
September
Catalonia celebrates September 11 en masse
The Diada festivities attracted millions around the country, Scotland voted 'no' to independence while the Ebola outbreak caused death and misery in Africa
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Thousands turned out celebrate September 11, calling for a binding referendum on Catalan sovereignty. Some 1.8 million people formed a human 'V' on the streets of Barcelona. / E. MAGRE 1. -
World Health Organisation warns that the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, especially Liberia, has dramatically intensified, with almost 5,000 cases reported and more than 2,400 deaths. / REUTERS 2. -
The 40th anniversary of the Teatre-Museu Dalí sees the return of Salvador Dalí's: Noia a la finestra. The 1925 portrait was loaned by the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. / EFE 3. -
September 18 sees Scotland's referendum on independence with 84% turnout with the 'no' option gaining 55% of votes. / AFP 4. -
Former Catalan president, Jordi Pujol, appears before parliament to answer allegations of corruption. / REUTERS 5.
September
Work to still to be done
Back to school and there is still a lot to be done where English is concerned. We take a look at recent developments in the teaching of the language.
October
Historic gay rights law passed by parliament
The new law includes sanctions of up to 7,500 euros, the 2014 Sitges horror film festival opened and Leo Messi broke yet another goal-scoring record
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A historic law passes in the Catalan parliament protecting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people. / ARCHIVE 1. -
Film director Mike Cahill's science fiction thriller, I Origens, takes top prize in this year's Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic in Sitges. / ARCHIVE 2. -
Classical musician, Jordi Savall, is awarded the medalla d'or by president Artur Mas for services to music and Catalonia. / ARCHIVE 3. -
Barça's Leo Messi breaks a new record by becoming, at age 27, the youngest player to score 250 goals in La Liga. / AFP / L. GENE 4. -
Dilma Rousseff is reelected as Brazil's president after defeating her rival, Aécio Neves, with 51% of the votes cast. / AFP / E. SA 5.
October
The remains of a defeat
Our October issue takes a tour of the country looking at the architectural legacy left by the Bourbon occupants after the national tragedy of 1714.
November
More than 2.3 million turn out for 9-N vote
After success of participative process, Catalonia Today launches English Hour on El Punt Avui Televisió, plus two pages of English news every day in the paper
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Despite the legal hurdles represented by the constitutional court and the Spanish government, Catalonia goes ahead with nationwide vote. / ARCHIVE 1. -
On November 10, following the historic 9-N vote, Catalonia Today undergoes expansion, with daily TV programmes and two pages of news in English in El Punt Avui. / JUANMA RAMOS 2. -
While Catalans consider an independent future, Germany celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. / EFE 3. -
Barcelona-based, UK architect, David Mackay, who on occasion appeared in Catalonia Today, dies at the age of 81. / L. CRUSET 4. -
November 28 and 29 sees tonnes of food aid handed out in the annual food distribution campaign, the Gran Recapte. / M. PEREZ 5.
November
We spread our wings
Catalonia Today this month focuses on our bold step into the Catalan media. Apart from the magazine, and the English language pages in Presència, CT now goes live daily on El Punt Avuí TV and provides content in English for El Punt Avuí newspaper.
December
Santa Llúcia kicks off Catalan Christmas
Cagatió and caganers in market stalls, while cava firms take advantage of the holiday period, closed by the annual outing of the national football team
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Santa Llúcia markets are to be found in squares all over Catalonia, selling decorations and gifts. Barcelona's fair went from November 28 to December 23./QUIM PUIG 1. -
For the first time, the Gran Teatre del Liceu is chosen as the venue for the award of the Premi Sant Jordi, the country's most prestigious literary prize. / ARCHIVE 2. -
Actor María Valverde is partnered by singer David Bisbal to front this year's annual Freixenet Christmas cava advert. The big-budget TV commercial is a mainstay of the holiday period. / ARCHIVE 3. -
Ski season starts in Catalonia and Andorra, with most ski resorts open until April 6, 12 or 19 next year. Last year, the number of visitors to Catalan resorts rose by 9%, to 1.8 million days sold. ARCHIVE 4. -
Catalan national football team plays the annual Christmas friendly international, this year on Dec. 28 against Euskadi in the San Mamés stadium, home of Athletic Bilbao. / QUIM PUIG 5.
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