http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/index.rss It's the news. It's from Barcelona. Updated throughout the week, find out what's making the headlines here en-en 2009 Creative Media Group SL. All Rights Reserved. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:08:43 GMT here, La Vanguardia). Gamez read a brief statement in which she mentioned the health of her two colleagues that are still being held and said that her happiness would only be complete when Albert Vilalta and Roque Pasqual are also released. Gamez went on to say that all three "had been well treated and respected within the constraints of the desert". She expressed her appreciation for the efforts made by different institutions to secure her release, and for the support of Catalan and Spanish society. She also requested that the media respect her need for rest and to have private time with her family. While confirming the release of Gamez, the Spanish deputy prime minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, said that no ransom had been paid for her release. At a press conference, De la Vega confirmed that the other two hostages were in good health, and added "We would have preferred that the release was complete." She went on to say that the "main concern of the government is that they use all means available to ensure they return home in the shortest time possible".  ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/news-headlines-thursday-5th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/news-headlines-thursday-5th-march/index.html Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:08:43 GMT here, El Periodico). The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has said he’s confident that in “a short time” good news will be received about the fate of Gámez, the only female in the group that was taken on November 29th by a band linking themselves to Al-Qaeda. It is thought that Gámez will be released with the Italian Philomene Kabourée, who was also kidnapped, along with her husband Sergio Cicala, by local terrorists. Negotiations have been ongoing to secure the release of all the hostages, talks in which representatives from Burkina Faso are said to have played a key role, because Kabourée was born in the country, although she now has Italian citizenship. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/wednesday-10th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/wednesday-10th-march/index.html Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:42:13 GMT here, La Vanguardia). Despite emergency plans being put into place, the snow storm caused transport chaos on most of the roads in and out of Barcelona and completely shut-down the Rodalies train network. This morning, technicians from the power company Endesa Fecsa-Endesa were still working to restore and repair damage done to power lines in the province of Girona which left around 220,000 people without electricity. Joan Saura, the Generalitat's Interior Minister announced that they expect power to be fully restored today but that it would depend on the company. A Renfe spokesman reported that commuters trapped in trains were transported by bus and that the lines affected, C1, C2, C3 and C4, were suspended until further notice. This morning a total of 174 sections of roads in Catalunya continue to be affected by the storm of which 39 are closed, while three accidents occurred on the C33, on the outskirts of Barcelona, caused by ice sheets. Staff from the Red Cross and the emergency services have been distributing blankets and food to people trapped in their vehicles and those on the railways.  ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/news-headlines-tuesday-9th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/news-headlines-tuesday-9th-march/index.html Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:00:09 GMT here, La Vanguardia). The Generalitat has activated its respective emergency plans to deal with extreme weather conditions. which are currently particularly affecting the centre of Catalunya. With snow falling in some areas as low as 100 metres above sea level, certain roads in the region are only accessible to vehicles that have got snow-chains, while in areas including Bages, Solsonès and Osona, roads have been entirely closed. Once again, the border road between Catalanuya and France, the AP-7 at La Jonquera, has been closed to heavy goods vehicles (lorries and coaches). On the outskirts of Barcelona, the motorways of l'Arrabassada and Vallvidrera have been closed due to snow and the adverse weather conditions, while in some areas of Catalunya, school transportation has been cancelled, including in Bages and Vallès. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/monday-8th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/monday-8th-march/index.html Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:44:54 GMT here, La Vanguardia). The only area in which there is practically no difference is in commercial salaries, which tend to be much more performance-related. The report, published by human resources group, ICSA, in collaboration with business school Esade highlights the negative consequences of Spain’s economic crisis and its dramatic effects on equality. In previous years the pay gap had been getting narrower and in 2007 stood at 12%. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/friday-5th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/friday-5th-march/index.html Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:53:16 GMT Costa Brava (read article in Castilian here, La Vanguardia). Sixteen other people were injured, two seriously, on board the Cypriot ship ‘Louis Majesty’, which was travelling between Cartagena and Marseille, when the six-metre wave struck at 4.30pm, close to the coast off Begur in the Gulf of León—when the incident occurred, the boat turned around and headed for Barcelona to seek medical attention for those who needed it. The ship was carrying 1,350 passengers and 580 crew-members when the incident occurred, which, as well as affecting passengers, left windows broken. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/thursday-4th-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/thursday-4th-march/index.html Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:49:18 GMT Vida Nueva magazine (read article in Castilian here, La Vanguardia). The magazine, which quotes sources from the Spanish embassy to the Holy See, said that the Pope could confirm his visit today, at the end of a planned General Meeting; it would be the second time that Benedict XVI has visited Spain following a trip to Valencia in 2006 for a World Family Meeting. During this new trip, forecast for the end of October or start of November, the Pope is expected to consecrate Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia cathedral as well as visit Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, the city at the end of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. While the dates for the visit are yet to be confirmed, it is thought that the Pope will be in Spain for just one day. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/wednesday-3rd-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/wednesday-3rd-march/index.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:48:14 GMT here, La Vanguardia). Miguel Marín Navarro, 29 and from the Maresme town of Alella, was on the island of Robinson Crusoe, located 674 kilometres west of the mainland in the South Pacific Island, when the tsunami hit at 4.30 on Saturday morning, about an hour after the 8.8-level earthquake occurred. Marín was part of a group of seven tourists (four Catalans, two Madrileños and one Chilean) who had arrived on the island the previous Wednesday, drawn there by their interest in botany. His family was notified about his death by an e-mail sent by one of the other members of the group on Sunday. The rest of the group is safe, with some members still on the island and the rest now in Valparaíso. The family of Marín Navarro have said that they are still have trouble getting official information either from the Chilean embassy or the Spanish government. Three other Spaniards are currently missing in Chile. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/tuesday-2nd-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/tuesday-2nd-march/index.html Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:26:34 GMT here, El Periodico). The cyclon, which reached speeds of more than 200 kilometres per hour as it crossed the Bay of Biscay yesterday, was baptised as a 'perfect storm’ and affected not only France and Spain, but also Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Here, as well as the three people killed (one elderly lady who died when a wall fell on top of her and two people in a car on which a tree fell), eight more were injured, power was lost in many homes and transport was affected, with the cancellation of more than 100 flights. However, Spanish interior minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, praised the prudence and responsibility shown by many citizens in the face of Cyclone Xynthia, which meant that that the number of lives lost and injuries caused was much less than it might otherwise have been. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/monday-1st-march/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/monday-1st-march/index.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:02:58 GMT here, Avui). The Mossos were shot when they responded to a call at number 429 in Aragón, between Sardenya and Marina, close to the Avinguda Diagonal—neighbours had reported hearing cries and a lot of noise coming from a first-floor apartment that they said was being used as a brothel. However, when the police tried to enter the building, they were shot at by up to two people; the injured police officers are said to now be out of danger. In response to the incident, a large number of agents, and a police helicopter, were deployed to the area to try and find those responsible, so far, without success and the search area has been widened. They have not commented on reports that the criminals are Rumanian thieves who intentionally target brothels. ]]> http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/friday-26th-february/index.html http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/blogs/the-informer/friday-26th-february/index.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:06:04 GMT